Foundation – Season 3 Episode 2 Recap & Review
Episode 2 of Foundation season 3 starts with Gaal and Hari Seldon awakening 151 years ago. The Second Foundation are here, with Thalis leading the effort. We're still on Ignis, but the Foundation are clearly desperate to get the plan back on track.
These two have been kept in cryosleep all this time, save for a few weeks each year. While awake, Hari teaches psychohistory to the Mentalists, while Gaal uses her powers to help prepare for the fight against the Mule.
This knowledge eventually helps the Second Foundation to expand out across the galaxy, with eyes and ears in every area. However, despite controlling the Empire's loosening grip, not everything can so easily be controlled.
Gaal and Hari come to the realization that they need everything to be perfect here, and for that to happen, one of them needs to stay awake for the foreseeable future. Hari Seldon decides to sacrifice his life for this, staying awake and teaching everything he can to the Mentalists.
Fast forward to 4 years back and Thalis is dead. There's a new First Speaker now on Ignis which happens to be a guy by the name of Preem Palver.
As for Hari Seldon, he's now an old man, realizing that he's needed to teach the Mentalists whatever he can, with Gaal the 'girl who's the key to everything'. He explains that the Third Crisis is almost upon them and they need to be ready.
Hari shows her the Prime Radiant, which includes everything he knows about the Eight Crises. All the raw data is here, including his thoughts, secrets and, most importantly, the Invictus. If the Mule is defeated, everything is headed for this.
Hari is an old man now though and it's unclear exactly how long he has left. A physical manifestation of the Prime Radiant speaks to him and opens up some sort of portal that takes him to his final resting place.
When Gaal realizes Hari has gone, she speaks to Preem and learns his language, helping to get the plan back on track.
This long prologue catches us up to the moments at the end of episode 1. Gaal awakens in present time from Cryosleep and learns that the Mule's actions have thrown their plan completely out of whack.
On Trantor, the Cleons try to remain hopeful over the future. Dusk and Dawn question the psychohistory and whether it can be changed, while Day wipes his hands of all of this, declaring they're 'fucked'. Instead, he heads on over to the Claviger Barracks and indulges in his gambling.
As for Dusk, he pleads with Demerzel, trying to escape his fate of turning to dust. It doesn't go to plan and getting nowhere, instead tries to bargain with Day to show up for the robing. Day believes they're ragdolls dressed up at Kings and demonstrates the futility of everything, slicing his hand and showing the nanites healing his skin. That's a no, then.
Dusk speaks to Dawn next and is sorry for Day not doing his duty. However, he wants to help do whatever he can to set things right with Dawn. He and Ambassador Quent will be having drinks that night and he wants Dawn to come join them. Dusk promises that he has a gift for him that he's not told anyone about, but right now he needs to wait for the right time to hand it over.
With Dawn becoming Day and ascending, Dusk checks out his 'gift'. This is a Novacula, which happens to be a black hole bomb. It has a lot of power and obviously nothing can escape a black hole so it can't be stopped. It's essentially a planet-killer akin to the Death Star in its final form, allowing them to puncture across the universe and hit any planet.
This is for Dawn to use, but only when things are dire enough that there is no other choice.
On Kalgan, the Mule shows up at the Archduke's palace and finds his daughter, Skirlet, there. With all the soldiers watching on silently, the Mule talks about conversion and his methods of coercion. He offers the girl a gun, who points it at her own head and fires.
Thankfully, there's no bullet inside but it's a demonstration to show that he's in control, and the Mule's ominous promise to force the rest of the galaxy to bow to his will, isn't a great sign of things to come.
Over at the Alliance of Traders, we catch up with Toran Mallow. He wants nothing to do with any of this, especially his father's part to play in the weapons and gear last episode, but Toran is forced to pay attention with the Mule right on his doorstep. He's not the only one here though, as Captain Pritcher also shows to see Mallow.
Pritcher explains that they're docked in a warzone right now and he wants Toran's help. It makes sense, given this would allow cover to Indbur and the rest of the Foundation leadership in the process.
As the episode closes out, Dawn excuses himself from the dinner with Quent and Dusk, where they simply talk politics and don't take the Mule's threat seriously. Instead, we winds up on a call with Gaal.
The Episode Review
So the Mule is upon us and this threat is not going to be easy to contain. His demonstration at the dinner table is evidence enough that this man demands respect and is absolutely unhinged in his desire to get it.
The opening scenes with Gaal and Hari Seldon help to flesh out more of the 151 year history, and it's presented well, especially with the Third Crisis upon us and Seldon sacrificing himself for the sake of getting the Plan back on track.
There's also the drama involving the Cleons and seeing Dusk harnessing a new Death Star and potentially handing this over to Dawn, could be the start of a brand new power dynamic springing forth in the Galaxy.
Visually, the show still looks great and the understated soundtrack adds a lot of atmosphere to this one. Either way, everything is left wide open for what should be a dramatic set of episodes to follow.
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Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
How TV star Jussie Smollett's ‘race attack' hoax that rocked tinderbox US was exposed by clues including a sandwich bag
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AS the star of hit drama Empire, Jussie Smollett was at the height of his fame in 2019 and was becoming a household name across the globe. But the actor's world came crashing down after he claimed he had been the victim of a hate crime, attacked by two white men in the street who punched and kicked him, using racial and homophobic slurs before tying a noose around his neck. 12 Jussie Smollett in hospital after alleging he was the victim of a racially-motivated attack Credit: Twitter 12 Jussie Smollett (centre) with Empire co-stars Terrence Howard, Bryshere Gray, Trai Byers and Taraji P. Henson Credit: Handout 12 Jussie was eventually jailed over the claims Credit: The Mega Agency 12 CCTV footage released by Chicago Police shows two 'people of interest' in the 'attack' Credit: AP:Associated Press The horrifying 'attack' sent shockwaves around the world, coming at a time of racially-charged tensions and claims of police corruption in Chicago, where Smollett alleged the incident took place, and other cities across America. Messages of support for the actor, now 43, flooded in from celebrities and even President Donald Trump, with cops put under huge pressure to solve the case. Josie Duffy Rice, a criminal justice journalist, says: 'You don't put a noose around anybody's neck for any other reason than they are black. Lynching is coming back, right? That was the undertone. It felt like a threat against anybody black.' Melissa Staples, former chief of detectives at Chicago Police, adds: 'That is something I have never come across in an investigation in 30 years. I thought it was very disturbing, I thought it was repulsive.' But police soon established an astonishing twist in the tale, suspecting that the attack had not happened at all and was in fact a hoax staged by Smollett himself and two friends. Now a new Netflix documentary breaks down how the scandal was exposed by a breadcrumb trail of clues including a sandwich bag, while those involved in the case - including Smollett, who astonishingly maintains his innocence - put forward their sides of the story. Smollett - who played pop star Jamal Lyon in Fox drama Empire - says: 'Those moments changed the trajectory of my entire life. "My story has never changed. My story has remained intact. "Trust me there have been people who have come to me and said 'just say that you did it'. "But why would I say that I did something if I didn't do it?' Jussie Smollett's conviction for fake hate attack overturned as court cites Bill Cosby case as example in shock reversal Hoax unravels Smollett had gone out in freezing temperatures in the middle of the night to get some food when he claimed he was attacked on Chicago's East Lower North Water Street on January 29, 2019. He returned to his apartment with the noose still around his neck and his friend called the police to report the hate crime. But alarm bells soon started to ring for the detectives in charge of the case. Eddie Johnson, former superintendent of Chicago Police, says: 'To think that I had two white guys attack a black man in this city was disgusting to me. But some things kind of struck me as a little odd. "We were going through the polar vortex at the time and I was thinking to myself, 'Who is out in the street with it being cold as s**t out there?' 'We had video of Jussie Smollett when he came back into his building after the crime had occurred so that's when we saw the Subway sandwich bag in his hand, that was in pristine condition. "And I'm like wait a minute, most victims of an assault like that, they are trying to get the heck out of dodge, because let's face it who says that these guys that assaulted him won't come back? "The last thing you are worried about is grabbing a sandwich bag, so that was a little odd to me. I believe he wanted to be the poster boy of activism for black people, for gay people or for marginalised people Bola 'Then there was the initial video of him in his apartment with the noose. He says to the officers, 'Yeah this is the noose that they used, I just want you all to see it', then he calmly takes it from around his neck and then rolls it up like it's a prop. "Now my family is from the Deep South in Alabama so I saw some things growing up. I don't know of many black people, if there was a noose around their neck, they are not going to leave it on there. They are going to treat it with disdain and disgust. That was a little cause for concern. Then we asked Jussie for his phone. He doesn't want to give it to us so of course that raised a lot of suspicion on our part.' Suspects puzzle Cops reviewed hours and hours of CCTV footage and found no evidence of an assault. Taxi records from the night of the attack identified two main suspects who were dropped off near the scene of the alleged crime - but puzzlingly, they were two black men, Ola and Bola Osundairo. And far from being total strangers to Jussie Smollett, they had both worked as extras on the Empire series - and one was his personal trainer. Then detectives discovered that the night after the incident the Osundairo brothers had flown to Nigeria. On their return cops were waiting to arrest them on the runway. 12 Abimbola 'Abel' (left) and Olabinjo 'Ola' Osundairo were found to be pals of Smollett Credit: Instagram 12 The pair were paid over $3,000 by Smollett 12 The actor outside the courthouse in 2019 Credit: Getty Images - Getty Police showed Smollett the men's pictures and he said it was impossible that they were his attackers. He says: 'I was friends with one brother, he was also working as my trainer. There was absolutely no reason whatsoever that I could think that they would do it.' But Jussie later gave a TV interview about his attack and identified two men pictured on CCTV as his attackers - unaware that police had IDed them as the Osundairo brothers. And when the pair's lawyer Gloria Rodriguez showed them the footage, they were furious and agreed to talk to the police. The brothers claimed that Jussie had received a threatening letter in the post a week before the attack, but he said the Empire film studio weren't taking it seriously. So he asked Bola - who he had become friends with - to beat him up. Bola says: 'I believe he wanted to be the poster boy of activism for black people, for gay people or for marginalised people.' Ola adds: 'I thought it was crazy but at the same time it was Hollywood. So I don't know, I'm a baby in it. This is what they do, this is how it goes.' Steroid cash claim Smollett paid the brothers $3,500 by cheque and they went ahead with the plan. Eddie Johnson says: 'Now the brothers had given us enough evidence to prove that he was not telling the truth. I was like we've got this dude now.' But Jussie had gone AWOL. Tina Glandian, attorney at Geragos and Geragos, a firm that has represented infamous stars such as Andrew Tate and Chris Brown, was drafted in by Jussie Smollett's employers at Fox. Police alleged that Smollett had sent himself the threatening letter, and then when that didn't get enough attention from Fox, he set up the staged attack in a bid to get a salary increase. And that is when the public turned on him. Smollett says: 'Eddie Johnson said things that are factually untrue. That I lied because I was dissatisfied with my pay on Empire. "Let me just break that down. My relationship with Fox was very good. I was making great money as an actor, and I was also now making great money as a director.' Smollett claims that he had paid Bola the $3,500 not to stage an attack, but to buy him an illegal herbal steroid from Nigeria to help him lose belly fat. 12 Former cop Eddie Johnson says Smollett's story didn't add up 12 The actor tells his side of the story in the show Credit: AP 12 CCTV images of the night of the attack Credit: © 2025 Netflix, Inc. Dropped from show Jussie Smollett was charged with filing a false police report and was written out of Empire. But after a meeting between his lawyers and the prosecutors, a deal was reached and the charges were dropped. Smollett says: 'My lawyer then comes to me, she says they are offering that if you forfeit your bond for $10,000 and we can show them that you are a good citizen, they will drop this and they will let this go. "If this continues, this will go on for at least two years, your career will stall and people will forget about you. And it was because of that that I made the decision and said we will do it. 'I can't say I was happy when the charges were dropped because I feel like the charges should never have been brought to begin with.' Meanwhile, the cops who had investigated the case were furious and a special prosecutor was brought in to look at it again. I thought it was crazy but at the same time it was Hollywood. So I don't know, I'm a baby in it. Ola Smollett was once again charged and faced trial. His lawyers claimed to have found two witnesses from the night of the attack - one a hotel security guard who had seen a white man in a balaclava running past, and one of Jussie's neighbours who saw a man with a piece of white rope hanging out of his jacket outside their apartment building. Despite this new evidence, he was found guilty and sentenced to 150 days in jail, although he served only six days behind bars after he launched an appeal. Jussie Smollett still maintains his innocence, with the Netflix documentary hearing claims he believes back up his version of events. A documentary maker and freelance journalist investigating the case claim CCTV they have seen of the suspects from the night of the alleged attack clearly shows that they were two white men, though this is disputed by others who appear in the film. In November last year, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned Smollett's conviction, saying the prosecutors could not go after him again after the original deal they made with him. The Truth About Jussie Smollett? Is on Netflix from August 22. 12 Smollett leaves the Cook County Jail in March 2022 after an appeals court agreed with his lawyers that he should be released Credit: AP
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
How TV star Jussie Smollett's ‘race attack' hoax that rocked tinderbox US was exposed by clues including a sandwich bag
AS the star of hit drama Empire, Jussie Smollett was at the height of his fame in 2019 and was becoming a household name across the globe. But the actor's world came crashing down after he claimed he had been the victim of a hate crime, attacked by two white men in the street who punched and kicked him, using racial and homophobic slurs before tying a noose around his neck. 12 12 12 The horrifying 'attack' sent shockwaves around the world, coming at a time of racially-charged tensions and claims of police corruption in Chicago, where Smollett alleged the incident took place, and other cities across America. Messages of support for the actor, now 43, flooded in from celebrities and even President Donald Trump, with cops put under huge pressure to solve the case. Josie Duffy Rice, a criminal justice journalist, says: 'You don't put a noose around anybody's neck for any other reason than they are black. Lynching is coming back, right? That was the undertone. It felt like a threat against anybody black.' Melissa Staples, former chief of detectives at Chicago Police, adds: 'That is something I have never come across in an investigation in 30 years. I thought it was very disturbing, I thought it was repulsive.' But police soon established an astonishing twist in the tale, suspecting that the attack had not happened at all and was in fact a hoax staged by Smollett himself and two friends. Now a new Netflix documentary breaks down how the scandal was exposed by a breadcrumb trail of clues including a sandwich bag, while those involved in the case - including Smollett, who astonishingly maintains his innocence - put forward their sides of the story. Smollett - who played pop star Jamal Lyon in Fox drama Empire - says: 'Those moments changed the trajectory of my entire life. "My story has never changed. My story has remained intact. "Trust me there have been people who have come to me and said 'just say that you did it'. "But why would I say that I did something if I didn't do it?' Hoax unravels Smollett had gone out in freezing temperatures in the middle of the night to get some food when he claimed he was attacked on Chicago's East Lower North Water Street on January 29, 2019. He returned to his apartment with the noose still around his neck and his friend called the police to report the hate crime. But alarm bells soon started to ring for the detectives in charge of the case. Eddie Johnson, former superintendent of Chicago Police, says: 'To think that I had two white guys attack a black man in this city was disgusting to me. But some things kind of struck me as a little odd. "We were going through the polar vortex at the time and I was thinking to myself, 'Who is out in the street with it being cold as s**t out there?' 'We had video of Jussie Smollett when he came back into his building after the crime had occurred so that's when we saw the Subway sandwich bag in his hand, that was in pristine condition. "And I'm like wait a minute, most victims of an assault like that, they are trying to get the heck out of dodge, because let's face it who says that these guys that assaulted him won't come back? "The last thing you are worried about is grabbing a sandwich bag, so that was a little odd to me. I believe he wanted to be the poster boy of activism for black people, for gay people or for marginalised people Bola 'Then there was the initial video of him in his apartment with the noose. He says to the officers, 'Yeah this is the noose that they used, I just want you all to see it', then he calmly takes it from around his neck and then rolls it up like it's a prop. "Now my family is from the Deep South in Alabama so I saw some things growing up. I don't know of many black people, if there was a noose around their neck, they are not going to leave it on there. They are going to treat it with disdain and disgust. That was a little cause for concern. Then we asked Jussie for his phone. He doesn't want to give it to us so of course that raised a lot of suspicion on our part.' Suspects puzzle Cops reviewed hours and hours of CCTV footage and found no evidence of an assault. Taxi records from the night of the attack identified two main suspects who were dropped off near the scene of the alleged crime - but puzzlingly, they were two black men, Ola and Bola Osundairo. And far from being total strangers to Jussie Smollett, they had both worked as extras on the Empire series - and one was his personal trainer. Then detectives discovered that the night after the incident the Osundairo brothers had flown to Nigeria. On their return cops were waiting to arrest them on the runway. 12 12 12 Police showed Smollett the men's pictures and he said it was impossible that they were his attackers. He says: 'I was friends with one brother, he was also working as my trainer. There was absolutely no reason whatsoever that I could think that they would do it.' But Jussie later gave a TV interview about his attack and identified two men pictured on CCTV as his attackers - unaware that police had IDed them as the Osundairo brothers. And when the pair's lawyer Gloria Rodriguez showed them the footage, they were furious and agreed to talk to the police. The brothers claimed that Jussie had received a threatening letter in the post a week before the attack, but he said the Empire film studio weren't taking it seriously. So he asked Bola - who he had become friends with - to beat him up. Bola says: 'I believe he wanted to be the poster boy of activism for black people, for gay people or for marginalised people.' Ola adds: 'I thought it was crazy but at the same time it was Hollywood. So I don't know, I'm a baby in it. This is what they do, this is how it goes.' Steroid cash claim Smollett paid the brothers $3,500 by cheque and they went ahead with the plan. Eddie Johnson says: 'Now the brothers had given us enough evidence to prove that he was not telling the truth. I was like we've got this dude now.' But Jussie had gone AWOL. Tina Glandian, attorney at Geragos and Geragos, a firm that has represented infamous stars such as Andrew Tate and Chris Brown, was drafted in by Jussie Smollett's employers at Fox. Police alleged that Smollett had sent himself the threatening letter, and then when that didn't get enough attention from Fox, he set up the staged attack in a bid to get a salary increase. And that is when the public turned on him. Smollett says: 'Eddie Johnson said things that are factually untrue. That I lied because I was dissatisfied with my pay on Empire. "Let me just break that down. My relationship with Fox was very good. I was making great money as an actor, and I was also now making great money as a director.' Smollett claims that he had paid Bola the $3,500 not to stage an attack, but to buy him an illegal herbal steroid from Nigeria to help him lose belly fat. 12 12 Dropped from show Jussie Smollett was charged with filing a false police report and was written out of Empire. But after a meeting between his lawyers and the prosecutors, a deal was reached and the charges were dropped. Smollett says: 'My lawyer then comes to me, she says they are offering that if you forfeit your bond for $10,000 and we can show them that you are a good citizen, they will drop this and they will let this go. "If this continues, this will go on for at least two years, your career will stall and people will forget about you. And it was because of that that I made the decision and said we will do it. 'I can't say I was happy when the charges were dropped because I feel like the charges should never have been brought to begin with.' Meanwhile, the cops who had investigated the case were furious and a special prosecutor was brought in to look at it again. I thought it was crazy but at the same time it was Hollywood. So I don't know, I'm a baby in it. Ola Smollett was once again charged and faced trial. His lawyers claimed to have found two witnesses from the night of the attack - one a hotel security guard who had seen a white man in a balaclava running past, and one of Jussie's neighbours who saw a man with a piece of white rope hanging out of his jacket outside their apartment building. Despite this new evidence, he was found guilty and sentenced to 150 days in jail, although he served only six days behind bars after he launched an appeal. Jussie Smollett still maintains his innocence, with the Netflix documentary hearing claims he believes back up his version of events. A documentary maker and freelance journalist investigating the case claim CCTV they have seen of the suspects from the night of the alleged attack clearly shows that they were two white men, though this is disputed by others who appear in the film. In November last year, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned Smollett's conviction, saying the prosecutors could not go after him again after the original deal they made with him. The Truth About Jussie Smollett? Is on Netflix from August 22. 12 12
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Major update in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's quest to trademark their Archewell Foundation after five-year struggle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Archewell Foundation has finally passed a major step in the trademark process - five years after applications were initially submitted. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex originally submitted their application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2020, after stepping down as working members of the royal family. Now, after facing several hurdles, the Archewell Foundation has finally been granted final examiner clearance - meaning it has met all requirements for trademark status. The trademark application was updated on August 16, and has now been assigned to an examiner to formally grant the mark. In addition, an application for Archewell Audio, which covers podcasts, live performances and other audio projects, was cleared to final registration on Saturday. Harry and Meghan's Archewell Foundation, named in honour of their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, is the entertainment and charity empire behind their various projects and replaced their 'Sussex Royal' brand. However their attempts to get it protected by company law in America have repeatedly hit stumbling blocks. Their attempt to trademark their charitable organisation was initially rejected in 2020 as they didn't sign the document or pay the required fees, The Sun reported at the time. The paperwork was also said to be 'too vague'. In 2022, the application hit another hurdle, and Harry and Meghan were again told the applications would need clarification if they were to be made law. As reported by the Daily Mail's Richard Eden at the time, the office replied: 'Applicant must clarify that these are entertainment-based services.' The application also said the firm would create: 'live podcast performances, live stage performances, live music performances, and live audio-book readings.' The office replied: 'Applicant must clarify these are entertainment-based services', as well as 'specify the nature of the 'live stage performances'.' Trademark lawyers also asked the couple's legal team to define the kind of web apps they would wish to provide through the Archewell Foundation. The couple previously revealed the word Arche, which means source of action in Greek, was the inspiration behind the name of their son. A source close to the Sussexes previously declared: 'Archewell is going to be huge. Harry and Meghan will use it to support lots of causes that they feel passionately about. It will be a global organisation with international ambitions.' They had set up a similar 'not-for-profit' organisation, Sussex Royal, but were banned from using the word 'royal' when they quit official duties. The trademark status of Archewell was updated on Saturday and has now been accepted Since its launch, Archewell has continued to grow its two signature programmes - The Archewell Foundation Parents' Network and The Welcome Project. Following a successful pilot, The Archewell Foundation Parents' Network launched publicly in August 2024. Its mission is to unite parents with first-hand experience of the dangers social media poses to children. In 2023, The Archewell Foundation handed out $1.3million in grants to good causes in the US and other parts of the world. Expenditure on other costs such as salaries, event costs, legal fees and travel was just under $2million in 2023. Archewell's US tax return, published in December, also revealed that income reached $5.7million last year, mainly thanks to a mystery benefactor who gave $5million in a single donation plus $335,000 from five other individuals. 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With Love, Meghan was renewed for a second season just as season one was released in March. All the episodes were filmed at the same time, it is understood. Guests on season two will include Chrissy Teigen and Jamie Kern Lima, the trailer revealed. In the one-minute, 27-second teaser, Meghan is seen eating cheese, prepping snacks and drinks with friends and even reveals the food her husband Prince Harry doesn't like. 'Do you know who doesn't like lobster? My husband,' she says as she prepares the seafood. Meghan in the new trailer for the second season of her lifestyle and cooking show As the trailer comes to an end, Meghan reveals: 'I love these moments of discovery and beauty. So let's be curious together.' Meghan's lifestyle show failed to break into Netflix 's top 300 programmes for the first half of 2025 and was even thrashed by multiple seasons of Suits. The numbers watching were 'dismal', an insider at the streamer reportedly said. 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Netflix viewers highlighted the irony of roping in Chrissy, who said she was 'ashamed and completely embarrassed' by the tweets in her public apology to Courtney, for the show helmed by Meghan - who has consistently spoken out about children's digital safety. 'She advocates against online bullying then has Chrissy Teigen it make sense Netflix,' one X user wrote. Another message read: 'How can Meghan Markle associate with Chrissy Teigen, a self-confessed online bully and troll who purports to suport the Parents Network who are campaigning against this very thing?' Back in 2014, Chrissy and Meghan were snapped alongside Nina Agdal and Shay Mitchell in New York City as they participated in the DirecTV Beach Bowl at Pier 40 It came as experts claimed that the Sussexes' new Netflix deal is a 'downgrade' on their previous $100million five-year tie-up and more 'we'll call you' than 'here's the chequebook'. The couple signed a new 'multi-year, first look deal for film and television projects' with the streaming giant - understood to be worth less for the pair than their previous contract. The 'first-look' arrangement means Netflix can say yes or no to new film or television projects before anyone else - allowing them to pick and choose what they invest in. PR expert Mark Borkowski described the new deal as a 'downgrade', claiming it falls a long way from the jackpot figure of Harry and Meghan's original contract in 2020. He told the Daily Mail: 'I think Netflix has done a very neat job of pivoting away from two very expensive people who didn't deliver, and they've taken that deal off the table, and they've given them a modest one. 'It's not like they're gradually uncoupling – it's a downgrade. Netflix are not going to expose themselves to those budgets again. It's Netflix saying, 'Let's have a look at your content, but we'll pick and choose, mate'.' The couple's new output will include a second season of the Duchess's 'With Love, Meghan' lifestyle show later this month, as well as a Christmas special in December. The Sussexes are also working on 'Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within' - a documentary about orphaned children in Uganda, where the 'shadows of the HIV/Aids crisis linger'. There is also 'active development' on other projects with Netflix which 'span a variety of content genres', including an adaptation of romantic novel Meet Me At The Lake. Netflix has already released the first series of With Love, Meghan as well as Polo, Heart of Invictus, Live to Lead and the couple's bombshell documentary Harry & Meghan as well as being a business partner on Meghan's lifestyle brand, As Ever. Five years ago, Harry and Meghan secured a lucrative contract thought to be worth $100million (£74million) with Netflix after quitting as senior working royals in 2020. The renewed deal was described by the Sussexes - who made the announcement with Netflix - as 'extending their creative partnership' through Archewell Productions. But the new terms are understood to be worth less for Harry and Meghan than their previous contract, according to a person familiar with the deal, and represent Netflix loosening its ties with the couple. In a statement, Meghan said: 'We're proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As Ever brand.'
