Reader, I’m about to say something crazy. I think Foundation Season 3 Episode 3, “When a Book Finds You,” is where this season of Foundation has finally found its feet. We’re mostly done with massive time skips and narration from Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell), and now the story can just… happen.
The result? The best episode of Foundation Season 3, and one where the plot is finally starting to move at a reasonable pace and characters are making interesting choices that have real impact again. Hallelujah.
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“When a Book Finds You” opens with a flashback. We’re three years back in time from the end of the last episode, and Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton) is on his way to Trantor’s library, where he asks for Kalle’s Ninth Proof of Folding. You know, the thing Gaal solved way back when to kick this whole thing off. He wants to learn more about psychohistory, and one of its foundational texts seems like a good place to start.
The librarian is a little taken aback by this, but she takes Dawn (and only Dawn, citing temperature control concerns) back and gets it out for him. When Dawn asks if he needs gloves, the librarian tells him that he’s actually more likely to harm the pages with gloves than without them. Dawn notes that it’s strange that his bodyguards just standing there was something that worried her, not him touching the pages. It’s our first clue that this is going somewhere interesting.
“When a Book Finds You” is Season 3, capturing Foundation’s promise.
Once he has the Ninth Proof, Dawn makes a couple of interesting observations: first, he always believed Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) was trying to give a warning, not cause problems. Second, he realizes that this is the actual Ninth Proof of Folding, the one Hari gave Gaal hundreds of years ago. How on Trantor is it here?
The librarian tells him it’s an interesting story, but it’s also not hers to tell. It’s a colleague’s, and that same colleague told her that they’d want to meet anyone who asked after the Ninth Proof. She tells him to meet the mystery colleague at a tea house the following night. The table he’s looking for will have seashells. Intriguing — and a clue for who he might be meeting.
Dawn does (he’s even wearing a fake mustache and goatee, a classic undercover look), and who does he meet but Gaal Dornick. After a few perfunctory questions like “Hey, how are you still alive?”, they get right down to it. Gaal works out that Dawn put a lot of effort into his disguise, so he’s not here to arrest her.
Dawn admits he’s here because he was fascinated by the Prime Radiant, something Gaal didn’t realize the Empire had. Dawn describes seeing the math for the first time as witnessing the language of angels. And Gaal knows she’s in.
Gaal offers to be his escape hatch — recent Dawns have tried to flee the palace, after all — if they just keep talking. She tells him about the Mule (Pilou Asbæk), and Dawn asks when she’ll return to Trantor before she reveals she was a hologram, and never actually there at all. It’s a great little sequence that strengthens this idea that this Dawn is more than a little different from those that preceded him and that Gaal is just fine operating without Hari.
Three years pass in the blink of an eye, and we’re back to where we were at the end of the last episode. Dawn and Gaal are talking, and she brings him up to speed on the Mule. Dawn is amazed Gaal predicted him when the Radiant couldn’t, but Gaal has more pressing concerns. She tells Dawn to call for an Enclosure of the planet (this would involve using the Empire’s fleet to isolate the planet).
Dawn recoils because Kalgan isn’t the Empire’s, and he thinks it will start a war with the Foundation, but Gaal reminds him of the stakes. They either act against the Mule now or lose. She also warns Dawn not to meet with the Mule personally or send emissaries, because, as she knows, mind control is involved. Dawn doesn’t seem to believe her, but the conversation ends there with Gaal promising more soon. It’s interesting to see Dawn and Gaal working together, and at the very least, there’s mutual respect there. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t compelled to see how this little subplot plays out.
Gaal and The Mule step into the spotlight.
Speaking of the Mule, it’s time to head to Kalgan and catch up with Han Pritcher (Brandon P Bell), Bayta (Synnøve Karlsen), and Toran Mallow (Cody Fern). Once they’ve gotten into the Mule’s fancy party, Pritcher reminds them that this is a recon action, and they’re mostly supposed to stay back.
They quickly spot the Mule’s balladeer, Magnifico Giganticus (Tómas Lemarquis), whose hypnotic music is the life of the party. Shortly thereafter, Pritcher locks eyes with the Mule, who invades his mind and asks who Gaal Dornick is.
It messes up Pritcher so badly that he opts to get the hell out of Dodge, stumbling back to his ship with a bloodshot eye. He jumps away to who knows where, muttering that he “shouldn’t have come.” Who knows how badly the Mule has messed him up, and how this’ll play out later, but it’s very likely bad.
Bayta and Toran watch as the Mule praises Giganticus in front of the crowd before rudely shoving him into it, and decide they should figure out what’s going on. Bayta suggests talking to Giganticus while Toran distracts the Mule with his fame, charm, and liquor.
This… goes about as well as you’d expect in Foundation Season 3 Episode 3. Toran messes up early on by implying that they smell better than he’d been led to believe, but the Mule lets him sit down with his pirates and Skirlet (Alie Gie), who is kinda there.
The Mule challenges him to insult him by telling him this is part of a game called flyting. Toran is understandably reluctant, but after some goading, he gets maybe a little too into it, calling the Mule impotent and implying he has syphilis. The Mule admits he’s insulted and laughs, maybe a little too much. Meanwhile, Beyta introduces herself to Giganticus. That part is at least going semi-well.
The Mule reveals he’s insulted not because of the syphilis crack, but because Toran has implied his ambitions are small. As we know, the Mule is a converter. He wants everything. He starts to flay Toran’s hand with a fruit peeler and tells him he’ll enjoy it soon, and Toran, scared out of his mind, realizes both Bayta and Giganticus aren’t where he last saw them.
The scatters, which have been watching this whole thing, fly behind him, and Toran uses their flash function to bring the Mule long enough to escape. Clever. He finds Bayta outside, but she hasn’t just gotten information; she’s brought Magnifico Giganticus (she calls him Maggie, it’s cute) with her. The trio books it back to Bayta and Toran’s ship, the Mule and crew in hot pursuit.
Our misfit toys get away, but only just after surviving being hit by a missile and jumping away before the Mule’s pursuing impact can catch them. Back at the party, the Mule claims to be unbothered, but it’s clear from the way he’s playing with his glass that he’s upset about losing Maggie. That’s not going to bode well for anybody, but at least we know the Mule can be rattled.
It’s been a hot second since we’ve been on Trantor, so let’s head back. Brother Day (Lee Pace) and Song (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing) head into the barracks, where they run into a bunch of half-naked soldiers and First Claviger Mavon (Ibraheem Toure). You remember him. He was the unnamed soldier we met in the last episode who had a sick daughter.
Lee Pace’s Day remains one of the best parts of the series in Foundation Season 3 Episode 3.
Day and Song want Mavon to smuggle them out of the palace without the other Cleons or Demerzel knowing. Mavon initially refuses (the Empire essentially holds every Clavigers’s family hostage by forcing them to live on the palace grounds), and he’s worried about his. In exchange, Day promises to give his daughter his nanites, which should cure her illness, and enough money to buy a planet. Not bad. Mavon is unsure, but Day just tells him to sleep on it.
Outside, the two of them spot Demerzel, and Day makes sure she’s very, very far away before they keep talking. Song’s caught onto his paranoia and the fact that he calls her “it” and not “she,” and she asks Day what the deal is. After another shot of spores, Day reveals that Demerzel is a robot. Song doesn’t believe him, but he insists, and then wanders off to pack, leaving a stunned Song to sit with what she’s learned.
It’s interesting that Day trusts her with this, because about the only way this can go is badly. But those spores are powerful. I guess we’ll see what happens. It’s worth noting (again) that Pace’s portrayal of Stoner Day is one of the best parts of this season, and Foundation Season 3 Episode 3 is no exception.
Meanwhile, Dawn, Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann), and Demerzel (Laura Birn) have agreed to a call with the Mule. Dusk is against the whole thing and thinks if it’s going to happen, it should be done in person. But Dawn more or less reminds him that he’s on his way out, so this is his call, and he’ll be the one speaking.
Once they get on the call with the Mule, Dawn makes his overture: Imperial vassalship over Kalgan in exchange for several perks, not the least of which is access to the Empire’s jumpgates. The Mule is less than impressed by Dawn (whom he calls the “understudy”), and we clearly hear someone scream in the background, but the Mule writes it off as housecleaning. Uh oh. Dawn notes refusal is grounds for war, and the Mule tells him that he’s a rich kid who doesn’t know what war is before ending the transmission.
Cut to the Mule’s perspective. He’s just taken one of the Empire’s jumpgates. They’re not going to announce it yet, but uh… that’s bad. A wounded Imperial soldier is trying to crawl away from the massacre behind him. The Mule sticks a knife between his ribs while admitting that he’s more than a little upset about Maggie’s absence, so he doesn’t let the soldier enjoy his death.
After killing the soldier, he asks him if he knows what it’s like to feel as though your life isn’t your own. He admits to having to kill his way out of the feeling. I don’t know, readers. The Mule still doesn’t interest me. This isn’t a knock against Asbæk’s performance; he’s a good actor doing the best he can with what he has. The character is just dull. I keep hoping that will change, but so far, I’ve had no luck.
After some absolutely baffling voiceover from Gaal that tells us nothing we don’t already know, we’re back on Trantor. Day’s planning their escape, but Dawn thinks they should stay on Trantor. With Demerzel. If things are as bad as Day says, they’ll need her. Day just wants to do something normal, and they’re working through it when Demerzel shows up to bring Day to the throne room.
During the exchange, Song catches Demerzel’s eye and touches her arm. Demerzel says nothing, but she clearly sees it. And then she and Day are off to the throne room. Like I said, nothing good can come of Song knowing what Demerzel is.
In the throne room, we get one of the best scenes of the episode. Dawn wants to call for an Enclosure because he knows the Mule will want more and soon. Kalgan is also not far from the Empire’s naval base, and he’s got a straight line to Trantor from Kalgan. Dusk thinks he’s overreacting and wants to know what’s up. Day refuses to call for an emergency session of Council (he’s the only one who can without pushback) after Demerzel advises against it, so Dawn instead orders Kalgan to be put under surveillance.
Day apologizes to Dawn, and then realizes he missed his robing ceremony, which he obviously feels pretty bad about. When Dusk reveals that he filled in, Day asks if they did “the thing” after. Dusk says no, and Day says they can do it now.
Foundation Season 3 Episode 3 is the best of the season so far.
Dusk is reluctant, but Day clearly wants what he thinks is going to be one last moment with his brothers (and to make it up to Dawn), so Dusk relents and pulls out a flask containing strength, wisdom, and fortitude (read: really strong booze), and they pass it around until it’s dry. It’s a great little sequence, and it’s good to remember that as screwed up as the Genetic Dynasty is, the Cleons are still just dudes, or at least can be, despite everything.
Afterwards, Day runs into Mavon, who agrees to help smuggle him and Song out of the palace. Everything’s coming up Day, which means things are, of course, about to go badly. When he gets back to his villa, Demerzel is there, and Song isn’t. Turns out Song was a member of a very old, very secretive, and very illegal religion called the Inheritance that worships robots and believes they’re gonna come back and save humanity someday. The sign she gave clued Demerzel into her beliefs.
Demerzel claims she erased Song’s memories and sent her home instead of killing her. She also claims she didn’t kill her for Day, but Day is understandably furious (he smashes what I assume is a stupidly expensive vase) and visibly relieved she’s alive. When Demerzel tries to calm Day by stroking his face, he screams at her to get out. Roll credits.
Man, Foundation Season 3 Episode 3 moved, huh? Lots happened, and we got some great character moments. We’ve also got a lot of plates in the air: the Empire potentially facing off against the Mule, Dawn’s relationship with Gaal, Dusk’s impending demise, what just happened with Day, what meeting the Mule has done to Pritcher, and what’s going to happen to Bayta, Toran, and Maggie, to name a few. Foundation feels like it’s finally found its footing this season, and that’s pretty rad. Like I said, less narration, better TV. Let’s hope they can keep it up.
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Foundation Season 3 Episode 3 — "When a Book Finds You Review"
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Rating - 8/108/10
TL;DR
Foundation feels like it’s finally found its footing this season, and that’s pretty rad. Like I said, less narration, better TV. Let’s hope they can keep it up.
