Breaking down all the wild reveals, twists, and WTF choices in ‚The Darkness.‘
Foundation season three has come to an end, but it still feels like there’s so much story left to tell. Thank goodness Apple TV+ confirmed just yesterday that season four is on the way! But before we ponder what’s next, we must discuss the season finale.
“The Darkness” was… well, a lot sure did happen, didn’t it?
Here are the six most important takeaways from the Foundation season three finale. The first two are admittedly not too outrageous, but buckle up for the rest.
The Foundation Finally Met the Second Foundation
After hundreds of years spent operating in completely different spheres—and with the Foundation not even knowing that Hari Seldon had incorporated a Second Foundation as a backup to his original plan—the two groups finally came face-to-face. The Foundation’s home of New Terminus is under siege by the Mule, and its ambassador on Trantor, Ambassador Quent, isn’t sure what to do now that Empire has begun to implode.
With a nudge from Demerzel and carrying Kalle’s Ninth Proof of Folding in her arms, Quent hurries to the Imperial Library, where the secret-keeping librarian brings her to meet… the Second Foundation’s First Speaker, Preem Palver.
He’s holding the Prime Radiant, and you can feel instant feelings of relief and warmth pass between them. This was one of few flashes of hope in “The Darkness.” Quent finds her new purpose, Palver finds an important new ally—and the two halves of Foundation finally come together.Gaal’s Escape
After her long-awaited confrontation with the Mule didn’t quite go as planned (more on that below), Gaal Dornick, the only one in her landing party to escape “conversion,” busted out of the space station above New Terminus and surfed her way through the planet’s orbit to be scooped up by the Beggar’s Lament.
It was a daring move born out of desperation, but once she’s safely aboard, there’s no time to relax. Foundation’s ships are in hot pursuit, and Hari Seldon—having taken up residence in the Beggar’s network—is extremely miffed to learn Gaal has lied to him in order to secure his help.
Hologram Hari wants a body and to be freed from eternal boredom in the Vault, and chances of that aren’t looking great. Nobody knows how the other digital version of Hari got his bonus body back in season two, including Gaal, probably the smartest person in the post-Hari galaxy.
As Gaal jumps to places unknown, we have no idea what lies ahead for her. Does Hari get to travel with her as part of the ship, as he has done in the past? Where are they going: to the Second Foundation’s home on Ignis, to Trantor, or some other location? How’s Gaal feeling after the Mule confrontation went so sideways—something she’s been imagining, planning for, and worrying about for most of her 300-plus years of existence?Dusk Became Darkness
There were inklings all season that Brother Dusk wasn’t going to gracefully face his predestined demise; as the aging Cleon counted down the remaining hours in his life, he revealed his truly monstrous capabilities.
