Season three of Foundation is nearly at its end, and the galaxy is in deep trouble. We’ve long known the fall of Empire would usher in a long period of darkness, something the Foundation was set up hundreds of years ago to try and mitigate. But while the end seems certain, exactly how it’ll come about has not yet been clear. The villainous Mule is certainly helping nudge things along… but might another doom-bringing element also emerge?
“The Paths That Choose Us,” the ninth and penultimate episode of the season, puts forth a perhaps not-so-surprising candidate.
To paraphrase a paraphrase, you can’t show off a mega-weapon powered by a black hole in act one without bringing it back around for act three. For decades, Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann, a strong contender for the season’s dramatic MVP) has been gleefully crafting his terrible toy, the “Novacula,” somehow concealing its existence from noted control freak Demerzel (Laura Birn).
He’s intended this passion project as a gift for Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton), framing it as the ultimate deterrent. Nobody would dare attack anyone with access to a black hole bomb, right? But with Dawn now out of the picture—as far as anyone on Trantor knows, the youngest Cleon is floating dead in space somewhere—and Dusk creeping toward his destined “ascension,” his cloned brain is starting to get some very bad ideas.
We were told earlier in the season that ascension—in this context, it’s a fancy word for euthanizing a Cleon who’s too old to rule—is non-negotiable. Demerzel’s many functions include being a clock, and she knows precisely what time any given Brother Dusk needs to be put out of service. This particular Dusk has just a few days to go, though he’s tried (and failed) to negotiate more time. Let’s just say he’s not facing the inevitable very gracefully.
In last week’s “Skin in the Game,” Dusk was confronted by a trio of political bigwigs: the head of the Galactic Council; the top representative of the wealthy Cloud Dominion (a callback to Foundation season two); and Trantor’s representative of the influential Luminism faith (a callback to season one). These three are even more empowered now that Empire’s hold on the galaxy is waning. Plus, they’re emboldened by the fact that the soon-to-expire Dusk is the only Cleon left rattling around the palace.
Their proposal, which isn’t really a proposal, is to hand Trantor over to the Mule, thinking it will pacify him. They’ve seen what the Mule is capable of, and they figure it’s the best-case scenario to satisfy him while saving as many lives as possible.
Dusk is furious, especially when the Galactic Council leader snippily tells him, “This was just to notify you,” as the group is hustled out of the throne room. Demerzel is also against this plan; of course, it goes against her directive to protect Empire at any cost. Though she’s shocked when Dusk reveals his Novacula, she immediately knows what he’s going to do with it.
That brings us to “The Paths That Chose Us,” which sees the upstart trio returning to the throne room, with Demerzel to greet them. Ambassador Quent is there too, and a surprise guest soon appears: the Mule in hologram form.
Dusk, also in hologram form, tells the Mule about the offer to hand over Trantor and Empire, and the bemused pirate shrugs and says he’ll accept. In a similarly glib tone, Dusk says, “Sorry, I just checked. That offer expired.” Then, when the Mule says he can easily take Trantor himself, Dusk goes for the kill: “I will not bow to a usurper named for a farm animal.”
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