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Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the premiere of Foundation Season 3.Season 3 of AppleTV+’s hit science fiction drama Foundation is underway, with the first episode dropping on Friday, July 11. The David S. Goyer-helmed epic saga is based on the novels by Isaac Asimov about the ongoing tension between Dr. Hari Seldon’s (Jarred Harris) Foundation rebellion forces and the oppressive Cleonic rule of the Empire. Brothers Dawn (Cassian Bilton), Day (Lee Pace), and Dusk (Terrence Mann) are scrambling to keep their handle on control of the galaxy, but the new season begins with a brutally bloody opening sequence that featured The Mule (Pilou Asbæk) and a delegation from the buffer planet of Kalgan. It was a gruesome reminder of how powerful The Mule is as he used his telepathic ability to turn the Kalgan forces against each other. He simply sat back and watched as the entire platoon destroyed itself, and then culminated with Archduke Bellarion (Ralph Ineson) being manipulated into shooting himself in the head. It immediately set an ominous tone for the third season and left many viewers wondering how The Mule could possibly be stopped with such extraordinary powers.
There Is One ‘Foundation’ Character Who Should Be Able to Counter The Mule
After the opening sequence of Foundation’s Season 3 premiere, viewers like me are wondering how in the hell The Mule can be stopped? To be clear, we’re talking about a man who has harnessed the ability to use telepathy and control minds instantly. We all saw what he did to the armed delegation on Kalgan. It was cutthroat and ugly, setting an ominous tone for the new season. The mutant conqueror of worlds is also not accounted for in Hari Seldon’s psychohistory plan for the future. But there is one character within the Foundation universe that, logically, should be able to confront The Mule and possibly neutralize his incredible telepathy. If you’ve been watching the show from the start, then you know where this is going. The Mule has proven he can control the human mind, but what about a sentient, robotic consciousness? Demerzel (Laura Birn) is one of the most formidable threats to the wobbly Cleonic dynasty. As a robot, she should be impervious to The Mule’s telepathy. She, more than any other human character, should pose the biggest threat with her Terminator-like killing directives — especially if she has to defend Empire.
The Mule and Demerzel Mirror Each Other In Several Ways in ‘Foundation’
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Both The Mule and Demerzel are outsiders who have had to take a circuitous route to be where they are. The Mule once ruled a large group of people with his mysterious power of mentalics and suggestion, but has been forced into a life of scavenging and forced to scrounge out an existence on the outer fringes of the galaxy. He is the only human we have seen in the Foundation universe who wields these specific, destructive powers, and, like Demerzel, is a singular force that is almost like a rogue wild card who is completely unpredictable in his actions. Demerzel is the last sentient robot in existence. She has had to curate and tend to the needs of the Cleons for hundreds of years as they have ruled the galaxy with an iron fist. She, like The Mule, has had an interesting arc that has led her to where she is at this point in the story. She has existed within the palace walls on Trantor all along, but her existential crisis as a robot programmed to protect Empire is beginning to unravel. She is having trouble reconciling her independent beliefs and the betrayal of Cleon 1, who put her into servitude. She has not forgotten the Robot Wars.
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They Both Have Their Eyes on Control of Trantor and the Entire Galaxy
Image via Apple TV+
Demerzel and The Mule work toward the same goal: control of the entire galaxy. While The Mule’s coup d’état would have to come as an attack on Trantor from the outside, Demerzel is trying to maintain power inside the capital walls. A showdown between the two feels inevitable, especially as Demerzel has access to the Prime Radiant. It seems as if there is going to be some deep irony explored in Season 3 between two characters who didn’t begin as potential heirs to power in the sense that they are not Hari Seldon, Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell), or the Brothers Dawn, Day, and Dusk. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Foundation pitted these two complex characters against each other at some point. Demerzel’s path to power feels much more complicated, however, as she still has to deal with the politics of Trantor and the selfish whims of the current Cleons, while The Mule is just looking to tear the whole thing down and start anew unilaterally. Foundation is currently available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
Foundation
Release Date
September 23, 2021
Network
Apple TV+
Showrunner
David S. Goyer
Directors
Alex Graves, Roxann Dawson, Jennifer Phang, Mark Tonderai, Andrew Bernstein
Writers
Jane Espenson, Leigh Dana Jackson, Liz Phang, Eric Carrasco, David Kob, Addie Manis, Marcus Gardley, Lauren Bello, Olivia Purnell
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