Foundation season 2 episode 2 recap & review: A Glimpse of Darkness

Open Go TV / July 22, 2023 / Reviews

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In the second episode of Foundation season 2, Gaal witnesses a harrowing future while the Vault on Terminus opens with an unexpected message. The episode is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Recap

On Synnax, Hari confronts Gaal. He learns that the Plan has veered off course and reveals that a war will be taking place between Trantor and Terminus.

Hari talks about what the Second Foundation was meant to be doing. Salvor reminds him that his Second Foundation doesn’t stand a chance if they don’t get off this planet.

Salvor convinces Hari to clear the avionics fault, and after fixing the stabilizers, Salvor and Gaal’s ship starts working.

On Trantor, Demerzel informs Brother Day that there is no record of contact with Blind Angels or someone else outside the circle in Dusk and Dawn’s memories, which means Brother Day’s brothers are not plotting against him. However, there is a loophole.

If Dusk and Dawn have forgotten that they have hired someone to kill Day, they can’t detect that. Demerzel promises to look into it. Demerzel also reveals that she has chosen Bel Riose to be the one who will deal with their Foundation situation.

Brother Day is infuriated by that choice. He throws tantrums but eventually agrees. He then lets his brothers know about Riose as well.

Back on The Beggar’s ship, Hari tells Gaal and Salvor that they are not meant to interfere in the war between the Empire and Foundation because a Foundation left unchecked becomes an Empire all over again.

A Second Foundation is needed because psychohistorians with access to the Plan and knowledge of the future can quietly adjust the Empire’s course judiciously and Foundation’s too, if required.

Gaal reveals that she felt another presentiment. She saw despair, death, and destruction in the future, and she believes she did this. Hari wants to see the turning point where chaos consumes everything, which is 150 years into the future.

On Trantor, Sareth is having lunch with Brother Day’s family. She is fascinated by the entire concept of genetic dynasties. She discusses how her marriage to Brother Day can disrupt how things work here. She is even allowed to see the Principium. Brother Day escorts her himself.

Sareth lets Brother Day know that she is aware of the rumor that his lineage might be corrupted, which could be the reason why he is so interested in marrying her.

Meanwhile, Gaal is afraid that if she goes 150 years upstream, she won’t be able to come back. Salvor suggests she listen to her voice. Gaal hops into the future and sees destruction everywhere.

She faces a warlord named the Mule, who questions where her Mentalics and the Second Foundation are. Apparently, he can look into her mind too. He recognizes her from the Age of Empire, from before Hober Mallow.

Salvor wakes Gaal up in time and brings her back. Gaal details everything she saw and what the Mule said. She mentions that Mule is afraid of the Second Foundation. Hari asks Gaal for the location the Mule was trying to pull out of her. Gaal reveals the location is a planet called Ignis, and they set out for Ignis.

Amidst all of this, High Claric and Brother Constant of the Foundation try to spread the word of Hari Seldon on a hostile planet. They are forced to leave a presentation midway when they receive the news of the Vault opening again.

High Claric is excited but just as scared about Seldon’s second coming. It could mean a second crisis. When High Claric, also known as Poly Verisof, returns to Terminus, he is not allowed to have a private word with Hari Seldon when he shows up.

Instead of Claric, Warden Jaegger is chosen to go and talk to Seldon. The Vault opens, changes colors, and kills Warden Jaegger when he is closer to it. Before dying, he utters the name of Hober Mallow, and the same name appears on the Vault.

On their way to Ignis, Gaal tells Salvor that she saw something else in the future. She sobs and reveals that she saw Salvor’s dead body.

Review

After a slow but exciting premiere episode, the second episode of Foundation season 2 is pretty well balanced. It’s dull on one side and scary on the other.
As of now, the impending future and names such as Hober Mallow and the Mule create fear in the viewers’ minds. Up until now, the Empire’s discovery of the Foundation scared everyone, but the presence of these two new characters promises something far more.
The introduction of the Mule has been carried out really well. Mikael Persbrandt is quite intimidating as the Mule. While this part is done well, the subplot involving High Claric and Brother Constant felt like a big stretch.