Foundation (2021): When a Book Finds You - S3E03 - RECAP

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This episode of Foundation just delievered one of the most intense episodes of the entire season so far and even though I havent seen Season 1 or 2 Im really enjoying the series, in fact there is not much story needed to follow up and today it just got renewed for season 4, episode 3 titled "When a Book Finds You" gave context about how Gaal Dornick and Brother Dawn ended up working together and honestly it came to a shocking how all this is happening but tis very clear Gaal is the one pulling the strings not Empire. The opening scene showing us how Dawn got recruited three years ago was brilliant, him trying to research psychohistory at the library only to find out that the librarian was basically a spy for the Second Foundation, thats exactly the type of sneaky political intrigue that makes this show so addictive. What really caught my attention was the way they handled the whole recruitment process, it wasnt some dramatic action scene but this quiet conversation in a tea house where Gaal shows up as a hologram, I was never here; and basically reads Dawn like an open book, knowing exactly what buttons to push to get him on her side, after all she have been alive for hundreds of years, seen and meet so many people he was just so easy to decode. The fact that she knew about all the previous Dawns and their escape attempts was such a smart move, showing that shes been studying the Empire for decades, waiting for the right moment to find someone willing to break free from the system.

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The relationship between the three Cleon brothers really hit me hard this episode, specially that scene where they share the ceremonial drink and talk about strength, wisdom and fortitude, it was probably the most human moment I have seen from them in the entire season or probably for the entire series. Brother Day keeps trying to escape with Song but everything keeps going wrong for him, first he reveals to her that Demerzel is a robot which totally freaks her out but not in the way he expected, she was all for it since she belongs to this secret religion called the Inheritance where they worship robots, believing that artificial beings will eventually return to save humanity from suffering, so when she finds out Demerzel is a robot she sees her as some kind of messiah instead of a threat. This whole subplot about the robot religion was fascinating because it shows how desperate people are for something to believe in, I actually get too excited about this series sometimes, even in a galaxy where robots have been banned for centuries there are still groups secretly worshipping them hoping for salvation, humans tend to have that kind of behavior with anything that gets prohibited. The way Song gave that secret signal to Demerzel completely changed the situation, showing that she was willing to betray Day for her faith and watching his reaction when he realized what happened was brutal, Lee Pace really nailed that moment of heartbreak and rage, he is such a great actor.

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The Mule continues to be the most terrifying villain but I'm now starting to feel he also has his own vulnerabilities, at first though he was close to invinsible but the thing is that there are not many like him, that scene at the party where he gets inside Han Pritchards mind was absolutely killer, the way the camera frame distorts when he uses his powers gives you this sense of being pulled into someones consciousness against their will and becoming a prisoner in your own mind. Pritchard trying to resist and then just running away showed how dangerous the Mule really is, even someone whos supposed to be a mental himself cant stand up to his power for more than a few seconds, but latter on its revelead why. The whole party sequence with Torren and Beta trying to get information while distracting the Mule was so tense, specially when the Mule started that insulting game and then threatened to make Torren peel his own skin off while enjoying it, this was fkn crazy, you could feel the pure evil from the Mule and its something I really appreciate from Pilou Asbaek, how even when he looks over the top manage to nail the character. Beta managing to rescue Magnifico Giganticus was such a smart move, not just because she saved him from abuse but because taking away something the Mule cares about is going to make him even more dangerous, his ballader is the key to increasing his reach and power over others and is one of his vulnerabilities, but its just too late for Magnifico or anyone else who has felt it "I have never felt this kind of love".

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Brother Dawn trying to negotiate with the Mule over the hologram was another standout moment, showing how different the two characters approaches to conflicts and power, Dawn still believes in diplomacy and trade agreements while the Mule just wants to burn everything down and take what he wants. The Mules response about Dawn learning to snap napkins while he learned to kill was such a perfect way to show the difference between someone whos lived a sheltered life of privilege and someone whos had to fight for everything, and when he rejected the offer to bring back Kalgan under the Empire control, it was clear that this isnt someone whos interested in working within the system. The fact that hes already taken control of the jump gates without anyone knowing shows that hes been planning this takeover for a long time, it was such a 3D Chess move and his comment about things being preordained tells me that he might have some connection to psychohistory, but this is also me trying to go too deep into the series or thinking I know much about it my imagination flying her or is it at least he believes that his victory is inevitable, could he have a radiant or solved the problems Gaal and Demerzel have been trying to fix?.

The ending with Demerzel erasing Songs memory was probably the most emotionaly devastating part of the episode, watching Day return to find that the woman he loves has been turned into a stranger was heartbreaking and Demerzel trying to justify it as mercy just made it worse, watching Demerzel going out of character and loosing temper was something I was not expecting from a robot. The fact that Song was sent back to the Mycogen sector where she belongs to that robot worshipping religion opens up so many questions about what Demerzel is really planning, she claims she did it to protect Day but I think theres more to it like she has her own agenda or probably is starting to feel, its almost like a bug taking over her program. This episode really showed how every character is dealing with impossible choices, Dawn working with the enemy of his own empire, Day losing the person he cares about most and the Mule becoming more dangerous with each episode, the way everything is building toward a massive confrontation makes me think the next few episodes are going to be absolutely insane. The production quality continues to be amazing, those scenes on Kalgan looked incredible and the way they handled the mind control effects was just enough and terrifying too, this show keeps proving that science fiction television can be just as epic and emotional as any movie when its done right, best episode for me so far.