Foundation Season 3 picks up 152 years after we last visited this world, and to say it starts with a brutal statement from The Mule wouldn’t even begin to cover it. In fact, there’s not much that really can be said to fully describe what happens this season without giving it all away. Perhaps, though, it might all easily be summed up as a variation on the old “we make plans; God laughs” saying: Hari Seldon makes plans; The Mule laughs. Then again, that doesn’t quite cover the massive amount of chaos created by this villain, played to chilling (if somehow still oddly charming) effect by Pilou Asbæk. Let’s just say things appear darker and more dire than ever before.
…but it’s the desperation caused by the impending and escalating doom that leads to some of the most interesting parts of the series’ third season. Take, for example, the Cleonic Dynasty. We’re used to a haughty, ruthless, and goal-oriented sort of Brother Day — someone who’s in charge and relishes it almost too much, boxed in by a Dawn who wants to avoid that coming responsibility and a Dusk who’s there to provide a certain kind of knowledge while mostly being ignored. This season, though, Day has practically nothing to do with his actual duties, leaving Dawn and Dusk to fill the void. It, uh, does not work. Or, rather, it works in terms of entertainment value. Just don’t expect things to go well for just about anyone.
It’s in shuffling each part of the cycle’s roles that Foundation Season 3 allows Cassian Bilton, Lee Pace, and Terrence Mann to all do some of their most compelling work on the series to date. The same goes for Laura Birn. Unlike the Cleons, Birn’s Demerzel doesn’t get the opportunity to start over (for lack of a better word). Unlike Gaal Dornick, no cryo-sleep between crises either. Basically, Demerzel is just about the only one to have to experience time’s endless marching forward, yet her programming is what it is. Therefore, any growth or change for the robot can only make sense based on what Birn brings to the writing — and bring it, she most certainly does.
Side note: Yes, Day’s wardrobe is still…a choice.
So, what about the Foundation’s “side” of what used to be enmity but now might have to be something else? (The phrase “uneasy alliance” is used in Apple’s synopsis. Which, uh, is certainly one way of putting it.)
Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) and Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) are, as always, just trying to do whatever it takes to avoid the End with a capital E. Do their moves always make sense? Probably not. But, as in previous seasons, the longer we follow the story, the more it becomes possible to maybe, sort of, see the big picture. And no matter what, Harris and Llobell are, like their counterparts on the Empire “side,” just about as good as it gets.
Oh! And as long as I’m gushing over the cast: Troy Kotsur and Cherry Jones are a great additions to the series.
This isn’t a “background noise” series, never has been. So, if you want to know what’s happening, you have to pay attention. And even then, it might be best to sometimes be like “eh, it’ll make sense later.” Even so, the excellent world-building and incredible performances make Foundation Season 3 worth the wait and worth watching. More than worth it, honestly. Especially when you factor in characters that could easily fall into one-note archetypes but, instead, swerve far in the opposite direction. Nobody’s all good, and nobody’s all bad. And the warning against what happens when someone has far too much power, and what that does to humanity itself, remains as resonant as ever.
MORE: Don’t take our word for it. Find out what to expect from Foundation Season 3 with these teasers from our interviews with the cast!
Watch the trailer for Foundation Season 3 here.
Foundation Season 3 streams Friday, July 11, on Apple TV+.
