Foundation Season 3 has seen Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) entering into some interesting alliances. That word might not totally fit the complicated way Gaal has worked “with” others, but it doesn’t totally not apply either. Case in point: She did, technically, work with Brother Dawn. And they did, sort of, help each other toward a common goal. Dawn just wasn’t quite in on the entirety of the plan and therefore…didn’t quite know a success meant his failure. Leave it to Foundation to paint a picture in as many complex shades of gray as possible.
During our pre-season interview, Lou Llobell put it this way: “Gaal, this season, is making a lot of tough decisions, a lot of decisions that aren’t necessarily…nice or good. But they’re for the greater good, and they’re to…help her plan along. She…acquires [Dawn] as an ally; and it’s really interesting, that dynamic, because I do think she trusts him, and I do think she likes him, and I don’t think she wants to hurt him. But she also needs him and kind of has to do what she needs to do to get the outcome that she wants. Whether or not that works is a different story, but her intentions are to save humanity, not to make new friends, really.” Even so, “they do have a connection.”
MORE: Read our Cassian Bilton and Terrence Mann interview.
On what Gaal learns from Demerzel in Foundation Season 3 Episode 6
If anyone had any doubt about whether Gaal ever had any concern for Dawn at all, all they have to do is pay attention to how quickly she asks Demerzel about him at the beginning of Foundation Season 3 Episode 6. And, in that episode, Gaal and Demerzel share vital information with one another. In fact, it’s through Demerzel extracting information from Gaal’s mind that we learn more about that darkness Gaal hasn’t been able to see past. (“Orbiting the ergosphere of a black hole” in four months? Sure, why not? Let’s go!)
But in ‘The Shape of Time,’ Gaal learns something else from Demerzel: She played a key role in Dr. Seldon’s psychohistory. As Demerzel puts it in Foundation Season 3 Episode 6, “Dr. Seldon correctly argued that the formation of the Foundation and the preservation of Empire were not mutually exclusive goals. At least, not in the short term. My memories were used to complete his data set. To finish the model, he needed more data. I provided it.” But Gaal genuinely never had a clue. Asked about this big news, Lou Llobell told me Gaal “realizes that although ….obviously, her and Hari were also on a level playing field, and they were kind of allies and friends, and were supporting each other, he still withheld information from her. Which is an interesting thing to realize so far after…what happens at the beginning.”
And if you enjoyed seeing these two characters spending so much time together — even if it was, uh, intense at times and never particularly friendly — you’re not alone. After praising costar Laura Birn’s “brilliant” ability to play the robot Demerzel while “showing glimpses of…emotion. And it’s so slight, it’s [just] in her eyes,” Llobell returned to the characters’ meeting of the minds. The actress highlighted “the dynamic between Demerzel and Gaal,” calling it “interesting” and describing the two characters coming together as “wonderful to see.” And that’s “because they’re the two female leads, really, of the series, and they’re two powerful people in this story in different…sides of the spectrum.”
And what two amazing female leads they are.
MORE: Check out our Foundation Season 3 review.
Watch our Foundation Season 3 interview with Lou Llobell here
Here’s hoping we’ll see more of this fascinating dynamic…and, for Gaal’s sake, it’d be nice if we could avoid the black hole.
Don’t miss Lou Llobell in Foundation Season 3. New episodes stream Fridays on Apple TV+.
