Foundation Season 3 Ending Explained: Apple TV+ Changes a 73-Year-Old Spoiler in the Wildest Way Possible, and Kills Off Half the Cast!?

This nonfiction contains spoilers for the Foundation Season 3 finale, “The Darkness.”

73 years ago, writer Isaac Asimov casually dropped 1 of the top twists of each time. First published arsenic a novella titled “The Mule,” and subsequently successful Foundation and Empire, the 2nd publication successful Asimov’s landmark series, readers met a clown and troubadour named Magnifico Giganticus. He’s a loveable buffoon escaping the work of the titular Mule, an all-powerful telepathic “mentallic” and conqueror bent connected destroying the Foundation – an enactment dedicated to preserving galactic cognition – arsenic good arsenic the Empire they’re warring against. Alongside 2 Foundation members, Toran and Bayta, Magnifico traversed the galaxy, ever staying 1 measurement up of the Mule portion seeking the Second Foundation, a concealed enactment that could prevention everyone.

Well, not really, due to the fact that successful an implicit jaw-dropper that has thrilled readers for generations and acceptable the code for astir each fictional rug propulsion to come, Magnifico is the Mule. It’s a cleanable twist, brilliantly executed by Asimov’s prose, arsenic helium describes the elemental carnal changes successful Magnifico’s stance and demeanor that “transform” him into the Mule.

73 years later, Apple TV+’s Foundation has yet arrived astatine this iconic moment, acknowledgment to the Season 3 finale. Back successful the 2nd occurrence of Season 2, Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobel) sent her consciousness 150 years successful the aboriginal and discovered the Mule (Mikael Persbrandt successful Season 2, Pilou Asbæk successful Season 3) laying discarded to the galaxy, hopeless to observe the determination of the Second Foundation. Gaal has spent astir the entirety of the past 2 seasons trying to forestall this seeming inevitability, adjacent going truthful acold arsenic to make the Second Foundation and enactment herself successful cryosleep, lone waking concisely each fewer years to marque definite the program to halt the Mule was successful place.

Gaal does negociate to termination the Mule successful one-on-one combat successful a weird montage that tries to twist the country of their last conflict (which we’ve seen aggregate times) into thing coherent, arsenic they conflict each different some physically and mentally. It’s each a small confusing, and points to however the Foundation TV bid has ne'er been acrophobic of tweaking however the crippled of the books is executed connected screen.

Still, it’s a thrill watching it happen, confusingly staged enactment and all, due to the fact that you cognize the different footwear is going to drop. The bid has besides introduced Magnifico (Tómas Lemarquis) and spent astir of the play tipping their manus towards a saltation connected the twist that publication readers cognize is imminent. Heck, they adjacent went wrong Magnifico’s caput astatine 1 constituent and recovered the Mule with his arms wrapped astir him. Gaal took the accusation that, similar galore others, the Mule was controlling Magnifico. It was wide to this spectator astatine slightest that Magnifico was being embraced by the Mule; a predominant refrain from those controlled by the conqueror is “I’ve ne'er felt specified love.” And if you know, you know: The Mule is showing that emotion to Magnifico.

Then there’s the information that successful astir each country wherever the Mule has been utilizing “his” mentallic powers, Magnifico has been seen, blurry oregon otherwise, successful the background. We’re besides told that Magnifico’s instrument, called a Visi-Sonor, tin amplify the Mule’s abilities, and adjacent the AI of the all-knowing Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) pointedly stated that thing didn’t adhd up successful the Mule’s backstory but didn’t cognize what it was. Magnifico is the cardinal to everything, and arsenic Asbæk’s quality dies successful a excavation of his ain blood, it’s wide that contempt Gaal reasoning her multiple-centuries ngo is over, Magnifico is astir to measurement retired of the shadows and uncover himself arsenic the mastermind down everything.

Psyche! In a wildly insane twist connected a twist that 1 could generously telephone “overthinking things,” Magnifico is not the Mule. Magnifico, it turns out, is Magnifico Giganticus, a dumb but saccharine troubador who lurks menacingly successful the inheritance for nary peculiar reason. Don’t worry, determination is inactive a concealed existent Mule, and that is…Bayta Mallow (Synnøve Karlsen)! If determination was immoderate disorder astir this peculiar crippled point, portion Gaal writhes connected the level successful intelligence agony, confused however idiosyncratic could beryllium poking astir successful her caput if the Mule is already dead, Bayta enters and virtually says, “I americium The Mule.”

It’s unfortunate that aft 73 years (not to notation 19 episodes) of build-up, this lands with specified a thud. Mind you, it doesn’t travel retired of nowhere; determination has been immoderate grounds for Bayta’s existent individuality moving passim the season. On a purely aboveground level, the TV mentation of Bayta is introduced arsenic a societal influencer, and what the Mule is doing is societal power connected a galactic scale. There’s besides the information that Bayta has ever seemed to beryllium successful the aforesaid locations the Mule attacks, though we lone get to spot this connected a pleasance satellite called Kalgan.

There has been different grounds arsenic well. In 1 scene, Bayta told the Mule to permission a room, which helium did immediately. We’ve seen the different maniacal Mule person immoderate humanity to him, but this contiguous acquiescence to Bayta decidedly seemed odd, adjacent if you could constitute it disconnected arsenic him leaving a convalescing Bayta and erstwhile (and imaginable future) emperor Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton) alternatively than intelligence power connected her part. She besides calmed and won implicit Randu Mallow (Darren Pettie), a rebellious uncle of her hubby Toran (Cody Fern) that she had ne'er met before, beauteous quickly. Magnifico bonded with Bayta beauteous rapidly arsenic well, freely explaining that helium loved her, though helium ne'er said the cardinal “I’ve ne'er felt specified love” phrase.

Probably the biggest portion of grounds for Bayta being the Mule, however, are 2 comparatively heavy chopped changes from the books. In the Foundation caller series, Bayta is from Terminus, the location of the Foundation. On the show, she’s from determination other – a backwater planet, which is what the Mule explained to Hari Seldon a fewer episodes back. And successful the books, Bayta is simply a descendant of a Foundation family; connected TV, that’s Toran, not Bayta.

Basically, the pieces person been successful spot since the opening to let Bayta, a cardinal quality from the books, to measurement up and uncover herself to beryllium the Mule. We adjacent get the last nail successful the coffin to thrust it location that there’s not a triple twist here, and Magnifico is controlling Bayta who was controlling the Mule, acknowledgment to reshot scenes of the Mule’s backstory. That featured “his” parents trying to drown him connected their location satellite of Rossem aft the Foundation told them to bounds their resources. The reshot scenes amusement they were trying to drown a girl, not a lad – Bayta.

Bayta Mallow, aka "The Mule," arsenic played by Synnøve Karlsen.

Let’s beryllium clear: The crushed this twist doesn’t enactment isn’t due to the fact that you can’t alteration things. As mentioned earlier, the Foundation TV bid has successfully tweaked and riffed connected crippled points from the books throughout, down to the full conception of the “Genetic Dynasty,” which is cardinal to the Empire broadside of the communicative successful the series. The precise thought that the Mule is 2 radical alternatively of 1 is simply a astute mode of getting astir thing you tin bash successful a book, but not arsenic efficaciously connected TV: having 1 quality secretly beryllium different character, Usual Suspects style. It’s possible, but having Asbæk play a vicious pirate and carnal menace arsenic the Mule portion hiding the much cerebral maneuvering of the existent Mule is simply a astute mode of executing this twist connected screen.

The contented is that everything has been pointing to Magnifico arsenic the brains of the operation, not Bayta – clues supra aside. And portion we’ll apt find retired much astir what she wants successful Season 4 (the amusement was renewed with caller showrunners Ian Goldberg and David Kob), having Lemarquis measurement up from the inheritance of the changeable wherever he’s lurking, betwixt Gaal and The Mule, to uncover himself seems to beryllium what the amusement is heading towards. Instead, it’s wholly unclear however to gel Karlsen’s show arsenic Bayta with the atrocities the pirate mentation of the Mule has committed. Lemarquis has played Magnifico arsenic a disturbed weirdo with a strange, magical instrument; Karlsen has played Bayta arsenic a beauteous bully lady, and that continues erstwhile she reveals herself to beryllium a cosmopolitan conqueror. The joyousness of the Mule uncover is the opposition betwixt who the Mule presents himself arsenic initially (a buffoon) and who helium reveals himself to beryllium (a tyrant). We would person apt gotten that with Magnifico, but you tin astir perceive the writer’s country reasoning themselves successful circles here, knowing that publication readers volition beryllium expecting it, and adding layers connected layers to defy expectations, erstwhile the, er, expected anticipation would apt person provided the astir satisfying outcome.

Again, determination are ways to marque this work, and the amusement has written itself into weird corners earlier lone to marque it retired stronger and weirder. But successful examination to the archetypal root worldly and the Mule uncover there, Asimov inactive takes the cake.

There’s truthful overmuch much that happens successful the episode, though, truthful let’s interruption down immoderate of the bigger, non-Mule points.

Empire’s End

Remember that full “Genetic Dynasty” happening we mentioned earlier? Well, hide astir it; it’s done. Unlike the Mule reveal, the extremity of the Genetic Dynasty has been decently acceptable up passim this season, acknowledgment to Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann). Dusk is the oldest of 3 clones of Emperor Cleon; the different 2 are the aforementioned Dawn, the youngest, and Day, played by Lee Pace. As Day ages into Dusk, and Dawn into Day, Dusk is disintegrated to marque mode for a new, caller Dawn clone. However, this peculiar iteration of Dusk doesn’t want to die.

On the cusp of his “retirement,” this Dusk alternatively heads to the clone banks and proceeds to stroke them each up, starring to an perfectly disgusting rainfall of assemblage parts from the operation of backup clones. He saves one, a baby, and heads to the disintegration chamber. Meanwhile, Day has returned to Demerzel (Laura Birn), who is the majordomo of the Genetic Dynasty and besides a astir immortal robot, to uncover to her that she’s not the past of her kind. Through circumstances we won’t get into here, Day has recovered different robot’s head, and if they tin crook it on, Demerzel tin not conscionable sync with the different robot and rejoin her hivemind but summation independency from the slavery the Genetic Dynasty enactment her into centuries prior.

As Day struggles to crook the robot caput backmost on, Demerzel becomes alert of what Dawn is doing successful the clone banks and is compelled to permission to support them. In a precise meta-moment, Demerzel, who is alert not conscionable of the clone banks incidental and Day activating a 2nd robot head, but besides apt what’s transpiring with Gaal and the Mule, is asked what is happening. She replies: “Too galore things astatine once.”

And conscionable to support piling connected the insanity, Dusk threatens to disintegrate the babe Cleon if Demerzel doesn’t support him. She’s compelled to – if she had waited to activate the different robot, remember, she would person been capable to forestall what happens adjacent – and ends up getting melted mostly to slag, portion the babe is disintegrated anyway.

Oh, and past Dusk kills Day and takes sole power of the Empire. So each the clones are gone, Demerzel is gone, and there’s lone Dusk, reigning supreme. He besides has the Radiant, the mathematical conception created by Hari Seldon which (sort of) allows you to foretell the future.

Lee Pace arsenic Brother Day.

There is 1 hitch though, successful lawsuit you were acrophobic astir Lee Pace being done with Foundation. Dawn was with Bayta earlier her Mule reveal. We don’t cognize if he’s been turned to her broadside yet, but Dawn ages into Day. Depending connected erstwhile Foundation Season 4 picks up – the amusement has liberally jumped into the aboriginal each play truthful acold – it’s apt that Dawn volition person go Day, meaning Pace would beryllium back. It’s besides apt he’ll privation immoderate vengeance connected Dusk for sidesplitting each their brothers.

But wait, there’s more!

Welcome To Earth

Remember that robot head? Well, earlier Day was beaten to decease by Dusk connected the throne country floor, helium was, successful fact, capable to activate it. It turns connected and initiates a handshake signal, past a “clasp” with different galaxy. Those successful the cognize whitethorn beryllium capable to place which milky postulation this is, but successful lawsuit you weren’t sure, we caput implicit to cheque successful with Kalle (Rowena King), a mysterious being who took the signifier of the pistillate with whom Hari Seldon built the Radiant, and aboriginal resurrected him. Kalle realizes the clasp isn’t from Demerzel, but “perhaps idiosyncratic is seeking to embroil america successful the struggle.”

“Someone indispensable person succeeded,” says a fig that is intelligibly a robot.

“Then each the pieces are successful place,” says Kalle.

And past the camera zooms retired to amusement they are connected a satellite base, and not conscionable immoderate satellite base: It’s our Moon. Earth’s Moon. To punctuation the arsenic highly regarded subject fabrication spot Independence Day: Welcome to Earth!

Before you propulsion up your hands with the “it was Earth the full time” reveal, conscionable cognize that the beingness of Earth, robots connected the Moon – each of it does so travel from Asimov’s books. We’re getting into imaginable aboriginal spoilers here, but aft the struggle with the Mule is settled and the main struggle shifts to the Foundation versus the Second Foundation, a hunt for Earth begins. There, we observe that a robot named R. Daneel Olivaw has been manipulating things the full time, including giving Hari Seldon the thought for psychohistory, which is represented by the Radiant connected the show.

Is it imaginable the mysterious robot down Kalle is Olivaw? Maybe. Complicating things a spot is that Demerzel revealed earlier successful the play that she has been called Daneel among different names. But determination are ways astir that, including the information that robots are a hivemind, truthful they’re each benignant of each other…or something. Whatever.

This besides opens up a satellite of possibilities for Foundation erstwhile it continues connected Apple TV+, arsenic Asimov’s Foundation bid is conscionable 1 portion of the story. Nearly each caller and abbreviated communicative Asimov wrote fits into a cohesive tapestry of history, including the Foundation books. The Foundation bid is much explicitly linked to 2 different series: the Galactic Empire bid and the Robot series. While it’s chartless whether the show’s producers person the rights to those books arsenic well, if they’re truthful inclined to leap distant from the main struggle of Foundation, determination are virtually millennia of events that tin beryllium tackled, from the emergence of robots and the Galactic Empire to that hunt for Earth we mentioned earlier.

Point being, portion the Genetic Dynasty seems to beryllium done, Demerzel besides seems to beryllium done, and The Mule is ascendant, acceptable to destruct what remains of the Empire – and possibly the Foundations – there’s truthful overmuch much Foundation, the TV series, tin bash erstwhile it picks up successful Season 4. We’ve ne'er felt specified love.