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Creation Myths

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"Creation Myths" is the tenth episode of Foundation's second season on Apple TV+. It aired on September 15, 2023. The episode was written by David S. Goyer & Liz Phang based on the novels by Isaac Asimov. Alex Graves directed the episode.

Synopsis[]

Season finale. Gaal, Salvor, and Hari chart a new path forward on Ignis. Demerzel heads to Trantor, taking actions that will change Empire forever.

Plot[]

On the Beggar's Lament, Salvor is surprised by Hari's appearance. She saw his body and held it in her arms. Hari and Gaal explain that she saw a body, but it was not Hari's. As Hari was being drowned, Gaal felt it and their consciousnesses became linked. Gaal used her abilities to reach out to the guard, Venik, and get him to free Hari. Using their shared link, Hari and Gaal subdued the guard, smothered his unvoice so that Tellem could not hear him, and killed him. The body in the pool was Venik's, disguised as Hari since all the best illusions needed to be grounded in reality. Through their bridge of shared sensations, Hari crossed the kilometers of terrain back towards the village with Gaal masking his presence. The pair counted primes in their heads to create a shield to avoid detection. Hari was their ace in the hole, and Salvor laments how she almost ruined their efforts with his suspicions. Hari points out that if it wasn't for Salvor, they would all be dead. A large group of Mentalics approach the Beggar; Josiah tells them it is safe to come out. Hari is skeptical, but Thalis explains that Tellem was always in their heads, bending them to her will. For the first time since they arrived on Ignis, their thoughts are their own. Hari releases the door control, stepping out with Gaal and Salvor. The assembled Mentalics bow before them.

In the hidden chamber in the Imperial Palace, Cleon XVI and Rue are still imprisoned when Demerzel arrives. She explains that a sensor informed her as to their presence in the chamber and she left Terminus. Demerzel talks about Cleon I, and how his story that he told them was his own, and that he had changed coercion for communion. But, despite that, Demerzel still longs for him and wonders if her feelings are real. The fact that she will never know due to the reprogramming means she hates Cleon as well. Dusk and Rue say they can break the cycle, reprogram her, but Demerzel says she will destroy them if they try. She must maintain the Dynasty, and they realise that Demerzel hired the Blind Angels to attack Cleon XVII. Demerzel reveals that Sareth will pay the price; banking recordings and a memory audit have been altered to point to her complicity in the assassination attempt. Rue realises that the assassins were never meant to succeed, but to poison Day's mind against Sareth from the start. With all the information being revealed, Dusk realises that they were dead from the moment they entered the chamber. Rue begs Demerzel to wipe their memories, but Demerzel cannot risk Cloud Dominion restoring them. Before Demerzel kills both of them, Dusk forgives her, knowing that none of them were ever truly free.

With Terminus shattered, Day orders Bel Riose to prepare the fleet to jump. Not to Trantor, but to the other worlds under the Foundation's sway. He intends to destroy them all, starting with Thespis. Riose disagrees, stating that such an act would be the moral ruin of Empire. What they have already done is an atrocity. Riose refuses the order when it is given again; Day orders She-Bends-Light to carry it out, which she does. The fleet around Terminus begins to jump but something is wrong with the jump sequence. She-Bends-Light explains that each ship is jumping into the space occupied by its neighbour, and the sequence cannot be aborted. Hober Mallow's visit to the Spacers worked, and they cut a deal. Handing Hober over to Empire was part of the ruse, which was to lure the Empire's entire fleet to Terminus since Seldon believed that Day was extremely predictable. Day starts to beat Hober, and Hober gets in a few punches of his own. As Day seems poised to kill Hober, Riose takes on Day himself. Day orders his guards to back off, engaging Riose in a brutal fistfight that sees Riose kicked into an airlock. As Day opens the airlock to kill Riose, Riose triggers the castling device that he slipped into Day's robes in the fight and switches places with him. Day tumbles out into the cold of space. With the sequence unable to be countered, no one is getting off the ship alive as Shining Destiny prepares to jump but Riose reveals that there might be a way for either Hober or Brother Constant to escape.

On Trantor, Cleon XVIII confronts Demerzel over Sareth's arrest, not believing that she was behind the assassination attempt. Asking what will happen to her, Dawn is told that will be for Day to decide on his return. Dawn points out that he is in charge while Day is away, but Demerzel wonders about his impartially. She tries to reassure him that things will soon be back to the way they are meant to be, but Dawn notices a smudge of green on Demerzel's neck, placed there by Dusk as a message about her betrayal. Dawn agrees to discuss their next steps in private. As Demerzel leaves, she notices the mark on her neck in a reflection.

On the Shining Destiny, Riose leads Hober and Constant to a bay with an external cleaning module, capable of maintaining one person with air for a day. Hober immediately says that Constant should get it. He's done his part of the Prophet's plans but she has a way of making people feel hope and she needs to do that for everyone else. Hober admits that he always wanted to shorten the darkness, but couldn't stand the religious aspect and thanks Constant for reminding him of who he was. After an emotional goodbye, Constant launches in the module while Riose and Hober decide to finally try the Locris wine.

Sareth is kept under guard in her quarters in the Palace. Dawn sneaks in through the servant byways and together they take out the guards. Sareth asks about Rue; Dawn says if she was with Dusk, then she is most likely dead. As they enter the passageways, Sareth knows that they can't hide anywhere. Dawn however, has no intention of hiding.

Around Terminus, the fleet continues to be destroyed. On the bridge of the Shining Destiny, Hober prepares the wine. Riose talks about endings and Glawen, and notes that they knew they were doomed from the start. Riose believes that there is honour in the dying, and relishes the fact he got to shove Day out of an airlock. As they toast, both Hober and Riose try to say nice things about the wine, but the truth is that it is terrible. As they give a final toast, the Destiny explodes and they are gone.

On Trantor, Demerzel watches reports of the fleet's destruction with no survivors. Captain Timandra arrives and shows Demerzel a live broadcast of Dawn and Sareth announcing Cleon XVII's death and their intention to marry. Demerzel orders them arrested, but notices that the two are not Dawn and Sareth, but Sareth's servants using facial scramblers. Dawn contacts Demerzel privately; she tells him that she will hunt them down. Dawn tells her that such an action will galvanize the people against Empire. Sareth says their story is an inspiring one; the ascending emperor running away with his bride and newly conceived child. Demerzel says that things could happen to the child, and that it might be a weak leader. Dawn tells her that the child doesn't have to lead, just be loved. He hopes Demerzel will find happiness and thanks her for being the closest thing to a mother he had.

On Ignis, Hari and Gaal talk about Tellem, and how long she had lived. Gaal says that when Tellem was trying to take her over, she felt echoes of her previous victims and believes it was hundreds of years. Salvor is surrounded by children, spinning her coin and calling the result. Everyone seems to be getting along, but Josiah picks up a gun and aims it at Gaal. As he fires, Salvor dives in the way and throws a knife into Josiah. As Josiah lays dying, he tells Hari that Tellem was in his head, and he can feel her dying as he does. Gaal tries to save Salvor, who is mortally wounded from the gunshot. Salvor tells Gaal that this is a good thing, that the future can be changed. Salvor passes, and they hold a funeral for her.

Constant prays as the air in cleaning module runs low. The module is picked up by a ship that resembles the Vault; stepping out of the module, she is greeted by Poly who asks where Hober is. Constant cannot tell him, but he knows the answer. Constant asks him if he is the only survivor; Hari appears and tells her the Vault can do many things, and is larger on the inside. The Plan was always to sacrifice Terminus, but to preserve the Foundation. And the Foundation is people; the residents of Terminus, including Constant's parents, are alive. Even Glawen was rescued.

Gaal looks into the Prime Radiant, trying to find some sign that Salvor's death nudged the Plan onto a better path. Hari tells her that they will not know that right away in the present. Hari says it is ironic that they are trying to save humanity and yet cannot save the ones they love. Hari tells her he goes on because Yanna couldn't. They will lose more people along the way, but the losses matter if they make them matter.

In the Principium, Demerzel commits an unprecedented act and decants new exponents of all three Cleons at the same time. She tests their knowledge on who they are, and who she is. Demerzel reveals that she is in possession of the Prime Radiant and while she cannot fully understand it yet, wonderful things lie ahead.

Hari plans to get Gaal one hundred and fifty years upstream to face the Mule. Gaal will go into cryosleep while Hari will teach the Mentalics Psychohistory and form the Second Foundation. Gaal will emerge every year to assess the galaxy and inspire her flock. Gaal counters Hari's plan, saying there are two cryopods on the Beggar; she needs Hari and can't do it alone. She wants them to wait a year, teach the Mentalics and then go into cryo together. While Gaal may be able to face the Mule, she knows that the one person capable of facing another version of Hari is Hari himself. Hari agrees, and when the time is right the pods are removed from Beggar and taken to the abandoned palace. There, Gaal and Hari going into cryosleep while the Mentalics watch over them.

One hundred and fifty-two years later, the Mule can feel that Gaal is now in his time. She speaks to him in a thousand dreams, and he has to find her before she find him. He will destroy her, even if he has to burn everything to do it.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Appearances[]

By type 
Characters Creatures Events
Locations Organizations and titles Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels Weapons and technology Miscellanea

Characters

Creatures

Events

  • Assassination attempt on Cleon XVII

Locations

Organizations and titles

Sentient species

Vehicles and vessels

Weapons and technology

Miscellanea

Behind the scenes[]

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