The galactic empire continues to unravel in Foundation season 2, and after a complicated episode 2 that set up many future mysteries, we're already starting to solve some of them with episode 3 of this epic Apple TV Plus sci-fi show.
Foundation follows the decline of a galactic empire and the colony designed to outlast it, called the Foundation, and with the second-season jump 100 years into the future of the show, war between these two groups seems inevitable... and is getting closer.
But after episode 2's many mysteries, we know that there are more crises on the way that our cast of characters needs to get to the bottom of if they (and the Foundation) is going to survive.
If you need to catch up on this twisty show, we've got a guide on how to watch Foundation season 2, and also a list of the best Apple TV Plus free trials if you want to save money doing so. So here's what happened in Foundation season 2 episode 3, entitled King and Commoner, presented in a somewhat more comprehensible order than the show.
The empire prepares for war
Demerzel (Laura Birn) visits the planet of Lepsis to a Penal Colony. She's here to see a prisoner working at a farm: this is Bel Rios (Ben Daniels), who we've heard talk of before. He's here because he didn't follow the empire's commands last time they needed him, but being a talented admiral, they need him again.
Bel Rios is told that his husband is still alive, which encourages him to meet Brother Day (Lee Pace) despite their animosity, and after Rios agrees to his mission, he's finally reunited with his long-lost lover.
After a quick shave and haircut, and a plea from his husband to run away instead of joining the war (that's ignored), Bel Rios reunites with his fleet in space and they jump away, ready to investigate and maybe fight the Foundation.
The mystery of Hober Mallow is solved
After The Vault's cryptic message at the end of episode two, the members of Foundation discuss what this Hober Mallow message means. While some perceive it as a warning, Poly Verisof (Kulvinder Ghir) thinks that they need to bring Mallow to the vault. Verisof actually knows Mallow, as he used to sell fake religious trinkets, and knows that he's currently on the planet of Korell.
We jump to Korell. Mallow (Dimitri Leonidas) is a con man posing as a trader called Ponyets, a master trader, as he tries to sell a trinket to Commdor Argo (Philip Glenister). Argo knows that this is a ruse but is trying to entrap Mallow... until the teleportation gadget that Mallow is trying to sell proves to actually work, temporarily swapping their places. Mallow uses this opportunity to steal a valuable scepter from Argo, but is promptly caught by guards.
When Verisof and Brother Constant (Isabella Laughland) arrive at Korell, they're just in time to witness Mallow's execution. However, just before he's killed, Mallow switches places with Argo once again using this tech, and promptly escapes using Constant and Verisof's ship. They manage to get aboard before he leaves though.
While Mallow is keen to get away as quickly as possible, Constant injects him with a sedative to make sure they can get him to Terminus.
Second Foundation? No, second location
Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) pilots the ship with him, Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) and Salvor Hardin (Leah Harvey) to Ignus to set up the second Foundation... before promptly confessing that this isn't, in fact, Ignus. It's actually an abandoned mining planet called Oona's World, and the Prime Radiant has tasked him with going there.
Much to Gaal's chagrin — but still accompanied by her, since he's a projection who needs to be close to the Prime Radiant — Hari treks across the desert and up a mountain where he finds Kalle, the woman who helped create psychohistory and who he had a vision of when trapped in the Prime Radiant.
Seldon's projection is transferred to Halle before Gaal is promptly locked out of the mountain, so she has to walk all the way home.
After six hours are up, Gaal and Salvor decide to turn in and leave the planet, before their ship falls through the ground into an underground cavern full of giant mining robots. The creatures try to stomp the spaceship but turn and run away, and Salvor realizes it's because another life form has appeared on this previously-abandoned planet.
Turns out this life form is Hari, who has somehow been turned back into a human. Gaal quickly rescues him before the robots get him and they fly away.
