This article contains major spoilers for Foundation season 2.
Foundation season 2 has come to an end, wrapping up the second chapter in Apple TV+’s epic adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s beloved sci-fi series. There’s so much to love about Foundation—its vast scale coupled with its deeply human characters; its clever sci-fi concepts; its amazing sets and costumes—and the season 2 finale was an immensely satisfying cap to a beautiful story arc. I loved it … except for one thing.
Before we get into it, here’s a quick recap.
Foundation season 2 ending, explained
Foundation season 2 sees an ensemble of characters traveling the galaxy, each fighting the simmering war between the Foundation and the Empire on their own fronts.
Hari, Gaal, and Salvor spend most of season 2 in a community of telepaths known as Mentalics. After their leader, Tellem Bond, reveals that she’s been controlling the colony, she tries to inhabit Gaal’s body. Salvor and Hari (oh yeah—his drowning was just an illusion) rescue Gaal, but Tellem kills Salvor at the last second. Gaal and Hari decide to go into cryo-sleep in order to reach the next phase of the Empire’s collapse, which will happen over a century in the future. The remaining Mentalics watch over their bodies, treating them like gods.
Meanwhile, on Trantor, the robot Lady Demerzel reveals that she hired the assassin who tried to take out Day. When Dusk realizes Demerzel has been controlling the Empire behind the scenes, she kills him, but Dawn escapes with Sareth, who’s pregnant with the first biological heir to the throne since the beginning of the genetic dynasty. Now that Demerzel has Hari’s prime radiant and a newly decanted trio of Cleons, though, she’s determined to solidify her control of the Empire.
At the newly destroyed Terminus, Day and Bel Riose duke it out. Bel Riose uses Hober’s body-swapping device to push Day out the airlock, and he and Hober convince Day’s soldiers to stand down. After all, what’s left to fight for? Thanks to the Spacers’ rebellion, each ship in the fleet is jumping into the space occupied by its neighbor, and it’s only a matter of time before the ship Hober and Bel Riose are on is destroyed.
They get Constant into an escape pod before the ship explodes. Constant is eventually picked up by the Vault, now floating in space, and she finds that the entire population of Terminus is safe inside.
The final scene jumps ahead over a century, to the prophesied Mule—who’s determined to kill Gaal.
What I loved about the Foundation season 2 finale
Hari’s new meatbag. We now have two Hari Seldons: the scheming anti-hero in the Vault, and the human in a brand new body. The new body doesn’t make any sense and his hologram would have been just as good, plot-wise (I loved the good versus evil hologram dynamic in the early season 2 episodes), but you know what? I’m into it. I want to see where this goes.
Cleon’s downfall. Day, in all his iterations, is one of the best characters in the show. Getting body-swapped out of the airlock is a fantastically chilling way to go, and I can’t wait to see what becomes of Dawn and Sareth’s new lineage. Plus, Demerzel secretly controlling the Empire this whole time? Chef’s kiss.
Hober and Bel Riose’s final moments. Beautiful. Pitch-perfect. What a touching, grounded ending for two lovable characters. Too bad the wine sucked, though.
Brother Constant pulling through. This girl! She almost got her head chopped off twice, and then nearly suffocated to death in an escape pod. But no force in the galaxy can kill her, and I hope that means we get more of her in season 3.
Gaal pulling through. So she’s like a goddess now? I guess the Mentalics see her that way! I just love that she’s surfing the centuries, using her mathematical genius to save humanity.
Terminus pulling through. Are the people of Terminus still physical beings? Are they holograms? It’s unclear, but they all seem to be thriving in the Vault. Good for them.
What I hated about the Foundation season 2 finale
Salvor biting the dust.
I hated it. The moment felt forced, like a way to write her off the show and shoehorn in a last little bit of drama, and it was made worse by the fact that Salvor didn’t get to do all that much this season. In season 1, she led Terminus and explored her powers. In season 2, she kind of just tagged along with Gaal and Hari. I love her and I wish we could see more of her in future seasons.
But maybe we will! After all, death doesn’t seem to count for much in the world of Foundation.
(featured image: Apple TV+)
