A Glimpse of Darkness

**A Glimpse of Darkness** is the second episode of *Foundation*'s second season on Apple TV+. It aired on July 21, 2023. The episode was written by Jane Espenson and David S. Goyer based on the novels by Isaac Asimov. David S. Goyer directed the episode.

## Synopsis

*Gaal has a disturbing vision. Day's bond with Queen Sareth grows stronger. The Vault opens and reveals a cryptic message.*

## Plot

On Synnax, aboard the *Beggar's Lament*, Hari rages at Gaal over his torment, telling her that his consciousness was awake the entire time she cryoslept. Gaal tries to apologise and tells him the Plan is off-course which Hari angrily reminds her was because the math was predicated on establishing a Second Foundation and that war was coming with Empire. As the hurricane front approaches the ship, Salvor gets Hari to clear the avionics fault in the *Beggar's Lament* since he is in the mainframe. However, Salvor has to go outside and clear coral from the stabilizer. She succeeds, and the *Beggar's Lament* lifts off.

On Siwenna in the Outer Reach, Brother Constant of the Church of the Galactic Spirit rides her bishop's claw, Beki. As they stop for water, something catches Constant's eye. Returning to the camp she shares with Poly Verisof, she finds him hungover and possibly still drunk. After administering a shot to help him purge himself, Constant tells him that she has found a death threat against them. Constant takes him to where the body of another Claric, Rees, is strung up from a tree where it had been stabbed with a dagger and the killed by lightning strikes. Rees was killed by adherents to the local lightning deity for preaching the word of Hari Seldon. Constant realises they will be attacked next, and Poly reminds her to keep her aura charged.

On Trantor, Demerzel reports the findings of Brothers Dusk and Dawn's memory audits to Day. They had no contact with the Blind Angels, or anyone else suspicious. While Day is relieved, Demerzel points out that it is more accurate to say they do not *remember* being involved and she will work to close that loophole. Demerzel also had the medical staff's memories altered so that they would remember nothing of seeing Day and Demerzel in a compromised state after the attack. Turning matters to the Foundation, Demerzel proposes sending Bel Riose to deal with them. Day refuses since Riose disobeyed his orders over the Lemul Cluster, but still won the day. Day eventually relents, but tells Demerzel to kill Riose if he refuses the mission.

Later, the three Emperors discuss Riose at dinner. Dusk believes he should remain a prisoner due to the loyalty he has with his men. As they talk, they are interrupted by a movement coach who has been watching them dine, preparing them for acting in concert due to their genetic drifting. While DNA can be corrected, habits were harder to form. The entire situation reinforces the idea of marriage in Day's mind, since they would never have to do something like this again.

Aboard the *Beggar's Lament*, Salvor asks Gaal why she stopped Hari from establishing the Second Foundation. Gaal doesn't really know, but it had to do with her feelings surrounding Raych. Hari appears, telling them they cannot help the First Foundation directly; the Second Foundation was meant to act as a thumb on the scale, quietly correcting the course of the actions taken by Empire and Foundation. If left unchecked, the Foundation would become Empire all over again, necessitating the Second Foundation to work as a balance for them. Gaal knows the Plan is off course, ever since she left *Deliverance* and has seen the red in the Prime Radiant. Gaal relates her visions of the future to Hari, of darkness and despair. She concludes that maybe she is not exactly seeing the future, but accessing memories from her future self, one hundred and fifty years hence.

On Trantor, the Emperors dine with Sareth I and Rue Corintha. At first, their discussion is light as they get to know one another but soon Sareth turns to more serious conversations. She asks if the assassination attempt had been successful, then the Day sitting with them would be a new man. Day asks how she knows about the assassination attempt; Sareth mentions it was a rumour until he just confirmed it. They talk about how marriage would effectively do the same as an assassination attempt, and Sareth points out that the marriage would end Brother Dawn's reason for being, and that he would never become Day. Sareth's own family had been killed in a zeppelin crash, leaving her the sole heir to the Cloud Dominion.

Sareth asks to see the replacement clones, and Day escorts her to the Principium. They talk about how the exponents receive memory updates, only edited to remove the memory of death. Talk turns to how to procreate, either naturally or artificially. Sareth has heard rumours about the corruption of the Genetic Dynasty and reasons this is why Empire is interested in a match with her.

On Siwenna, Brother Constant is wary as she tries to drum up interest in a show at sunset. The locals attempt to intimidate her, and reveal they strung up Rees. They try to capture her as well, but Constant uses her aura to escape but is soon surrounded. The mass of people threaten to break through the aura's shield but at that moment, Poly Verisof descends from the sky and starts to put on a show about First Prophet, Hari Seldon. The ringleader of the crowd attempts to get them to turn on Poly, but he levitates the ringleader and dunks him into a pool of water. Poly continues to preach the word of Seldon until Constant receives a message and they return to their ship. Poly learns that the Vault is opening, and they have been recalled to Terminus. Constant thinks Poly would be happier, but Poly says that the worst thing about having wishes is having them come true. Activating their sleep patches and setting the ship's neuro-drive for auto-jump, they jump for Terminus.

On the *Beggar's Lament*, Gaal is afraid of going into the future, worried that she will not find a way back. Salvor offers to anchor her, and tells her to listen for her voice to guide herself back. Gaal attempts to project into the future but it doesn't work. She realises that all the other times it happened, it was unconscious. Gaal was either asleep or under stress. Gaal vents the oxygen out of the room and effectively "drowns" herself to begin. She projects into a war torn future where she meets a warlord known as the Mule. He is a telepath and realises that a younger version of Gaal is in her mind right now, a Gaal from the Age of Empire before Hober Mallow pierced its hide.

Gaal is brought back to the present by Salvor's voice, and she tells Salvor and Hari all about the vision. The Mule is a warlord bent on dominion, most of the galaxy having fallen to him. He is afraid of the Second Foundation and attempted to pry its location from her mind. Hari urges her to remember the location, and Gaal reveals it to be Ignis. Looking it up in the ship's databanks, Ignis is less than parsec from their current location. Salvor also feels like someone of something is calling to them from there, and Gaal also beings to feel it.

Poly and Constant return to Terminus and are greeted by Varia. Constant is reunited with Pater, while Poly is taken by Warden Jaegger Fount to meet with Director Sef Sermak and other members of the Foundation's leadership. Jaegger outlines his plan to request a meeting with Hari Seldon privately to prepare for the next steps. Poly is angry, believing that if anyone should speak privately with Hari then it is him as the last person alive to have seen Hari emerge from the Vault one hundred and thirty-eight years ago. Poly would essentially be on crowd control duty because he is popular with the masses. Poly does not agree with the direction the Foundation is taking, and Jaegger tells him straight that the reason he's not being considered for the honour is because he can smell liquor on him and the signs of taking vordaline dust.

Outside the Vault, Warden Jaegger approaches and requests Hari to show himself if it pleases him to do so. The Vault reacts as it did during the first opening, but Hari does not appear. Believing he is meant to go in, Jaegger makes a speech to the assembled crowd and as he does so, is lifted into the air. In pain, he begins repeating "Hober Mallow" over and over again before being disintegrated. As the crowd looks on, the words "Hober Mallow" are etched into the surface of the Vault itself.

On the *Beggar's Lament*, Gaal tells Salvor that maybe what they are doing is a mistake, and it is playing into the Mule's hands. She also tells Salvor that she hid something from them about her vision. During the confrontation with the Mule, Gaal saw Salvor's dead body next to her.

## Cast

### Starring

* Jared Harris as Hari Seldon (Raven)
* Lee Pace as Brother Day (Cleon XVII)
* Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick
* Leah Harvey as Salvor Hardin
* Laura Birn as Demerzel
* Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn (Cleon XVIII)
* Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk (Cleon XVI)

### Guest Starring

* Isabella Laughland as Brother Constant
* Holt McCallany as Warden Jaegger Fount
* Ella-Rae Smith as Queen Sareth I
* Sandra Yi Senchindiver as Enjoiner Rue Corintha
* Oliver Chris as Director Sef Sermak
* Kulvinder Ghir as Poly Verisof

### Co-Starring

* Mikael Persbrandt as The Mule
* Luis Torrecilla as Pater
* Noah Taylor as Hetman
* Jordan Stephens as Jori
* Eva Bradley-Williams as Varia
* Jesper Christensen as Ducem Barr
* Wade Briggs as Brigadier Manlio
* Anthony Barclay as Councilor Sutt
* Haqi Ali as Handman Hahn
* Caroline Pope as Movement Coach

## Appearances

**By type**

Characters

* Astrid (First appearance)
* Ducem Barr (First appearance)
* Brother Constant (First mentioned)
* Cleon I (Mentioned only)
* Cleon XVI
* Cleon XVII
* Cleon XVIII
* Daluben IV (First mentioned)
* Demerzel
* Gaal Dornick
* Raych Foss (Mentioned only)
* Jaegger Fount
* Hahn
* Hanlo (First mentioned)
* Salvor Hardin
* Hetman (First appearance)
* Jori (First appearance)
* Hober Mallow (Mentioned only)
* Manlio
* Pater (First appearance)
* Ravenna (First mentioned)
* Rees (First appearance)
* Bel Riose (First mentioned)
* Rue Corintha
* Sareth I
* Hari Seldon
* Hari Seldon (Raven)
* Hari Seldon (Vault) (Mentioned only)
* Sef Sermak
* Sutt
* The Mule (First appearance)
* Varia
* Poly Verisof

Creatures

	+ Beki (First appearance)

Events

Locations

* Lemul Cluster (First mentioned)
* Outer Reach
	+ Daribow (Mentioned only)
	+ Konom (First mentioned)
	+ Red Corridor (First mentioned)
		- Siwenna (First appearance)
	+ Terminus
		- Terminus City
			* Foundation Tower
		- Vault
* Synnax
* Trantor
	+ Imperial Palace
		- Mural of Souls
		- Principium Tower

Organizations and titles

* Church of the Galactic Spirit (First appearance)
* Cloud Dominion
	+ Royal Hussars (First mentioned)
* Foundation
	+ Warden
* Galactic Empire
	+ Genetic Dynasty
		- Brother Dawn
		- Brother Day
		- Brother Dusk
	+ Intelligence (First mentioned)
	+ Superluminal Armada (First mentioned)
* Mentalic (First mentioned)
* Second Foundation

Sentient species

* Human
	+ Clone
* Robot

Vehicles and vessels

* Whisper-ship (First appearance)
	+ *Spirit Rising* (First appearance)
* *Invictus*
* *Raven* (Mentioned only)

Weapons and technology

* Holo sign (First appearance)
* Neuro-drive (First appearance)
* Sleep patch (First appearance)
* Sub-ether comms (First mentioned)

Miscellanea

* Cryosleep
* Flash powder (First appearance)
* Galactic Spirit (First appearance)
* Handfast (First appearance)
* Ice-running (First appearance)
* Memory audit (Mentioned only)
* Vordaline dust (First appearance)

## Behind the scenes

* In the Foundation's board room are glass busts of Salvor Hardin, Lewis Pirenne, and Sef Sermak.

## External links

* EPISODE NOTES 202 – “A GLIMPSE OF DARKNESS”

## Notes and references

1. ↑ EPISODE NOTES 202 – “A GLIMPSE OF DARKNESS”