A Necessary Death

**A Necessary Death** is the seventh episode of *Foundation*'s second season on Apple TV+. It aired on August 25, 2023. The episode was written by Eric Carrasco & David Kob based on the novels by Isaac Asimov. Mark Tonderai directed the episode.

## Synopsis

*Salvor begins to question the Mentalics' motives. Hober Mallow proposal to the Spacers meets resistance. Brothers Constant and Poly stand trial.*

## Plot

On Trantor, Brother Constant and Poly Verisof are under armed guard in the Imperial Palace. Cleon XVII and Demerzel review their arrival, being briefed by officer Timandra. Day finds it curious that just as they have sent Bel Riose to the Outer Reach, the Outer Reach has seemingly reached out. Demerzel raises the issue of potentially postponing Day's wedding to Sareth I. While knowing that if he takes this step there is no going back, Day assures Demerzel that she will always have a place with his new family.

Sareth I and Rue Corintha review the recording of her speech made just after the announcement of her marriage to Cleon XVII. Rue warns her not to embarrass a man like that, although she admits that Cleon is taken with her because she treats him that way and remarkably does not consider her to be a threat. Demerzel arrives, complimenting Sareth on her speech and noting that the citizens of Trantor are taken with her. With the upcoming marriage, Demerzel is to escort Sareth to see the Imperial doctors ahead of producing an heir. On the way to the appointment, Sareth tells Demerzel she knows that she is a robot. She questions Demerzel about this, learning that as far as Demerzel is aware, she is the last robot. She was once bound by the Three Laws, but now she obeys only one: to serve Empire. Sareth wants to know if Demerzal will serve her once she is married to Day. Demerzel repeats that she will serve Empire.

Sareth is inspected by Doctor Oran, surrounded by a large contingent. During the examination, Oran wants to begin harvesting the eggs to begin producing an heir, but Sareth refuses until they are legally wed. Demerzel says her womb became Imperial property when she agreed to the union but Rue counters that the Cloud Dominion has equal interest in the offspring. Sareth tells Demerzel that she is aware of her "arrangement" with Day and she will not stand in the way of that. The examination ends and the retinues dismissed as Demerzel wants a private moment with Sareth. Demerzel mentions that she know Sareth believes Day had her family killed and warns her that if harbors any thoughts of revenge, Sareth should think of her family dying with the precision that Demerzel brings to her work. Sareth breaks down crying as she learns the truth.

On Ignis, Salvor Hardin approaches Gaal Dornick who is counting primes. Gaal accidentally uses the power she has been learning from Tellem Bond to telekinetically push Salvor to the ground. Salvor wants to talk about Hari taking the *Beggar's Lament*, but Gaal says he did what he needed to do since the Mentalics would not accept him as they do Gaal and Salvor. Salvor, unable to read anyone like she could on Terminus, believes there is something wrong with the planet and wants to steal one of Tellem's little ships to get off-world. Gaal argues against it as Josiah arrives to take them to Tellem and a feast.

Salvor goes to the shoreline and meets Loron who is gathering ghost mollusks for the feast. He apologises for kissing her with disguised as Hugo Crast, and they talk about his history and the fact that Tellem is excited they are there. Salvor believes she is excited because *Gaal* is there. As they talk, Salvor sees a boat being pulled to shore and flips her coin. Loron, noticing her attention on the craft, takes her to the feast. As they cook the ghost mollusks by boiling them alive, both Salvor and Gaal feel their pain. Tellem explains that their powers are broadening to be able to feel at a greater empathic level. She explains that if you feel everything, you don't take more than what you need.

Hober Mallow meets with the Spacer She-Is-Center aboard the Home-Swarm, telling her that he is looking for them. She-Is-Center does not know how that is possible since they jump-randomize and only another spacer would know where they are. Hober reveals that he has some for the Spacers from Hari Seldon and the Foundation: synthetic opalesk. Hober offers a deal: the opalesk for the Spacer's freedom from the Empire. Empire is holding the opalesk over them for continued obedience, and one day they might just cut off the supply. She-Is-Center believes the Empire will always need Spacers until Hober points out his whisper-ship doesn't need spacers to jump. Hober is offering an alliance between the spacers and the Foundation with the opalesk as their payment, and their freedom.

Aboard the *Shining Destiny*, Bel Riose watches the recording of Cleon XVII ending the Genetic Dynasty while Glawen Curr reads. Air Officer Kress arrives, requesting their presence as She-Bends-Light would like to see them. She-Bends-Light shows them footage of the whisper-ship jumping away from Siwenna, noting that it is the smallest jump singularity-fold she's ever seen. At that moment, She-Bends-Light receives a communication from the Home-Swarm; the whisper-ship they are looking for is in their custody and the Home-Swarm is coming to them.

On Ignis, Thalis asks Gaal why she is thinking about the Mule. Gaal tells the gathered Mentalics that the Mule is a conqueror in the future, 152 years from now. Tellem says that Gaal sees forward to futures that might come to be. Gaal tells them all about Hari Seldon and predictions of the future, and the outliers who can upset the math like the Mule and Mentalics. Gaal recounts her own youth and realises that she was using Math to understand her own power. With the fall coming, and the threats rising, Gaal wants to use the Mentalics to nudge whatever comes after the Empire to not be as bad as it now.

Riose, Curr and She-Bends board the Home-Swarm to meet with She-Is-Center. She-Is-Center and She-Bends-Light communicate silently and then She-Is-Center turns over Hober Mallow for attempting to broker the Spacers' betrayal. Hober attempts to escape but is unsuccessful, finally relenting and opening the whisper-ship for the Empire. However, Beki is still onboard and she knocks down Riose and Curr, allowing Hober to escape with the *Spirit Rising* by jumping in the hangar bay.

Riose reports the encounter to Day, noting that the Foundation's technology has surpassed their own and it appears they are preparing for war with Empire. Day wonders if the Foundation could have been behind the Blind Angels, and Demerzel points out that is the problem: they have no idea what the Foundation is capable of. Riose is cut off by Day when he asks for orders, and then argues with Glawen about their options and disobeying Empire again. Riose has seen what happened to regions without law, and knows that if the Empire falls then the Foundation is not ready to take over.

Day meets with Sareth in the Imperial Gardens. Day talks about adoration and public personas, while Sareth, still reeling from Demerzel tacit admission, wants Day to know her family since they will be his as well once they are married. She talks about her family in detail and Day realises what she is doing and that she knows the truth somehow. As Sareth leaves, she orders her Handman, Hahn, to arrange meeting with Cleon XVIII.

Dawn and Sareth meet in the heat sinks using facial scramblers. Sareth, now knowing the truth about her family's deaths, cannot have Day's child. But Dawn is different, kinder: while she will have to marry Day, she wants to carry Dawn's child instead, giving him a machine that can be used to reverse his sterility. Dawn believes it is suicide, but Sareth points out that once Day has an heir Dawn will never sit the throne. If the one true heir was his, his legacy would be assured. They kiss, and Sareth tells Dawn it would be a bloodless coup.

Constant and Poly are taken by Timandra and presented to the three Emperors. Poly tells Day that war is coming, and they have been sent by Hari Seldon who has returned bring hope. They are salesmen, come to open diplomatic relations and ask for recognition and sovereignity. Dusk retorts that Foundation is an Imperial outpost. Poly tells them alliance with Foundation means peace. Day shocks Poly by telling him that Hober Mallow's overtures to the Spacers have been rebuffed. Day directs Constant to speak, and a sliver of Hari Seldon emerges to address the Cleons directly. He tells them Foundation is strong, and the reason they ask for peace is not because they are afraid they will lose, but because they are mathematically assured to win. Day tells Hari that his predictions are out of date; after studying Hari's words as a young man, Day is ending Imperial cloning. Day orders Demerzel to have Riose form an enclosure around Terminus and reinforce him. If the Foundation has technology, then it is Empire's. Constant is electrocuted and Hari's essence is excised from her.

Salvor heads back to the boat she observed earlier and looks through the nav data to see no history. Rebooting the system, she finds the navigation cache. Gaal arrives, asking what she is doing. Salvor believes she is being blocked since she can't call her coin and wants to know why they are erasing data from a fishing trip. Salvor is growing more suspicious of the Mentalics, and calls Gaal out for the others looking at her like she is a savior. Gaal wants Salvor to trust her and not to pull on threads.

Later that night, Salvor returns to the boat and takes it back to where it originated from. She finds the tide pool with Hari's body floating in it. Swimming out to it, she is caught by Tellem on the shore. Telling her that some deaths are necessary, Tellem renders Salvor unconscious with her abilities and she drops face down into the water.

## Cast

### Starring

* Jared Harris as Hari Seldon (Raven/Vault)
* 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

* Ben Daniels as Bel Riose
* Isabella Laughland as Brother Constant
* Dimitri Leonidas as Hober Mallow
* Ella-Rae Smith as Queen Sareth I
* Sandra Yi Sencindiver as Enjoiner Rue Corintha
* Rachel House as Tellem Bond
* Dino Fetscher as Glawen Curr
* Kulvinder Ghir as Poly Verisof

### Co-Starring

* Haqi Ali as Handman Hahn
* Kit Rakusen as Josiah
* Ephraim Goldin as Air Officer Kress
* Michael Akinsulire as Loron
* Isabel Adomakoh Young as Timandra
* Brucella Newman-Persaud as She-Is-Center
* Judi Shekoni as She-Bends-Light
* Sandra Guldberg Kampp as Thalis
* Brian Caspe as Dr. Oran
* Mahmoud Aldachan as Ferzan
* Ella McDonald as Perla (Mentallic Child)

## Appearances

**By type**

Characters

* Tellem Bond
* Brother Constant
* Rue Corintha
* Cleon I (Mentioned only)
* Cleon XIV (Mentioned only)
* Cleon XVI
* Cleon XVII
* Cleon XVIII
* Glawen Curr
* Demerzel
* Gaal Dornick
* Ferzan
* Hahn
* Salvor Hardin
* Josiah
* Kandar V (Mentioned only)
* Kress
* Loron
* Hober Mallow
* Marréos (First mentioned)
* Oran
* Perla
* Bel Riose
* Sareth I
* Hari Seldon
* Hari Seldon (Raven)
* Hari Seldon (Vault)
* She-Bends-Light
* She-Is-Center
* Shennin (First mentioned)
* Thalis
* The Mule (Mentioned only)
* Thurston (First mentioned)
* Timandra
* Poly Verisof

Creatures

	+ Beki
* Ghost mollusk

Events

* Zeppelin accident (Mentioned only)

Locations

	+ Siwenna
	+ Smyrno (Mentioned only)
	+ Terminus (Mentioned only)
* Trantor
	+ Imperial Palace
		- Imperial Gardens
	+ Trantor City

Organizations and titles

* Cloud Dominion
* Foundation
	+ Church of Galactic Spirit
* Galactic Empire
	+ Auxiliary
	+ Genetic Dynasty
		- Brother Dawn
		- Brother Day
		- Brother Dusk

Sentient species

	+ Clone
* Robot/Humaniform robot
* Spacer

Vehicles and vessels

* Home-Swarm
* Jumpship
	+ Imperial warship
		- *Shining Destiny*
* Whisper-ship
	+ *Spirit Rising*

Weapons and technology

* Nano-probes
* Occuli

Miscellanea

* Opalesk
* Santannian cigar
* Three Laws
* Vorderline dust