Name: Foundation season 2 episode 3
Director: David S. Goyer
Released: 2023-07-28T06:30:00

In Foundation season 2 episode 3, Poly and Constant search for Hober Mallow, Bel Riose is invited to lead the war, and Gaal, Salvor, and Hari find themselves on another planet. The episode is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Recap

Hari doesn’t take Gaal and Salvor to Ignis. They arrive at Oona’s World, an imperial mining site that is currently uninhabited. Hari claims that the Radiant requires Hari to visit this planet. Hari must go to this place on a mountain in front of them.

Hari can’t do this alone as he is a projection, and he needs either Gaal or Salvor with him to travel there. While Gaal and Hari argue, Salvor grabs the Prime Radiant and throws it outside.

Salvor instructs Gaal to go with Hari and figure out what this is about so that they can get off this planet as soon as they can.

Back on Terminus, everyone expresses their refusal to bring Hober Mallow on board, but Poly convinces them why he could be important. Hence, Poly is allowed to look for him.

Demerzel visits Lepsis Penal Colony to recruit Bel Riose. She puts forth a lucrative offer to him, but Bel Riose proves how good of a negotiator he is. Demerzel makes him say yes by promising him his husband, Glawen Curr, who Bel Riose believes has been dead for six years.

Bel Riose comes to meet the Empire. Riose asks to talk to Brother Day in private. They indulge in a conversation full of hatred towards each other, with Day questioning Riose’s loyalty.

Moments later, Bel is allowed to meet his husband, Glawen Curr. They have a tearful reunion, and Glawen cleans Riose and helps him look fresh again.

Later, Glawen tells Bel that they should leave. However, Bel isn’t planning on doing that, no matter how much Day despises him and sees him as a threat. Bel likes to think that everyone is disposable for Day, except for him.

Therefore, as someone Day needs, he must protect the people who might die because of an emperor like that. Bel returns to his fleet and takes charge.

Hober Mallow is on Korell. He tries to sell Commdor Argo a device that allows two people to switch places. Hober Mallow uses it to steal the Eye of Korell, a precious artifact, from Commdor Argo’s hands.

Hober Mallow fails to escape the place in time. He is arrested and going to be executed. Poly and Constant arrive minutes before Hober Mallow’s execution.

Hober Mallow proves how good he is by switching places with Commdor Argo right before his execution. He was able to switch places because the device was a node; it wasn’t on a bracelet.

Hober Mallow attempts to use Poly and Constant’s ship to escape. Poly and Constant are able to board their ship on time. Constant drugs Hober Mallow to make sure he doesn’t cause more chaos.

Amidst all of this, Gaal and Hari reach a certain door in the mountain. After opening it, they meet Kalle. Gaal is told to leave in six hours if she doesn’t hear from Hari again.

Gaal is thrown out, and she does take Hari’s advice. While trying to leave the planet, Gaal and Salvor are attacked by huge, monstrous mining machines. Once they are in the air, these mining machines head somewhere else.

Gaal and Salvor wonder who else is alive on this planet. They discover Hari on the mountain. They rescue Hari, who is now alive and has a pulse.

Review

Foundation season 2 episode 3 is a lengthy episode that continues building all the upcoming conflicts of the show. For the most part, it has a formulaic approach that makes the episode dull.
The introduction of new characters like Bel Riose and Hober Mallow is done quite well. Bel Riose gives all the signs of why he is people’s favorite, while Hober Mallow shows why he is not to be trusted.
For someone with the name Hober Mallow and having been mentioned in one of the previous episode’s pivotal scenes, it was expected that Hober Mallow would be a threatening menace to deal with. Turns out, he works as a smart thief, and it makes viewers wonder why the Vault chose him.