The third season of Foundation introduced us to the most menacing villain the galaxy has seen so far, and revealed the extent of his mentalic abilities. In the previous episode, we found out that the Mule can enter anyone’s mind and paint a picture compelling them to do something they know they shouldn’t. He can mold anyone’s emotions and make them love him or worship him, and he calls this art “conversion,” because why not? Through conversation, he can turn even his bitterest opponents into devoted servants. But using these mentalic powers can be overwhelming, even for someone as powerful as the Mule, which he is rightly aware of, so he has found a way to convert through fear, or in his own words, “by way of demonstration.” And in the third episode, he pretty much used both his abilities, that is, conversion and demonstration, to make his conquest of the galaxy complete. Yes, the third episode finally revealed the Mule’s end goal, which is to dismantle the Galactic Empire and the Foundation, and replace them with his own Union of Worlds. However, there is one obstacle that can shatter his dreams of vast dominion. Another mentalic named Gaal Dornick, the only person in the known galaxy who can stop the Mule and end his crusade. But the question here is, does the Mule already know about his worst adversary, or was he just introduced to her name in the third episode?
Spoiler Alert
In the previous episode, Han Pritcher, the captain of the Foundation Intelligence Network, paid a visit to Toran Mallow and his wife, Bayta, as he wanted the couple to help him crash the party the Mule was throwing to celebrate his conquest of Kalgan. Pritcher wanted to know who he was and what he really wanted. However, as soon as Pritcher came in close proximity to the Mule, he suddenly heard a buzzing sound in his head. It was the Mule who had plundered the corners of Pritcher’s mind and taken him captive. The Mule said, “You are like me,” which hinted that Pritcher was a mentalic too. And it was through Pritcher that the Mule found out about Gaal Dornick. But you might be wondering how Pritcher knew about Gaal. Well, you might have noticed a leather amulet on Pritcher, which looked exactly the same as the one we saw Gaal wearing in the second episode of season 3. I didn’t notice this particular amulet in any of the previous episodes, which meant it could be a totem, designed by and for the members of the Second Foundation. In the second episode, Gaal mentioned that they had eyes and ears in every corner of the galaxy, which could suggest that Pritcher was a spy working for the Second Foundation, and that was why he wanted to investigate the Mule, as he might have heard his name before from Gaal, or maybe through Hari Seldon.
Another small detail that you might have noticed was that the moment the Mule entered Pritcher’s mind, the young captain’s eye went red. It was quite unusual, because nothing of the sort happened with the Mule’s previous prey, that is, Archduke Bellarion or his daughter, Skirlet. The red eye could suggest that Pritcher, being a mentalic himself, had been trying to resist the Mule’s conversion, but I believe he would eventually have given up.
In the season 3 trailer, we can see glimpses of Gaal and Pritcher together. From the dialogue, it seems apparent that the scene at the 1:20 timestamp takes place in the future, after Hari’s death, as Pritcher tells Gaal that Hari wanted her to have a better life than this. This can also mean that Pritcher is meeting Gaal for the first time and is suddenly attracted to her because that’s the picture the Mule had “painted” in his head. It’s likely that Pritcher was hired and trained by Hari while Gaal was in cryosleep. But we’ll find out more about that in the upcoming episodes.
The only thing I am not sure of is the location, the place where these two lovebirds spark their romance. In the book, the Mule sends Pritcher on a mission to discover the whereabouts of the Second Foundation; however, it will not come that easy. In the next scene in the trailer, at the 1:26 timestamp, Gaal and Pritcher are seen with the members of the First Foundation, which suggests that Pritcher will lead the Mule not only to Gaal but also to the First Foundation, which he intends to destroy. Yes, he already makes it clear in the third episode that he wants to break the Empire and the Foundation, so his true motives are no secret anymore. So what remains to be seen is: what role will this converted Pritcher play in the Mule’s grand scheme, and will he ever be able to break his spell to save the love of his life? We’ll find out.
