Foundation season 3 episode 4 recap: a big secret is revealed as emperors run away

A major mystery from its first season is answered in Foundation season 3's fourth episode, entitled 'The Stress of Her Regard' which landed on Apple TV Plus on Friday, August 1.

This mystery surrounds the culprit of a major terror attack at the beginning of the first season, but a lot more happens in Foundation S3E4. Foundation learns new secrets, we understand our heroes more, and Empire continues to crumble.

The third season of Foundation, inspired by Isaac Asimov's series of books, shows Empire on the verge of collapse as psychic warlord The Mule puts pressure on Foundation, and the Second Foundation is set up to course-correct events of the galaxy.

So here's our recap of Foundation season 3 episode four, 'The Stress of Her Regard'. This article will contain plenty of spoilers, not just for this episode but for past seasons, so you've been warned. No spoilers for future episodes though!

Revelations about Empire and a spy

At the start of the episode, Demerzel (Laura Birn) is having another confession session with the sister of Zephyr (from S3E1). She admits that she set up the Star Bridge attack from season 1, as she thought it'd encourage Empire to exile instead of destroy the fledgling Foundation, and she predicted that the existence of Foundation could increase Empire's longevity.

Her confessor is shocked, and points out that now that Foundation is the enemy of Empire, Demerzel is closer to being free from Empire.

Han Pritcher (Brandon P. Bell) goes to Ignis, where we quickly learn that he's actually an agent for the Second Foundation. He greets the First Speaker and then we also learn that he's romantically involved with Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell). He shows the two a psychic vision of what happened on Kalgan: that The Mule now knows about them, but perhaps not their location.

Later, Dornick asks Pritcher to return to Foundation to prepare them for war. She also wants him to kill Foundation's mayor, Indbur, but he's clearly not keen on acting the assassin. Before leaving, Pritcher wants Dornick to marry him, but she points out that they've not known each other long (due to her cryo-sleep and wake cycle) and that being overcommitted romantically was a mistake she made in the past that changed the course of psychohistory.

A mission for Day

Ebling Mis visits Indbur and admits that he visited Seldon and reveals what he learned: the third crisis will take place in a matter of days and Empire has the Prime Radiant. They call Quent, Foundation's Ambassador with Empire, to reveal this.

Quent tells Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann) about Bayta and Toran running away with Magnifico, and also that she knows Empire has the Prime Radiant. Against Demerzel's wishes, Dusk shows it to Quent, and points out that its future predictions end in a few months.

Brother Day (Lee Pace) visits the artificial memory of Cleon to ask about Mycogen, the planet where the robot sympathizers live (and where memory-wiped Song was sent). Cleon 1 recounts how he travelled there to wipe out the cult and to retrieve a "set of tools" that the priests of the planet used as holy relics. The Memory asks Brother Day to finish the job he evidently failed.

We discover that these 'tools' are the devices Demerzel uses to maintain her body, when Day visits her. He criticizes her again for sending away his girlfriend, Song.

The getaway

Day's soldier friend, who was preparing their escape, returns home to find Day there playing with his child. Day tells him that they need to leave immediately, and are going to Mycogen, as he wants to rerieve Song. He alludes to a "peace offering" he's brought.

Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton) receives a message and meets Dornick in a cafe in disguise, and for once she's come physically (instead of via hologram). He admits that none of the things she asked for have panned out, and he wants to wait a few days until he becomes Brother Day when he can try again. Be she insists they get off the planet immediately, and when soldiers arrive, they sneak away.

Day and his soldier friend flee on bikes and then Day removes his nanites, that he promised to cure the man's daughter. But then Day shots him, as he's figured out that this soldier is actually working against him and signalled to someone. Day kills him and puts his nanites into the man's body, which will cause Empire to trace this corpse while Day himself gets off the planet.

Demerzel is told that Day's nanites have stopped. She goes to her room and discovers one of the repair tools is missing.

Dawn and Dornick flee through a sewer and she uses her psychic powers to hide them from the soldier's view. When they escape onto her ship, she admits to the Emperor that she works for the Second Foundation.