Foundation Season 3's Most Tragic Death, Explained By The Showrunner [Exclusive]

This post contains spoilers for the season 3 finale of "Foundation."

"Foundation" is one of the best sci-fi shows on Apple TV+, which is saying a lot because the streamer has some of the best sci-fi shows around. This is a phenomenal adaptation of Isaac Asimov's monumental sci-fi book series of the same name, constantly remixing the source material to become its own thing while still capturing the essence of the books. At its best, "Foundation" feels like what Asimov would do if he had actually planned the series from the start and had done it in 2025 rather than the 1950s.

Arguably, the two biggest changes, and the best things "Foundation" has done, have been the introduction of the genetic dynasty — three clones meant to represent the "imperishable permanence" of the Galactic Empire — and Demerzel (Laura Birn), an enigmatic robot aide of the emperors. The three emperors are simply a hoot to watch, but Demerzel steals the show whenever she's on screen as the seemingly emotionless, calculating, undying robot.

Yet, the more we've learned about Demerzel and her history with the genetic dynasty, the more "Foundation" adds a level of tragedy to her story. This aspect isn't in the books, but feels very much on point with Asimov's writing. Her sort of robotic Stockholm Syndrome, where her programmed devotion to the emperors has genuinely turned into a form of love, has been fascinating and poignant.

Season 3 upped the ante by fully exploring Demerzel's backstory independently of the Cleons, revealing her role in the Robot Wars, the creation of the Empire, and the fall of robots. This storyline also coincided with the best story about the emperors, with Lee Pace playing a version of emperor Cleon that fans affectionately dubbed Brother Dude due to his carefree attitude and long hair and beard reminiscent of the main character in "The Big Lebowski." Throughout the season, Pace's Brother Dude was humbled, and toward the end, he had a huge change of heart that inspired him to try and free Demerzel from her programming and help her find her kind.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, because in the season finale, both Brother Dude and Demerzel meet tragic ends.

Speaking with /Film ahead of the season 3 finale, showrunner David S. Goyer says he wanted this season of "Foundation" to be "about the actual fall of Empire and Demerzel's freedom," as well as "Day's redemption."

It had to be Lee Pace's Brother Day, the middle-aged Cleon who has most of the power in the Empire and who treats Demerzel the worst, who would find out that Demerzel has a hugely important role in the history of both the Empire and humanity at large, so he could throw his throne and his life away to help someone other than himself. As Goyer explains it, "He does go from being a truly selfish person to being a much more selfless person, into having empathy for Demerzel." The heartbreaking thing is that Day comes so close to freeing Demerzel from the programming the first Cleon used to enslave her.

In the finale, Day arrives at the imperial palace and presents Demerzel with a robot skull he stole from a robot-worshipping cult, a still-functioning skull he hopes Demerzel can use to build more of her kind. He's about to figure out how to make the skull work when the two fall into a trap set by the elder Cleon clone, Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann), who uses Demerzel's programming against her in order to destroy the robot. Dusk shoots a laser at a baby clone of Cleon, the last one (he already destroyed all others), knowing Demerzel would be forced to intervene and take the full blast of the laser. "The act that actually frees [Demerzel] is Dusk destroying the clone tanks, because once the clone tanks and that baby are dead, there's no genetic dynasty anymore. There's nothing to protect," Goyer says.

"So the irony is she would also have been free there, but Dusk doesn't believe, once she's free, that she would be on his side, necessarily," the showrunner adds. "So he comes up with this idea to both destroy her and the clone tanks. I just like that tragic irony of Day changing as a character and becoming selfless and Demerzel being free, but the moment she's free is also the moment that she dies."

"Foundation" has always been a bleak show — fitting, since it's about the end of civilization as we know it — but there's arguably no moment as heartbreaking as the moment we see the light go out of Demerzel's eyes just as she finally achieves her freedom. Making matters worse is that Brother Day dies just moments later, murdered by his brother Dusk after he had achieved redemption and finally become a man willing to throw it all away to selflessly help someone else.

"Foundation" will return for season 4 on Apple TV+.