Foundation season 3 episode 5 ending explained: What’s Gaal Dornick’s plan to stop The Mule?

Foundation season 3 episode 5, titled Where Tyrants Spend Eternity, was released on August 8, 2025. The episode kicks off with Brother Dawn and Day in different places in the universe with Day having entered Mycogen and escapes into the depths of the city.

Dawn, on the other hand, wakes up on board with Gaal Dornick and begins her plan to stop The Mule from causing any more chaos. However, a decision by Gaal, changes everything for the future of season 3.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers from Foundation season 3 episode 5. Reader discretion is advised.

After putting her plan in action, Brother Dawn goes to the council and gets the votes needed to activate an Enclosure on Kalgan. However, immediately after it is activated, The Mule contacts the council to tell them that he has left the area and blows up the planet in the process. The move shocks the entire group, as they turn on Dawn who just about escapes.

He then questions whether Gaal knew this was going to happen and she reveals that she did, as it was part of her plan to make the Empire fall and eventually allow the Foundation to prevail over The Mule. Dawn is then thrown through an airlock as a part an unforeseen fallout from the plan, while Gaal, hoping to get him back on her side, is in for a shock when her airlock opens.

The episode ends with this confrontation, introducing new complications for Gaal's mission, Dawn's survival, and Brother Day's ongoing search for Song.

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Gaal Dornick’s plan to defeat The Mule will have serious consequences in Foundation season 3

Foundation season 3 episode 5, Where Tyrants Spend Eternity (Image via AppleTV+)

In the previous episode, Gaal Dornick managed to convince Brother Dawn that the only way to save the Empire and the universe from The Mule was to come with her. That’s after his plan to force an Enclosure upon Kalgan, the usual way, failed but she had an alternative plan to stop The Mule. Convinced, Dawn goes with Gaal and together, the two embark on a journey to Clarion in Foundation season 3 episode 5.

She reveals that she plans to get Dawn to blackmail a member of the council to get the votes needed. Dawn suggests Councillor Vynod Tarisk and then strong-arms him into voting in his favor, which he does, and the vote passes. However, that seemed to be the moment The Mule was waiting for, as just after the Imperial Fleet surrounded Kalgan, he beams the group via holo-call.

Stunned by his audacity, the council listens on as he shares that he has already left the planet for parts unknown. The warlord further tells the Council that the reason he wanted Kalgan was that it was near a jumpgate. He then channels all the energy locked inside the jumpgate and vaporizes the entire planet alongside the Imperial Fleet that's surrounding it.

Foundation season 3 episode 5, Where Tyrants Spend Eternity (Image via AppleTV+)

Dawn just about escapes from the eyes of the Council, who have begun to blame him for weakening the Empire. However, as he is about to make his return to Gaal’s ship, he asks her if she knew this would happen. Reluctantly, Gaal admits that she knew it was a strong possibility, but to defeat the Mule, the future requires an Empire weaker than the Foundation.

She continues that the Foundation can’t allow the Mule to reach their resources and that the Empire never had a chance of beating him, thus it needed to end. Following this, she believes that the Cleonic age will end, the Council will seize power over the Imperium and it allows the Mule to take Trantor which is when the Foundation will make their move.

Gaal apologizes for deceiving Dawn but he rips out the earpiece, leaving their partnership in tatters. As if that’s not enough, Tarisk appears, angry at the fact that his family, who were on Kalgan, are now dead and shoots at Dawn. He ducks, but the shot hits the airlock and blows it open, sending the two men flying through space, killing Tarisk instantly.

However, Dawn is wearing a spacesuit and is merely sent floating into space, leaving his future uncertain.

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Toran, Bayta and Magnifico’s journey to New Terminus

makes for an interesting plotline

Foundation season 3 episode 5, Where Tyrants Spend Eternity (Image via AppleTV+)

Toran and Bayta's jump-drive is already damaged as they tried to escape Kalgan with Magnifico in episode 3 and now, they are forced to crash-land on Haven in Foundation season 3 episode 5. However, it turns out that Haven is Toran’s former home and the base of the Traders, where Toran’s uncle, Randu, is their current leader.

He saves the trio from freezing to death in the snowy tundra and after some bickering, Bayta manages to convince him that taking Magnifico to New Terminus is a worthwhile task. She posits that in the Traders’ “guerrilla war” against The Foundation, having a key piece of The Mule’s inner circle is an exceptional bargaining chip and will balance out the level of power.

While he believes this to be a ploy to get an escort to New Terminus, Randu takes the bait rather easily. Given what fans of Asimov's books know about Magnifico and the role he plays soon, this move could make for a very interesting second half to season 3.

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Demerzel’s lack of presence across Foundation season 3 episode 5 speaks volumes

Foundation season 3 episode 5, Where Tyrants Spend Eternity (Image via AppleTV+)

While she, or “it”, only features in two scenes throughout Foundation season 3 episode 5, Demerzel’s mere presence in the scenes speaks volumes about her impact on the Empire. She first appears at the scene of Mavon’s murder and rejects the soldiers' offer to chase after Brother Day.

Instead, she believes that Day will no longer be a problem and that they should leave the Cleon clone to his own devices. However, with Dawn’s tracking nanites still active, she decides to go after him and then poof, that’s the end of Demerzel in Foundation season 3 episode 5.

Her presence continues to loom across every scene in the episode, leaving viewers wondering when the real power behind the Empire will make her appearance. She eventually turns up in the final scenes of the episode as Gaal rushes towards the intruder alert on her ship’s airlock, only to see Demerzel walk through.

Mildly fazed, Demerzel greets the woman she hasn’t seen for 300 years and the episode ends, leaving viewers wondering how things will proceed from here.

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Interested viewers can watch Foundation season 3 episode 5 on Apple TV+