Warning: spoilers for Foundation are in play. If you haven’t finished Season 1/started Season 2, you’ve been warned.
We’ve officially entered the next chapter in the story of the television adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s landmark saga Foundation. As Season 2 started unfolding for those with an Apple TV+ subscription, some pretty wild twists took place in the opening acts of this new round of episodes.
Actors Lee Pace and Laura Birn recently filled CinemaBlend in on some crazy happenings, such as Episode 1’s nude fight scene involving Pace’s Brother Day character. On top of looking into the future, they also looked back on the past, as Ms. Birn’s Demerzel is in a rather interesting position after her shocking act of loyalty in Season 1’s finale.
The “Magic” Of Lee Pace’s Nude Foundation Fight Scene
Before we go too far, yes, you read those words correctly. In Season 2, Episode 1, “In Seldon’s Shadow,” we see Brother Day (Lee Pace) getting into a naked fight for his life with some would-be assassins. The reason for this nudity is also wild, as Day seems to have struck up a rather intimate relationship with the robotic majordomo of the Cleon empire, Demerzel (Laura Birn).
Just as the two are getting cozy, disaster strikes, and the middle pillar of the three man Empire fights off his opponents in effective fashion. All the while, the man’s totally in the nude, or at least that was the impression one would get when observing this for themselves. And before you ask, much like Jennifer Lawrence's naked No Hard Feelings fight scene, Lee Pace did not use a double for this moment.
As I took part in Foundation’s recent Season 2 press day, conducted in advance of the SAG-AFTRA strike, I wanted to know about what sort of preparations or precautions needed to be taken for Mr. Pace’s bodily safety. Popping that question during my discussion with Pace and Birn was the ultimate icebreaker, which definitely raised a good laugh, as well as some well spirited teasing between these co-stars.
Thanks to Lee Pace and Laura Birn's candid handling of the question, the pair gifted this adorable exchange in their answer to CinemaBlend:
Lee Pace: "Wow. What a question.
Laura Birn: "Let’s talk about it. I was watching the entire three days that was happening."
Pace: "Movie magic. It all depends on the shot. There’s certain shots that we could take some precautions, and then sometimes you’ve just gotta jump in and risk it, you know what I mean?”
Admittedly, this question was inspired by director Robert Eggers’ story about how The Northman’s nude fight scenes required protection as “no one wanted to get their bits chopped off.” While there aren’t any huge swords present for this standoff, the close quarters nature of this combat could have still posed such a threat to the Bodies Bodies Bodies star and his manhood.
Thankfully, Lee Pace himself confirmed that there were no incidents on the Foundation set. Which is fantastic news, as the real world doesn’t have healing vats like the one that Brother Day had to use after almost perishing on screen. Part of that saving grace is due to the loyalty of Demerzel, who was able to save the middle Cleon from death while having her own bout of damage to contend with.
But enough talk. If you want to see a taste of this fight for yourself, check out the official clip below.
Considering her story’s arc in the last few episodes of Foundation Season 1, the events recalled above are quite the contrast to how we last saw Laura Birn interacting with her Foundation co-stars. Between the events of Season 1's finale, as well as "The Fight" clip, there are some interesting places her character seems to be heading. It's something that fans of Isaac Asimov's sci-fi canon have been puzzling over, for a very specific reason.
How Laura Birn’s Demerzel Is Entering Foundation Season 2, After Season 1’s Shocking Finale
In Foundation's Season 1 finale, "The Leap," Demerzel attempted to end a fight between Brother Day and Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann) by killing a genetically defective version of Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton). While this isn't the first time she's killed someone, and it isn't the last, her ability to do this conflicts with an Isaac Asimov staple: the Three Laws of Robotics.
Those programming directives are supposed to prevent robots from harming, or allowing harm to be done to humans. While there's no explanation just yet for why we've seen Demerzel seemingly violate these laws, Laura Birn has teased how her story will be developing in creator David S. Goyer's candidate for one of the best Apple TV+ series currently running.
Continuing our conversation by discussing what sort of mindset we see her entering Season 2 with, Birn teased the following story beats to CinemaBlend:
She doesn’t forget anything. She lives with these Cleons, with each of them, and everything that happens between them stays with her. Even though they change, and they’re a new person each time, or a new clone each time, still she remembers. I think that this season, entering Season 2, everything in Trantor and the Empire, is kind of more messy and chaotic. Also, her ways of controlling the emperors is more extreme. She needs to find her ways to protect the Genetic Dynasty, because there are threats from outside and from the inside. And she will not let those threats become reality. At the same time she’s harder, in Season 2 the choices she makes are harder. But also, we see a more vulnerable side of her, when we kind of learn her backstory and how she became part of the family.
In the star's answer about how her Foundation fixture is entering Season 2, there are seeds of just what sort of explanation could be presented. With the Three Laws of Robotics intended to protect everyday people, there’s a chance that Demerzel somehow has additional programming that pertains to protecting the Genetic Dynasty that has ruled the Empire for thousands of years.
The continuum of Isaac Asimov's overarching universe saw those laws developed centuries in the past, relatively closer to our own era of humanity. So there's definitely some room for those objectives to have been tinkered with, for better or worse. Meanwhile, we definitely see the resolute companion and aide to all three brothers of the Cleon bloodline protecting their interests, and taking command to do so. However, turning back to Season 2’s premiere, there does seem to be a bit of a romance forming between Brother Day and Demerzel.
That could lead to some interesting hiccups in Foundation’s current arc, as the decision was made to stop relying on cloning to keep things going. What’s more, Brother Day is betrothed to marry Queen Sareth (Ella-Rae Smith), in a bid to maintain power through the more traditional means of keeping up a royal bloodline. Keeping that plot point in mind, Birn and Pace's next exchange addressing that on-screen flirtation is both entertaining, but also feels like a warning:
Laura Birn: "And we see a softer side of her when she’s with this Cleon, taking care of him…"
Lee Pace: "She’s a robot. She’s a robot!"
Birn: "She’s very gentle. I’d call her very gentle…friend. A gentle friend."
If Demerzel could kill a Cleon clone to ensure unity among the brothers, what would she do to a queen from another world who could potentially break Brother Day’s heart? Not to mention, how the hell is she able to kill in the first place? All of the questions we’ve explored above seem primed for answers in Foundation Season 2, which is currently debuting new episodes each Friday as part of the 2023 TV schedule, on Apple TV+.
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