The first season of the heavily anticipated Dune: Prophecy officially wrapped this past Sunday. If you’ve fallen behind on episodes, this review will contain spoilers, but if you’re starting, check out my review from the first episode. If you’re looking to see what you may have missed or want to read a detailed review, you’ve come to the right place.
On December 19, HBO announced they had renewed the series for a second season. With that information coming five days before the finale, the announcement added that much more excitement and suspense to the season’s final episode.
The first episode lays the framework for the rest of the series, consistently weaving through past and present actions to keep audiences abreast. In a style similar to Game of Thrones, Dune: Prophecy is set to become another HBO masterpiece.
Episode 1: The Hidden Hand
A bit of backstory is given, explaining how an uprising took place to defeat the Thinking Machines (AI, Robots). Because of the great war that took place against them that cost humans so much, Thinking Machines are outlawed (this is important to remember). The planet Wallach IX is where the Bene Gesserit is established (cloaked as an all-girls school), also referred to as The Sisterhood. Their purpose is to represent truth, but also, bend it if necessary for the good of the Imperium. In essence, they exist to control the future in their favor. In a flashback, Valya uses “The Voice” (a ghoulish-sounding voice that forces whoever hears it to do whatever the sayer instructs) on Dorotea and makes her slit her throat. This is how she takes over the school (the entire process is explained). We’re introduced to a few choice acolytes in Kasha, Lila, and Jen, but remember HBO’s reputation (don’t get attached to characters because they’ll get killed off at any moment). We’re also introduced to Desmond Hart, a general who survived being swallowed by a sandworm (Shai-Hulud) and lived. Sister Kasha dies from burns she suffered (what did I just say?) but nobody knows how it happened. Desmond Hart burns Pruwet Richese (who was set to marry Princess Ynez) to death in secret, serving as punishment for bringing a toy (Thinking Machine) into the palace. Emperor Javicco Corrino agreed to an arrangement with Duke Ferdinand Richese that would see the two houses join their children in marriage. That way, Emperor Javicco would get Ferdinand’s fleet of warships for protection and to use on the spice planet Arrakis. There were visions of a great reckoning to come that nobody could explain and the series builds on suspense around this throughout the first few episodes.
Episode 2: Two Wolves
Valya Harkonnen goes to see the emperor directly after the death of his Truthsayer Kasha (the one who spontaneously burned in the first episode). Sister Theodosia is promoted because of Kasha’s death and accompanies Valya to see the emperor. Lila dies after going through The Agony (remember what I said about growing close to characters?). It stings for Valya’s sister Tula because she truly thought she was a future Reverend Mother and raised her from a child. Lila was able to find Raquella in her Other Memory (a place where the fallen reside in spirit “if” you can get there). Raquella tells The Sisterhood how to defeat the coming threat (Desmond Hart) but after Lila asked the whereabouts of her mother, Raquella showed her a vision, the truth about the death of her grandmother Dorotea (30 years before). The lie Lila was told was that her mother died in childbirth, but if that were true, her mother would be in the Other Memory. Regarding the threat, Raquella said, “The key to the reckoning is one born twice. Once in blood. Once in Spice. A revenant full of scars. A weapon born of war, on a path too short.” Valya demands to question Desmond Hart. He went from a prisoner in shackles to a free man. Her plans for intimidation were cut short when she used The Voice on him but he resisted. She immediately grabbed Theodosia and left.
Episode 3: Sisterhood Above All
There are spies everywhere in episode three. The swordmaster is actually a spy for a rebel group planning to dethrone the emperor. Mikaela is involved with the rebel group (who posed as a bartender in episode one when the swordmaster slept with Princess Ynez) and is a spy for Valya. Most of the episode is a flashback to when Valya and Tula were younger on their home planet Lankiveil. Valya was seen as trouble by her family and didn’t get much support. Although her parents never hid their harsh feelings, her siblings were kind to her. Her brother Griffin also believed that their family name was smeared in lies by the Atreides family (we also discover Valya had plans to be her brother’s truthsayer). After Griffin is killed, assumed by Vorian Atreides, Valya is told she’ll be sent away to Wallach IX to the sisterhood. This is where her hatred for the Atreides skyrockets.
Tula is somewhere in a forest with her boyfriend Orry. When questioned by a stranger, she tells how she met Orry at a market. She asks for assistance from a young boy and shows him how to lure a bull (while cutting open an animal). There’s a part where she shows him not to rupture a sac because it’s filled with a deadly toxin. “Remove it carefully and separate the innards in a separate bucket,” she tels him. When Orry’s horse broke its leg, she tested the toxin on it, killing the horse within seconds of ingesting it. In a moment as pivotal as GoT’s “Red Wedding”, the couple wakes up the next morning and Tula tells Orry the truth about being a Harkonnen. He accepts her anyway but notices the forest is quiet. Tula killed off the entire family in the woods (its implied the toxin was used). She then injects Orry with the toxin killing him too. The only survivor was the young boy who assisted her the day before. She tells him to run off when he returns with firewood.
Valya gets a coded message from Tula and returns home to Lankiveil. After being told the Atreides family is dead and her family rejects her even more, she goes outside and successfully survives The Agony. She’s ready to go back to the Sisterhood and brings Tula with her. Once the episode returns to the present, both Tula and Valya say farewells to Lila and Valya leaves to see her father. The episode ends with Tula placing Lila in a machine and ordering it to keep her alive. A) Her vitals show that she’s alive but in a coma, and B) They have a Thinking Machine!
Episode 4: Twice Born
The episode begins with thunderous sounds that echo in the sand when attracting the Shai-Hulud (sandworms). All the acolytes (the young girls of the Sisterhood) are having nightmares except for Sister Jen. She awakes just in time to rescue Emeline from hurting herself. Tula tries to comprehend their shared dream but falls short. Valya tries talking to her uncle, Evgeny Harkonnen, and her cousin, Harrow Harkonnen. She wants Harrow to represent House Harkonnen at the Landsraad (governing body) with her by his side as a Truthsayer. The Houses in attendace at the Landsraad (meeting) are Yasu, Hagal, Gbangbala, Vernius, and Yaoufirks. Desmond Hart devised a plan to have all Truthsayers removed when he spoke to the emperor but his scheme fell short. Everyone in the emperor’s circle is clueless as to who started the rumor about Pruwet Richese, but it turns out it was Empress Natalya.
Duri the Ixian came through on his end for the rebellion, providing them with an autonomous drone to blow up the palace. All of this is part of Valya’s plan: When the bomb goes off in the palace she’ll save Emperor Javicco’s life in front of everyone; That will put them back in his good graces. The second part of the plan is to deliver Keiran Atreides to Javicco as a traitor. But the only way to request an audience with Landsraad is to get her cousin Harrow on the floor (which she also sets a plan in motion to accomplish). Two members of the council visit Harrow personally and invite him to join (they’re able to do so since House Richese left the council, leaving a vacancy). Back on Wallach IX, Tula has the acolytes take spice and draw out their nightmares. To Tula’s chagrin, the girls go too deep and can’t open their eyes from the nightmare. They eventually wake up but because of the fear in their minds, not because of Tula guiding them with her voice.
Back at the palace, the empress meets with Desmond Hart in secret and admits she leaked the truth about the Richese boy (that he was murdered). She devises a secret plan for Hart to go after Thinking Machine dealers with surveillance footage she hands over. When Hart executes all of the conspirers in front of the council, he not only ruins Valya’s plan, but he exposes a vulnerability (he bleeds). Valya gets a sample of his blood and tells Theodosia to send it to Tula so she can trace it through the Breeding Index and find out who Hart really is. Back on Wallach IX, Tula has a nightmare that Emeline outs all of her lies which forces Tula to kill her. When she comes to her senses, she sees Lila has escaped from the tube and is alive. Back at Evgeny’s house, Valya lets him choke to death. Afterwards, her brother appears but it’s actually Theodosia. She’s a shapeshifter!
Episode 5: In Blood, Truth
Javicco promotes Desmond Hart to Bashar to lead an elite unit to eradicate the Imperium of treason. Javicco gets a surprise visit by a woman from his past, Francesca, a member of the Sisterhood that shares a child with him (Constantine). Back on Wallach IX, Tula recruits Sister Jen (because she’s the only one that’s not having nightmares) to help with a special assignment: get control of Lila and receive help from the foremothers. Francesca learns about Kasha’s death through her son Constantine.
Harrow tries to strike a deal with Desmond Hart after apologizing for requesting a formal inquiry at the Landsraad. He entertains the offer but in exchange, wants to know who Valya is working with (on her own, with rebels, etc) and hands him a little blue ball. Francesca goes to see Valya, who has a plan to take down Desmond Hart and win back the good graces of the emperor: while Hart is gone (investigating the tip that Valya’s nephew gave him), Francesca is to guide Emperor Corrino back to the Sisterhood, convince him to let Ynez study on Wallach IX, and to let Constantine lead his new fleet. Harrow meets with Valya and tells her the deal with Desmond Hart is done. While he’s off looking for insurgents, Francesca can use this time to implement Valya’s plan. Valya teaches Theodosia about imprinting- making an impression so strong it alters the course of someone’s life. It’s an emotional and physical bond that never breaks. Francesca meets with Javicco and convinces him to give their son Constantine a chance to prove himself and give him responsibility. Javicco kisses her, she stops him, and leaves.
Sister Avila drops off the package to Tula that was sent to Wallach IX from the last episode (Desmond Hart’s blood to use in the breeding index). Through Lila, Mother Raquella discovers that an airborne, RNA virus is what’s infecting the acolytes, giving them nightmares. Hart goes to the bar where Mikaela works and her and Keiran Atreides sacrifice the bar in an explosion. Afterwards, Keiran is shocked to find that she’s part of the Sisterhood. Francesca goes to visit Constantine one last time (to influence him). While going to his training locker, Constantine sees a clip on Keiran’s side. He touches it and it gives a visual layout of the palace (the rebels were going to use it to send a drone and destroy the Landsraad). When Keiran returns, Constantine has him arrested. At dinner, Javicco gets promoted to lead the fleet to Arrakis after turning in Atreides. Princess Ynez goes to see Keiran in holding and uses truthspeak on him to find answers. The Queen goes to see Desmond Hart, kisses him, and says, “Let us rid the Imperium of these witches forever.” The Breeding Index identifies Atreides and Harkonnen bloodlines in the sample, meaning Desmond Hart would be Tula’s son! (she slept with Orry before she killed him and his family in Episode 3)
Episode 6: The High-Handed Enemy
In a flashback, we learn three girls witnessed Valya use The Voice on Dorotea when she died: Tula, Francesca, and Kasha. When Valya and the three approached Dorotea’s supporters, they used a device to surround them in secrecy. They used truthspeak and made each one “choose” who they would support: her or Dorotea. Without saying a word, they all slit their throats… except for one (who would grow up to be Sister Avila). Anirul is the name of the Thinking Machine that Valya and Tula call the Breeding Index (the acolytes are unfamiliar with its existence). Dorotea has taken over Lila and is showing the acolytes that the Harkonnen’s built the Sisterhood on lies.
Javicco, after sleeping with Francesca, is now considering bringing the Sisterhood back for their counsel. Princess Ynez tries to free Keiran Atreides but gets arrested after her mother catches her in the act. Tula and a doctor try to isolate the virus in an experiment using her mind but the doctor couldn’t control it and dies. Valya goes to the palace and gets arrested on purpose to get close to Ynez. Valya tells Javicco the entire plan from before his birth to now to arouse his anger. After falling right into her trap, he erupts in anger and has her arrested. Carrying the weight of everything that just happened, the emperor goes to see Francesca and is cold to her, not believing anything she says. She admits Valya’s plan to kill him but can’t go through with it. It looks as if Javicco is on the brink of stabbing Francesca but instead stabs himself. Seconds later, Natalya comes in with the poison dart (meant for Javicco) and pricks Francesca with it. In a very Montague-Capulet type of fashion, the two lost-loves lay on each other lifeless, sharing untimely deaths and an end that would work to Natalya’s advantage.
Valya goes to prison and frees Ynez but will only leave with her if Keiran is freed as well. When Desmond Hart checks on the prison, a wounded prison guard (Theodosia shapeshifted) stabs him but doesn’t kill him. As Lila, Dorotea shows the acolytes the bottom of the lake at the school filled with the bones of her supporters who were killed in the past. Valya’s nephew planted a tiny blue glowing ball from last episode in the room where she, Theodosia, and Francesca devised their plan. The ball is a recording device.
Ynez, Keiran, and Valya escape from the palace to a fuel depot as part of Valya’s plan. She leaves them to face Desmond Hart on her own. She uses The Voice on the guards and use them to protetct her so she can get close to him. He uses that virus on her and they both break down. Images of Arrakis and Shai Hulud flash continuously onscreen. Tula eventually finds her and talks her through it. When Valya makes a breakthrough, she sees Desmond’s story. It starts from the beginning where he survived the attack on Arrakis and the screen focuses on two glowing dots (the eyes that the acolytes saw in their nightmares). But Valya is seeing them for what they actually are; lights on a robot—A Thinking Machine. The machine is operating on Hart and takes his right eye out, imprints something on it, and places it back. The silhouette of a shadow is seen, presumably controlling this experiment. Whoever this is has turned Hart into a weapon.
When Valya awakens, she stands up, she wants to kill him but Tula uses The Voice on her for the first time and stops her. This is where Tula explains that Hart is her son. After initial shock, Valya leaves to find Keiran and the princess. Tula and Desmond have a quick embrace and then has her arrested. A ship appears through a hole in space and goes to Arrakis. Successfully escaping, Valya, Ynez, and Keiran walk out onto the spice planet. Valya explains, “Come, Princess. The path to our enemy begins here.”
What’s Next?
So the first season closes out with Princess Ynez, Kieran Atreides, and Valya having made their way to the spice planet Arrakis. Back at the palace, we know Tula’s on her way to prison, Desmond Hart is severely injured, and House Carrino is in shambles. Wallach IX has been rocked by scandals and lies after Dorotea, acting in Lila’s body, exposed the existence of the Thinking Machine Anirul and the truth about the Harkonnens.
We don’t have a date yet for season two, we just know that it’s on the way thanks to the announcement last week. The final episode covered a lot and unveiled important bits of information, but also felt kind of flat. There was a lot of build-up leading to the season finale (not to mention the movie-like episode length of 1hr 30 mins.) and while it delivered on filling the gaps, it didn’t leave the same excitement as the earlier episodes. Even with that, there’s a lot to look forward to in season two. Hopefully, we’ll see more Fremen, the Princess earn her place amongst The Sisterhood, and of course, more of the Shai-Hulud. With Constantine controlling the emperor’s fleet, he’ll probably end up going after Valya, Ynez, and Keiran on Arrakis so here’s hoping we’ll finally see some big-time battles take place.
The series is a win, still retaining its 9 out of 10 rating it was given after the very first episode. The writers did an excellent job sticking to the story and building on that without extraneous fillers like unnecessary relationships and loads of sex. This is definitely one of HBO’s better series and has the audience numbers to back that up.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of HBO
Cast: Emily Watson (Valya Harkonnen), Olivia Williams (Tula Harkonnen), Jihae (Sister Kasha), Tabu (Sister Francesca), Jade Anouka (Sister Theodosia), Faoileann Cunningham (Sister Jen), Aoife Hinds (Sister Emeline), Chloe Lea (Sister Lila), Shalom Brune-Franklin (Mikaela), Travis Fimmel (Desmond Hart), Mark Strong (Emperor Javicco Corrino), Jodhi May (Empress Natalya Arat Corrino), Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (Princess Ynez Corrino), Josh Heuston (Constantine Corrino), Chris Mason (Keiran Atreides), Edward Davis (Harrow Harkonnen), Mark Addy (Evgeny Harkonnen).
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Around 60 mins., Six Episodes
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: November 17, 2024