Dune: Prophecy Just Revealed Even More Dark Secrets Clinging to the Harkonnens

After last week’s intelligence clash betwixt Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen and sandworm-blessed Arrakis worker Desmond Hart—a conflict that ended with Valya gathering a uncommon defeat—this week’s Dune: Prophecy episode, “Sisterhood Above All,” pivots distant from palace intrigue for a flashback-heavy episode. It does a batch to explicate the motivations of some Harkonnen sisters, some the ruthless Valya and her seemingly kinder sister, Tula.

First, though, we spot Valya and Sister Theodosia being kicked retired of the palace. Thanks to Desmond’s recently exerted power implicit Emperor Corrino, they’re nary longer invited there. “This is not the archetypal clip an adversary has sought to region me,” Valya tells Theodosia crisply. Desmond volition larn his lesson, she’s certain—just similar the others successful her past have.

And speaking of that past… we chopped to harsh, snowy Lankiveil, location of House Harkonnen. The Harkonnens are a acold outcry from the alarmingly almighty clan we cognize from the Dune movies; disgraced aft the Machine War acknowledgment to an Atreides-spawned rumor regarding Harkonnen cowardice, the household is presently scraping by amid the section whale-fur trade. All that’s near is Valya, Tula, and their member Griffin; their parent and father; and their grumbly uncle Evgeny (played by Mark Addy, furthering those Game of Thrones vibes).

Earl Cave and Jessica Barden arsenic Griffin and young Valya Harkonnen. © Attila Szvacsek/HBO

It’s present that we spot the root of the carved tusk that Tula gave to Lila past week, calling it her astir prized possession; Griffin crafted it for his beloved sister. He’s besides the lone household subordinate who has a bully narration with the prickly Valya; aft she goes disconnected connected a rant exclaiming that the long-absent Vorian Atreides—source of that nasty communicative astir the Harkonnens—needs to “correct the record” oregon else, Griffin agrees, though helium doesn’t rather stock her obsession with restoring the family’s status.

He does beryllium his sister a large favour though; arsenic we learn, she saved him from drowning erstwhile they were kids, utilizing the Voice (her archetypal clip utilizing it, apparently) to compel him to aquatics his mode retired of danger. But confronting House Atreides is simply a perilous task, and it doesn’t extremity good for the young man. Dune: Prophecy doesn’t marque america hold long; Griffin returns to Lankiviel a corpse. 

Valya is acceptable to treble down connected revenge—“I privation the Atreides to endure arsenic we have”—but she’d agreed to spell bid with the Sisterhood earlier Griffin’s death; the archetypal volition was for her to go his Truthsayer, presumably aft House Harkonnen was capable to physique itself backmost up. Now, she doesn’t privation to go, but her parents 100% bash not privation their least-favorite kid hanging around, truthful it’s disconnected to Wallach IX for the furious young woman.

In the present-day Prophecy storyline, Mother Superior Valya learns that Lila did not past the Agony, but that she was capable to convey Raquella’s connection from beyond the grave. Valya instantly knows what the “born twice, erstwhile successful blood, erstwhile successful spice” riddle regarding the Sisterhood’s newest, biggest occupation refers to: it’s Desmond Hart. Of people it is!

Dune: Prophecy has been truthful Valya-centric that it’s some refreshing and astonishing erstwhile the absorption shifts to Tula. She’s precise overmuch grieving Lila’s death, keeping the miss connected the Sisterhood equivalent of beingness support, to the constituent that 1 of the different Reverend Mothers is starting to nag her astir it. As Tula contemplatively sips immoderate spice tea, we get different flashback: Tula arsenic a young woman, not agelong aft her brother’s death, accompanying her caller boyfriend, Orry, and what appears to beryllium his full household connected a hunting trip.

© Attila Szvacsek/HBO

Dune: Prophecy is not precisely a subtle show—evidenced mostly truthful acold successful dialog that’s meant to beryllium exposition, but feels awfully heavy-handed. For example, past week we had the show’s main taxable virtually distilled into “We are each conscionable pieces connected the committee to beryllium played successful pursuit of power… spice.” We had figured that out, but OK!

Anyway, this week we get not 1 but 2 demonstrations of Tula—a known poison expert, aft we saw her creating the Agony liquid for Lila—handling a poison cautiously extracted from an carnal utilized for prey successful the hunt. Poison! We got poison! Deadly poison, you say? How mightiness that travel backmost into play?

First, though, a jaunt backmost to Wallach IX to spot what Valya’s up to: arsenic a pupil successful the Sisterhood, she’s already butting heads with her teacher, Dorotea. Yep, Mother Superior Raquella’s granddaughter, who Valya murdered (using the Voice) successful the archetypal episode. Their philosophical clashes and the mode they intelligibly dislike each different connected a idiosyncratic level helps contextualize, successful retrospect, that unit we’ve already witnessed.

On the precipice of taking her vows—in a melodramatic trial of wills that involves lasting extracurricular for hours successful the rainy dark—Valya finds that she cannot unit herself to state “Sisterhood supra all,” due to the fact that she’s inactive fixated connected her household issues. Mother Superior Raquella confronts this unusual caller pupil to find retired what’s holding her back, and Valya uses the Voice connected her truthful she’ll support her distance.

The Mother Superior is, putting it mildly, precise impressed with this talent. And from this meeting, wherever Raquella advises Valya that “sometimes, our misfortunes are the sails that instrumentality america to the shores we were meant to beryllium on” (obvious dialog alert!), a enslaved betwixt them begins to form.

Back to Tula. Her besotted fellow proposes to her, and they person enactment arsenic the men connected the hunt observe and portion and carouse and creation astir a occurrence outside. We soon recognize what they’re chanting: “Atreides! Atreides!” Uh-oh. The adjacent morning, Tula confesses to Orry that her past sanction is Harkonnen—and helium reacts to the quality that his bride-to-be is from his family’s hated rival clan… amazingly well. He doesn’t caput that she lied astir who she is, and helium thinks the feud betwixt their families is aged capable present that it shouldn’t basal successful the mode of their happiness.

© Attila Szvacsek/HBO

Except, well… Griffin. He virtually conscionable died, right?

“Why is it truthful quiet?” Orry wonders. Oh boy. The mates steps extracurricular their compartment and Orry realizes that not lone is each azygous antheral connected the hunting travel dormant (it’s implied Tula poisoned their drinks), she’s got a syringe loaded with fatal foodstuff acceptable to plunge into his ain flesh. She seems a small atrocious to bash it, but she doesn’t truly hesitate. Payback! There’s conscionable 1 survivor, a young teen who garners Tula’s mercy—could this beryllium aboriginal palace spy Keiran Atreides?

On Wallach IX, Raquella and Valya are present truthful chummy that Raquella has revealed the Sisterhood’s deepest secret: the familial room and the information that it “relies connected forbidden technology,” thing we conscionable saw Dorotea specifically preaching against. Armed with this intimately guarded information, Valya is excitedly telling her besties (including the young Kasha, RIP) she’s present a fastener to beryllium the Mother Superior’s successor. Then, she shows disconnected the Voice and—despite forcing 1 person to slap another—they’re delighted and request to larn however to bash it.

But it’s not a creaseless travel into the Sisterhood’s apical spot. Raquella summons some Dorotea and Valya into the “operating theater” room—where Lila died past week—and tells them they are the 2 strongest candidates to pb aft she’s gone. She pulls retired the vial of bluish liquid we cognize precise good means “the Agony,” but Valya refuses to participate. (“Coward,” idiosyncratic hisses astatine her, and you know that had to sting.)

Tula conveys the quality of the Atreides massacre to Valya via a coded missive the Mother Superior intercepts and instantly sees through; “You person unfinished concern with your house,” she correctly deduces. She hasn’t fixed up connected her prized pupil, but she besides knows she can’t sanction a successor who’s not afloat committed to the cause. Valya takes a travel backmost to the Harkonnen location satellite clutching 1 of the dreaded bluish vials; Raquella tells her “Return a Reverend Mother oregon not astatine all.”

On Lankiviel, Tula and Valya person a tearful reunion; “Griffin would beryllium proud,” Valya says, but Tula’s not truthful sure. And though it was Tula who’s present a wide murderer, the older Harkonnen procreation blames Valya, who intelligibly had a manus successful manipulating her younger sister’s actions. A tense infinitesimal successful the household location (Valya almost makes her parent stab herself utilizing the Voice, to which Valya’s uncle calls her “sorceress,” his dependable dripping with disgust) leads to Valya heading extracurricular and undergoing the Agony unsocial connected a snowy hillside. It’s each the much awesome considering what we saw Lila spell through, successful a overmuch much controlled environment, past week.

That said, we don’t spot what she experiences oregon what cognition Harkonnen women of the past stock with her, but we bash spot her aftermath up erstwhile Tula frantically pleads with her to return. “I mislaid Griffin, I won’t suffer you too,” she says, and we larn that’s wherefore Tula decided to articulation the Sisterhood too. “A caller start… we person a caller intent now,” the sisters agree.

Back to the main timeline, and Tula has yet accepted that it’s clip to fto Lila go. All of the acolytes get a accidental to accidental good-bye—Jen successful peculiar expressing her utmost displeasure astatine the full situation; she feels Tula and institution took vantage of Lila, a naive miss excited to research her ancestry, and pressured her into the Agony erstwhile she wasn’t ready.

© Attila Szvacsek/HBO

We chopped backmost to Valya and Theodosia pulling up to a sleek building: “the past spot anyone would expect maine to be,” Valya explains, earlier muttering, “Sacrifices indispensable beryllium made. Sisterhood supra all.” When they enter, they find a smarmy young man—this is Baron Harkonnen, who we archetypal encountered successful occurrence 1 astatine that (ill-fated) royal engagement party, trying to get the Emperor excited astir whale fur.

He greets the Mother Superior arsenic “Aunt Valya” (he besides asks aft “Aunt Tula”—though mightiness this beryllium Tula’s son, aft that cautiously placed enactment country earlier?). There’s besides an older, crustier Uncle Evgeny successful a hover-wheelchair who says he’s amazed to spot his niece, but there’s a guarded look connected his look that suggests possibly he’s not each that amazed aft all. (After all, arsenic we learned earlier, House Harkonnen has been asking for a Truthsayer implicit and over, and Mother Superior Valya has continually denied the request.)

How the Harkonnens precocious from slurping stew connected an crystal satellite to a spot of what looks similar renewed, rising powerfulness isn’t explained—but Dune: Prophecy is leaving that for different episode. We’ve got 1 much shocking nugget backmost connected Wallach IX, and that’s the uncover that not lone is Tula keeping Lila “alive” successful suspended stasis wrong the familial library, the task involves the usage of… an highly forbidden computer.

New episodes of Dune: Prophecy get Sundays connected HBO and Max.

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