Dune: Prophecy arguably reached its highest point so far at the end of Episode 2, “Two Wolves,” so it’s a shame that the show immediately backtracks and spends so much time in the past instead of moving forward. The plot does progress a little bit following the tense meeting between Valya and Desmond Hart in the previous episode, with Emperor Corrino subsequently banishing the Sisterhood. We jump back and forth between the present day and roughly 30 years ago, following Valya and Tula’s machinations during each time period.
As usual with Dune at its weakest moments, Episode 3, or “Sisterhood Above All,” suffers from what could be called the exposition paradox. There’s too much exposition to be well-paced and consistently entertaining, but there’s not enough exposition for emotional and dramatic moments to feel earned. The time is taken to introduce a character, but not enough time for you to emotionally invest in them. For instance, we barely see any of Valya and Tula’s brother until he has a conversation with Valya; the very next scene is his funeral. We’re supposed to understand how his death impacted the course of Tula and Valya’s lives, but it feels cheap. This happens frequently.
Nonetheless, the world-building, production design, and juicy reveals keep the episode afloatand the show further develops Valya and Tula. If it isn’t apparent by now, it’s these literal sisters (compared and contrasted with the Sisterhood) who are the main characters of this show, so Episode 3 is definitely important in rounding out their characters ahead of the season’s second half.
Young Valya Harkonnen Plots Her Revenge
“Sisterhood Above All” begins with Valya leaving House Corrino, humiliated by Desmond in a way she hasn’t been in years; meanwhile, Tula is dealing with the death of young acolyte Lila, who couldn’t survive the Agony. Both of these things take the sisters back to the past, remembering moments of death and humiliation in their youth. We’re taken back three decades to the wintry, wasted world of Lankiviel, where the Harkonnens have been banished. The production is stunning here, with overhead shots of snowy beaches littered with the corpses of whales being cut up by fishermen.
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Valya and Tula eat with their family, and the Harkonnen’s past is hinted at — they say their ancestor is a war hero who tried to stop a genocide, but that the lies of Vorian Atreides had him labeled a coward and the family banished to Lankiviel. The backstory that isn’t fully explained is that Vorian Atreides and Abulurd Harkonnen, once comrades, became divided over the bloody Battle of Corrin during the Butlerian Jihad against the thinking machines. Vorian chose a path that would kill millions, akin to Hiroshima, and Abulurd defied orders. He was labeled a coward as such, leading to the Harkonnen-Atreides feud. The Harkonnens thus suffer without honor on Lankiviel, while the Atreides are respected warriors that serve the Empire.
Valya’s family has resigned themselves to this fate, but she hasn’t. “I don’t want to just endure. This complacency is a disease. If we don’t act now it will infect all of us and all who come after us,” she says. Her hateful mother scorns her, telling her brother, Griffin, “She’s a wolf, and if you’re not careful, she will devour you.” Now we know who the “wolves” are in the Episode 2 title“The Two Wolves.” Though if you thought the second wolf was Desmond Hart, you may be wrong, as this episode also details Tula’s journey.
Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves
While Valya trains at the Sisterhood, far more defiant and angry than any other Sister, we see Tula embed herself in a large Atreides group. She develops a passionate relationship with Orry Atreides, a young ancestor of Vorian, and, under Valya’s orders, kills him (and apparently has his family killed, or kills them herself; it’s not really explained).
We see just how vicious Tula can be here. She keeps Orry distracted in a little house; they make love, he proposes, and she even tells him that she’s a Harkonnen. Despite all that, he still wants to be with her and wants to end the feud between their families. Nonetheless, Tula stabs him with a poisonous syringe as he gazes upon the lifeless corpses of other Atreides. Again, though, we’ve only had a couple of scenes with the guy, so there isn’t much drama or emotion here. It’s more like narrative whiplash, with Dune: Prophecy rushing through this plot point to get it over with; we go from his sex scene to his death scene back to back.
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In the Sisterhood, Valya grows closer and closer to Mother Superior Raquel, much to Dorotea’s chagrin. We know from Episode 1 that Valya will kill Dorotea and take over the Sisterhood, but here we see more of the two paths the group could’ve gone after Raquel’s death. Valya wonders whether the Truthsayers should always disclose the truth, as it’s a powerful tool which could be used for evil by the Houses they work for. But, as Dorotea responds, who should determine how to use the truth? This is in many ways the crux of Dune.
A.I. and the Dillema of Power in ‘Dune’
Back in the present, Valya makes a surprise, bitter visit to her Harkonnen relatives. These days, they’re in a lavish high-rise, much better than the freezing Lankiviel), and Valya seems to be looking for some kind of alliance or political assistance. She meets her nephew and uncle, who has that trademark sickly Harkonnen look and floats around on a chair.
Meanwhile, Tula sneaks off to the secret underground of the Sisterhood where the breeding index is located, but we realize the sisters are hiding much more than that. Lila’s braindead body lies in a glass chamber, and Tula instructs a computer voice to keep her alive. Blue lights flicker across the underground walls, and we realize the entire thing is a thinking machine, and that Tula and Valya are using A.I.
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That’s a giant and thrilling moment that speaks to the main themes of Dune. The constant ironic tragedies of the franchise come from people who try to change the world to their whims and end up designing their own undoing. We see this with the creation of thinking machines, with the Sisterhood and then Bene Gesseret, and ultimately with Paul Atreides. This is, after all, the dilemma of power.
Power shapes what it controls; people in power are responsible for how they change their domain in the image of their ideology. In a democracy or a republic, that ideology is voted in or out, and power is given through representation. In Dunethere are multiple factions, each of them with fascist tendencies, all competing for power. Even rebellions can succumb to central power. This was the painful situation of Paul Atreides. He wanted to be with the Fremen, but the Fremen wanted a leader. We’ve seen this play out in recent elections around our world, with people choosing strongmen with fascist tendencies. Like faith in a messiah, it’s easier to surrender your own agency in favor of a powerful leader who can shape things for you.
Episode 3 Gives Good Information at the Wrong Time
“Sisterhood Above All” is a messy episode of television that doesn’t propel Dune: Prophecy nearly enough. The exposition paradox is strong hereand we spend a lot of time with people and scenes that feel somewhat lifeless and obligatory. However, it generously fleshes out Tula and Valya, even if it’s at the expense of entertainment value. Jessica Barden is excellent as a young Valya, while we get to see a surprising range from Emma Canning, who gives young Tula a complexity we didnt realize she had. And Olivia Williams remains quietly excellent as the older Tula, one of the show’s delights.
It feels like much of this episode could’ve been added to the pilot of Dune: Prophecy to make an extended premiere. That would’ve worked better, since the first episode contains many tangential narrative moments to what happens in Episode 3. Instead, Dune: Prophecy steps too hard on the brakes after an excellent second episode, giving us the exposition we should’ve already had. It’s good to know, better late than never, but it kills the pacing. Here’s hoping the second half of the series stays propulsive and doesn’t look back. You can stream Dune: Prophecy on Max through the link below.
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