The last scene in Dune: ProphecySeason 1 could very well be the first line in a Dune-inspired joke: "So, an Atreides, a Corrino, and a Harkonnen walk into the desert..." Indeed, Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) arriving on Arrakis accompanied by Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason) and Princess Ynez Corrino (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) sounds strange, but it happens because of a very specific combination of events that both answers some of the questions the audience had, and raises new ones for the recently-approved second season.
Valya’s Plot To Deal With Emperor Javicco Works, but Gets Out of Hand
Image via HBO
House Harkonnen's apartment on Salusa Secundus is an important location in Season 1, where Valya does much of her plotting to get the Sisterhood back in the Imperium's good graces after Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) managed to get them thrown out of court. It's also where she gathers Mother Francesca (Tabu) and Sister Theodosia (Jade Anouka) to plot Emperor Javicco's (Mark Strong) death and Princess Ynez's rescue from the imperial prison following her arrest by Empress Natalya (Jodhi May). Valya's plan is for Francesca to kill Javicco while she and Theodosia rescue Ynez from prison. Then, they would secure the princess, who is Javicco's heir, outside the palace until her coronation is assured.
Valya's plan works, but only to a point. Natalya and Desmond have their own plan to turn Javicco into a simple figurehead, with Natalya calling the shots. Right after she and Desmond confront him, Javicco goes to the throne room to find Valya sitting on his throne. She gives him another reality shock, him learning that he was never an important piece in anyone's game, not even his own, and that his relationship with Francesca is based only on her imprint on him. However, Francesca has also fallen in love with him — they even have a son, Constantine (Josh Heuston). When Javicco confronts her later in the evening, Francesca refuses to kill him, but he kills himself anyway, the only decision he ever made out of his own volition. Unexpectedly, Natalya kills Francesca immediately after, rushing out of the imperial quarters screaming that the Emperor has been assassinated, likely taking the throne afterward.
Valya does break Ynez out of prison along with Keiran Atreides, but at the cost of Theodosia's life. The three of them are then chased away from the palace by Desmond and his forces to the spaceport, where Valya faces him. With Tula Harkonnen's (Olivia Williams) unexpected help, she is able to confront Desmond and her fears and emerge victorious. That's because, earlier, Tula learned that Desmond uses a machine-engineered virus to activate the center of fear in the victim's brain, thus killing them out of overwhelming fear. If the victim is able to control their fear and let it pass through them, they survive. After defeating Desmond, the Harkonnen sisters part once again, with Valya headed for Arrakis with Ynez and Keiran, and Tula deciding to remain on Salusa Secundus to be close to Desmond, who is really her son.
The finale of 'Dune: Prophecy' presents more questions than answers as it takes the characters to Arrakis by the end.
Throughout the season, every member of the Sisterhood has had nightmares sharing Desmond's mysterious vision, except for Sister Jen (Faoileann Cunningham). Understanding it drove Tula to leave the Sisterhood's headquarters on Wallach IX for Salusa Secundus, to try and free her son from whatever is causing so much suffering to so many people. This leaves a power vacuum in the school, with Mother Dorotea (Camilla Beeput) possessing her granddaughter Sister Lila's (Chloe Lea) body to take control of the school, which is facilitated by Sisters Emeline (Aoife Hinds) and Avila (Barbara Marten), who never had any love for the Harkonnen sisters. Right now, Jen is the only sound-minded Sister on Wallach IX, and Dorotea's hold over Lila's body will certainly not last indefinitely.
In Episode 4, "Twice Born," the sisters shared the nightmare, and now it's revealed that it's induced by Desmond's technovirus. When confronting him on Salusa Secundus, Valya finally has the nightmare herself, but, thanks to Tula, she manages to reach the end. The complete vision consists of an initial scene with the host's worst fear, then transporting them to Arrakis where they get a glimpse of the moment Desmond Hart is swallowed by Shai-Hulud into complete darkness, with a pair of cold blue eyes starring at them in the end. The two blue eyes are actually just a single light coming from a thinking machine operating Desmond's right eye, which is what he uses to activate the virus on his victims. At the end of the vision, he sees a dark silhouette against a bright yellow background watching over the operation on his eye, implying that everything is happening on Arrakis, which is why Valya takes Ynez and Keiran there.
What To Expect from ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Season 2?
Image via HBO
Dune: Prophecy continues the events seen in the Great Schools of Dune book trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and it does a great job of going beyond the stories told by these novels. At the same time, though, one of the series' greatest flaws so far is how little it connects to Denis Villeneuve's Dune movies, which are the undeniable flagship of the Warner franchise. Season 1 may have been a great story filled with nods and references for fans of the books, but it still has a long way to go when it comes to bridging the gap between its own story and the one in the movies. Arrakis is barely seen and spice is only mentioned, for example.
But Season 1 does set the stage for many iconic elements from the movies to become central in the second season. The Litany Against Fear, for example, is most likely drawn from the fear-inducing virus, and Tula even tells Valya some of its exact lines to help her overcome the nightmare. Spice will certainly play a more prominent role, seeing as how Arrakis is a central piece of the puzzle. What makes Dune special is not only the power dynamics but also how it's all about a single planet's struggle against colonialism, so spice and the Fremen are key to telling any good Dune story. Dune: Prophecy is always at its best when it's not trying to be Game of Thrones in space, like with the whole storyline at the Imperial Palace, and concerns itself with its own unique elements. Dune has plenty of those, and that's what Season 2 should draw from.
Season 1 of Dune: Prophecy is streaming on Max.
Set in the universe of Frank Herbert's Dune series, this sci-fi epic follows the political and spiritual struggles on the desert planet of Arrakis. As factions vie for control of the prized spice melange, a prophesied hero emerges, challenging the balance of power and the fate of the galaxy.
Release Date
November 17, 2024
CastEmily Watson
, Olivia Williams
, Jodhi May
, Travis Fimmel
, Mark Strong
, Jade Anouka
, Chris Mason
, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina
, Shalom Brune-Franklin
, Faoileann Cunningham
, Aoife Hinds
, Chloe Lea
, Josh Heuston
, Edward Davis
, Tabu
, Yerin Ha
Image via HBO
Image via HBO
Image via HBO
English (US) ·