I won’t lie: after an excellent debut, Dune: Prophecy slipped into unexpected cheesiness quickly. Maybe it’s the rush to tell everything in six episodes, or no attachment to the Dune tradition or story. Still, even I, who hadn’t read the books, wasn’t bothered by the bad interpretations, the cheap surprises, and the confusion they created immediately. But I’m invested, I’ll keep going until December. At the very least, I’ll laugh a lot like I did at several moments.

The weakness of the throne

The murder of little Pruwet Richese (Charlie Hodson-Prior) obviously shocked everyone. It angered his father, Duke Ferdinand Richese (Brendan Cowell), who has no notion of etiquette or reverence for the stupidly weak Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong), shouting and demanding “Justice”. He seemed more irritated that the plan to take the crown went wrong, but the Emperor’s absence only made him more suspicious. Empress Natalya (Jodhi May) tries to calm the mood, but it’s not easy.

In a room not far away, Javicco questions Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) who bluntly admits that he sacrificed the child with a gift he gained after the attack on Arrakis, “as the Emperor requested”. Desperate, Javicco tries to explain that when he wanted someone to break up the marriage, it wasn’t something as radical as burning a child that he had in mind, but it was over. Just in case, he orders Desmond arrested. For now.

Then, talking to his wife, he despairs over the absence of Kasha (Jihae), who he doesn’t know has suffered the same fate as young Pruwet. Natalya is happy that the clairvoyant is away, but even so, she can’t get her husband to calm down and be a leader. He wants someone to solve things for him. When she learns that Desmond did what he did “for free”, she becomes interested and recommends that Javicco reconsider this collaboration.

Plots within plots: a mess in the universe

There is no shortage of intrigue in Dune: Prophecy and there are double agents that leave us dizzy. Let’s decipher some of the parallel plots first.

Javicco has been anything but discreet. Somehow, without even being present, Constantine (Josh Heuston) saw the spree with Desmond Hart, and in less than two seconds, without any questioning or justification, he tells EVERYTHING to Pruwet’s sister, Lady Shannon (Tessa Bonham Jones), in a sex scene so embarrassing and out of place that it is only justifiable if they want to exploit the actor’s beauty. Anyway, at this point the involvement of Javicco and Desmond was supposed to be a secret, something that we soon see the result of.

The one who was there at the time of Desmond’s arrest was the Emperor’s Swordmaster, Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason), who is involved with a space rebellion, the same one that Desmond tried to warn the stupid Javicco in vain and that created the ambush that killed the regiment on Arrakis. This makes me suspicious of more space barbecues soon.

For now, no one considers the danger of Atreides and he gives the layout of the palace to Horace (Sam Spruell), who leads the cell. Great to see him here, just before he appears in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as a Targaryen. The rebel attack is imminent, but they have a Fremen spy among them, Mikaela (Shalom Brune-Franklin), who has already figured out the tension between the swordsman and the princess. Mikaela is a Bene Gesserit and is secretly meeting with Valya (Emily Watson). We’ll get back to that later. The fact is that the Richese wanted the throne, the Bene Gesserit wanted Power and the rebels wanted democracy. We just don’t know what Desmond Hart wants.

Valya still without a voice

If there’s one spoiler that seems pointless, it’s the fact that the whole drama will be marked by the Bene Gesserit turning the tables and the Harkonnens taking over in some way. For now, they’re all getting along.

After Kasha’s death, Valya immediately leaves for the capital of Salusa Secundus because everyone knows that Javicco is a wimp and without a Truthsayer on his side, it can only be bad. But it’s a hurried and heavy journey.

Before we continue, let’s ask ourselves why all the Truthsayers are wearing burkas to hide their faces and Valya, the Mother Superior, has a transparent veil? Always disheveled and tense, what Valya inspires is neither fear nor leadership. Anyway…

The Mother Superior first arrives at the height of the tension between the Richesse and the Corrino. The Bene Gesserit wanted a marriage between the two houses and now wants to resolve the impasse. She manages to maintain her influence over the princess (and what a terrible performance by Sarah Soufie Boussinina!), but everything else seems to be falling apart before her eyes.

Valya interrogates Desmond Hart who has no problem telling the truth (since he knows she would know). He explains that Shai-Hulud gave him an eye that can see what ordinary people cannot, including a trace of blood following Valya’s every step. Since the emperor and empress are listening to everything, she lets it go without going into details and insists that her interest in helping is only to ensure justice.

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.

To Valya’s surprise, even with the act of treason admitted again, Javicco does not make an immediate decision. Later, Natalya talks to Hart and then her husband, convincing him that for now, it is convenient to take advantage of the soldier’s willingness to help them without expecting anything in return. The fact that he burned two people alive, one from a distance, would make me think a thousand times, but Natalya prefers him to a witch in her husband’s ear.

Underestimating the antagonist, Valya leaves the palace and goes to resolve another issue, which is the rebellion. Well, in the conversation with Sister Mikaela, she decides that it is better to hand over the rebels and gain the Emperor’s trust, with even greater encouragement when she discovers that there is an Atreides among them. The joy is short-lived.

Valya is surprised to find Desmond Hart free, light, and loose, circulating with intimacy in the imperial quarters. He informs her that her services are no longer needed and that her privileges have been revoked, which is doubly humiliating, but she decides to confront him. The bene gesserit does not believe that Desmond only wants “what is best for the Empire”, especially since for him that means ending the Sisterhood and tries to use the Voice to tell him to slit his own throat, but he manages to resist. Yes, the all-powerful of the season is Desmond Hart.

The sacrifice

While trying to regain political control, Valya leaves Tula (Olivia Williams) with some homework. Since Kasha’s death was predicted by Mother Raquella, it is necessary to be certain and thus contact her. To do so, the sensitive young acolyte Lila (Chloe Lea) has to undergo the Agony process, a physically and psychologically excruciating ritual in which a sister is poisoned to unlock ancestral memories. Lila is Raquella’s great-great-granddaughter, so she is the only one who could reach her and find out about the prophecy.

When the process is done, Lila communicates with her ancestors, but the one speaking is Dorotea, her grandmother who was murdered by Valya 30 years ago and still wants revenge. But it is Lila who apparently pays with her life because she does not regain consciousness after the Agony.

In other words: Valya failed in all the missions and all the clues suggest that her biggest obstacle is precisely Desmond Hart, the man who is currently invincible.

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