Dune: Prophecy turns up the heat in its best episode yet, “Twice Born”

As someone who’s spent countless hours immersed in the sprawling sands of Arrakis and the labyrinthine politics of House Atreides, I must say that this latest adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune has left me both captivated and somewhat perplexed.

“The fourth episode of ‘Dune: Prophecy,’ titled ‘Twice Born,’ is running smoothly on all its engines. The story progresses, surprises continue to unfold, and the character development is strong. Despite this prequel not being an instant sensation, it’s satisfying enough for me.

Let’s begin with scene nine on Wallach IX, where young Sister Emeline (Aoife Hinds) wanders during the night and comes dangerously close to self-harm near the reflective pool in the school courtyard, under some unknown influence. Sister Jen (Faoileann Cunningham) finds her unconscious. It turns out that all the Bene Gesserit sisters-in-training are having disturbing dreams, but Jen claims she’s exempt. To uncover the truth, Tula (Olivia Williams) administers spice to them and leads them in an art therapy session meant to help them recall their visions. The girls quickly begin drawing images of sand worms’ gaping mouths and ominous eyes, the same eyes that have appeared in dreams throughout the season. As Tula becomes increasingly alarmed, the girls regain consciousness.

I have a theory about the eyes, but check down in the bullet points section for that. This B-plot is fun, especially the art therapy bit, but mostly it exists to set up future events. Disturbed by Lila’s death as well as her nightmares, Emeline is getting more into religion, becoming an anti-thinking machine fanatic. Who knows what she’ll say when she discovers that Lila (Chloe Lea) has actually been revived by a thinking machine, which we see at the end of the episode?

Dune: Prophecy review: Episode 4, “Twice Born”

The primary events of “Twice Born” unfold on Salusa Secundus, where Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong) seeks to strengthen his rule amidst a gathering of the Landsraad, the dominant governing body in the Dune universe. Typically, all major houses are represented within the Landsraad; however, House Harkonnen has been excluded this time. Valya Harkonnen (Emiliy Watson) exploits this omission, subtly orchestrating circumstances to ensure her house’s admission and her presence as Truthsayer during the meeting alongside her enterprising nephew Harrow (Edward Davis). Additionally, Valya has become aware of a clandestine plan to eliminate the emperor at this gathering. She reasons that if she can foil this attempt in front of everyone, she’ll regain the emperor’s favor and be better equipped to counter the threat from his new trusted ally Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel).

Coordinating the necessary moves involves some clever political maneuvering. One of the most intriguing aspects of the episode is a sequence in which, under Valya’s instruction, the Bene Gesserit sisters engage the leaders of the prominent houses – their superiors – and persuade them to contact House Harkonnen. They present convincing arguments suggesting that the newly appointed Baron Harkonnen would be inclined to initiate an investigation into Emperor Pruitt Richese’s death, a prospect the great houses are reluctant to pursue due to fear of incurring the emperor’s disfavor. The series effectively portrays the Bene Gesserit as both virtuous and manipulative, making it easy to comprehend Desmond Hart’s apprehensions about their continued presence within the Imperium.

This sequence also reminded me a bit of the one from Game of Thrones where Tyrion Lannister talks to several members of the Small Council in private, feeding each of them a different story in order to flush out a mole. Dune: Prophecy has been fighting the perception that it’s a watered-down version of Game of Thrones, and while I see where that argument is coming from, I maintain that Dune author Frank Herbert was writing scenes about political maneuvering, about plans within plans, love before A Song of Ice and Fire was a glint in George R.R. Martin’s eye. I think Dune: Prophecy comes by these scenes honestly, but perception is reality, so it might be beside the point.

Ultimately, the story reaches an exciting climax during the Landsraad gathering, where Inez, the emperor’s daughter portrayed by Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, publicly accuses Desmond Hart of murdering her fiancé Pruitt Richese without Harrow Harkonnen needing to speak a word. Surprisingly, Desmond himself confesses to the crime, explaining that Pruitt had violated the ban on thinking machines and was punished accordingly. Additionally, Desmond gains possession of the thinking machine the rebels intended to use against the emperor, thereby sparing the emperor from Valya’s attempt. Moreover, he presents a group of thinking machine dealers, who are criminals, and uses his enigmatic power to execute them publicly. Lastly, he eliminates a member of the Landsraad as well; we see him earlier in a disreputable tavern buying a thinking machine, suggesting that he had a grudge against Desmond.

This sequence is fantastic. It’s large, vibrant, entertaining, chaotic, and even disgusting – possibly the best part of the series yet. It serves both as a climax and a setup. Although Valya’s plan was thwarted, Desmond Hart destroyed himself to burn so many people simultaneously, and Valya manages to grab a bit of his blood before departing; later, she sends it back to Wallach IX, where Tula can analyze it through the Bene Gesserit database to discover Desmond’s true identity.

Regarding Desmond, there’s a heartfelt moment later when he’s recuperating in his quarters. Given that using his power takes a heavy toll on him, it’s clear that he is sincere in his mission to prevent the proliferation of thinking machines. The fact that he endures such hardship for the Imperium impresses the emperor, who starts viewing Desmond as a sort of adopted son.

I prefer my antagonists to have depth, and Desmond Hart appears to embody both a harbinger of doom and a vulnerable child. I’m intrigued to discover how this character development unfolds.

Why isn’t Dune: Prophecy catching on?

Personally speaking as a film aficionado, I must confess that I found the latest episode quite captivating. I’m really getting into this series, but it seems like Dune: Prophecy isn’t exactly setting HBO’s Sunday night slot ablaze with enthusiasm, unlike its predecessor, The Penguin. Both shows share the common ground of being spinoffs from movies, yet while The Penguin was met with a storm of rave reviews and constant buzz throughout its run, the chatter around Dune: Prophecy has been more subdued, even though it generally garners positive responses.

It seems the complexity or inconsistency found in the series might be due to a lengthy production process that experienced some top-level changes, which could explain why the initial 15 minutes of the first episode feel like an overload of background information (often referred to as a lore dump). I believe the show is yet trying to recover from this rough start.

In certain parts of the series, particularly those involving Valya Harkonnen and her father, Evgeny (played by Mark Addy), stand out; I neglected to mention an emotionally charged scene at the end of this episode where Valya confronts her troubled father and in a fit of rage essentially takes his life by withholding his respirator device. While Valya and Tula are central characters in Dune: Prophecy, they aren’t traditional heroes. It’s intriguing to find oneself wanting them to fail, and the performances of Emily Watson and Olivia Williams are commendable as they breathe life into these complex characters.

Prophecy only has six to tell what appears to be a larger story with intergalactic implications. Frequently, the narrative relies on characters who don’t seem capable of carrying such a grand tale. Providing a few additional episodes to develop these characters, settings, and plotlines would have greatly benefited this series.

I yet, I still like what the cast and crew have put together here. I’m intrigued to see what happens next, the characters who do pop pop off, the production design is immaculate and the mood measured. Dune: Prophecy is a solid show. I hope enough people catch on before it’s too late.

Dune: Bullet Points

• Okay, so why do we keep getting flashes of creepy eyes accompanied by a robotic voice? It’s happened several times throughout the series. My best guess is that it could have something to do with Omnius, the artificial intelligence that humanity fought in the Machine Wars, as laid out by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson in some of their Dune prequel books.
• We learn that Kieran Atreides is the son of the one Atreides kid that Tula spared after she massacred the family in her youth.
• At the end of the episode, we see that Sister Theodosia (Jade Anouka) has somehow transformed into Valya’s dead brother Griffin, and then transforms back. The process is painful, by the looks of it. We don’t know exactly what’s going on there, but there are a group of shape-shifting people in the Dune universe called the Tleilaxu, so perhaps Theodosia is related to them.

Episode: B+

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2024-12-09 06:42