WARNING: This review contains MAJOR spoilers for the premiere of Dune: Prophecy.Dune: Prophecy’s first episode is, like any dense sci-fi or fantasy show, mostly table-setting. We are introduced to the key players, told their goals and how they hope to achieve them, and we become acquainted with the various planets they inhabit in the vast universe. Even with the films having established much of what we’ve come to know about Frank Herbert’s world,Dune: Prophecy’s timelineplaces the show 10,000 years before Paul Atreides, so there are some major differences.
Dune: Prophecy
Cast
Set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, Dune: Prophecy, a 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.
We meet Harkonnen sisters Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula (Olivia Williams), the former of whom is the current Mother Superior of theBene Gesserit. Valya’s violent rise to power is teased in the episode, though her true ruthlessness is not yet fully revealed. Instead, it focuses slightly on factions embedded within the quasi-religious organization, one pious and one power-hungry. That hunger for power involves a scheme to install a Bene Gesserit acolyte on the throne of the Imperium and Valya has her sights set on Emperor Javico Corrino’s (Mark Strong) daughter, Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina).
Valya’s Plan Is Thwarted Early On & Dune: Prophecy’s Mysterious Conflict Is Revealed
Who Is Desmond Hart & Why Does He Hate The Bene Gesserit?
There are bigger forces at play that seek to thwart Valya’s plan — namely, a mysterious man with deadly powers who introduces himself as Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) and inserts himself into the lives of the emperor and his family to diminish the Bene Gesserit’s influence. Valya plans to marry Ynez to the young scion of an ally house to put a Bene Gesserit on the throne. His age would give the princess enough time to train with the Sisterhood before she ascends to the throne with the boy by her side.
Desmond, though, has other plans, murdering the young boy by burning him alive from the inside. He does the same to Ynez’s Bene Gesserit confidant Kasha lightyears away. Why he’s doing this remains unclear, but there are clear connections between him and the space witches that will presumably be fleshed out throughout the season.
Dune: Prophecy Episode 1 Sets The Stage But It’s Hard To Escape Denis Villeneuve’s Shadow
Dune: Prophecyarrives at an integral moment for the expandingDunefranchise.Dune: Part Twois expected to be a major awards player, though it may not net the same amount of wins as its predecessor, both because of its status as a middle-chapter and its position on the calendar. Looking even further into the future, though, Denis Villeneuve is prepping to film the third installment,DuneMessiah, which is rumored to start shooting at the tail end of 2025.
The films are harsh and borderline nihilistic, but in expanding the visual world of Herbert’s works,Prophecyrips away some of that cynical mystery…
Villeneuve’s vision is so singular and so massive that it’s difficult for a television show to live up to its big-screen counterpart. The films are harsh and borderline nihilistic, but in expanding the visual world of Herbert’s works,Prophecyrips away some of that cynical mystery, peeling the curtain back on the inner workings of an empire that feels so vast in the films, but so small in the series.
Dune: Prophecyrecaptures some of this magic, particularly in its portrayal of the Bene Gesserit. Their headquarters retain a similar architectural style to what we’ve seen in the series and there are echoes of Hans Zimmer’s alien-like score, but the series seems torn between wanting to do its own thing and a stylistic loyalty to the films.
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How it will evolve is key toProphecy’s success. Right now, Watson is the most compelling as she anchors the goings-on at the Bene Gesserit school. This thread is integral to the events of the series, but its weaker elements — the inner workings of the Corrino family — threaten to outweigh the show’s strengths. This first episode leans into the political maneuvering and backstabbing that will serve as the backbone of the six-episode season. Now that the battle lines have been drawn, the series has the room it needs to flourish.
Dune: Prophecyepisode 1 is now streaming on Max. Episodes release every Sunday through December 22.
