Dune: Prophecy Episode 6 Review
The first season of ‘Dune: Prophecy’ has come to an end, and it’s a good job that the show has already been confirmed for a season two as the confusion caused by this episode will be temporary. That said, it’s still unfortunate this finale couldn’t offer more of a conclusion to the show’s lingering threads, as it leaves a lot unresolved. Three different perspectives drained the story of its ability to do this, as the episode is constantly criss-crossing being the three.
During the episode it cuts between the past and the two locations in the present, but for this review the different perspectives separately to keep things consistent. Starting with the past first, this is where the audience gets their confirmation that Desmond Hart is indeed Tula’s son, though there is pleasant surprise that Valya was happy with Tula’s decision to keep him, despite his heritage. She claims he has huge potential, which did turn out to be true. This shows that while Valya claims Sisterhood above all, she means her sister above all. Audiences revisit the moment where Valya kills Mother Dorotea, though this time from her followers’ perspective.
Some time later, Valya and her followers kill Mother Dorotea’s remaining followers, as they refuse to swear loyalty to Valya. It’s a moment filled with surprising violence and gore, something that even unsettles Tula. It’s a moment that likely convinces Tula that her son will only be used as a tool by Valya, so he needs to be sent away. These flashbacks are misplaced in the final episode, as while they help to show the aftermath of Dorotea’s death (in a very gruesome and bloody fashion), it’s something that takes time out from an already complex narrative, contributing to the feeling of confusion and unsatisfying ending that the episode gives.
In the present on Wallach IX, Mother Dorotea returns by using Lila’s body, and exposes Valya and her followers murdering those that aren’t loyal to her. Again, this scene shows that Valya is incapable of healing the wounds between people, she’s unfortunately a cold woman. The rest of the Sisterhood is shocked at this, and without Tula or Valya to put a stop to it, it seems that the Sisterhood will now be fully against the pair. Season two will hopefully address the consequences of this conflict, as right now both Tula and Valya are unaware of what’s happening.
One issue with the dead speaking through Lila is it’s difficult to tell who’s who, as Lila has been previously possessed by former Reverend Mother Raquella, who sounds similar. It’s quite confusing to get the pair mixed up, as the pair obviously have very differing motivations and thoughts on Valya. There should have been a better way to convey this, else it undermines the conflict the show is going for.
On Salusa Secondus, Valya finds out that the Emperor’s daughter has been imprisoned, and sets a plan in motion to free her, which involves getting arrested. She sees Emperor Corrino, who is having strong doubts about Hart and his wife, and then blurts out the control the Sisterhood have had over him the whole time. Mark Strong conveys the sense of shock, unable to speak, body rigid. Corrino is realising he’s been controlled his whole life, and while part of that is certainly part of his weakness as a man, there are forces beyond even the Emperor’s reckoning at play. His death is the only true choice he’s made in some time, and plunges the Imperium into chaos.
This isn’t all the chaos that unfolds on the planet. Valya frees herself, the Princess, and even begrudgingly the Swordmaster, which does lead to some very nice teamup kills, and Valya using the Voice in creative ways on the soldiers sent to stop them escaping. Desmond Hart shows up to confront Valya, trying to kill her. During this, she sees that he’s actually part Thinking Machine, and that someone else has given Hart the ability to kill and interrupt the Bene Gesserit’s plans. This person is unclear, and the episode doesn’t give a clue. Valya goes in to kill Hart, but is stopped by Tula, who’s convinced that she can save her son.
Tula also gives Valya some home truths, that the reason she sent Hart away was to stop Valya from turning him into a weapon. This is a heartfelt scene thanks to all the build up, given weight by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams. Valya leaves for Arrakis (an exciting prospect for season two), and Tula is captured by Hart, who unsurprisingly is unsure how to feel. It’s something else that’s unresolved for season two.
‘Dune: Prophecy’ leaves its world in a shocking state of affairs. The Emperor is dead, Tula captured, Valya has gone to Arrakis and the Sisterhood is now under the control of Mother Dorotea. It’s surprising that this episode doesn’t bring any sense of closure to the questions the show has set up, instead only multiplied them. The fact that a season two is confirmed does give some hope that these questions will be answered, but taken as a complete season, ‘Dune: Prophecy’ ends on a hugely unsatisfying note.
