The Screen Scribe

So far I’ve been pretty vocal about my disappointment around Dune: Prophecy and every facet of the show i.e the acting, the casting, the production values and the writing. But I must admit, episode 3 was a step up from the previous two, and this is in no small part due to stepping away from the dull political machinations of the Emperors Court and focusing almost exclusively on the Sisterhood. The episode is driven by superb performances of the younger versions of our lead Harkonnen sisters, Valya and Tula, played by Jessica Barden and Emma Canning.

I can’t help but think what this show could have been if the focus had been on the younger sisters during this period, detailing their revenge against House Atreides and subsequent initiation in the sisterhood together. This again leads me back to the issue with the writing. With extensive and engaging source material to draw from in Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, I remain baffled by the decision taken to pick and choose aspects of this novel to craft an original story and introduce original characters. This clearly has not been the success story the showrunners were hoping for.

But alas, as I said, this was a strong episode that I thoroughly enjoyed. Jessica Barden and Emma Canning delivered two powerful, layered and relatable performances that added much needed depth to their respective characters in the future. I’m still slightly miffed over the decision made to have Valya discover the Voice, the greatest weapon of the Sisterhood. This is something akin to the midi-chlorian issue with Star Wars, by explaining something that either did not need explaining (to preserve the mystique) or giving an unsatisfactory explanation that devalues the subject. The Voice is something I imagined the Sisterhood developing, testing and refining over decades, if not centuries, of research. Not something discovered by accident in a moment of emotional turmoil much akin to a Marvel Mutant teen activating their power. It just cheapened it if I’m being honest.

The present-day story tracked the Harkonnen sisters as they grappled with the consequences of Desmond Hart’s actions in episode 2 and their subsequent exile from the Emperors good graces. Tula attempts to ascertain the meaning of Hart’s mysterious power and whether it signals the coming of the Reckoning with disastrous consequences both for her personally and for the Sisterhood. Valya returns to her family, hoping to use them as a means to gain a foothold within the Landsraad and reestablish the power of the Sisterhood, but clashing with her dear old uncle in the process, featuring a delightful performance by Game of Thrones alum Mark Addy. These offered a nice balance to the episode coupled with the more emotionally driven flashbacks.

Overall, a massive improvement that I hope continues as the series progresses. There were still some glaring issues with the writing and set production, which unfortunately continue to look exactly like they are, sets. The CGI was basic at best and often left me deflated with the lack of creativity. This episode filled me with some much-needed optimism regarding the next three episodes and I genuinely hope they can stick the landing.

3 / 5 from the Screen Scribe.

Dune: Prophecy can be seen on Sky Atlantic every Monday.