Dune: Prophecy heads back to the past in the latest episode, revealing all new faucets to the Atreides and Harkonnen feud.
The third episode of Dune: Prophecy, “Sisterhood Above All” directed by Richard J. Lewis, brings us to the half-way point in the season; by taking the story back to reveal some things about Valya and Tula’s past….
As always, I’ll be diving deep into spoiler territory, so turn back now if you haven’t watched the latest episode. But be sure to get caught up on my previous recaps here: Episode 1, Episode 2.
Cast out from the Imperial Palace, Reverend Mother Valya must work quickly to maintain her, and the Sisterhood’s control. Meanwhile, Tula struggles with the consequences of her favored student, Lila, failing the Agony and being left in a vegetative state (apparently she didn’t die outright). Despite clinging to some hope, she’s “encouraged” to cut off life-support, as no Sister has ever recovered from such a state.
And yet…that’s pretty much not what this episode is about. Despite some big events/revelations related to the primary story going on in the current time period, the majority of “Sisterhood Above All” serves as a flashback.
Sisters’ History
This flashback offers viewers a deeper insight into both Valya and Tula Harkonnen’s younger lives. While their parents and other family members seems content to wallow away on the harsh planet Lankivel, the sister chafe under the shameful ostracization their House endures thanks to Vorian Atreides, though approach it in different ways. When Vorian Atreides once again enters the public spotlight and their brother Griffin dies under circumstances attributed to the Atreides, Valya and Tula paths diverge.
Valya, of course, heads to Wallach IX and begins her tutelage at the Sisterhood. We see her path to being Mother Raquella’s chosen successor isn’t as smooth as one would suspect. We also get a better look at how her and Dorotea’s rivalry blossomed and how differently their approach to moving the Sisterhood sits at the heart of it.
When the time comes for them to be tested with the Agony, however, Valya finds herself divided. Despite outwardly being devoted to the Sisterhood, she’s unable to shake herself of her Harkonnen heritage. Unable to let the past go, Raquella sends Valya back to Lankivel, instructing her to do whatever needed to be done to set aside her familial hang-ups. And to return a “Reverend Mother, or not at all.” Valya’s return home isn’t sunshine and rainbows, however, as she reunites with a hostile family alongside Tula, who’s been up to her own shenanigans.
The second part of the flashback focuses on Tula and her seemingly idyllic life away from Lankivel. On a wilderness outing with her beau, Orry, and his family, she seems content although haunted by her past. As we see her, Orry, and his family grow closer while out camping, we get to see how Tula’s more empathetic nature is in stark contrast to her sister….Which makes her following actions all the more shocking.
Turns, out, Orry and his family are Atreides. Her entire relationship with him was to get close enough to massacre them (which she does thanks to the poison she’d mentioned earlier). After revealing herself to Orry as a Harkonnen and listening as he waved off her concerns, her betrayal comes to light just in time for her to finish the job, obtaining her own vengeance for Griffin’s death. It’s easily one of the episode’s best moments, with great performances and deft timing on the reveal. Even knowing that was the result (it’s in the books), I still found myself shocked and emotional.
Of course their parents blame Valya for manipulating Tula to conduct the massacre (which they fear will blowback on them), though Tula maintains she acted on her own free will. There’s definitely room for interpretation here as to whether or not that’s the case. Regardless, with the knowledge of Tula’s actions and feeling Griffin is avenged, Valya undertakes the Agony and whisks her sister away from Lankivel to return to Wallach IX. In this way, the episode’s title, “Sisterhood Above All” is given a dual meaning.
Back to the Future
Once we return to the present-day story, we’re left with some interesting final tidbits. Armed with the snippet of prophecy Raquella passed on through Lila, a desperate Valya seeks unlikely help from her Harkonnen family. How they can be of service to her now is a bit unclear, but considering the lengths she went to avoid them all these years and put them behind her, I imagine any outreach now will help set them on the path that ultimately leads to Baron Vladimir.
Meanwhile, Lila’s fellow sisters gather to say a formal goodbye to the young Acolyte, as Tula does what “needs to be done” in taking Lila off life-support…Except she doesn’t. The final scene of the episode reveals Tula has secreted Lila away among the hidden computers they use to help move their breeding program forward. Going so far as to use the thinking machines to keep Lila alive, using dosages of Spice to hopefully induce some sort of recovery.
This is probably the most interesting of plotlines at the moment, and I’m real curious to see where it goes. If Lila does, in fact, recover there’s a wealth of knowledge she could bring with her, not to mention being the only Sister to ever do it. We know the Spice can do weird things to a person and total immersion even more so. If Lila does recover, will she even be the same person? Could her deeper dive into Other Memory combined with the spice melange give her, her own oracular vision?
Lots of interesting possibilities here, and none of which seem good for Tula. After making a public display of Lila’s “death,” and going against all protocols, it’s hard to imagine how Tula would be able to explain her reappearance if she survives. Either way, I’m highly intrigued.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!
To be entirely honest, I wasn’t all that woohoo about this recent episode. Generally speaking, it’s well done (though some of young Valya’s scenes feel a bit wooden), and the extra backstory does a solid job of adding depth to the older versions of Valya and Tula. That said, I was excited about the idea all the backstory stuff was covered in the first episode.
As I mentioned in that first recap, episode one is heavy on the exposition and moves at a blistering pace. The up side to that, however, is it gets all that out of the way and allows the show to focus on the current story being told. As such, dedicating an entire episode to a flashback (especially when there are only six episodes in the season), felt like a big step back. Or maybe a step sideways.
On top of that, much of what transpired are events from the Sisterhood of Dune novel.While there are enough changes made from the source to still be engaging for those familiar with the Great Schools of Dune novels, by and large this episode feels like a big ‘ol recap of things we knew.
Don’t get me wrong, I was pretty impressed with how the episode handled adapting these events. They covered a LOT of ground/information in a clear way that managed to keep the focus on these characters. Obviously, there are a few changes made from the book to make it all manageable within an hour long show. I won’t go into them all individually (there’s a whole sideplot about Vorian and Griffin’s actual adventures in the book), but frankly, prefer how the show handled these events over the novel.
Namely, I like how Tula is changed. In the show, we get to see her as the more demure of the sisters. More sympathetic and almost naturally nurturing, without the overt ambition we see in Valya. In the book, Tula is a ruthless and cold-blooded killer. Her dealings with Orry and the Atreides is far more violent, bloody, and utterly remorseless.
The contrasting approach to these characters in the show works far better on an emotional level. Moreso, we need to see that not all Harkonnen’s are inherently evil (not saying what Tula did in the past is good by any means); even as we know where things ultimately end for that family. Much like the films, “Sisterhood Above All” manages to balance making changes to the story being adapted, while staying faithful to the overall themes.
Even so, the decision to do a full flashback episode in a six-episode series, with a major mystery plot going on feels weird. It’s not like The Acolyte, where the events of the past were the mystery to be solved. But perhaps I need to just be patient and see how it plays out for the remainder of the season.
Easter Eggs
There are still a few Easter Eggs and references to Dune lore worth pointing out, though I’m sure I missed a few.
Whaling – Though mentioned in the first episode (and my recap), it’s neat we get to see the whaling on Lankivel. It’s a key bit of lore/history tied to the Harkonnen family rarely explored outside of the novels.
Griffin – This is more intriguing trivia than Easter egg, but the death of Griffin Harkonnen is the reason the House adopted the Griffin as their symbol/sigil.
Shigawire – Tula mentions Shigawire when trying to find a way to save Orry’s horse. Shigawire is a key bit of material used in the Dune novels for multiple purposes.
Butlerians – The Butlerian “movement” gets another mention in this episode, referring to Dorotea’s faith. Born from the end of the Machine Wars, at this time in Dune history, they’re more of a cult than anything, though we obviously know their influence eventually becomes law.
Salusan Bull – The imagery of the Salusan Bull has been all over Dune since the first novel. As Duke Leto’s father (Paul’s grandfather) was killed by one during a bullfighting accident. Since then, Leto has kept the bull’s head mounted on the wall (blood still adorning its horns) as a reminder. Not only do we get a mention of the creature, we get to see one in action! Pretty cool to finally see one on the screen.
My own expectations may have got in the way with this episode, as I really thought we were past all the backstory, resulting in a less than enthusiastic response from me. Even so, the character moments hit hard and the changes made from the book are definitely for the better. On top of leaving some intriguing new mysteries/plots to dive into with Lila and Valya returning to the Harkonnens, I’m still very much engaged and eager for the next episode!
