Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy Episode 5.

Finally, Dune: Prophecy is starting to give us some answers about its burning mysteries – but not without raising other questions. This week’s episode, “In Blood, Truth,” fulfills the promise of its title, with tensions between the Sisterhood and the Imperial House reaching a tipping point, as well as shedding light on some old bloodline issues. On Wallach IX, Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) has to juggle Sister Lila’s (Chloe Lea) secretive recovery with analyzing Desmond Hart’s (Travis Fimmel) blood sample, while, on Salusa Secundus, a new Sisterhood member is introduced to further complicate things for the Imperial House — all under Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen’s (Emily Watson) watchful eye.

Sister Francesca Disrupts the Royal Family in ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 5
Image via HBO

The episode begins with a new member of the Sisterhood, Sister Francesca (Tabu), arriving on Salusa Secundus. She was once Emperor Javicco Corrino’s (Mark Strong) concubine, and is Constantine’s (Josh Heuston) mother. Her arrival during an official ceremony disrupts the royal family’s dynamics and sees Empress Natalya’s (Jodhi May) influence over her husband wane, because Javicco is still deeply infatuated with Francesca. As Valya later explains, Francesca used the Sisterhood art of imprinting on him, causing such a strong impression that he will always love her. She arrives unannounced during the unveiling ceremony of the Emperor’s new elite regiment, claiming to have gotten a message from Constantine, and their son becomes the central issue between her and the Emperor. Constantine has always been seen as a troublesome youngster, incapable of holding responsibility, but Francesca manages to sway Javicco.

Back at the Harkonnen apartment on Salusa Secundus, Valya briefs Francesca on the dire situation the Sisterhood finds itself in. She confesses that she sent the message under Constantine’s name to avoid being tracked by the Spacing Guild, and tells Francesca about Mother Kasha’s (Jihae) death and everything that happened afterward. Francesca immediately recognizes Desmond Hart as being the reckoning that Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson) spoke of on her deathbed. Francesca’s mission, then, is to guide House Corrino back to the Sisterhood, convincing Javicco to allow Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) to study on Wallach IX, and to make Constantine the new commander of the Imperial Fleet.

After Francesca convinces Javicco that Constantine needs to be given more responsibility so he can prove himself, it’s time to convince Constantine that he has what it takes to become the man he wants to be. They have a brief conversation in the training room, where, after he asks her what was the purpose of bringing him into the world, Francesca tells him that it’s to protect his sister from harm, even if it comes from people who claim to love her, leading him to arrest Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason). Later, the Emperor announces his son as the commander of the fleet during a courtyard dinner. The Sister had told Javicco she didn’t come to Salusa Secundus to drive a wedge between him and his wife, but the damage is done; after Constantine’s nomination, Empress Natalya leaves the dinner feeling disgusted and humiliated. Also angry, Ynez visits Keiran at the prison and uses what she knows of truthsense on him, only to find out that he never lied to her, and worked with the rebellion for the good of the Imperium.

Related ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Is Answering All the Questions You Have From ‘Dune’ ‘Dune’ fans who are skipping this series are missing out.

Image via HBO

The ceremony during which Sister Francesca arrives at the Imperial Palace is not only important, but also very symbolic in Dune lore. The unveiling of the Emperor Javicco’s new royal guard is bad news for the rebels and the Sisterhood, coming right after Desmond Hart prevents their attack on the Landsraad. Dressed all in black, this new regiment seems to be a precursor to the Sardaukar, the Emperor’s own fanatical elite forces from the time of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet).

Later, Hart invites Swordmaster Keiran Atreides to join his regiment in searching for the rebels, but Constantine shows up for a lesson — late, as always. Keiran lashes out at the boy, but is truly afraid of what Hart will do to his rebel friends, and ends the lesson immediately. He rushes to Zimia to alert Mikaela (Shalom Brune-Franklin) about Hart’s incoming attack. After torturing a smuggler who rats Mikaela’s bar as a “hotbed for insurgents,” Hart goes straight there, and taunts her by asking why a Fremen like her is profiting from spice and “the raping” of Arrakis. As Hart and his regiment ravage the place, Keiran and Mikaela detonate the explosives and flee. Outside, they part ways once Keiran finds out she is actually part of the Sisterhood.

At the Imperial Palace, Constantine continues to train his frustrations away when, only stopping to see what Keiran has in his locker. He is surprised to find a blueprint for the palace, indicating the Swordmaster is actually a rebel, and rats him out to Hart. When Keiran returns, Constantine, Hart, and the new elite regiment are all there waiting to arrest him. After the courtyard dinner, at the end of the episode, Empress Natalya visits Hart in his quarters, where he recovers from the explosion. She tells him that the Sisterhood took everything from her, and asks what they did to him. That’s when Desmond reveals that the woman who gave birth to him was a Sister, who sent him to live among scavengers. When she hears that, Natalya kisses him, and promises that, together, they will rid the Imperium of the Sisterhood.

The Harkonnens Don’t Trust Each Other in ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 5
Image via HBO

After the ceremony, Baron Harrow Harkonnen (Edward Davis), distrustful of his aunt Valya’s actual motives and fearful of Hart’s display of power, visits Hart at the Imperial palace to offer a formal apology for attempting to confront the Imperial House during the Landsraad meeting. Hart attempts to manipulate the Baron, revealing that his true intention is to wipe out the Sisterhood by exposing their ties with the rebellion. Harrow helps Hart by telling him about contraband of whale fur from Lankiveil. His own investigation showed that contraband in the Salusan capital city of Zimia was conducted on the underground market by a gang of Arrakeen smugglers, and he suggests that Hart start there. In return, Hart gives Harrow a forbidden thinking machine device to eavesdrop on Valya.

At the Harkonnen apartment, Harrow prepares to depart for Lankiveil to attend uncle Evgeny’s (Mark Addy) funeral. He hides something in his suit, probably the device given by Hart, and meets Valya before leaving. The Baron is clearly doubtful about what Valya really wants, but is easily swayed by the promise of power. They part on good terms, as Valya gives him Evgeny’s old ring, which is supposed to be worn by the head of House Harkonnen. He tells her to consider the apartment her home while he is gone, probably hoping that a listening device captures proof she can give Hart about her intentions.

After the explosion of her bar in Zimia, Mikaela meets Valya and Sister Theodosia (Jade Anouka) at the Harkonnen apartment. She reports that Hart survived the explosion, and gets angry when Valya tells her that there is a contingency for that. Mikaela lost the work of a lifetime, but Valya tells her it wasn’t in vain, and that it was required to keep Hart occupied while Francesca exerts her influence over the Emperor. The Mother Superior then gives Mikaela access to the Sisterhood’s safe house on Arrakis, but, rather than leaving on good terms, Mikaela warns her that she won’t betray the Fremen like she betrayed the rebels.

Lila’s Return in Episode 5 Sheds Light on ‘Dune: Prophecy’s Mysteries

Back at the Sisterhood’s headquarters on Wallach IX, Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen recruits the help of Sister Jen (Faoileann Cunningham), the only Acolyte who didn’t share in the “eyes in the darkness” nightmare in the previous episode. Jen has been ferociously questioning Tula about the nightmares, but Tula quenches her thirst for answers by getting her involved in caring for Sister Lila, who is still struggling to take control of her body after dying in the Agony and being resurrected in a tank of spice.

Tula’s plan works. Jen and Lila were close, so having a friend’s voice to follow proves important to Lila. When Jen explains the collective nightmare the Acolytes experienced, however, Lila suddenly shivers, her body being taken over by Mother Raquella, who is one of her foremothers. Raquella knows everything about the nightmare, because it’s the exact same vision she had on her deathbed. Raquella explains that it wasn’t a nightmare, but prescience, a vision of the upcoming reckoning, and if “he succeeds, humanity will backslide into self-destruction.” She is talking about Desmond Hart, but Jen doesn’t know about that.

Unable to contain Raquella, Jen leads her to the laboratory to talk to Tula. The role reversal between Tula and Raquella in Lila’s body is funny, as Raquella is aware of what’s happening, but doesn’t care about formalities. Her goal is to get answers and help the Sisterhood, so she doesn’t care who sees her, while Tula is desperate to keep it a secret. Analyzing Kasha’s brain samples, Raquella identifies the same enzyme used by the thinking machines during the Butlerian Jihad, when they created the Omnius Plague to try and decimate the human race. During Raquella’s explanation, Sister Avila (Barbara Marten) knocks on the lab’s door to deliver the blood sample of Desmond Hart, and she is disgusted to see that Lila has been possessed, calling it an “abomination.” This is the term the Bene Gesserit use to describe what happens when someone is possessed by the genetic memory of a forebear, like what happens to Lila. It also applies to people who are “pre-born,” like Alia Atreides (Anya Taylor-Joy) in Dune: Part Two. Raquella interrupts Tula and Avila’s altercation to inform them that the enzyme has been turned into a virus.

Finally, once Lila is safely restrained and resting, Tula takes Desmond Hart’s blood sample to Anirul, the secret Sisterhood AI, to analyze. The discovery shatters her: Desmond has both Atreides and Harkonnen blood. This all but confirms that Desmond Hart is the product of her relationship with Orry Atreides (Milo Callaghan) when she was young, and that young Tula (Emma Canning) was pregnant when she slaughtered the Atreides all those years ago. The huge question that lingers now is: will Tula be able to stand by the Sisterhood and prevent her own son from bringing the reckoning that was prophesied? This revelation also contradicts almost every theory about who Hart is, from him being a Tleilaxu ghola to an actual thinking machine.

As Prophecy gears up for its season (or series?) finale, it becomes clear that it’s a series meant for Dune fans, and not necessarily intended to bring new viewers into the franchise. With uneven pacing and dropping tons of information in episodes that are just too few and too long, fans (like yours truly) are delighted with every bit of lore that the series wields, but it can’t be easy for a newcomer to grasp it. Let’s just brace ourselves for what Shai-Hulud brings in the finale.

Dune: Prophecy is available to stream on Max in the U.S. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.

The Sisterhood is shaken by Lila’s return and a shocking truth is revealed about Desmond Hart in Dune: Prophecy Episode 5.ProsThe series finally starts to give answers to some of its burning mysteries.Chloe Lea’s work as Lila is remarkable, given her character’s circumstances. ConsIntroducing new characters and plotlines this far into the season is a symptom of the series’ uneven pacing.

Set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, this 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.Release Date November 17, 2024 Cast Emily Watson , Olivia Williams , Jodhi May , Travis Fimmel , Mark Strong , Jade Anouka , Chris Mason , Sarah-Sofie Boussnina , Shalom Brune-Franklin , Faoileann Cunningham , Aoife Hinds , Chloe Lea , Josh Heuston , Edward Davis , Tabu , Yerin Ha Main Genre Sci-Fi Seasons 1 Writers Diane Ademu-John , Kevin J. Anderson , Brian Herbert , Frank Herbert Directors Anna Foerster Expand

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