Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy Episode 2.

The events of Dune: Prophecy’s season premiere are still reverberating in this week’s episode, “Two Wolves.” The simultaneous and identical deaths of Reverend Mother Kasha (Jihae) and Pruwet Richese (Charlie Hodson-Prior), half a galaxy away from each other, have shaken the Sisterhood and Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen’s (Emily Watson) plans, exposing fragilities they have gone great lengths to hide. In Salusa Secundus, Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong) and Empress Natalya (Jodhi May) seem to find the solution to their problems when mysterious soldier Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) casually admits to committing these assassinations — although no one seems to understand how or why.

An Acolyte Has To Make an Impossible Choice in ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 2
Image via HBO

Kasha’s unexpected death is the talk of the Mother School. The acolytes are particularly shaken, and Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) learns at the autopsy that what killed Kasha was an acute imbalance in her body, but its source is still a mystery. To try and course-correct everything, Valya decides to go to Salusa Secundus, leaving Tula in charge of the school and with a grudging mission: she is to convince young Sister Lila (Chloe Lea), the great-great-granddaughter of Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson), to go through the Agony, a painful and possibly deadly ritual that activates her genetic memory and allows her to talk to Raquella, to understand whether this is “the burning truth” she spoke of before dying.

Lila is dutiful and obedient, understanding why the Sisterhood kept her heritage secret from her but still wary of the ritual. She confers with her fellow acolytes, with Sister Jen (Faoileann Cunningham) arguing that the Sisterhood doesn’t care about her, and Sister Emeline (Aoife Hinds), who comes from a line of martyrs from the Machine War, saying that sacrificing her life for a greater purpose is an honor. Tula, who has a special relationship with Lila, informs the younger woman that her mother died in childbirth and that Lila may be able to speak with her as well during the Agony. Ultimately, though, it’s Lila’s choice to accept or refuse.

The ritual itself is different from the Agony that Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) goes through in Dune: Part Two. Spice isn’t yet available to the Sisterhood, so they use another component: the Rossak poison. Tula drops it on Lila’s eyes and guides the girl through the steps, telling her to follow Tula’s voice and focus on who she needs to see, otherwise the dead won’t let her come back. The scene itself feels like a horror movie: among darkness and lighting in a ruined palace, Lila must face a horde of her dead ancestors until she finds Raquella. Tula attempts to speak to Raquella, who says: “The key to the reckoning is one born twice: Once in blood, once in spice. A revenant full of scars. A weapon born of war on a path too short.”

Eager to see her mother, Lila doesn’t leave and is possessed by the genetic memory of another person, Mother Dorotea (Camilla Beeput), who young Valya (Jessica Barden) killed decades earlier. As it turns out, Lila is also Dorotea’s granddaughter. Furious, Dorotea recognizes Tula as Valya’s sister. She tells Lila that her mother isn’t there, and that the Harkonnen sisters lied to her. Finally, Dorotea taunts Tula, saying they stole her future, so she would steal their hope. Lila then falls dead, to the horror of Tula and the acolytes who are watching.

Related ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Review: HBO Prequel Feels Plucked Straight From the Movies — and That’s a Good Thing HBO is now two for two with TV spin-offs.

Emperor Javicco Grows Closer to Desmond Hart in ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 2
Image via HBO

Pruwet Richese’s death is also making waves in the Imperium capital of Salusa Secundus. Duke Ferdinand Richese (Brendan Cowell) is furious at the claims that Pruwet’s toy robot could have been what killed him, suspecting that his son’s death was the work of the royal house to destabilize House Richese and claim his fleet. Meanwhile, Emperor Javicco speaks with Desmond Hart, who confesses to having killed Pruwet in apparent accordance with the Emperor’s wishes. Javicco denies ever giving such an order, to which Hart replies that he did what he did for Javicco, and that he can do it again. Conflicted, Javicco arrests Hart and has him thrown into one of the palace’s suspension cells.

Talking to Empress Natalya later, Javicco tells her that Hart survived an attack by a sandworm on Arrakis — whom she then calls Shai-Hulud, revealing that she believes in the sacredness of the gigantic beings. Natalya then convinces Javicco not to execute Hart, since he can still help them. Unfortunately, Javicco’s bastard son, Constantine (Josh Heuston) has carelessly told his lover, Duke Richese’s daughter Lady Shannon (Tessa Bonham Jones), that Pruwet was actually killed by Hart. The heated audience between Corrinos and Richeses is interrupted by Valya’s arrival at court. The Mother Superior didn’t tell the royal house that she was on her way, seeking to purposely discover how things really are at the palace. She quickly disarms both Duke Ferdinand and Emperor Javicco in conversation, and understands that Javicco is lying when he says there is no one in custody suspected of Pruwet’s murder. Once Duke Richese leaves, Valya tells Javicco and Natalya that Kasha died exactly like Pruwet, but half a galaxy away, and demands to interrogate Desmond Hart.

The interrogation goes terribly. Hart confesses to murdering both Pruwet and Kasha, but also claims that Shai-Hulud has given him an eye that can see what ordinary people cannot, including a trail of blood behind Valya’s every step. With Javicco and Natalya watching and openly participating in the interrogation, Valya points out that Hart does believe what he’s saying, but that he is still lying. Hart retorts, claiming that the Sisterhood’s intentions are to manipulate the Imperium, and that what he did was simply dealing justice. Clearly swayed by what Hart said, Javicco says that he has much to consider and ends the interrogation, despite Valya’s protests and reminding the Emperor that Hart has confessed to murder and treason.

Under the nobles’ noses, the Emperor’s Swordmaster, Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason), has built a complete layout of the royal palace. As it turns out, he is part of the rebellion that attacked Desmond Hart’s regiment on Arrakis, and they are now organizing a revolt on Salusa Secundus. The plan isn’t clear yet, but it involves infiltrating the palace. Keiran gives the layout to Horace (Sam Spruell), who leads the cell, and the Fremen spy Mikaela (Shalom Brune-Franklin), and learns that the time to act fast approaches, with a final piece remaining. Later, we learn that Mikaela is also a member of the Sisterhood when she secretly meets with Valya, who is aware of the attack on Hart’s regiment on Arrakis. However, with House Corrino slipping out of the Sisterhood’s grasp in favor of Hart, Valya considers it may be time to sacrifice this cell in order to regain their trust. Mikaela resists at first, but then tells Valya to give Keiran to the Emperor. Valya, who has a perpetual grudge against House Atreides, is immediately interested.

A Confrontation With Desmond Hart Forces Valya to Reevaluate in ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 2

In the dead of night, Empress Natalya releases Desmond Hart from the suspension cells. She asks him if he is a prophet, and he answers that he doesn’t know. He would have laughed at that in the past, but, now, there are beautiful, terrible things that he can do after being swallowed by Shai-Hulud. Natalya then says that Duke Richese has decided to recall his fleet and seize Arrakis, so she and the Emperor have decided to give him to the Duke. In the following audience, Hart burns the Duke in the exact same way he did to Pruwet and Kasha, only stopping at the Emperor’s command.

When Valya returns to the royal palace following her meeting with Sister Mikaela, she is surprised to meet Desmond Hart in Emperor Javicco’s office. She was going to tell the Emperor about the rebellion, but Hart informs her that her services are no longer required, and that her privileges have been revoked. He once again claims that he wants what is best for the Imperium, which means wiping out the Sisterhood. Instinctively, Valya uses the Voice to tell Hart to cut his own throat, but he is surprisingly able to resist it. Hart ends the meeting saying that, now, he understands that Valya’s greatest fear isn’t that no one will hear her, but that they will hear her and just not care.

The previous episode has already teased that Desmond Hart is more than he lets on, and, now, “Two Wolves” makes him the most interesting addition to Dune lore in recent years. The character is an original creation for Dune: Prophecy, and what’s enticing about him, beyond Travis Fimmel’s deranged acting, is that Hart has actually managed to make an extraordinary character like Valya Harkonnen feel out of her element. As he tells Empress Natalya, he is able to do great, terrible things, and there is a hint that this power comes from the spice he was probably exposed to when he was swallowed by Shai-Hulud on Arrakis. Still, even Paul Atreides has never been able to do the things Hart does. Mother Raquella’s line while possessing Lila’s body also seems to imply that Hart is the key to the reckoning that’s approaching, but how, exactly, remains to be seen.

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

The Sisterhood struggles to make sense of recent events, and Valya’s plans are impeded by Desmond Hart.ProsTravis Fimmel is great as the charismatic but deranged Desmond Hart.Episode 2 expands on Dune lore in original and unexpected ways.Episode 2 draws from horror for one of Dune’s most chilling scenes so far. ConsFor such an expensive series, some of the acting still feels artificial.

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 IMDb ID tt10466872 TMDB User Rating 0 .0 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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