Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy Episode 3.

In its third episode, Dune: Prophecy takes us back to the humble origins of House Harkonnen. “Sisterhood Above All” is divided into past and present timelines, delving deep into why sisters Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) are how they are, and how their shared past informs not only their present, but also possibly their future. With the Sisterhood in danger, their loyalties to the order and their family will both be tested.

Valya Plots To Regain Her Hold Over House Corrino in ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 3
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After being casually dismissed from court by Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) in Episode 2, “Two Wolves,” Valya and Sister Theodosia (Jade Anouka) leave the imperial palace with a mix of anger and frustration. The next day, they meet the other Sisters in the harbor, and Valya instructs them to go back to their assigned noble houses and do anything not to lose their hold over those, and that she will regain control over House Corrino herself.

During this meeting, Sister Mikaela (Shalom Brune-Franklin) appears with news from Wallach IX. Sister Lila (Chloe Lea) didn’t survive the Agony, but was able to reach Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson), who left a mysterious hint: “the key to the reckoning is one born twice; once in blood, once in spice.” Valya immediately understands that Raquella is talking about Hart, and says that a trip home is called for. At the end of the episode, Valya and Theodosia arrive at a luxurious apartment in Salusa Secundus. Once Valya centers herself by chanting “Sisterhood above all,” they are greeted by Baron Harrow Harkonnen (Edward Davis), who calls her “Aunt Valya” and asks about “Aunt Tula.” At the fireplace, Valya’s elderly uncle Evgeny Harkonnen (Mark Addy) says he thought he’d “never see the day.”

‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 3 Explores Valya’s Past
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From Salusa Secundus, we’re taken to the frigid planet of Lankiveil, the homeworld of House Harkonnen, an unspecified number of years in the past. Young Valya (Jessica Barden) returns home from buying groceries and only hears complaints from her parents, Sonia (Polly Walker) and Vergyl (David Bark-Jones), but finds support from her siblings, Griffin (Earl Cave) and young Tula (Emma Canning). Uncle Evgeny mentions that Vorian Atreides is mysteriously back, and Valya sees this as an opportunity to get him to take back the lies he told the Landsraad about House Harkonnen so they may regain their status. She says that Vergyl’s grandfather, Abulurd Harkonnen, was a hero who prevented a genocide, not a coward.

The adults tell her to stop being greedy, and Valya storms off, with Griffin following her. They reminisce about a time when Griffin fell into a lake of icy water, and Valya rushed to rescue him. He says that he had already given up, but when she screamed for him to swim, his body mysteriously acted on its own and swam, thus saving him from death — her first-ever use of the Voice. He agrees to track down Vorian Atreides because he believes in Valya, but, in the very next scene (set some time afterward), his body is returned to Lankiveil, killed by Vorian. Valya vows revenge against the Atreides despite her parents sending her to join the Sisterhood on Wallach IX, and tells Tula to find a way out of Lankiveil.

Valya’s Feud With Sister Dorotea Shapes the Sisterhood in ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 3
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On Wallach IX, Valya’s feud with Sister Dorotea (Camilla Beeput) begins when she questions how to use truth and lies when serving a noble house. Dorotea says that it’s a Sister’s responsibility to pull them to humanity’s better nature, but Valya sees truth as a tool that should be used to serve a purpose. Dorotea then taunts Valya in front of her class and, in the next scene, takes the Acolytes to a test: meditating while standing in the pouring rain until they are able to forsake their family bonds and embrace Sisterhood above all. After a whole day, Valya is the only one left and is once again provoked by Dorotea, who says she will always be a Harkonnen. Valya continues to meditate, though, until Mother Raquella shows up. She uses the Voice to tell the Mother Superior to stop, and, later, back inside, they discuss this ability, and Raquella tells her that the Sisterhood is about advancing the human species.

Sometime later, the Mother Superior shows Valya all the Sisterhood’s secrets and takes her to the tunnels to see her “life’s great work,” the genetic matrix containing the DNAs of all the Great Houses. To build this index, Raquella had to rely on computers, something strictly forbidden, and Valya complies with keeping this secret. Meanwhile, Dorotea, who is a Butlerian (a zealot against computers and technology), preaches that “thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind” just outside the tunnels, and stares at Raquella and Valya in jealousy. Later, Valya tells her friends that she knows Raquella will choose her as successor, and shows them the Voice.

In the next scene, Raquella calls both Valya and Dorotea to go through the Agony together, saying they are both the strongest Sisters and are both the future leaders of the order. In “Two Wolves,” we learn that Raquella is actually Dorotea’s grandmother, so they also share a forbidden family tie. Just as Raquella is about to drop the Rossak poison on Valya’s eye, Valya stands up, apologizes, and says she can’t go through with it. Later, Raquella tells Valya that a coded message from Tula arrived from Lankiveil, and that Valya should go. She also gives Valya a vial of the Rossak poison, telling her she should return as a Reverend Mother, or not at all.

Tula Carries Out a Brutal Mission in ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 3
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After Griffin’s funeral, the following flashback sees young Tula being welcomed by her boyfriend Orry’s (Milo Callaghan) family camping on a forest world, preparing to hunt a Salusan bull. They know her as Tula Vale, but she changes the subject whenever someone asks her about her family. Orry’s family is nice to her, and she is equally warm to all of them. When a horse falls wounded, Tula tries to save it, but Orry’s uncle Shander (Benedick Blythe) tells her it must be put down — “we do what we must” — so she helps them sacrifice it painlessly. At night, Orry asks Tula about her family, and she says that, after her brother died, her sister was angry and went to school, and her parents barely saw her in their grief. Orry then proposes to Tula, and, as they spend the night together, the men of the family gather by the fire outside and scream their family name: Atreides.

In the morning, Tula tries to sneak out of her and Orry’s hut, but Orry wakes up. Feeling guilty, she confesses to Orry that her last name isn’t Veil, but Harkonnen. Orry is surprised, but argues that their families chose to hate each other over something that happened more than a century ago, and that, together, they can write a future for themselves. Tula rejects him, saying it will still be an Atreides who killed her brother and, echoing what she heard that day, tells Orry that “we do what we must.” He then realizes the camp is eerily quiet, and finds all his relatives dead outside. Tula then tells him that he didn’t see her, either, and kills him. Young Albert (Archie Barnes) is the only one Tula allows to survive, and runs away. As she mourns Orry, whom she did love, a Salusan bull stares from afar.

On Lankiveil, Valya and Tula reunite at Griffin’s tomb. Valya tells Tula she didn’t think Tula could kill the Atreides like that, and that Griffin would be proud, but Tula isn’t so sure. Back at home, Sonia, Vergyl, and Evgeny all blame Valya for the massacre, saying she didn’t think about the consequences the family would have to face. Angry, Valya uses the Voice on her mother and almost tells her to kill herself. Before she can do anything with more tragic consequences, Valya storms off, with Evgeny calling her a sorceress. At the spot where she said goodbye to Griffin at the beginning of the episode, Valya takes the Rossak poison and emerges as a Reverend Mother as Tula finds her in agony. Tula decides to join the Sisterhood, and Valya promises a fresh start for both of them, with a new purpose.

Tula Struggles With the Loss of Lila in ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 3

Between the flashbacks, Tula faces a challenge in the present. On Wallach IX, she is keeping Sister Lila in a vegetative state, not fully capable of letting her go yet. Sister Avila (Barbara Marten), who appears as one of Dorotea’s followers (Sarah Oliver-Watts) in the flashbacks, brings Tula some spice tea, but Tula forbids her from turning off Lila’s life support. Tula sees the spice in her tea, and has an idea. Later, Tula summons the Acolytes to say goodbye to Lila, and, when Sister Jen (Faoileann Cunningham) lashes out at Tula for “killing” Lila, Avila intervenes, saying Lila’s sacrifice should be honored because she knew the risks, and that Tula and Valya would never have asked her to do it if it weren’t necessary.

Later, Avila again commends Tula for letting Lila go, saying that Valya would be proud. Tula then says she is going to the storeroom, but goes into the tunnels that Mother Raquella shows young Valya in one of the flashbacks. Inside, a chamber lights up in electronic blue, and we see Sister Lila inside a small glass bed. Tula activates an artificial intelligence, which is strictly forbidden, named Anirul, and orders it to flood Lila’s glass bed with spice, saying that, if it uses the correct dosage, the spice could rejuvenate Lila’s mind. The thinking machine objects, saying that Valya wouldn’t approve, but Tula overrides this by saying she is the one in charge, and Anirul finally complies.

While “Sisterhood Above All” is a great piece of storytelling inside the Dune universe, it’s also evidence of the irregular pacing of Prophecy so far. For a six-episode series with 60-minute episodes, having a whole episode dedicated to flashbacks seems a little too much, although it certainly provides fascinating insight into its two main characters. This isn’t necessarily a symptom of how the series was planned, but of the current television and streaming landscape, which is always looking for immediate hit series with shorter seasons — House of the Dragon suffered with this same issue, for example. The flashbacks will now inform both Valya’s and Tula’s next steps, both as Harkonnens, and as members of the Sisterhood, but it feels like there is just too much that needs to happen with only three episodes left.

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

Valya starts plotting her revenge against Desmond Hart. On Wallach IX, Tula and the Sisterhood struggle to come to terms with Lila’s death.ProsJessica Barden monopolizes every scene she is in as young Valya Harkonnen.Episode 3 provides a fascinating look into House Harkonnen’s humble past. ConsFor a six-episode series, the pacing feels off with a flashback episode so soon.

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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