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The second episode ofDune: Prophecyended with an explosive reveal: Emperor Corrino taking the side of his soldierDesmond Hartover Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen. However, fans hoping for a continuation of this drama may be surprised. Episode 3 takes the risky swing of exploring a subplot in the past, but it pays off, providing the series with some much-needed characterization.
If you have not seen episode 3 ofDune: Prophecy, stop reading here because this article contains MASSIVE spoilers.
Dune: ProphecyEpisode 3 Recap
After they have been kicked out of the palace by Desmond, Valya tells Theodosia that they must act quickly to maintain power. She also reassures Theodosia that this is not the first time someone has attempted to undermine her plan.
We then flash back to Valya’s youth on House Harkonnen’s home planet of Lankiveil. Young Valya gets into drama with her family as her brother, Griffin, resolves to go to Zimia to negotiate a trade deal to spite Vorian Atreides. Valya, on the other hand, wants to find Vorian to have him recall his lies that smeared the Harkonnen name.
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Before he leaves, Griffin reminds Valya of a time when she saved him from drowning in a freezing lake using the Voice. He says that he will follow her lead. We then see that Griffin was killed, and Valya wants revenge against Vorian Atreides for killing him. Because of her insatiable desire for revenge, Valya’s family sends her away to Wallach IX to join the Sisterhood.
Back in the present day, the Sisters discuss what to do about the Desmond situation. Valya returns the sisters to return to their posts and counter any attempts to sow mistrust as she works to regain the trust of Corrino. Valya receives word that Lila did not survive the Agony and that she gave the prophecy “the key to the reckoning is one twice born: in blood and in spice,” causing her to realize that it is Desmond. However, it is quickly revealed that Lila is actually in a comatose state, and Tula refuses to let her go.
Returning to the past, young Tula and Vorian — who is now her lover — go to the woods to meet his family. After Vorian’s horse breaks its leg and the Atreides insist on killing it in mercy, Tula uses poison to make it die humanely.
On Wallach IX, a young Valya asks if there is ever an instance in which they should withhold the truth in the case of a corrupt Imperium. She reveals that she didn’t want to join the Sisterhood anymore after her brother’s death, and she struggles to take her vow to the Sisterhood. It starts to pour rain, and while she is not supposed to come inside till she takes her vow, Mother Raquella insists she come inside after Valya uses the voice on her. She tells Valya that she could use her abilities to change the Imperium if she stays.
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Meanwhile, Tula tells Vorian about her family and her brother’s death, and he proposes to her. The next morning, she confesses to him that she is Harkonnen, but he says that he will continue to love her despite their families’ pasts. However, Tula has killed Vorian’s family, with the exception of one kid, and she poisons Vorian, who dies in her arms.
Back on Wallach IX, Raquella shares the idea of the genetic library with Valya. Valya also tells her peers that she is to become Raquella’s successor due to her ability to use the Voice, and begins to show them how to use it. However, when Raquella administers the Agony to Valya and another sister to determine who will become the next Mother Superior, Valya chickens out.
Tula sends word to Valya that she has killed the Atreides. Raquella sends her home and tells her that she should return as a Reverend Mother or not at all, giving her the tools she needs to administer the Agony to herself.
After getting into a fight with her family because Tula took revenge on the Atreides, Valya uses the Voice on her mother and nearly forces her to kill herself. This causes the Harkonnens to cast Valya out. Isolated, she administers the Agony to herself, and Tula finds her and is able to wake her up.
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Back in the main timeline, the Sisters gather to say goodbye to Lila, and one of the Sisters lashes out at Tula for killing her. Meanwhile, Valya and Theodosia return to her homeland to see her father.
Right before the credits roll, we see that Tula has not actually killed Lila but is secretly using spice in an attempt to keep her alive.
Is episode 3 ofDune: Prophecygood?
It only took three episodes and a bunch of flashbacks forDune: Prophecyto offer some genuinely compelling drama. By going to the past and getting more insight into what made Valya Harkonnen become the ruthless matriarch she is, we get more insight into the character and her motivations. We also learn much more about Tula and see her established more effectively as a foil to Valya.
Hopefully the show will be able to carry over this investment in its characters into the palace drama involving Emperor Corrino, as we saw very little of that conflict in the episode. With only three episodes remaining in the miniseries’s six-episode run, it’s refreshing to see the show finally coming together.
New episodes ofDune: Prophecyair on HBO and Max every Sunday at 9pm ET/PT.
Sean Boelman
Managing Editor for Film and TV
Articles Published :441
Sean is the Managing Editor for Film and Television, working to determine editorial strategy for the critics team. He has been on the FandomWire team since 2022.In addition to writing reviews himself, Sean helps match writers on the FandomWire team with assignments that best fit their interests and expertise.
