Somewhere between the Game of Thrones spin-off series House of the Dragon and The Batman spin-off series The Penguin, the demand for a TV verse complementing major film franchises seems to be growing. The studio behind the two shows was convinced that the box office success of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and more, warranted a prequel series. So here we are ready for hours of world-building and backstory in Dune: Prophecy. And by backstory, we mean way back into the past. Set over 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, the series puts the Bene Gesserit in the spotlight. Don’t expect direct references to Villeneuve’s universe as the action takes place on planets far away from Arrakis. Based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune, the show explores the origin story of the Truthsayers (powerful women who are essentially lie detectors for the lack of a better word) and their rising influence over the Imperium. The show features a stellar star cast including Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Mark Strong, Travis Fimmel and our very own, Tabu. Indian fans, however, will be a tad bit disappointed with the first episode as it does not feature the actress. She will be making an appearance later in the show.
The plot of Dune: Prophecy revolves around the Harkonnen sisters Emily Watson’s Valya and Olivia Williams’ Tula. They are part of the Bene Gesserit, a secretive all-female order where members train physically and mentally in the art of influencing people, especially those in power within the Great Houses. Very early into the episode, we see the Reverend Mother on her deathbed where she sees a prophecy, calls for Valya (Jessica Barden plays the younger version) and urges her to use any means possible to gain power. Soon Valya will be on a path of doing some bad things for the presumable greater good. “I knew then, the name Valya Harkonnen would forever be damned to the wrong side of history,” she says. We love a self-aware queen although she is a bit of a fanatic.
Cut to the show’s present where Valya and Tula are the senior-most in the Sisterhood. The episode spends a considerable amount of time fleshing out the inner workings of the Bene Gesserit. We also met a bunch of younger Sisters or acolytes in training including Chloe Lea’s Sister Lila, Aoife Hinds’ Sister Emeline, Faolieann Cunningham’s Sister Jen and more. Their paths are about to intertwine with royalty as Mark Strong’s Emperor Javicco Corrino is about to enlist his daughter, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina’s Princess Ynez into the order. The princess is to train with them while she waits for her arranged match to come of age (he’s 9 when their wedding is fixed). Not that things ever go as planned when there’s a power play at hand. Soon Travis Fimmel’s soldier Desmond Hart arrives at the Corrinos’ royal palace. He happens to be the sole survivor of a sandworm attack amidst spice harvesting on Arrakis. And he has an agenda against the Bene Gesserit.
Dune: Prophecy goes the House of the Dragon route and digs deeper into the powerful families and their politics as they scheme to acquire more power over the Emperium and the spice trade. This part of the universe is interesting to see especially through the eyes of the Bene Gessirit. There’s a scene in the episode where two Sisters accompanying their respective Dukes, oversee an important negotiation. While the Dukes are busy wondering whether they’re striking a beneficial bargain, the Sisters have a secret, almost telepathic conversation of their own. They might appear to merely give out advice, but they are indeed very influential players. It is moments like these that shine in the somewhat dull expanse of the world.
Prophecy’s production quality is good enough to be considered an extension of the big-screen spectacle that the films are. But instead of dunes, we have largely dark settings between hallways, the Sisterhood’s minimalistic living quarters and even some of the most lavish palaces. We get a break from the bleak settings in the form of the palace’s opulence during a wedding ceremony. We also get a club scene where Ynez and her brother, Josh Heuston’s Constantine Corrino sneak away and snort their planet’s version of cocaine on a fun night out. The show clearly had a lot of world-building to do and it really takes a laboriously long time to do it. Getting viewers hooked would’ve been a challenge if the show had not sprinkled the occasional “Atreides” and “Arrakis” around.
All in all going by the premiere, Dune: Prophecy is shaping up to be a standalone saga that gives the Bene Gesserit the well-deserved time to shine. While it isn’t a perfect start, a few more hours of political scheming and the promise of Tabu’s arrival are enough to go back for another episode.
