Dune: Prophecy is back with its second episode, “Two Wolves.” And that means more intricate machinations are at play in Dune‘s complex universe. From the Great Houses and their political games to the Sisterhood and its power plays to a new piece on the board, a rising rebellion force, a lot is happening in one hour of TV. To help you sort out all the twists and turns of Dune: Prophecy and to answer any leftover questions you may have, we’re back with our weekly episodic recap. As we walk you through Dune: Prophecy‘s recent chapter, we’ll strive to put into context what’s what, and we’ll even walk you through the breathtaking ending of Dune: Prophecy’s second episode and make sure everything is explained and settled before episode three hits our screens. So, let’s dive into our Dune: Prophecy season one, episode two, recap of “Two Wolves.”
Jump to: The Sisterhood School Storyline // Salusa Secundus Storylines // Episode 2 Reveals More About Desmond Hart // Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 2’s Ending Explained
Tula and Lila’s Bond and The Agony: A Recap of The Sisterhood School Storyline in Episode 2 of Dune: Prophecy
A Power Struggle Is Emerging Between Valya and Tulu Harkonnen
After the shocking death of Reverend Mother Kasha at the end of Dune: Prophecy‘s premiere episode, Valya Harkonnen also learns that Pruet Richese has been killed in a similar way. Valya decides that she must go to the Emporer and reassert the Sisterhood’s control over him as well as make sure Princess Ynez is still in their grasp. As we learn in episode one of Dune: Prophecy, Valya wants to put a Sister on the throne, and getting Princess Ynez to become part of the Sisterhood is her key. Valya also believes that these fiery deaths are what Mother Raquella spoke of in her deathbed prophecy when she told Valya that she would “see the burning truth and know.” And that the deaths signal the doom in that prophecy.
Before she goes, she orders her sister, Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen, to convince the young Sister Lila to perform “The Agony,” a dangerous ritual right to unlock the memory of all the women from which she descended. Lila is the great-great-granddaughter of Mother Raquella, and if she could connect with her, the Sisterhood could glean more information about the prophecy. Of course, The Agony involves poisoning yourself and then trying to overcome that poison. So, it would be a potentially fatal risk to Lila.
Tula, against the Sisterhood’s advisement, sees Lila as her daughter. But Valya wants Tula to ignore this (and all those pesky human emotions) and push Lila to undergo the rite for the good of the Sisterhood. Tula, though, insists Lila should be free to choose and not compelled. In the back-and-forth argument between Tula and Valya, we see there are cracks in the relationship of the sisters. Tula believes that Valya sees her as weak and doesn’t necessarily agree with Valya’s methods. Ultimately, though, Valya leaves Tula in charge of the Sisterhood in her absence.
Sister Lila Chooses to Undergo The Agony to Meet Her Mother
True to her word, Tula does not push Sister Lila into undergoing The Agony, although she does suggest it to her as important. The two are clearly very bonded. Some of Lila wants to undergo The Agony because of her loyalty to the Sisterhood and her desire for it to endure and survive. But during a conversation, Tula tells Lila that her mother has died, from which Lila intuits that she might be able to meet her during The Agony. Who is Lila’s mother on Dune: Prophecy? We don’t yet know. But it feels like that will be important information.
Ultimately, it feels like Lila decides to undergo The Agony because she thinks she can meet her mother. Of course, when she actually submits to the poison, she learns that her mother is still alive, after all. Did Tula lie to Lila to get her way? Or was she misinformed? Only the next episodes of Dune: Prophecy will tell.
Dune: Prophecy Reveals More About Its Prophecy
Although Lila does not get what she wants, the Sisterhood does get what it wants. Lila connects with Mother Raquella, who gives us the following new information about Dune: Prophecy‘s prophecy in episode two. Raquella says through Lila, “The key to the reckoning is one born twice, once in blood and once in spice. A revenant full of scars. A weapon born of war. On a path too short.”
Obviously, Mother Raquella is talking about Desmond Hart here, who was born from a woman and then born again on Arrakis, the spice-bearing planet, thanks to the sandworm or Shai-Hulud. Unhelpfully, Raquella doesn’t really add much more information about how to stop him or if he should be stopped or anything like that. But we guess the Sisterhood doesn’t know what we do. Does Dune: Prophecy‘s prophecy of Tiran-Arafel mean that Desmond Hart is a tyrant who can bring holy judgment? We guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Is Sister Lila Dead on Dune: Prophecy?
Does Sister Lila die in Dune: Prophecy‘s second episode? Things certainly don’t look good. For one, she was literally poisoned as part of The Agony. For two, Dorotea, whom, if you’ll remember, Valya used The Voice to kill in order to take over the Sisterhood early in Dune: Prophecy episode one, is also an ancestor of Lila, her grandmother. She appears to take her revenge on the Harkonnens by trying to take away what Tula loves moves, Lila. Dorotea says, “Harkonnen, you stole my future. Now I’m taking your hope.” We don’t have confirmation that Lila is dead in Dune: Prophecy episode two. But it’s not looking great.
Jump to: The Sisterhood School Storyline // Salusa Secundus Storylines // Episode 2 Reveals More About Desmond Hart // Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 2’s Ending Explained
The Struggles of the Great Houses: A Recap of the Salusa Secundus Storylines in Episode 2 of Dune: Prophecy
Valya Still Wants Princess Ynez to Join the Sisterhood
Meanwhile, Valya has taken Sister Theodosia to Salusa Secundus to tackle the Emporer and Princess Ynez. Dune: Prophecy alludes to Sister Theodosia’s mysterious past in episode two but doesn’t yet explain it. She is awfully quick to jump to the idea of assassination attempts, however, hinting at something dark.
Princess Ynez is Theodosia’s mission, to become her confidant. Ynez doesn’t seem to want to have a sleepover though and instead is consumed with Kasha’s death and how it happened. We’ll likely see more of this soon.
A Steamy Dune: Prophecy Scene
Dune: Prophecy episode two also turned up the heat by giving us a steamy scene between Constantine Corrino and Duke Richese’s daughter. The duke’s daughter gets information out of Constantine about her brother’s firey death as they… kiss. She also outlines for us that there’s nothing more important than Arrakis and spice. “Power is the desert planet.” She shrewdly notes, “The Great Houses, the Spacing Guild, the Sisterhood, they all know it.” In response, Constantine lets slip that his father arrested Desmond Hart in suspicion of her brother’s death. Oops! This scene paints Constantine as kind of a well-meaning playboy princeling that’s a bit dim. We look forward to seeing other sides of him.
A Rebellion Is Emerging on Dune: Prophecy
In Salusa Secundus, we also learn that there’s a rebellion brewing beneath the noses of the Great Houses on Dune: Prophecy. The King’s royal swordmaster, Kieran Atreides, is actually part of the rebellion and has been scanning palace floorplans in secret. He believes spice should belong to everyone and is willing to spill blood to do so, although he is very close with Princess Ynez.
Dune: Prophecy also reveals to us in episode two that there is a Sisterhood spy in the rebellion as well. The spy, named Mikaela, notes that the Sisterhood “Empowers the Great Houses to maintain order, but allows rebellion to keep that power in check.” The Sisterhood’s meddling does run deep. As part of it, it turns out they arranged the attack on the Emporer’s spice-harvesting ships in Arrakis, the one we learned in episode one. It’s clear the Sisterhood follows only its own agenda, merely using the Great House that it pretends to work for. But the Sisterhood may have unwittingly created their greatest enemy, allowing Desmond Hart to be given powers by a sandworm by meddling too hard in this instance.
The Romance of Princess Ynez Corrino and Kieran Atreides (And Some Backstory)
Although Kieran Atreides swears that he’s loyal to Dune: Prophecy‘s rebellion in episode two, he’s still getting pretty close to Princess Ynez Corrino. Ynez reveals to him that she was once captured by rebels as a child, alongside Constantine, in an undoubtedly traumatic experience. She notes they are just pieces on the board, and Kieran seems to agree. How will this romance impact his dedication to the rebellion? That question is on our minds.
Jump to: The Sisterhood School Storyline // Salusa Secundus Storylines // Episode 2 Reveals More About Desmond Hart // Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 2’s Ending Explained
Episode 2 Reveals More About Desmond Hart: His Powers, Dune: Prophecy Goals, and Why He Hates Valya Harkonnen and the Sisterhood
Then, of course, there’s Desmond Hart. At the beginning of Dune: Prophecy episode two, Desmond Hart confesses to Emperor Corrino that he killed Pruett Richese and implies that the Emperor wanted him to. The Emperor arrests him, but he and the Empress are clearly intrigued by his powers and his impassioned commitment to them and the Imperium. We learn from the Emperor that Desmond Hart claims to have been swallowed by a sandworm on Dune: Prophecy, and the Emperor even saw it on surveillance. The sandworm, or Shai-Hulud, gave Desmond a gift of power.
When Valya arrives, she insists on questioning Desmond, as she believes he is linked to Mother Kasha’s death. Desmond admits to having killed Pruett Richese but demures about killing Mother Kasha. He does say that he saw the corruption in her, as he sees the blood trailing from Valya Harkonnen. He accuses the Sisterhood of undermining the Emperor’s instincts and chipping away at his power, forcing him to grovel before lesser men. When pressed, Desmond reveals that “Shai-Hulud took my eye and granted me with the gift to see what even you cannot.” Desmond’s eye, the Shai-Hulud, his powers, and the prophecy all seem to be connected.
The Emporer doesn’t believe he killed Kasha and Pruett, as he was across the galaxy and their deaths happened in the time span. But it’s pretty obvious to us that he probably did. Valya thinks he wants to get close to the throne, and shes’s right. Speaking to Empress Natalya Corrino in Dune: Prophecy episode two, Desmond says he can do beautiful and terrible things and “humble those who try to take from you or sway you with corrupt council.”
To illustrate the point, he burns Duke Richese in front of Emporer Corrino, ending their squabbles violently. And with that, it seems Desmond Hart has ingratiated himself into the Royal Family of the Imperium at the end of Dune: Prophecy episode two.
Valya and Desmond Face Off: Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 2’s Ending Explained
Dune: Prophecy episode two has another explosive ending that needs some breaking down. After proving himself to the Emperor, Desmond has been freed, and he and Valya come face to face as she is on the way to speak with the ruler of the Imperium. Valya, of course, wants to offer the Emperor information on the rebel attack that she herself engineered, as well as on the rebellion spy in the palace, Kieran Atreides. In this way, she hopes to win back the trust of the Royal Family. Just to break it down again, Valya wanted the rebels to attack Corrino on Arrakis to weaken his hold on power, now she wants to offer him information on the attack she created to bolster him up again for her purposes. That’s a lot of strings to be pulling.
But, alas, Desmond Hart is in the way. At the end of episode two of Dune: Prophecy, Desmond tells Valya that House Corrino and the Emperor no longer require her services and that her privileges at the palace have been revoked. Valya accuses him of wanting to replace her. And he says he only wants what’s best for the Imperium… to wipe out the Sisterhood.
In frustration, Valya uses the Voice against Desmond Hart to try to make him stab himself in the throat. But, gasp! Desmond Hart is able to resist Valya Harkonnen’s voice powers. A shocking twist and Valya doesn’t like it much either. We don’t yet know how he is able to resist her, but it stands to reason he has pushed himself to new limits of humanity as well. He tells Valya that he greatest fear is that she’ll speak and no one will listen. And he’s right.
Jump to: The Sisterhood School Storyline // Salusa Secundus Storylines // Episode 2 Reveals More About Desmond Hart // Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 2’s Ending Explained
Where Do We Stand at the End of Dune: Prophecy Episode 2?
Well, it looks like the Emperor and the Imperium are turning on the Sisterhood. (To be fair, the Sisterhood have been majorly manipulating them.) But Princess Ynez still really wants to be a sister, and that will probably complicate things. Desmond Hart is using his powers to turn the Emperor into a dictator in the meantime. To top it off, Sister Lila might be dead, but her mother is probably important.
And that’s where the second episode of this Dune prequel series leaves us. Join us next week as we recap Dune: Prophecy episode three. Dune: Prophecy airs Sundays on Max.
Check out: our Dune: Prophecy Episode One Recap
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