Dune: Prophecy‘s penultimate episode, episode five, “In Blood, Truth, is here, and we are here to recap it. The action hasn’t stopped for a minute in Dune: Prophecy, and episode five absolutely keeps up the momentum. As we head toward the season finale of the Dune series’ first season, everything is quickly coming to a head. There are romances, revelations, and, of course, wild endings. This show has had many twists and turns, but the ending of Dune: Prophecy‘s fifth episode feels like it really takes the cake. Who is Desmond Hart? We find out in a big way. Our full recap of Dune: Prophecy episode five, “In Blood, Truth,” is below.
Francesca, a Dune Imprinter, Arrives on the Scene, and She’s the Mother of the Emperor’s Son
Dune: Prophecy episode five brings a new character, Sister Francesca, an Imprinter played by Bollywood star Tabu. Dune fans will know that an Imprinter is a member of the Sisterhood that uses seduction, sex, and love to form unbreakable bonds with their partners/quarries. As Mother Superior Valya explains, Imprinting is “making an impression so strong it alters the course of someone’s life. An emotional and physical bond that never breaks.” And who has Sister Francesca imprinted, why Emperor Corrino, of course. In fact, we learn that the mother of Emperor Corinno’s illegitimate son, Constantine, is none other than Sister Francesca.
Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen tricked Sister Francesca into coming Salusa Secundus to help control the emperor as things with Desmond Hart and the royal family become contentious. And, to a degree, Sister Francesca does as Valya Harkonenn commands her, urging the Emperor to give Constantine more responsibility and distracting him with her presence. But where Francesca’s loyalties truly lie is not yet clear.
Desmond Hart Becomes the Emperor’s New Bashar in Dune: Prophecy Episode 5 (And Leads What Will Become the Sardaukar Army)
Meanwhile, to the chagrin of his daughter Ynez, Emperor Corinno has made Desmond Hart his new Bashar in Dune: Prophecy. What is a Bashar in Dune lore? Well, it’s a military rank of the of the Sardaukar army that’s similar to Colonel. While Emperor Corrino’s army has not yet been explicitly referred to as the Sardaukar army, which will eventually be the elite military force of House Corrino, referring to Desmond Hart as a Bashar is certainly a step in that direction. In Arabic, Bashar means “bringer of glad tidings,” but it doesn’t seem like Desmond Hart will be bringing very many of those. Instead, Desmond Hart urges the Emperor to have shows of strength and to march on his enemies without mercy.
The Reason for Desmond Hart’s Anger at the Sisterhood Comes to Light in Dune: Prophecy Episode 5
If there’s one thing you can say about Desmond Hart is that he is committed to the destruction of the Sisterhood on Dune: Prophecy. We even see him meet with Valya Harkonnen’s nephew, Harrow Harkonnen, to try and turn him against his family. While we admit that Harrow does seem a bit sneaky, we feel pretty sure in the end, he’s sided with Valya and House Harkonnen in Dune: Prophecy… although it’s possible he will pull a last-minute betrayal.
But just why is Desmond Hart so enraged at the Sisterhood. We find out a bit more in Dune: Prophecy episode five. Desmond reveals some of his motivations to Empress Natalya, sharing, “The woman who gave birth to me sent me away to live among scavengers, who left me fighting for scraps just to survive. She was a Sister.” Oops. For all his talk about the greater good of the Imperium, it feels like Desmond Hart’s crusade is a personal one between himself and his mother, who abandoned him. Empress Natalya, too, has personal umbrage against the Sisterhood, feeling they have ruined her marriage and relationship with her daughter. As the title of the Dune: Prophecy episode that we’re recapping shares, “In blood, truth.”
Of note: Empress Natalya seems to allude to the powers of Shai-Hulud, which marks one of several references to her having deeper ties to Arakkis than have been overtly discussed so far. In earlier episodes, Natalya mentioned, for instance, the Zensunni Wanderers, the ancestors of Arakkis’ Fremen.
Desmond Hart Attacks the Rebels, and Kieran Atreides Is Exposed as a Member of the Rebellion and Arrested
As mentioned, Desmond Hart attempts to get Harrow Harkonnen to betray his aunt Valya. But instead, Valya feeds him information about a rebel cell where Sister Mikaela is undercover, ready to blow him up with a rather large number of explosives. Unfortunately, the attack on Desmond fails, though no one is quite certain how he is able to survive. Desmond does discover a Sisterhood robe in the rebel cell shortly before it’s blown up, but loses his evidence, although now he knows that the Sisterhood is connected to the rebellion.
Kieran Atreides also gets mixed up in this attack but manages to escape unseen. Unfortunately, Constantine Corrino discovers his maps of the palace and has him arrested. Princess Ynez is horrified by this revelation but perhaps does not entirely believe that Kieran is in the wrong.
Of note, we hear mention of going to Arakkis for the first time in the present Dune: Prophecy timeline. Valya intends to send Mikaela to a safehouse there.
Mother Raquella Takes Over Sister Lila, and Discovers Desmond’s Powers Are an Airborne Virus
Back in our storyline on Wallach IX, the home of the Sisterhood, Lila, newly back from the dead, has been taken over by her foremother, Mother Raquella. After undergoing The Agony, Lila’s foremothers are now voices inside her head, but also seem to be able to be very present spirits that possess her. Mother Raquella emerges to help Tula get to the bottom of what has attacked the Sisterhood and determines to be an airborne virus not unlike a pathogen the machines released during the war. The enzyme has similar properties to that pathogen but concentrates in the amygdala or fear center. And so, fear is the mind-killer. The good news about a virus is that it can sometimes be cure… sometimes.
Dune: Prophecy Episode 5 Ending Explained—Who Is Desmond Hart and What Are His Origins?
But, of course, the greatest revelation of this episode comes during the ending of Dune: Prophecy, episode five, “In Blood, Truth.” Who is Desmond Hart? It’s a question we’ve been asking since the beginning of the series. And now, we know. Valya sends Tula a sample of Desmond Hart’s blood to run through the Sisterhood’s genetic archive. And the genetic archive reveals that Desmond Hart is the son of a Harkonnen and an Atreides. And which Harkonnen do we know was woo-ing an Atreides not too long ago in some flashbacks? Oh yes. Dune: Prophecy episode five reveals that Desmond Hart is the son of Tula Harkonnen and Orry Ateides. That doesn’t necessarily account for his powers… But it is a pretty hefty lineage. We’ll see how this one plays out when we recap Dune: Prophecy season one, episode six, there series’ final episode from its first chapter. Dune: Prophecy airs Sundays on Max.
Check out our Dune: Prophecy Episode One Recap, Dune: Prophecy Episode Two Recap, Dune: Prophecy Episode Three Recap, Dune: Prophecy Episode Four Recap.
All Dune: Prophecy recaps can be found here.
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