The following review contains spoilers for the fourth episode of Dune Prophecy, “Twice Born.”
Split in two once again, “Twice Born” returns Dune: Prophecy to its familiar fronts: Valya’s visit to the royal capital to fix the Sisterhood’s relationship with the Imperium, and Tula’s attempts to wrangle the younger sisters as they spiral out of control with the stress of mysterious omens and Lila’s death. Now that the backstory and setup is out of the way, things begin to ramp up in episode 4, but it doesn’t always feel as exciting as it should. With a few exceptions, “Twice Born” is a prime example of what’s not working in this series.
What’s been obvious from the start – but most evident this week – is that Dune: Prophecy is attempting to be HBO’s next Game of Thrones. (Despite, you know, HBO already having one of those.) At its heart, it’s a political drama full of noble families with their many issues, one king to rule them all, and everyone vying for the throne. But this half of the story has never been the highlight of the show. That remains true in “Twice Born,” with the Emperor’s insecurity driving him into Desmond Hart’s arms and the plot to bomb the Landsraad never able to evoke the right emotions.
Sadly, the lack of drama comes from some stilted acting – though, in all fairness, the cast isn’t given much to work with. Many of the younger actors in the series struggle to bring out the emotion of what’s happening in their performances. I’ve said it in previous reviews, but Travis Fimmel also has a hard time making Desmond Hart feel more than wacky. The one standout in “Twice Born” is Edward Davis, who absolutely nails the squirmy young Baron Harrow Harkonnen, trying his best to feign confidence and regality in front of the Great Houses. It’s pitch perfect stuff, making Harrow’s presence a delight.
The other half of “Twice Born,” as the name implies, is about Tula’s dealings on Wallach IX as the omen of Tiran-Arafel slowly consumes the Sisterhood. A shared dream and a creepy arts and crafts séance spin the younger sisters into a frenzy, and Tula being interim Mother Superior while Valya is away means she has to deal with the chaos. It’s another showcase of how Dune: Prophecy has good ideas, but ultimately fails to execute them. Despite Olivia Williams’ portrayal of Tula being as thoughtful as ever, she isn’t able to elevate the storyline past its basic level. It’s at its most interesting when we see the emotional effects of this collective fear growing within the Sisterhood, like when Emeline is so engulfed in the dream that she almost kills herself (and Jen’s ability to drown out the noise and stop that from happening). But we only get snippets of the younger sisters, as the focus remains on Tula for most of the time spent on Wallach IX.
It’s obvious now that her storyline is leading toward the creation of the Litany Against Fear, the self-affirmation used by Lady Jessica in the books and movies. (Say it with me now: “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.” And so on.) This is Dune: Prophecy falling into the prequel trap yet again, one more chance for a previously untold story to live up to (or not live up to) the way we’ve previously imagined it. So far, the show hasn’t convinced me that it won’t suck all the mystique out of the Litany Against Fear by showing us how it took root. And with only two episodes left to develop the Litany, it doesn’t feel like enough time to flesh it out and make it feel like a rite that will last another 10,000 years.
