‘Dune: Prophecy’ S1 Finale Review: “The High-Handed Enemy” Reveals A Magician’s Sleeve

The finale of Dune: Prophecy serves as a huge tease about the future whilst explaining away some of the more secretive aspects of the show, but suffers from a bit of a mess. Read our Dune: Prophecy finale review.

As it was written, the time has come for the first season of Dune: Prophecy’s finale. This season saw a lot of developments in the worldbuilding of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune saga, with mentions of the Butlerian Jihad as well what seems to be a huge role for thinking machines going forward, as well as Face Dancers that could tease something bigger for Dune: Messiah, despite this prequel being set 10,000 years before the reign of Paul Atreides. 

Dune: Prophecy follows a Sisterhood tasked with bearing the truth to their employers. Leading this sect are the Harkonnen sisters Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula (Olivia Williams), who are faced with a daunting task in controlling the Emperor when an even bigger threat presents itself.

This finale, coming in at a whopping 80 minutes in runtime, is perhaps one of the more cinematic episodes in the series, with a lot of wide sweeping and introductory location shots. It does, of course, pale in comparison to the cinematography from Greig Fraser (and soon-to-be Linus Sandgren) in the films, and at this point, I am truly missing the visuals presented by that maestro. That’s not to say it’s bad in the series; very far from it in fact, it just doesn’t touch the standards presented by the film instalments.

The reveals this episode, largely as a result of forced flashbacks, comes across as messy, rushed, and just all over the place. From a lore perspective, however, these reveals do come across as surprising and impactful on the status quo of the series. I particularly loved some of the reveals with Desmond Hart, who will be sure to play a gigantic role in this side of the universe going forward. 

Olivia Williams and Emily Watson both give wonderful performances in this episode, but to me, Mark Strong takes the cake with a performance that emits betrayal, failure, and imprisonment. His character, Emperor Javicco Corrino, was never fully fleshed out this season, but Strong did the best he could here, managing to make his character likable and compelling. 

A big complaint I mentioned in my last review was how the series does not know how to make its protagonists feel likable or even interesting in comparison with the other members of the cast. When compared to something like The Penguin, where the lead was an evil but interesting person, I simply lack interest in Valya Harkonnen. Tula is a little bit of a different story. But still, as a whole, the two lack the ability to compel the viewer.

As a finale, the episode served well, showing some answers to our burning questions while raising bigger ones at the same time with a thunderous cliffhanger. With a variety of good performances and epic visuals, the first season is a must-watch for any Dune fan. 

Dune: Prophecy season 1 stars Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen, Olivia Williams as Tula Harkonnen, Mark Strong as Javicco Corrino, Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart, and more. Episode 6 was directed by Anna Foerster and written by Elizabeth Padden & Suzanne Wrubel. The entire season is now streaming on HBO and Max.

What’s Next For Dune: Prophecy?

Earlier this week, HBO renewed Dune: Prophecy for a second season. So, the show will return for a second run at creating the Bene Gesserit. With that big cliffhanger, it seems Arrakis will play a big role, with several of our leads left on the planet while others are in the custody of imperial forces. Plus, we still need to learn the identity of the people who put the virus in Desmond Hart’s mind and why he was chosen to transfer it.

Thanks for reading our Dune: Prophecy finale review and our Dune: Prophecy season 1 coverage. Stay tuned here at Feature First for the rest of our show coverage.