Dune: Prophecy – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

The High-Handed Enemy

Episode 6 of Dune: Prophecy begins with a look at the past. Specifically, through Valya killing Dorotea. The Sisters concoct their own story for her death, but Tula is rattled and speaks to Valya privately, admitting that she’s pregnant. She regretfully brings up that it was consensual, and that she wants to keep her child.

Valya says that she’ll support Tula and help raise the child, believing that when she’s Mother Superior they can “do whatever they want”. However, the chilling look that she gives Tula seems to indicate there’s a hidden agenda here.

Valya’s idea is to use Tula’s child as a pawn and put one of their own on the throne. Valya believes this is how they help shape the trajectory of the world. Valya is convinced that Tula’s child is destined for great things, but it’s clear she’s only using him for her own political machinations. 

Tula gives birth to her son but has him switched for a stillborn to prevent Valya using him like a pawn. She wants her son to be free to make his own choices in life.

What is the origin of Desmond’s powers?

In the present, Tula looks over the drawings and tries to work out what they’ve been missing. The key here could be Desmond Hart. As we soon learn, powers are actually a bioengineered, machine-made virus that feeds on fear. Tula wants to set to work engineering a cure but it’s a dangerous procedure and certainly touch and go for a while.

Sister Nazir is the lab rat here and she believes she can control the virus. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work when she tries to let the fear wash over her, and eventually the strength of the virus is too much. She can’t fight this off and as she narrates what she sees, Nazir burns up, screaming after admitting she can see something that’s “not human”.

If Desmond is the orchestrator here, his death may be the only solution to get rid of the virus completely. Well, to begin with, Tula decides to leave and go see her son herself.

What happened in the past?

With Tula gone, Lila (still controlled by Dorotea) bides her time and breaks free from her restraints. She speaks to the other Sisters and finds out Valya is now the Mother Superior. She’s also not happy that the current story here is that Dorotea committed suicide. She heads to the office and is shocked when she finds out all the records of those faithful to her have been erased by Valya.

Further flashbacks reveal more here, as Valya and her group of rebels actually murdered all of those loyal to Dorotea, except for Mother Avila, who’s kept alive as their own mouthpiece to make sure none of this is ever unveiled to the outside world.

What happens with the Emperor?

Meanwhile, Desmond continues to torture Keiran Atreides. In the wake of this, Ynez shows and tries to get through to him. She pleads with her mother to spare his life, but instead the Empress has her daughter arrested as a “lesson about power”. When the Emperor finds out, he’s shocked.

Valya too is also shocked when the news trickles through to her, and she shrugs off the idea of seeing the Emperor. Instead, she works with Theodosia to organize a coup. She wants to free the Princess and assure her of a coronation. The final puzzle piece? Killing the Emperor.

The Emperor speaks to Desmond Hart, who’s frustrated at Corrino’s stupidity. He can’t see that he’s being played and points out that he has other advisors. Whether Corrino will see Valya’s current plan is anyone’s guess.

How does Valya break the princess out?

For now, Valya shows up and gets herself arrested intentionally as a way in to rescue Ynez, using Theo to Shapeshift into the princess. With the Emperor before her, Valya reveals her entire plan, including how Corrino is pointless in the grand scheme of things and that it’s Ynez that they want.

Corrino though is definitely rattled by Valya’s words and admits as much to Sister Francesca. She actually reveals the blade she was supposed to kill him with as a sign that she’s not fully under Valya’s control. However, Corrino controls his own destiny and decides to stab himself in the chest. While Francesca is watching over him, the Empress sneaks in and stabs the Sister in the neck. All of this is designed to make it look like Francesca killed Corrino.

Theo though is very much under Valya’s control, and she willingly sacrifices herself while Valya frees Keiran and Ynez. She doesn’t adopt Ynez’s form though, and instead poses as a wounded soldier. She does manage to stab Desmond in the stomach, but she’s also badly wounded herself too.

How does Lila/Dorotea change the Sisters’ future?

Meanwhile, Lila (still controlled by Dorotea), shows the truth of Valya’s betrayal, draining the pool and showing off all the acolytes’ dead bodies. Avila decides to let Dorotea lead them forward, and she promises to set them on the right path once more.

Lila/Dorotea leads the remaining Sisters into the basement, where she completely destroys the computers. All of this is obviously unknown to Valya and Tula.

What happens with Desmond and Tula?

Despite making it off-planet to the spaceport, determined to press on to Arrakis, Valya decides to buy the princess some time. Ynez and Keiran fight through the guards and escape, while Desmond and Valya come face to face once more. This time, Valya asks to see her end, and then come the visions.

Moving across a frozen wasteland, Valya is faced with her biggest fear – the death of her brother. While Valya grapples with Griffin’s death, Tula shows just in time and tries to guide her sister out of her fear. The real fear for her of course is toward Griffin. In her visions, Griffin blames her for the deaths, but Tula knows this is the machine’s doing and she needs to let go of her fear.

So what are these blue eyes? Well, it turns out this is actually the Machine’s doing and it’s not really two blue eyes, but a single dot. Specifically, the “eye” of the Thinking Machine. Valya sees all of this and realizes it’s inside Desmond. His eye is the virus itself and the weapon. Tula though refuses to let Valya kill her son.

How does Dune: Prophecy end?

As a result of this, Valya abandons her crusade and decides she’s going to fight from the shadows. She doesn’t kill Desmond but simultaneously walks away from her Sister. Desmond awakens, and Tula embraces her son. However, Desmond still has a job to do and he arrests his mother not long after. 

As the series closes out, Valya, Ynez and Keiran touch down on Arrakis.

The Episode Review

So the finale for Dune: Prophecy rolls round and with it, the end to this first season. HBO have already greenlit this one for a second season, so we’re definitely going to get more story here, but it’s also a rather slow and methodically paced drama that won’t be for everyone.

There’s plenty to whet the appetite in this though, especially some of the big reveals we’re given across the extended finale. Quite what Harrow intends to do with that footage of Valya is left unclear, while the Empress appears to have seized control of the throne through all of this, and is likely to be more hostile toward the Sisterhood than ever before.

Meanwhile, we have the drama involving Tula and Desmond, which is given a pretty decent bit of progression, leaning into the second season where more of the past is likely to be unveiled.

Finally, we have the drama on Arrakis and it’s here where Keiran, Ynez and Valya are likely to get mixed up in the spice trade.

The biggest problem with this show though seems to stem from the characters themselves. There’s just nobody here that you really want to root for, and while yes there are other shows out there that play with those shades of grey – like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon – the way Dune: Prophecy handles it, doesn’t feel anywhere near as elegant.

Still, all things considered Dune: Prophecy has been a decent watch, albeit a slow paced one, and everything here is set up nicely for the next season.