There is so much Dune mythology that it can be overwhelming to even scratch the surface. Most people know the basics of Frank Herbert’s hugely influential 1965 novel, either through its source, David Lynch’s crazy 1984 film, or the films that Denis Villeneuve recently released to great success. (Maybe there are some couple who were introduced to this universe through the largely forgotten 2000 miniseries, but I doubt it.) Anyway, that’s really just the beginning of this world in which Herbert himself came up with five sequels before his son, Brian Herbert, took the title. throne and spit out two more based on his father’s notes. And that was just the beginning.

So it makes sense that in an age of prequels like House of the Dragon And The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power that Warner Bros. would dive into this deep mythology in search of more stories to tell. After their trip to Arrakis, WBD’s power brokers have emerged Dune: Prophecya story that takes place thousands of years before Timothée Chalamet would wander across a sandy planet in the United States Dune movies. The premiere makes it clear that the makers are looking for something like that GOT spice, telling a different story of power players vying for control, built on a foundation of movie-quality art direction, effects, cinematography and costume design. Whether or not they stick to what they strive for is another question.

Very loosely based on the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, Dune: Prophecy is about the machinations behind the scenes that really determine power. There’s a reason why the premiere is called “The Hidden Hand,” which mainly refers to the control the Sisterhood exerts over those who make the decisions that affect the fate of the universe. It opens with a prologue that reveals just how far a young Valya Harkonnen (Jessica Barden) will go to secure her vision of the future, using her “voice” to order her rival to commit suicide. “A new skill I’ve honed” is putting it lightly.

Jump forward three decades. It has been over a century since the great war humans waged against the thinking machines they sought to destroy, leading to a ban on all such devices, at least in the capital. (This will be important later.) And yet it is also 10,148 years before the birth of Paul Atreides. It’s almost unsettling to watch a show that essentially suggests that the same political and personal battles will rage across the universe for over ten millennia, but that also seems depressingly accurate when you think about the past decade in this show.

An older Valya (Emily Watson) is now the Mother Superior of the Sisterhood and works with her sister Tula (Olivia Williams) to choose the right truthteller from among her students to serve alongside rising star Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina). serve. marry a terribly young man named Pruwet Richese (Charlie Hodson-Prior) in an attempt to align political powers and build a fleet of ships to mine Spice on Arrakis for Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong). Javicco’s wife, Empress Natalya (Jodhi May), doesn’t like the union, but “Nez” seems surprisingly cool with it, understanding that it will help her gain power, and that she’s willing to go out and do some to have fun. starring Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason).

Other key players are introduced in this story-like, choppy episode. The most important is probably Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), a soldier who has survived twelve tours in battle-strewn Arrakis, while most of his colleagues do not return. Fimmel plays him as a deeply traumatized man, but he sometimes feels like he’s in another show, as in a scene between him and Strong’s Corrino, in which he warns of the treacherous betrayal that can come from within, especially after the young Pruwet had the nerve to bring a ‘thinking machine’ to his engagement party. The premiere also introduces some of Valya and Tula’s students, including feisty Jen (Faoileann Cunningham), traditional Emeline (Aoife Hinds) and emotional Lila (Chloe Lea). Finally, there’s the captivating Kasha (Jihae), the Emperor’s truth-teller, who has visions of a violent future crashing down on her in the final scenes.

Of course, ‘The Hidden Hand’ is mainly about introductions. So what do we learn about these characters and the story that will unfold? Dune: Prophecy? There are a large number of lines about political power, including the opening crawl that states, “Victory is celebrated in the light, but it is won in the darkness.” This show, at least at the beginning, is all about the darkness in which plans for victory are set in motion. The engagement party is in the spotlight; the fleet of warriors that comes with the hand of a princess is bartered in the darkness.

It also clearly sets the stage for an exploration of themes familiar to core fans Dune properties, including planning versus prophecy. Is there such a thing as free will in a world where sisters like Valya and Kasha have visions of what’s to come? The prologue sets up a battle between a conservative vision of the Sisterhood in which they watch and advise rather than control, and a progressive vision in which they pull the strings.

The best scene in the premiere takes place between arguably the show’s two best performers, as Valya and Tula discuss who to push as Truthteller for Nez. They need an important advisor who they know will whisper in the ear of power what they want. And it’s great to see two excellent actors riffing on both plot and subtext, foreshadowing different approaches that will surely divide them.

The major plot twists in “The Hidden Hand” come late in a pair of violent deaths. Desmond finds Pruwet in the hallway, playing with his forbidden toy again, and does something magically horrible to him. What happened to Desmond on Arrakis? “Winning a war requires a sacrifice,” he says. And suddenly the child is in excruciating pain, burning alive where he sits. At the same time, Kasha seems to be going through the same thing at the Sisterhood. Valya finds her and the camera cuts to her eyes. “I understand, mother,” she says. “I see.”

The big question, of course, is: will anyone care? The problem with so many of these GOT sequel is that they wrongly believe that people loved that show because of its production value. Someone clearly spent a fortune on it Dune: Prophecybut they must remember that they were the characters of Game of Thrones that made it a hit. Will people care about Valya, Tula, and Nez like they did Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and Tyrion Lannister? Besides, will they care as much as Paul Atreides from the movies? It’s too early to tell, but there are reasons to be concerned. The premiere of Dune: Prophecy lacks the ingenuity and spark of another recent WBD spin-off like The penguinfeeling familiar and small at the same time, despite the obvious loads of money poured into it. There’s something missing here that it could discover soon, or it could be six long episodes of political rapid-fire and terrifying visions. Let’s hope he finds that herb soon.

Stray observations

• • This episode was directed by Anna Foerster, which might be a bit telling. While she has worked on good shows like Westworld And Jessica Jonesshe also directed the largely forgotten Underworld: Blood Wars after years in the photography department for a number of Roland Emmerich films, such as 10,000 BC And 2012. No offense to these films (some of which I enjoy more than most), but they are largely spectacle over substance. Likewise, much of this show looks great, but lacks the depth to be truly remembered.
• • On that note, the main setting of this episode is the center of power on Salusa Secundus, a planet seen in the films when Piter de Vries went there to meet with the Sardaukar. It looks cool! Let’s hope some of it can be explored outside the capital. If the show is just eye candy, then let’s make it fun.
• • Isn’t it weird to set a show over 10,000 years before what most fans know of this universe and have it look and feel so familiar? Even the score feels like a cover of the film at times, which is clearly designed to subconsciously connect this to something people love. But the reason why people love shows is The penguin is how it expands into a universe, not how it recreates it.
• • If anything holds this together, it’s the cast. So with each recap I highlight an underrated performance from one of them. Let’s start with the amazing Olivia Williams, who should have been nominated for an Oscar Rushmore and probably even The sixth sense. She had a major tear in the late 00s and early 2010s. Look up her work The ghost writer if you can, which earned her the National Society Of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress.