Dune: Prophecy‘s third episode is here, and that means it’s time for some backstory for our favorite characters, Valya and Tula Harkonnen. We get only a few glimpses of the present-day in episode three of Dune: Prophecy, and mostly, the episode, titled “Sisterhood Above All,” is devoted to flashbacks that help us better understand our main duo of sisters. Of course, as the Sisterhood will tell you, the past is never very far away from the present. And our understanding of what has come before is critical for us to understand what is happening now. Of course, it’s not all flashbacks in Dune: Prophecy episode three. One very important development happens at the end of the episode, and it takes place in real-time. Let’s dive into our recap of Dune: Prophecy episode three “Sisterhood Above All,” our parsing of Valya and Tula’s, and as ever, that ending explained.
Dune: Prophecy Episode Three Flashes Back to a Deepening of the Harkonnen vs. Atreides Feud
In Dune: Prophecy episode three, we head back to spend some time with young Valya and Tula in flashbacks. We begin before Valya headed off to the Sisterhood. It turns out that Valya and Tula had a brother, Griffin. Griffin was on a quest to bring honor back to the family name and turn their tides. But Valya convinces him to do one better; she tells him to find Vorian Atreides, who first declared the Harkonnens traitors and cowards and convinces him to recant what she believes are lies.
Griffin is majorly team Valya, so he does exactly that. But it seems that Vorian Atreides kills him for his efforts. This sharpens Valya’s resolve to get revenge on the Atreides for first besmirching her whole House and now making it personal by killing Griffin. But for now, Valya is heading off to the Sisterhood.
The First Use Ever of Dune‘s The Voice Happens on Dune: Prophecy
In this Dune: Prophecy episode three flashback, we also hear about the very first use of Dune‘s “The Voice.” At least, that we know of. Before his death, Griffin and Valya speak of a time when he fell into icy waters. Wanting to save him, Valya commanded him to swim to her. He was forced to obey. Fearing for her brother’s life unleashed “The Voice” in Valya, a true act of Sisterhood. Valya saving Griffin from drowning is the first known instance of “The Voice” we see in Dune and Dune: Prophecy. A fitting act of Sisterhood in “Sisterhood Above All.”
Valya Meets Mother Raquella and Makes a Choice Between the Sisterhood and Her Great House
After Griffin’s death, Valya heads to the Sisterhood. But she can’t quite let go of what happened to House Harkonnen at the hands of House Atreides. As such, she cannot put “Sisterhood Above All.” Despite this, she gains the trust of the Sisterhood’s leader, Mother Superior Raquella, who trains her to be her successor. Raquella reveals the genetic archive to Valya in this Dune: Prophecy episode and shares that this is how she and the Sisterhood, “identify the best pairing, bolster the right unions,” and find leaders “less prone to corruption and tyranny” that will not drive humanity “to the edge of extinction.” This appeals to Valya, who loves to meddle and control things. The genetic archive, of course, functions on forbidden technology. Valya is also shown to be perfecting “The Voice” and teaching it to the sisters that support her.
However, there is a problem. There is a growing rift in the Sisterhood between Valya and her followers and Dorotea and her followers, leaving a division in the organization. Mother Superior Raquella orders Dorotea and Valya to find a way to proceed together and wants them to undergo Dune‘s “The Agony” and unlock their genetic memories to become reverend mothers. It seems Raquella hopes this increased wisdom will assist the pair in finding the best way.
However, at the last minute, Valya refuses the ritual. She has unfinished business with her House and family.
Tula’s Journey of Harkonnen Revenge in Dune: Prophecy Episode 3
Meanwhile, we catch up with Tula Harknonnen in a different Dune: Prophecy episode three flashback. Tula seemed initially less inclined toward revenge than Valya, but we quickly find out that is not the case. In this Dune: Prophecy flashback, Tula has begun a relationship with a man under the guise of a fake name. We soon learn that this isn’t just any man, but an Atreides. At first, we aren’t totally sure if Tula is trying to move on from her past or not. But it all becomes perfectly clear as the episode unfolds.
Tula essentially lured in Orry Atreides and got him to fall in love with her as part of exacting revenge for her brother Griffin and the Harkonnen family. With everyone’s guards dropped at a family reunion of sorts, Tula poisons Orry and all members of the Atreides clan who are present. This Atreides massacre is done in the name of House Harkonnen. Tula only allows one small child to live.
Is the Atreides Child that Tula on Dune: Prophecy Lets Live Keiran Atreides?
That begs the question who is the Atreides child that Tula let live in Dune: Prophecy episode three? Well, there’s only one Atreides currently in the series, and it’s Keiran Atreides. Could Tula meet the child whose family she murdered in future episodes of the series? It feels likely.
Tula Saves Valya’s Life After She Undergoes “The Agony” in “Sisterhood Above All”
In the wake of Tula’s Atreides massacre, Valya tells Reverend Mother Superior that she needs to head home. The Reverend Mother agrees to let her go, but tells her that she needs to undergo “The Agony” on her own and become a Reverend Mother if she is to return to the Sisterhood at all.
After fighting with her family, Valya decides it is time to commit to the Sisterhood. She takes the poison of “The Agony” and almost dies, but Tula leads her back to life. Another true act of sisterhood on “Sisterhood Above All.”
Valya in the Present Day of Dune: Prophecy Episode 3
We see very little of Valya in the present day in Dune: Prophecy episode three. But we do see that she is set on maintaining Sisterhood control amount the Great Houses. She orders the Truthsayers to quell any doubt and says she will reclaim control over the Emperor, Imperium, and House Corrino, though she has been banished thanks to Desmond Hart.
Valya learns of the new aspects of the prophecy that Tula and Sister Lila gleaned from Lila’s genetic memory. Valya immediately connects Desmond to these new parts of the prophecy.
At the end of the episode, she goes to visit Harrow Harkonnen, who calls her Aunt Valya, for reasons still unknown.
Is Sister Lila Dead on Dune: Prophecy? Episode 3’s Ending Explained
And so we arrive at the “ending explained” of our Dune: Prophecy episode three “Sisterhood Above All” recap. After undergoing The Agony, Sister Lila is not dead yet on Dune: Prophecy, but instead basically in a coma. We learn that no one has ever returned from the state that Sister Lila is in, but Tula is not ready to let her die.
Defying the wishes of Valya, Tula pretends to allow Lila to die and instead secrets her into the mysterious chamber of the genetic archive. Using some of that forbidden technology, Tula aims to save Lila’s life. Tula orders the A.I. thinking machine to keep Lila alive. She reveals, “Spice can rejuvenate the mind” and that Lila “still has a chance if you administer the correct dosage.”
Sister Lila isn’t dead yet on Dune: Prophecy. But we wonder how much her life will cost Tula and the Sisterhood.
Join us next week as we recap Dune: Prophecy episode four. Dune: Prophecy airs Sundays on Max.
Check out: our Dune: Prophecy Episode One Recap, Dune: Prophecy Episode Two Recap
All Dune: Prophecy recaps can be found here.
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