Episode 2 of Dune: Prophecy closed out with a face-off between what are widely viewed as the show's most interesting characters, and it looks like the shocking developments that followed have taken their toll on Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson).
Spoilers follow.
Towards the end of "Two Wolves," Valya returned to Salusa Secundus to find herself confronted by the enigmatic Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), who had previously admitted to using his strange pyrotechnic abilities to murder both Revered Mother Kasha (Jinhae) and the young Pruwet Richese (Charlie Hodson-Prior).
Upon learning that Hart - who apparently survived being swallowed by a sandworm on Arrakis - had made it his mission to wipe out the Sisterhood entirely, Valya uses "the Voice" to command the soldier to plunge his own dagger into his throat. Incredibly, Hart manages to resist the order.
"I always wondered what your greatest fear would be," he responds. "Now I have seen it. It's not that no one will hear you, it's that they'll hear you and just won't care."
It seems clear that Hart is going to be a much bigger problem than Valya originally anticipated, and should be a force to be reckoned with for the entire Sisterhood with the might of the Imperium behind him.
HBO has now released a teaser promo for next week's episode, and it looks like we will flash back to Valya in her teenage years as she establishes her role as leader of the Sisterhood. We also see the Mother Superior return to Wallach IX to plan her next move in the present.
From the expansive universe of Dune, created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. The series is inspired by the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
The cast of Dune: Prophecy includes Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Edward Davis, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Jihae, Tabu, Charithra Chandran, Jessica Barden, Emma Canning, and Yerin Ha.
Alison Schapker serves as showrunner and executive producer. Diane Ademu-John co-developed the series and serves as executive producer. Anna Foerster executive produced and directed multiple episodes, including the first.
New episodes of Dune: Prophecy arrive weekly on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and streaming on Max.