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Episode 4 ofDune: Prophecysaw the conspiracy to dethrone Emperor Corrino reach an explosive climax with an assassination attempt getting foiled. In episode 5, we see the characters deal with the aftermath of that, but the result is much less thrilling, causing the show to fall back into the ways of its earlier episodes.
Dune: ProphecyEpisode 5 Recap
At the beginning of the episode, we see Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) suiting up in a new uniform for his new role as the Emperor’s Bashar — the commander of the Sardaukar. Corrino (Mark Strong) says that now more than ever, they must defend their values. He tasks Desmond with eradicating treason, which causes Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) to storm away in anger.
Desmond encourages Corrino to prioritize showing strength over facilitating trade. Meanwhile, Sister Francesca (Tabu) arrives at the request of Constantine, who is revealed to be her son. Constantine (Josh Heuston) apologizes to Ynez for abandoning her at the Landsraad and promises not to let her down again.
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On Wallach IX, the acolytes protest the Sisterhood’s lack of care about their nightmares. Tula (Olivia Williams) tells Sister Jen that she is resistant to the nightmare and needs her help because of it. Tula takes her to Lila (Chloe Lea), who is in a feral state. Tula asks Jen to guide Lila back to herself, and Jen is able to soothe Lila.
Constantine tells his mother of Sister Kasha’s death. Baron Harrow Harkonnen (Edward Davis) comes to Desmond to offer an apology, blaming Valya for the decision. Desmond asks Harkonnen about the ties between the Sisterhood and Rebellion, offering him grace if he supplies evidence that they are interfering in the Spice trade. He tells Desmond about the underground smuggling ring in Zimia, but this does not satisfy Desmond, who wants direct dirt on Valya.
Valya reveals to Francesca that she actually summoned her, not Constantine. She asks Francesca for help in her plot to restore the Sisterhood’s influence. Francesca is to bring Corrino back to their side, get him to allow Ynez to study with the sisterhood, and have Constantine replace Desmond.
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Desmond invites Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason) to hunt for rebels, which makes him visibly nervous, but he escapes because he is in the middle of a lesson with Constantine. Atreides quickly ends the lesson, telling Constantine that he will not teach him if he does not begin to take his life seriously. Atreides warns Mikaela that her cover is blown and that Desmond is hunting her, but she says she is ready to counter an attack.
Jen nurses Lila back to health as Lila tells her about her prophecy that humanity will slide into destruction if “he” succeeds. This causes Jen to realize that Lila is not in control of her body — it is Raquella. She begins to analyze Kasha’s remains.
Baron Harkonnen consults Valya, revealing that it was all part of her plans to get him back in the Emperor’s graces. Francesca asks Corrino to give Constantine real responsibility and an opportunity to prove himself. They kiss.
Raquella (in Lila’s body) discovers that the damage is caused by a virus that targets the amygdala — the brain’s fear center. They are discovered by Avila, who is upset over their unorthodox methods.
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Desmond arrives at the rebel base and accuses Raquella of smuggling spice before he and his army wreck the place. Atreides wipes out the guards with a series of bombs, but Desmond finds a Sisterhood robe before being crushed. He survives the explosion. Atreides also discovers that Mikaela is part of the Sisterhood because of her knife. He says he doesn’t want to see her again.
Constantine asks Francesca why she had abandoned him. Francesca tells Constantine that unlike his father, who is driven by fear, he has never worried about what anyone else thinks. She says that he was brought into the world to protect his sister, who is to be the future leader of the Imperium — including from those who claimed to love her.
Mikaela tells Valya that Desmond survived and that she is upset about having to blow her cover that she has worked so long to build. However, Valya says that this sacrifice was necessary to protect Francesca. Valya sends Mikaela to a safe house on Arrakis, but Mikaela implies that her allegiance is with her people over the Sisterhood.
Constantine discovers evidence of Atreides’s plan to assassinate his father, so he reports him to Desmond. Corrino honors Constantine for exposing Atreides by deploying him to Arrakis to command the fleet. Ynez clearly shows her displeasure. She confronts Atreides, asking if he truly thinks he can bring a better Imperium, and he says yes.
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Back on Wallach IX, Lila, back in control of her body, tells Jen she could feel Raquella’s presence in her body. Meanwhile, Tula runs Desmond’s genetic sample that was sent to her by Valya through the genetic library.
Empress Natalya (Jodhi May) tells Desmond that he was chosen by Shai-Hulud, and that she had been chosen to lead the Imperium until the Sisterhood took it from her. Corrino and Francesca get back together.
As Tula gets the results from the genetic sample, finding that he is Atreides and Harkonnen, Desmond reveals to the Empress that his mother was a Sister and that he holds a grudge against her for sending him away to struggle. The Empress kisses Desmond and asks him to help her rid the Imperium of the Sisterhood forever.
IsDune: Prophecyepisode 5 good?
After episodes 3 and 4 ofDune: Prophecywere able to get viewers involved in the character and conspiracy of the show, respectively, episode 5 sees the show revert into its disinteresting ways. At this point, it’s clear that the show does not intend to offer any sort of genuinely satisfying resolution, instead serving as a bit of background to the world of the main franchise.It really is a shame because there is so much potential in the universe for different stories to be told, butDune: Prophecysimply isn’t very interesting.
Hopefully, the tepid response to this prequel series doesn’t prevent more stories from the world ofDune.
New episodes ofDune: Prophecyair on HBO and Max every Sunday at 9pm ET/PT.
Sean Boelman
Managing Editor for Film and TV
Articles Published :441
Sean is the Managing Editor for Film and Television, working to determine editorial strategy for the critics team. He has been on the FandomWire team since 2022.In addition to writing reviews himself, Sean helps match writers on the FandomWire team with assignments that best fit their interests and expertise.
