On the frozen planet Lankiveil, the Harkonnens have accepted their shame throughout the Machine Wars. They spend their lives whaling (furry house whales!), which satisfies everybody however Valya. She despises her household’s complacency nearly as a lot as she does Vorian Atreides, who she considers a pox upon her household. When her brilliant older brother Griffin (Earl Cave) dies at Vorian’s palms (no, it’s not fairly so simple as the Harkonnens make it sound), Valya turns into absolutely dedicated to the Atreides’ downfall.
It’s usually a bit unfair to ask a youthful actor like Barden to play the identical character as a longtime actor like Emily Watson. However whereas neither model of Valya is especially complicated, the present largely saddles the older actor with exposition about stuff that’s alleged to be secret. Barden will get to play an indignant, single-minded and self-righteous younger girl, which she does with a chopping voice and furrowed eyebrows. Barden’s vast and open face betrays Valya’s vulnerability, one thing extra primal than what her household (together with an uncle performed by Mark Addy, which doesn’t assist the unflattering comparisons to Recreation of Thrones).
However the actual standout is Tula’s story, which cuts from a confrontation with Valya to her dwelling beneath the title Veil (very inconspicuous, this one) with the Atreides on Caladan. Tula has fallen for the good-looking and sort Orry Atreides (Milo Callaghan), and whereas some members of his tribe suspect the outsider, she’s largely welcomed and helps put together the hunt for the bull. After all, all of their belief and understanding will get paid off with homicide, as Tula kills the Atreides at Valya’s behest, however there’s nonetheless a hoop of reality to it.
Canning is a revelation because the youthful Tula. She makes no try to cover Tula’s feelings, at the same time as her character does her evil deeds in opposition to the mild Orry. The look of willpower on Canning’s face as Tula stabs poison into Orry’s neck makes completely clear what Tula can not say, that she’s sacrificing every part for her sister’s vendetta. When juxtaposed in opposition to scenes of the grownup Tula standing over the physique of the lifeless Lila (Chloe Lea), the lady she raised and who died whereas present process the Agony at Valya’s behest, the sacrifice provides unimaginable depth to the character, made all of the richer as a result of it’s by no means described out loud.
So unimaginable is Tula’s emotional reveal that it dwarfs the plot reveal in the identical episode. On the finish of the episode, Tula takes Lila’s physique to the key birthing chamber that Mom Raquella confirmed Valya earlier, the place they use banished pondering machines to engineer a correct chief. Appearing independently of Valya, Tula orders the machine (known as “Anirul,” a really vital title within the Dune world) to start reviving Lila.
Certainly, the final moments are compelling, particularly as they draw a connection between Valya and Tula’s plots and the key of Desmond Hart. However a lot of Dune: Prophecy has put plot earlier than folks, making the characters really feel each bit the items of on the chessboard that the varied schemers describe.