Dune Prophecy Episode 4 Recap: Twice Born

The plot thickens in HBO’s ‘Dune: Prophecy’ as the prophecized reckoning inches closer, threatening the delicate balance of the Imperium and challenging the power that the Sisterhood has over it. With Desmond Hart’s increasing influence on the Emperor, Mother Superior Valya comes up with a new plan to challenge his status and worm her way back into power. She goes back home and meets her uncle and nephew, who now rule over House Harkonnen. Meanwhile, trouble brews in Salusa Secundus as a rebel plot takes shape, which Valya hopes will turn the tide in her favor. SPOILERS AHEAD

Valya Uses the Rebels to Get Back in the Emperor’s Good Graces

With all that has happened, Valya knows that the only way she can get the Emperor back in her hold is through something very significant. Through her spy, Sister Mikaela, she discovers a rebel plot to blow up the palace during the next meeting of the Landsraad. The explosion is to take place with the help of a thinking machine. Valya plans to destroy the machine just in time to prevent the explosion and save the Emperor as well as all the leaders of the Great Houses who are there to attend the meeting. But for that, she needs to be there in person, which is where Harrow Harkonnen comes into the picture.

Following the war against the machines, the Harkonnens have been exiled in Lankiveil. They are not invited to the Landsraad, so Valya comes up with a plan. She uses the Sisters, who are placed as Truthsayers for other Houses, to plant the idea of a cover-up of the death of young Pruwet Richese. The Sisters advise the Lords to speak up against House Corrino, accusing them of murdering the Richese boy and then keeping quiet about it. However, it is a huge risk to blame the Emperor for a crime, which is why they need someone who can take that risk for them. All fingers point towards House Harkonnen.

While her uncle is wary of her ideas, Valya succeeds in convincing Harrow to go forward with her plan, though she doesn’t give him the full gist of it. As far as Harrow knows, he has gained Mother Superior of the Sisterhood as his personal Truthsayer, which already gives enough weight to his presence in the Landsraad, which is an achievement in itself after he is personally invited by two leaders of different Houses. Encouraged by Valya, Harrow takes the stage on the day of the congregation. He asks for a formal inquiry into the death of Pruwet Richese. But before he can point the finger at the Emperor, Princess Ynez comes forward and does it for him. From here, nothing goes as Valya had planned.

How is Lila Alive? Is She the Reckoning?

While things go awry on Salusa Secundus, some very disturbing events take place on Wallach IX. In the middle of the night, almost all Sisters, except Jen, have a dream about their death, much like how Sister Dorotea was killed all those years ago. When Tula tries to understand their dream, they all draw the same thing, which points towards Shai-Hulud, the sandworm. The Sisters interpret it as the eyes of God and a judgment falling upon them for their sins. This terrifies Tula, as she has a fair share of blood on her hands.

While Tula tries to understand what’s happening, she also prays for Lila to come back to life. In the previous episode, she’d put the girl in the hands of the secret AI, Anirul, hoping that the spice could bring her back. Her theory is also bolstered by the part of prophecy that speaks of the twice-born and their second birth coming from spice. Valya believes that it refers to Desmond Hart, but she has no idea what Tula has been up to in her absence. After waiting a long time and being haunted by her demons in the process, Tula’s wish comes true.

After a terrifying vision, where she is found by Sister Jen, whose throat she has to slit, Tula wakes up to find the machine where she’d kept Lila empty. The vision also refers to the death of Sister Dorotea, mixed with the visions that were also seen by Mother Raquella. But all of that disperses from Tula’s mind when she discovers that the spice and the machine have done their work, and Lila is now brought back to life. A clear sign of spice appears in her eyes, which have now adopted the trademark blue of Arrakeen’s eyes. Lila seems confused about her resurrection, but what shocks her even further is to see Anirul in its full glory. It remains to be seen how the Agony and the resurrection have changed her, but she sure does fit the criteria of the reckoning promised by the prophecy.

Why Did Valya Kill Her Uncle?

At Salusa Secundus, things take a turn for the worse when, despite being accused of murder, Desmond Hart turns the whole thing around. He confesses that he did, in fact, kill Pruwet Richese but calls it an execution for using the thinking machine. He also brings forward the rebels who had planned to blow up the Landsraad, snatching another victory right from Valya’s hands. On the Emperor’s order, he kills the rebels and one leader of a House, and the display of power does exactly what Empress Natalya had hoped. However, it also disillusions Ynez about the sudden turn that her parents seem to have taken.

Now, neither the bomb goes off nor is the Emperor brought under scrutiny for keeping a killer like Desmond Hart close to himself. A defeated Valya, along with a dejected Harrow, goes back home, where her uncle ridicules her yet again. He chides Harrow for going forward with Valya’s plan, believing that she was helping him when all she did was help herself. The young Baron, however, is in no mood to hear anything at the moment, so he leaves. Later that night, Valya finds her uncle and confronts him about speaking out of turn against her. Once again, he blames her for Griffin’s death and uses Tula’s loyalty to turn her against the family.

He blames her ambition for everything that went wrong all those years ago, but Valya holds on to the belief that if her ambition had been allowed to take shape, House Harkonnen would have ruled the Imperium. Her anger and hatred lead her to keep her uncle’s inhaler from him, which is necessary for him to stay alive. When he doesn’t get the help he needs, he perishes right in front of her, and this is exactly what Valya wanted.

What are Theo’s Powers?

When Valya joined the Sisterhood, she gave up her love for House Harkonnen, especially after Tula killed Vorian Atreides and Griffin was avenged. With the Bene Gesserit being her only family, she doesn’t care whom she has to sacrifice and turn into a stepping stone to give what she wants. It is her hatred for House Harkonnen that keeps her from giving them a Truthsayer, even though she knows that they desperately need one. She only comes to their aid when she figures that they will be of some use to her. Now that the Harkonnens are in the Landsraad, Valya needs them to be completely under her control, especially after the debacle at Salusa Secundus.

Valya knows that as long as her uncle is alive, she will not be able to have a complete hold on the Harkonnens. So, she kills him. Then, she has Harrow. With the uncle gone, Valya will have control over him. On top of that, Valya has a new weapon she has been keeping a secret: Sister Theo. It turns out that Theo has a secret power, and she can take the form of any person she desires. She is a Face Dancer. This is the secret thing in her past that she was referring to in an earlier episode, and Valya knew about it all along. This is why she brought Theo to Lankiveil. However, how exactly she uses Theo’s powers remains to be seen.

Read More: When Does Dune: Prophecy Take Place? How is it Connected to the Dune Movies?