The episode’s beating heart lies in the fractured relationship of the Harkonnen sisters, Valya and Tula, whose paths mirror and oppose each other in fascinating ways. Tula’s revenge plot against House Atreides—executed with chilling precision—dominates the episode’s present-day narrative. Emma Canning brings unexpected depth to Tula, painting her as both a calculated killer and an empathetic soul wracked with guilt. Her poisoning of the Atreides camp, sparing only a young boy (sure to be a mistake!), is pure Harkonnen theatrics: ruthless and deeply personal.
Valya’s journey, meanwhile, unfolds largely in flashbacks (gosh I hate flashbacks in a six part series - Ed), and Jessica Barden’s portrayal of the younger Harkonnen captures her fiery ambition and simmering rage.
Her discovery of the Voice, albeit in a rushed and somewhat unearned moment of duress, underscores the emerging themes of power and sacrifice. Yet, as exhilarating as it is to see these threads woven together, the explanation for the Voice’s origin feels reductive, akin to revealing the trick behind a magician’s best illusion. The mystique of such a tool—a cornerstone of the Bene Gesserit’s power—deserved more respect.
Much of the episode’s success stems from its focus on character-driven storytelling. The decision to peel back the Harkonnen sisters’ layers through flashbacks to their harsh upbringing on Lankiveil adds richness to their motivations. This frozen wasteland, with its grim whale-meat economy, mirrors the icy resentment that fuels Valya’s drive for vengeance. Griffin Harkonnen’s tragic fate, manipulated by his sister’s ambitions, cements Valya’s role as a moral wildcard: not entirely villainous, but deeply flawed in her pursuit of power.
The flashbacks also grant Tula a complexity that’s been missing from her previous appearances. Her cold-blooded assassination of her Atreides lover and his family doesn’t just signal her descent into darkness—it highlights her inner conflict. Unlike Valya, whose ambition often blinds her, Tula feels the weight of her actions. This duality makes her a far more compelling figure, one whose choices carry the narrative’s emotional heft.
Thematically, “Sisterhood Above All” raises intriguing questions about loyalty and identity. The titular motto, often spouted by the Bene Gesserit, reveals itself to be more ideological than practical. Tula’s defiance in saving Lila—despite the Sisterhood’s disapproval—exposes the tension between personal bonds and institutional dogma. Meanwhile, Valya’s use of the Sisterhood as a means to restore Harkonnen prestige betrays the Bene Gesserit’s supposed neutrality, tying its origin story to one of the Imperium’s most infamous houses.
Visually, the episode stumbles. The depiction of the thinking machines, with glowing code etched into walls, feels like a missed opportunity for grandeur. For a series steeped in Herbert’s intricate universe, this lackluster representation diminishes the gravity of their introduction. The thinking machines should have evoked awe and terror, yet here they’re reduced to sci-fi clichés. It’s a rare moment where the show falters in translating Dune’s scope to the screen.
Despite this, “Sisterhood Above All” succeeds where its predecessors faltered: it brings the human drama of Dune to life. The tension between Valya and Tula, the echoes of Griffin’s death, and the shadow of the Bene Gesserit’s moral ambiguity elevate the episode beyond mere exposition. These are characters with stakes, caught in a web of personal and political machinations that feel ripped from Herbert’s pages.
Of course, the pacing remains an issue. While the flashbacks are compelling, they dominate the runtime, leaving little room for the present-day story to breathe. The Harkonnen sisters are captivating, but the series risks sidelining other players in its rush to establish their dominance.
Much of the episode’s success stems from its focus on character-driven storytelling. The decision to peel back the Harkonnen sisters’ layers through flashbacks to their harsh upbringing on Lankiveil adds richness to their motivations. This frozen wasteland, with its grim whale-meat economy, mirrors the icy resentment that fuels Valya’s drive for vengeance. Griffin Harkonnen’s tragic fate, manipulated by his sister’s ambitions, cements Valya’s role as a moral wildcard: not entirely villainous, but deeply flawed in her pursuit of power.
The flashbacks also grant Tula a complexity that’s been missing from her previous appearances. Her cold-blooded assassination of her Atreides lover and his family doesn’t just signal her descent into darkness—it highlights her inner conflict. Unlike Valya, whose ambition often blinds her, Tula feels the weight of her actions. This duality makes her a far more compelling figure, one whose choices carry the narrative’s emotional heft.
Thematically, “Sisterhood Above All” raises intriguing questions about loyalty and identity. The titular motto, often spouted by the Bene Gesserit, reveals itself to be more ideological than practical. Tula’s defiance in saving Lila—despite the Sisterhood’s disapproval—exposes the tension between personal bonds and institutional dogma. Meanwhile, Valya’s use of the Sisterhood as a means to restore Harkonnen prestige betrays the Bene Gesserit’s supposed neutrality, tying its origin story to one of the Imperium’s most infamous houses.
Visually, the episode stumbles. The depiction of the thinking machines, with glowing code etched into walls, feels like a missed opportunity for grandeur. For a series steeped in Herbert’s intricate universe, this lackluster representation diminishes the gravity of their introduction. The thinking machines should have evoked awe and terror, yet here they’re reduced to sci-fi clichés. It’s a rare moment where the show falters in translating Dune’s scope to the screen.
Despite this, “Sisterhood Above All” succeeds where its predecessors faltered: it brings the human drama of Dune to life. The tension between Valya and Tula, the echoes of Griffin’s death, and the shadow of the Bene Gesserit’s moral ambiguity elevate the episode beyond mere exposition. These are characters with stakes, caught in a web of personal and political machinations that feel ripped from Herbert’s pages.
Of course, the pacing remains an issue. While the flashbacks are compelling, they dominate the runtime, leaving little room for the present-day story to breathe. The Harkonnen sisters are captivating, but the series risks sidelining other players in its rush to establish their dominance.
In a six-episode season, every scene must serve the greater narrative—a lesson Dune: Prophecy has yet to fully internalize...
Ultimately, Episode 3 is a turning point.
Ultimately, Episode 3 is a turning point.
By focusing on revenge and its repercussions, it delivers an experience that’s emotionally resonant and thematically rich. It may not have fully solved the series’ larger issues of uneven world-building and pacing, but it proves that Dune: Prophecy can be more than a footnote in the franchise. With the sisters’ fates and the Bene Gesserit’s future hanging in the balance, the spice must flow—and so must the story.
Bene Bits
- Tula’s poisoning of the Atreides family recalls the deeply entrenched vendettas of the Great Houses, a hallmark of Dune’s political intrigue. This act reflects the series’ commitment to exploring the generational consequences of the Butlerian Jihad.
- The episode controversially attributes the discovery of the Voice to Valya Harkonnen during a moment of distress. In the novels, the Voice is a product of millennia of genetic engineering and rigorous training, making this a significant departure from the source material.
- The flashbacks reveal the full extent of House Harkonnen’s fall, portraying them as exiles on Lankiveil, a frozen world of whale meat and fur trade. This contrasts sharply with their future prominence as one of the most feared houses in the Imperium.
- The episode delves into the motto "Sisterhood Above All," challenging its literal meaning by showing Tula’s defiance of the Bene Gesserit’s authority in saving Lila. This tension reflects the recurring theme in Dune of institutions being at odds with individual morality.
- Episode 3 unveils the thinking machines, the key antagonists of the Butlerian Jihad. Their depiction as glowing, code-infused walls sparked debate among fans, as many felt the series missed an opportunity to capture the machines’ existential threat and grandeur.
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