TL;DR – Games with games, betrayals with betrayals, prophecies with prophecies.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this series.

Dune Prophecy Review –

Now that I have watched the first two episodes of Dune Prophecy, I can see what sort of vibe they are going for. It is safe to say that this series is not going to be for everyone. Indeed, it is tonally quite different from the two Dune Films, but probably not so different from the next Dune Film, whenever it happens. However, I will say that the one person this series is for is me, and I am pleased about that fact.  

So, to set the scene, in The Hidden Hand, we see that many different factions are moving in secret to find power in this new empire. The sisters of the Bene Gesserit are at a crossroads, wondering where their future will lead. Spice mining is becoming more difficult, but that might be one of the Great Houses moving for power rather than rebellion from the local population. Also, political marriages are becoming tense when child husbands end up dead. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

This was only the second episode of the season, but they did not hold back when it came to discussing and developing some very critical information. For example, in one scene, they let it slip that Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason) has another agenda, not for House Atreides, but as a significant player in the rebellion that is affecting the production of spice. But in the very next scene, his secret is betrayed to Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) because one of the core members of the rebellion is a secret sister, and more than that, the entire rebellion is a Bene Gesserit plot to weaken Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong) so he would be more pliable for them.

Where this episode is bookended is in the two meetings between Valya and Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel). It’s likely the two wolves that the title is referencing. In the first meeting, Valya is in the power position as she has the ear of the Emperor and Desmond is in chains. Desmond is an enigma because he tells the truth, but he also clearly has an agenda that he is not sharing. But he can kill people across space and time, and that makes him possibly useful. The dynamic at the end, when not even the voice works against him, was palpable. The calm terror in his eyes was haunting. I am honestly loving everything that Travis Fimmel is doing here.

While I generally enjoyed this episode, there were a couple of rough edges here and there. The first is that while I did like that they matched the shield effects with the Movie, filming a scene like that in an extreme close-up shows that you didn’t have the time or budget to choreograph an action scene properly. It was interesting to see Constantine (Josh Heuston) try to get information out of a rival and only be the one to let things slip. However, that whole scene felt like it only existed because we needed to remind people we were on HBO. Also, while I liked that the nascent Reverend Mother trial is different because they have not discovered the suitable poison to use yet. That ending could not be more foreshadowed if they had held up a big neon sign saying Lila (Chloe Lea) would die.              

In the end, do we recommend Dune Prophecy: Two Wolves? Yes, we do. While there was a little clunkiness here and there. I enjoyed my time in the murky worlds that we explored. Where opportunity and failure can be found on a knife’s edge.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Dune Prophecy yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Dune Prophecy
Directed by – John Cameron
Written by – Elizabeth Padden & Kor Adana
Created by – Diane Ademu-John & Alison Schapker
Based On – Great Schools of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson & Dune by Frank Herbert
Production/Distribution Companies – Wandering Jew Productions, Herbert Propties, Inc., Flying Life, Legendary Television, HBO & Binge
Starring – Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Chloe Lea, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin & Mark Strong With Jade Anouka, Josh Heuston, Faoileann Cunningham & Aoife Hinds And Jessica Barden, Jihae, Camilla Beeput, Cathy Tyson, Barbara Marten, Brendan Cowell, Sam Spruell, Karima McAdams, Tessa Bonham Jones, Flora Montgomery & Laura Howard