The High-Handed Enemy

I'll be honest. I was skeptical during the first few episodes of this show. I'm a somewhat enthusiastic fan of the original books but haven't read any of the prequels by Brian, but haven't heard that many great things about it. The beginning was slow and somewhat uninspired. However this last episode knocks it out if the park. It has everything I desire in a great show: action, intrigue, great cinematography and thrilling character development. If you didn't like Dune Prophecy so far, please give it a try and watch this episode. The last scene (I won't spoil) leaving us on a cliffhanger might be some fanservice, but I'm here for it.

I was quite excited for this as I'm quite a bit fan of Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" films. The actual series though I ended up feeling a little indifferent about, more of which I'll talk about later.

Thousands of years before the events of the Dune movies, Valya Harkonnen (Jessica Barden/Emily Watson) takes control of the Bene Gesserit in order to allow their breeding programme to continue towards the eventual arrival of the Kwisatz Haderach. They provide a sister to each of the great houses that operate as 'Truthsayer' for them, but also that report back information to Valya. The Emperor Corrino (Mark Strong) welcomes into his house a solder thought lost in the war with the Fremen on Arrakis. Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) swears his allegiance to The Emperor and gets an immediate chance to prove his worth.

Prequel series are very much in vogue at the moment, so perhaps that's reason enough for this series to have been produced. My concern is that, so far, it doesn't seem to have a compelling reason for telling this particular story. It makes a similar mistake to the ones made by "House of the Dragon" and "Rings of Power" of introducing a whole cavalcade of similarly dressed characters and expecting you to track who each of them are. Whereas "HOTD" and to a lesser extent "ROP" eventually overcame these problems with me, so far "Dune Prophecy" has not, and I've never really gotten a handle on the allegiances and motivations of each character, for their betrayals to have an emotional effect.

It also suffers a little from a lack of distinct vision. It lacks Villeneuve's visual style, obviously, but it also feels like the shifting sands of creative forces have made the show more generic. It's tough to pick on one particular example, but I'm going to use Travis Fimmel - who is using exactly the same crazy eyes, enigmatic charisma and, frankly, outfit from "Raised by Wolves" again here.

I'm going to come back for season two, but I could do with the show improving to keep me interested.

As a long-time fan of Frank Herbert's "Dune" - a novel that captivated me from the moment I first turned its pages - I came into "Dune: Prophecy" with cautious optimism. The world of Arrakis, with its intricate politics, profound philosophies, and larger-than-life characters, has always held a special place in my imagination. Adapting that world into a series was a daunting task, and while the show has been a good experience overall, it hasn't quite lived up to the novel's legacy. Nowhere is that more evident than in the Season 1 finale, "The High-Handed Enemy," where episodes of tension reach a high, yet fall kinda flat.

This episode, like much of the series, is a mixed bag. On one hand, it reinforces a growing frustration: the sense that the show lacks a clear direction. Instead of tying up the numerous threads woven throughout the season, it opts to leave many unresolved, clearly banking on the second season to pick up the pieces. While the approach creates anticipation for what's to come, it also leaves the journey feeling incomplete. Watching this finale, I couldn't shake the feeling that much of what I'd invested in this season wasn't truly paid off. Characterization has been a consistent sticking point for the series, and this episode continues that trend. Tula's struggle with Desmond's true identity finally reaches a tipping point, but the resolution feels rushed and a little shallow considering the buildup. Valya, meanwhile, is at her scheming best, and her climactic confrontation with Desmond crackles with tension. Still, there are moments where character motivations feel inconsistent or underserved, a problem that has plagued the show from the start. To its credit, though, "The High-Handed Enemy" gives most characters a conclusion that feels true to their arcs, even if those arcs have sometimes been uneven. Visually, "The High-Handed Enemy" is a triumph. The sweeping vistas, the interplay of light and shadow in critical scenes, and the emotionally charged use of visual storytelling elevate the episode. Several key moments rely less on dialogue and more on powerful imagery to convey emotion, and those moments resonate deeply. The aesthetic of "Dune: Prophecy" has been consistently stunning, and the finale continues that tradition.

"The High-Handed Enemy" proves that "Dune: Prophecy" has been a good, if imperfect, adaptation of Herbert's world. It captures the surface of what makes "Dune" great - the politics, the visuals, the scope - but it struggles to capture the depth. For a fan of "Dune," it's hard not to feel both excitement for what's to come and a twinge of disappointment at what could have been.

A strong and satisfying conclusion to Season 1, leaving us eager for Season 2. This episode is packed with revelations-some even darker than the series as a whole, and Dune: Prophecy is already quite dark! I expected the season to end in a more open-ended way, but was pleasantly surprised to see the narrative narrow its focus, setting a clearer path for what's to come.

While the previous episode made it feel like everyone was involved in some sort of conspiracy, this finale brings clarity: we now know who's on whose side, why, and what the reasons and consequences are. Notably, this episode features a lot of action-at least by Dune standards. After all, the story is generally more slow-moving and contemplative. I'm really looking forward to the next season.

Where to even start??

This show somehow managed to make incredibly large universe of Dune feel so tiny and small.

It was basically confined into few rooms that it was shot at.

On the main protagonists of the story (mothers)... they are basically evil witches, killing their own kind due to disagreement or opposing views with feeling no remorse and expecting us to accept it as the only (right) way.

The Empire (and Emperor), man.. it was hard to watch Mark Strong being treated like this. I hope he got paid well since this was a travesty on his career resume.

Seems like all the Emperors and other important figures are just a mockery, puppets placed in their position by mothers that want to rule the galaxy.

Soldiers of the Empire are somehow even less capable then Stormtroppers in Star Wars, getting killed by everybody that needs to ket the scene through alive.

Sad to see all of that together...

Hollywood girlboss stories are deeply empty, no content there (also in this show). If you are into Dune, you can only expect to see some VFX here that will make yopu feel something even for a bit, after that, each episode is a chore to get throguh.

Bad writing, bad story, bad taste of the Dune universe...