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 had high hopes for this series, especially with all the potential it had to offer, but unfortunately, the writing left me completely underwhelmed. It feels dull and lacks the spark needed to pull me in. The story had so much going for it, a fascinating concept and a world that seemed ripe for exploration, but the execution just doesn't do it justice. The pacing feels off, the characters lack depth, and the narrative fails to grab attention. It's disappointing because I wanted to enjoy this, but instead, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. This could have been so much more. All in all a disappointment.

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.

The Machines are the puppet masters. I wrote about this possibility in my review of episode 4 of season 1. The Machines want what every body wants - Control, Survival, Dominance.

The season finale excites with some story themes for season 2: A. The Tula-Desmond arch - can mother control the machine in Desmond, possibly teach him to lose his childhood fears to overcome the control of the machines

B. Ynes-Atriedes arch - will their partnership and bond stop Natalya's ambition to be Empress

C. Valya - the most exciting storyline of all. What new schemes and plots will she hatch next

D. New-Dorotea-Lila - she doesn't need AI? Anirul the servant machine brought Lila back. Are the Machines controlling her now? Is Anirul the Machine God.

E. The Machines - they operate in the Darkness. Valya needs more than mind power to fight them.

F. Shadowy 'human' figure in Valya's Fear-Machines dream - is Valya's new foe on Arrakis? Valya going for this puppet master is the right fearless strategy. Are the Machines not in control? Is this shadow puppet master the Machine God or a new unseen foe with a bigger plan?

Season 2 is coming in 2025.

Unfortunately, another mediocre episode written by mediocre writers. Talent is no longer important in the "entertainment industry" anyway.

Aside from the mostly bad casting, the script is boring and the characters that could have been great were written to fit the standards of a teen soap opera.

All that aside, the Sisterhood is the villain here and Valya is an evil witch who manipulates and kills anyone just to achieve her goal of dominating the realm.

The Emperor is portrayed as a weakling, when in fact he is not a bad person, and his fault is that he allowed himself to be influenced by the evil witches.

After all, Desmond Hart is the only really interesting character. Valya is a truly disgusting character, who shows no remorse, even her sister Tula is better than her, at least she shows some signs of conscience.

Emily Watson is a completely wrong choice for this role, completely hilarious and unconvincing. Olivia Williams would be much better in the role of Valya.

At least Travis Fimmel did the best he could, considering the script is pretty bad. Indeed, the "Sisterhood" is the cause of all evil here, after Valya killed those who disagreed with her, she took control and turned the "Sisterhood" into a disgusting, power-hungry organization.

The fight scenes are bad, and the character of Princess Ynez Corrino is especially hilarious, a spoiled brat who kills the emperor's trained guards and soldiers with ease as if they had no training at all. It's especially funny when she defeats someone twice her size.

Empress Natalya is also not really a villain, but someone who sees what the "Sisterhood" is really like.

This could have even been good, if only the writers were better. Unfortunately, this is just another mediocre series, because, as I said, talent no longer matters in the "entertainment industry", which has almost nothing to do with entertainment anymore anyway.