Sci-Fi Dune: Prophecy

[Sithborg]

One interesting thing happens (The drama with the dragon toy). And then it was made moot in an awful manner.
The thinking machines maybe coming back seemed like an interesting thing to explore, but it seems that will just be a minor side plot.

I'm not sure I'll see the second episode.

Some nu Dune book spoilers

Spoiler

Yeah, don't expect the actual thinking machines to show up. They don't return till Dune 7, which, yeah...

At best you will get some tensions over the fanatical ban on thinking machines vs the various tech oriented Houses pushing the limits. And apparently, there were some bull**** semi related things going on in the Great Schools trilogy, but I don't expect to see that.

At best, there is a chance Hart's abilities are tech based

 

[squeekness]

I need to watch it again. There was an awful lot to unpack in there.

 

[green]

Im gonna take a guess with Hart,

Spoiler

He's a fraud, he's using poison and setting himself up as a false prophet. This will also lead The Sisterhood to develop their ability to change poisons in the body.
Also the blue eyes Raquella saw were not thinking machines, they were Paul's.

The show's off to an ok start IMO.

 

[Sithborg]

Im gonna take a guess with Hart,

Spoiler

He's a fraud, he's using poison and setting himself up as a false prophet. This will also lead The Sisterhood to develop their ability to change poisons in the body.
Also the blue eyes Raquella saw were not thinking machines, they were Paul's.

The show's off to an ok start IMO.

Spoiler

I guess it depends on how far you think she saw into the future. If it was Dune 7 vision, then yeah, machine eyes are a possibility.

But, everything else about how they talk about the vision makes really not about Paul, though it could have been. In Frank's books, there is only one Atreides referred to as The Tyrant, and it ain't Paul

 

[green]

Spoiler

I guess it depends on how far you think she saw into the future. If it was Dune 7 vision, then yeah, machine eyes are a possibility.

But, everything else about how they talk about the vision makes really not about Paul, though it could have been. In Frank's books, there is only one Atreides referred to as The Tyrant, and it ain't Paul

mmmm, it could be but...

Spoiler

'Dune: Prophecy' episode 1: Mother Raquella's vision, explained

Let's unpack some prophecies!

mashable.com

Now, if you'll allow me to reach further, Raquella's visceral physical reaction to the eyes calls to mind another key element of Dune lore: The Kwisatz Haderach, and why the Bene Gesserit tried to create him in the first place.

As Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam tells Paul in Frank Herbert's Dune, "We look down so many avenues of the past...but only feminine avenues... Yet, there's a place where no Truthsayer can see. We are repelled by it, terrorized. It is said a man will come one day and find in the gift of the [Truthsayer] drug his inward eye. He will look where we cannot — into both masculine and feminine pasts."

With that in mind, perhaps the strange space where Raquella sees the eyes is some form of that masculine past, one that prevents Raquella and the other Sisters from looking deeper. If it is, its presence in Dune: Prophecy could be the push the Sisters need to begin refining their breeding index and kick off the terrifying eugenics project that will one day result in Paul Atreides.

makes sense.

 

[Weather Witch]

Some nu Dune book spoilers

Spoiler

Yeah, don't expect the actual thinking machines to show up. They don't return till Dune 7, which, yeah...

At best you will get some tensions over the fanatical ban on thinking machines vs the various tech oriented Houses pushing the limits. And apparently, there were some bull**** semi related things going on in the Great Schools trilogy, but I don't expect to see that.

At best, there is a chance Hart's abilities are tech based

Speculation, but does rely on some book info regarding the term 'Arafel', so read at your own peril. One thing I could see happening...

Spoiler

is that they build up to a conflict with Arafel or an artificial 'machine consciousness' or 'god' that they defeat before it fully comes into being. The word specifically means judgement from god (essentially) but is referenced as an artificial creation in the scant mentions from Frank Herbert's books.

It says Ixians can still make normal machines but aren't able to make Arafel anymore for... some reason. That reason could be explored here. Some added proof for this is that the show added 'tyrant' Arafel to underline that it's a 'living' (and honestly hostile) being.

The book also describes it as 'cloud darkness of holy judgement' or 'cloud-darkness at the end of the universe'. That's my best guess for what the blue eyes in space are going to be. It also ties in with Hart saying there's a 'god' out there and might help explain his abilities, which I agree are probably tech-based.

And this kind of explains the screentime dedicated to the Battle of Corrin and the little toy robot in this episode. If the threat is an artificial being, you need to know this history.

 

[Sithborg]

Lets just say my skimming of the summaries of the Great School trilogy does somewhat go there. Which, dear god, I hope the series doesn't.

 

[Weather Witch]

Lets just say my skimming of the summaries of the Great School trilogy does somewhat go there. Which, dear god, I hope the series doesn't.

It does kinda feel like something Brian Herbert and KJA would come up with honestly. It's not a given since we're only one episode in, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's this literal. I reserve the right to be completely wrong though!

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

I really like the opening title sequence that we got starting with this second episode. Follows the trend we've seen with HBO shows like Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon, Westworld, and His Dark Materials.

 

[Sithborg]

Ahh, there's those HBO requirements.

I like how they showed the agony and the horde of past lives. I wonder if Lila is heading toward abomination.

Interesting twist on Kieran Atriedes. Making him a bit of a rebel is interesting. And being part of spice smuggling is a nice way to get a Femen into the show.

As for Hart, I'm beginning to think he is a Tleilaxu agent. The name drop of Vorian Atriedes has me worried. Probably going to get Tula's backstory there (jfc Brian and KJA). I worry Hart is Vorian in disguise.

Still, Valya smiling about getting an Atriedes killed made my happy.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I saw a lore video last week speculating that Desmond could be an acolyte of Leto II who got his abilities after Leto reached out to him from the future and showed him the Golden Path to set it in motion. Not sure how accurate that would be lore-wise but it’s an interesting possibility and given that we have Lila reaching back to her ancestors in this episode, I guess it’s a possibility.

Interesting swerve with Kieran and then also with Mikaela, though I think maybe they should have saved the Mikaela reveal with her until a little bit later so it didn’t feel like “Wait! This guy isn’t who he seems! But wait! Neither is she!” Still, I like that everyone is playing their own secret game and I like the actress (check out The Tourist on Netflix if you haven’t seen it).

Speaking of secrets, Desmond never outright admits that he killed Kasha in the way that he admitted killing annoying little prince boy. The show obviously wants us to think that he did but the Emperor's line questioning how he could do it at such a great distance leads me to think there is definitely a traitor within the Sisterhood. Not sure who it is yet, though one of the young sisters (not Lila though) seems like a likely culprit because they have to be spending so much time on them for some reason.

Anyway, solid second episode. I like that we got more of Tula here and got to see that she’s not as ruthless as her sister. There also seems to be more to Constantine than the foppish playboy he appears to be. And Natalya definitely has more backbone and determination than her overmatched husband, though the outcomes of her actions might prove devastating.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Enjoyed the first episode. Will watch the 2nd really soon. I only ever read the first book so I found the stuff with the thinking machines quite interesting.

 

[Weather Witch]

Title sequence was great and I really liked how this expanded on the pilot. Rebellion storyline needs a bit more screentime though.

Spoiler

I like that Desmond doesn't seem to be fully in the know about what is going on. Much better than him playing coy for a few episodes. Again, makes an outside influence or threat more likely though. I also subscribe to the traitor in the school theory. Don't think it was Desmond who killed her.

Thought they visualized the agony really well.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the direction this is heading in. Don't think the show will have an incredibly broad appeal admittedly, but if it continues to improve, I think viewership will grow with binge watching.

Edit: also did some lore diving to see how likely Tleilaxu involvement at this point is.

Spoiler

Their precursors, the Tlulaxa (show might not use that name) are said to be coming out of the shadows again slowly after the Battle of Corrin. They do replacement organs (Demonds eyes?) and curry for the Corrinos favor. Doesn't have to be the direction they go in, but it lines up pretty well. Especially given how they're positioned as the BG's enemies. The precursor groups of both fighting makes a lot of sense.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Enjoyed the 2nd episode also. Even more so realising the main Atreides is played by a fellow Scouser using his own accent no less. Nice to hear our accent in a show like this.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

I thought the second episode was definitely an improvement over the pilot episode. While I'm not all that familiar with the complex lore stuff I'm really enjoying the build-up and political intrigue here.

Mark Strong has so much screen presence and gravitas in this show which is just perfect casting IMO and I'm definitely getting early GOT vibes from this as far as the character interactions go.

The first episode got my attention, but after this episode I'm pretty much hooked/invested in the rest of this show and I'm really curious to see where all this goes next.

 

[blueharvest]

How ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Showrunner Created a Conversation With Denis Villeneuve’s Movies

Alison Schapker talks to The Hollywood Reporter about how the end of the Great Machine Wars 116 years earlier informs the fraught world of the Max series' dual timeline.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[Sithborg]

As much as I like the young actors for Valya and Tula, we did not need that full flashback. I am invested in the present day stuff, not the bull**** Nu Dune backstory.

Spoiler

Ooops, Tula's making a Navigator{/spoiler]

 

[squeekness]

I'm going to need to rewatch these episodes. The complexity is hard to process with a week in between episodes.

 

[Sithborg]

The big problem is they are pulling directly from the 6 prequel novels. And it feels as if there is a certain expectation to have read them, with big events referenced happening off screen.

And they keep tossing out Vorian Atreides name, like what the hell.

 

[squeekness]

I've only read three or so Dune novels and that was over 20 years ago. None of them were prequel books.

 

[Weather Witch]

The flashback was overly long, but I did enjoy the episode overall. That final reveal I think will probably ruffle some feathers. Works well in the context of this show though.

The big problem is they are pulling directly from the 6 prequel novels. And it feels as if there is a certain expectation to have read them, with big events referenced happening off screen.

Admittedly the only problem is just that some people don't want to engage with prequel material. I don't love all of it either, but it's the show's source material. People I'm watching the show with haven't even read any of Frank Herbert's books and they have absolutely no problem keeping up.

I did like the motif of

Spoiler

the bull returning

 

[Deck Rickard]

Yeah, I haven’t read the prequel books but I’m not having a lot of trouble following it. It does seem like this thread kind of died after the premiere though. It’s a shame; I feel like the show is really good and I’m fully on board with it. It’s not perfect, but few shows are. I really liked what they did with Tula here. I guess that’s from the books, but regardless, it was pretty shocking and really gave you some insight into her character that she can be perhaps even more ruthless than Valya when she needs to. Or maybe because she did what she did, she’s constantly seeking atonement. Either way, I liked it.

 

[Drizzle]

I like the show fine but it's not something like Penguin or any number of past HBO shows where I stop what I'm doing at 9 PM on Sundays and make the time for it. I think it's decent but I'm not as into it as the movies.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

As much as I like the young actors for Valya and Tula, we did not need that full flashback. I am invested in the present day stuff, not the bull**** Nu Dune backstory.

Spoiler

Ooops, Tula's making a Navigator{/spoiler]

Your spoiler : if that happens the show will be even worst than what it already did with The Bene Gesserit.

 

[Sithborg]

Your spoiler : if that happens the show will be even worst than what it already did with The Bene Gesserit.

Spoiler

I think the likelyhood is the result is what causes the Sisterhood to start switching to the water of live instead of the rossack drug for the Agony. That is the type of thing they liked to do in the prequel books. Just laughing because that is kind of how you do make a Navigator.