Prophecy episode 3 shifts between timelines and we learn how their shared history deeply impacts their present actions and future decisions. It goes through their struggles, family ties, and larger forces at play within the Sisterhood.
Valya’s Plan to Regain Control
It opens with Valya, having been thrown out of court in the previous episode’s conclusion. Full of rage and frustration, Valya manages to catch up with several Sisters by the harbor. They come up with a strategy to have the rest of the Sisters grip on their power in their very noble house and let Valya get back to her mission of re-winning House Corrino. As the Sisters close in, Valya is confronted with ominous news of the murder of the elusive Sister Lila along with a cryptic message from Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson). The two of them, Valya and Sister Theodosia, go to Salusa Secundus, where they are greeted by Valya’s family, including her elusive uncle, Evgeny Harkonnen (Mark Addy), as well as the Baron Harrow Harkonnen (Edward Davis).
A Glimpse of the Past: Young Valya’s Family
The show takes us to the homeworld of the House Harkonnen, Lankiveil, years ago where we see a young Valya (Jessica Barden). She returns to face the disappointment of her parents’ faces at the hands of Sonia (Polly Walker) and Vergyl (David Bark-Jones); but she gets support from her siblings, Griffin (Earl Cave) and Tula (Emma Canning). As the family discusses sending back Vorian Atreides, Valya sees an opportunity to regain the honor that was lost. Ambitious in nature, she wants Vorian to retract all the false tales that deplorably damaged House Harkonnen’s respect. Fate has her witness her brother Griffin killed by Vorian; this thrusts her into a pursuit of revenge. This loss drives her to the Sisterhood, where she looks forward to gaining the power to wreak havoc.
The Conflict Within Valya in the Sisterhood
The tension between Valya and Sister Dorotea has risen again from Wallach IX. Valya’s inner conflict in the Sisterhood has again been reflected. The tension in her relationship with Sister Dorotea (Camilla Beeput) has risen. Dorotea advocates truth and morality, but for Valya, these virtues are a means to an end: her selfish advantage. Valya’s growing power finally breaks out when she uses the Voice, which is an ability to control others, in a last-ditch effort to prove her superiority. This power shift is what leads to Valya’s future roles in both the Sisterhood and the Harkonnen legacy.
Tula’s Struggle With Loss and Duty
Tula can’t accept Griffin’s death. She leaves Sister Lila in a vegetative state, unable to cope with the loss of her sister. Tula gradually gets used to ideas about sacrifice and service for the Sisterhood. Shortly after that, she finds a forbidden AI, and Tula acts out by trying to revive Lila by flooding her glass bed with spice. This break of Sisterhood protocol forebodes Tula’s decisions in the future as she moves through the moral dilemmas of the Sisterhood and her Harkonnen bloodline.
Conclusion:
Where “Sisterhood Above All” is an interesting deep dive into the Harkonnen sisters’ backstory, some of that pace can get frustrating for viewers at key moments. That makes a whole episode for flashbacks, but quite enlightening, yet too much to go on in six episodes to describe it and the whole investigation into Valya’s and Tula’s past enriches the depth of their development greatly and only is necessary for why they do certain things later in the series. With only three episodes left to be telecast, the show would have to pick up to reach a fitting climax.
