WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Dune: Prophecy episode 2.
Episode 2 of the HBO prequel seriesDune: Prophecyreveals what happened to Lila and her grandmother, Reverend Mother Dorotea.Dune: Prophecyis a six-part series based on the 2012 novelSisterhood of Dune, which was written by originalDuneauthor Frank Herbert’s son, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. The story takes place more than10,000 years before the rise of Paul Atreidies, which is chronicled inDenis Villenueve’sDune(2020) andDune: Part Two(2024).Dune: Prophecyreveals theorigins of the powerful shadow sisterhood known as the Bene Gesseritand how they manipulated the fate of humankind.
Dune: Prophecyepisode 1 “The Hidden Hand"introduces Emily Watson’s Valya Harkonnen, a fierce and calculated leader, and her biological sister, Tula Harkonnen. Together, they oversee the development of highly qualified young women who learn to become sisters of the Bene Gesserit. The beginning ofDune: Prophecyalso reveals how Valya came to power in the very earliest days of the Bene Gesserit, which involved using the supernatural power of Voice to killDorotea, the biological daughter of the Reverend Mother Superior, Raquella. Dorotea had a moral vision for the Bene Gesserit but Valya had something else in mind.
New episodes ofDune: Prophecyrelease every Sunday at 9 PM on HBO & MAX.
Tula reveals that Lila’s mother died during childbirth
As shown inDune: Prophecyepisode 2 “Two Wolves”, Sister Tula Harkonnen, the biological sister of Mother Reverend Superior Valya Harkoennen, has taken Lila under her wing as one of her most exceptional and promising pupils.Tula reminds Lila that the Sisterhood separates infants from their mothersin order to promote a sense of solidarity among them. Tula confesses to Lila that her mother died during childbirth and suggests without promising that she might be able to see her during The Agony ritual. Because Lila’s mother was not there when she met Raquella and Dorotea in the spiritual realm, this suggests that Lila’s mother may still be alive.
Lila knew of the significance of her ancestry before the Agony ritual but was not aware that Valya Harkonnen had essentially stolen the Mother Superior role from the rightful heir, Dorotea, by using the Voice to murder her. After the first two episodes ofDune: Prophecy, it has yet to be revealed just how much Tula knows about Valya’s original betrayal of Dorotea.Lila became possessed by Dorotea’s spirit during the Agony ceremony, who came seeking revenge against the Harkonnens for the life they stole from her. As a result, Dorotea takes their “hope” in the form of Lila. The status of Lila’s actual mother remains uncertain.
Why Lila Was Raised By The Sisterhood
Tula took Lila under her wing and raised her as her own
Lila was raised by the Sisterhood because she was told her mother died giving birth to her. She was aware that her great-grandmother was the powerful Raquella but was never told the truth about her grandmother Dorotea, as that would have completely destroyed her belief in Valya, Tula, and the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood.Tula basically raised Lila as her own but she is not her actual mother. A scene in which Lila had learned the truth about Valya killing her grandmother would have been tense and full of conflict. However, Lila is taken by Dorotea from the “other side” during the Agony ceremony and never has the chance to learn the truth and face the Harkoennen herself.
It is quite shocking that Dorotea chose to sacrifice her own grandchild’s life in order to enact revenge on Valya Harkonnen. However, Dorotea took Lila to be with her foremothers, which is where Dorotea believes she belongs, out of the hands of the evil and manipulative Harkonnen leaders. Now that the Harkonnen have lost one of their pupils in the Sisterhood, the integrity of their school will likely be questioned and some of the other Sisters in training will want out.Dorotea taking Lila’s life protected her, in a way, from being controlled and used by the Harkonnenand may end up sparing her from the impending “Reckoning.”
What Lila Saw During The Agony Ritual In Dune: Prophecy
Lila was sent to an eerie otherworldly realm with her foremothers
During the Agony ceremony inDune: Prophecyepisode 2, Lila is welcomed by her great-grandmother Raquella and grandmother Dorotea.She was sent into a spiritual realm to extract information from Raquella about “The Reckoning"known as the Tiran Arafel so that the Sisterhood could better prepare for it. While Lila’s experience was eerie and frightening, seemingly lost and trapped in a dark and ominous cave, she was with all of her female ancestors who held otherworldly knowledge. Ultimately, the poison serum that Tula had made for Lila to initiate the Agony ritual ended up taking her life inDune: Prophecyepisode 2.
Dune: Prophecy
Cast
Set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, Dune: Prophecy, a sci-fi epic, follows the political and spiritual struggles on the desert planet of Arrakis. As factions vie for control of the prized spice melange, a prophesied hero emerges, challenging the balance of power and the fate of the galaxy.
