'Dune: Prophecy' Episode 2, Explained in Simple Terms

The second episode of HBO’s Dune: Prophecy wasn’t quite as confusing as the premiere, but the show is speeding right ahead. “Two Wolves” introduced several new characters, solved some mysteries and raised about a million additional questions. It’s hard to keep track of all the people and planets while also trying to predict where this might all be going.

If you need a cheat sheet, keep reading for a recap of episode 2. 

Related: A Simpleton’s Guide to the ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Premiere

‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 2, Explained in Simple Terms

The Scene on Wallach IX

The Sisters are buzzing about who or what caused Kasha’s death, but Mother Superior Valya is keeping her cool. New arrival Nazir, a Suk doctor (who happens to be a former Sister), says that Kasha was killed by an internal heat source and “an acute imbalance in her meridian network,” which Valya interprets as proof that Raquella’s prophecy about “the burning truth” is coming to fruition.

Valya decides to travel to Salusa Secundus so she can look into the death of 9-year-old Pruwet Richese. In her absence, she wants her sister, Tula, to take charge—but she’s got one specific request. Valya wants Tula to make Lila undergo something called the Agony, which she believes will help them get answers about the mysterious burnings. Tula is hesitant, both because she doesn’t think Lila is ready and because she thinks the process will put the entire Sisterhood at risk. “There are secrets we have gone to great lengths to keep. You, me, Francesca, Kasha,” Tula tells her sister, who is unmoved. (We haven’t met Francesca yet, but she’s going to be introduced in a future episode.)

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Back on Salusa Secundus

House Corrino is desperately trying to smooth things over with House Richese after Pruwet’s death, but it’s not working. The emperor and his wife seem to have claimed Pruwet was killed by his intelligent machine toy, but Duke Richese isn’t buying it. He’s threatening to pack his fleet and go, and maybe even attack with said fleet while he’s at it.

In private, Desmond confesses to the emperor that he killed Pruwet because he thought that’s what he wanted, and he says he’d do it again for any enemy of House Corrino. Instead of taking him up on his offer, the emperor has Desmond arrested.

Constantine, ever the himbo, decides now is a great time to hook up with Pruwet’s older sister, Lady Shannon. In the throes of passion, he tells her that his father knows who killed Pruwet and has the suspect, who’s from Arrakis, in custody.

As Valya arrives on the scene, Duke Richese is busy confronting the emperor with Shannon’s sex-gotten info, demanding to interrogate Desmond himself. Valya smooths things over via hand signals with the Richese Truthsayer and informs the emperor that Kasha died during her trip to Wallach IX. She also questions Desmond, who tells her that he serves the Imperium and was given a “gift” when he was swallowed by a sandworm. This gift told him that Kasha wasn’t fit to serve the emperor, so she had to die. Valya determines that Desmond is telling what he believes to be the truth, but she says his claims are lies.

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A New Conspiracy

Everyone sort of forgot about this once Desmond started burning people alive, but his original reason for coming to the palace was because he was the only survivor of an attack on one of the emperor’s spice harvesters on Arrakis. Desmond did say the attack came from allied worlds, and he was right—it was orchestrated by the mysterious Fremen woman from episode 1 and a new guy named Horace. Another co-conspirator? Swordmaster Keiran, who’s been a spy the whole time! He mapped the palace for Horace, who’s obviously planning something nefarious. The Fremen woman, meanwhile, tells Keiran she knows about his little romance with Princess Ynez, warning him to keep it together for the sake of the rebellion.

But surprise—the Fremen woman isn’t a rebel at all. She’s Sister Mikaela, and she works for Valya. She orchestrated the entire attack to look like a rebellion, as a means of keeping the emperor’s power in check. Valya congratulates her on “a beautiful manipulation” but asks for more rebel names, and Mikaela tells her about Keiran. (Also, this seems to be why Kasha and Valya said Desmond’s version of events wasn’t the whole story. He believed he saw allied worlds attacking the harvester, and he did, but the Sisterhood was behind the whole thing all along.)

The Agony

Back on Wallach IX, Tula and the gang are getting Lila ready for the Agony. In true Dune fashion, the Agony is not explained in great detail, but the basics are this: Lila will take a poison that will make her have visions of her ancestors, who may or may not answer questions about the Sisterhood’s future. She’s likely to die because she’s so young and inexperienced, but if she survives, she’ll earn the title of Reverend Mother. (They don’t call it this in the show, but movie fans will notice that the bright blue poison looks very similar to the Water of Life.)

At first, the Agony goes according to plan. Lila, hallucinating a terrifying spirit world, sees her great-great-grandmother Raquella, who delivers some more opaque details about Tiran-Arafel: “The key to the reckoning is one born twice. Once in blood, once in spice. A revenant full of scars. A weapon born of war on a path too short.”

But things go south with the arrival of Dorotea (the woman young Valya murdered via the Voice in the premiere), who is Lila’s grandmother. Dorotea’s not interested in helping Lila because she’s still raw about being forced to stab herself, so she sends a message to Tula: “Harkonnen, you stole my future. Now I’m taking your hope.” Lila then dies, to the horror and sorrow of Tula and all the young Sisters watching.

What’s Desmond’s Whole Deal?

The episode ends on Salusa Secundus, where Desmond has successfully convinced the emperor and his wife that he could be an asset to them. By the time Valya gets back from her chat with Mikaela, Desmond is roaming free around the palace. He tells her that her palace privileges have been revoked, although it’s not clear whether he made that up or the emperor really told him to dispatch her. Either way, he says his plan is to eliminate all traces of the Sisterhood, which understandably alarms Valya. She tries to use the Voice on him to get him to stab himself, and while he does take out his knife and hold it to his throat, he doesn’t follow through with the actual stabbing—which means he’s somehow resistant to Voice.

So what, exactly, is going on here? Did he actually get swallowed by a sandworm and live to tell the tale? Or is he some kind of grifter who trained to build up a Voice resistance and is now trying to convince everybody he’s got mystical powers? Unclear, but even the ever-stoic Valya is rattled by this turn of events, slinking away after he reads her for filth. 

Related: All the Ways ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Connects to the ‘Dune’ Movies