Veteran TV actor Barbara Marten is the standout in another uneven Dune: Prophecy chapter. Our review of episode 5:
NB: In line with Film Stories policy, the following review is certified spoiler-free for Dune: Prophecy episode 4, but does contain spoilers for earlier instalments.
In a series so far heavy on serious faces and whispered rumours of doom, one of its unexpected delights is actor Barbara Marten. A veteran of such British TV shows as Brookside, Casualty and The Bill, she’s quietly bustled and swished through Dune: Prophecy as the captivatingly severe Sister Avila.
A voice of reason among the increasingly fractious sisterhood, Avila’s one of those characters who doesn’t drive the plot, but instead becomes a welcome presence who you’re always pleased to see whenever they show up.
In episode five, Avila stumbles on a secret Tula (Olivia Williams) has kept secret for a few days or so now: Lila (Chloe Lea), thanks to some Re-Animator-like fraternising with the natural order, is back from the dead. And not only is she conscious and walking about, but for much of episode five, she’s possessed by the spirit of the late mother superior Raquella (Cathy Tyson) – and Lea does a remarkably good job of emulating Tyson’s distinctive northern accent.
Avila’s reaction, when she first claps eyes on a young girl she previously thought dead, is absolutely priceless: her pale face wreathed in shock, teeth bared in disgust. Then, the wonderfully-delivered line, “What kind of abomination is this?”
It’s perhaps my favourite piece of acting in a series whose performances have varied in texture somewhat. The rest of episode five showcases some of these clashing tones: the interactions between Emperor Corrino (Mark Strong) and his extended family have the heightened feel of a telenovela. The plotting and scheming of Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) and her acolytes has more of the gravitas you’d expect to find in a prestige drama like Wolf Hall.
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Then there’s Travis Fimmel, who’s clearly having a whale of a time as the mysterious, fish-eyed villain Desmond Hart. Newly empowered by Emperor Corrino, Desmond’s now rushing around the place, hunting insurgents, destroying a pub belonging to Mikaela (Shalom Brune-Franklin) and generally causing trouble for the sisterhood. If there were train tracks in the world of Dune, he’d probably be tying a victim to them.
Desmond, we learn, has a reason to rid the Imperium of Truthsayers; Valya, in turn, is scheming to get rid of Desmond. Whether she succeeds or not may depend on whether she can trust her nephew Harrow Harkonnen (an amusingly effete Edward Davis) – their characters being so slippery that it’s impossible to tell who’s double-crossing who.
With this being the penultimate episode, there’s at last the sense of things building in momentum; prophecies of mass death are increasing in volume, and there’ll likely be a showdown between Valya and Desmond at some point. But as Dune: Prophecy’s end looms, it’s strange to reflect on just how uneven it’s all been.
Beyond the varied acting styles, there’s been its attitude to sex and violence: episode one ended with a young boy essentially being microwaved alive, screaming in agony. Episode two contained a lengthy, anatomically detailed love scene straight from Game Of Thrones. Aside from a few jabs of violence since (such as Desmond’s impromptu bake-off in episode four), Dune: Prophecy has been remarkably tame. This week’s instalment featured a rare combat scene, which, given the show isn’t constrained by a 12A rating like the movies were, is strangely bloodless.
The behind-the-scenes struggles during the series’ production have been well documented, and it’s possible that these tonal shifts are the byproduct. And given just how many characters the story introduces, six episodes feels rather miserly; there’s potentially only an hour or so of storytelling left, and we’ve barely gotten to know Valya’s sidekick Theodosia (Jade Anouka), whose shapeshifting skills were presented as episode four’s big reveal.
Can the grand finale bring a somewhat disordered series to a satisfying conclusion? Here’s hoping it can. We’re also hopeful that episode six gives Barbara Marten’s Sister Avila one last moment to express her horror and disapproval.
Dune: Prophecy airs each Monday on Now TV and Sky in the UK.
