Warning: spoilers for Dune: Prophecy Episode 105 - “In Blood, Truth” are in play.
Some of my most anticipated matchups in these final weeks of the 2024 TV schedule has been set up in the six-episode arc of HBO’s Dune: Prophecy. And when it came to Shalom Brune-Franklin’s revolutionary Sister Mikaela, there was no one I was more excited to see her cross paths with than the mysterious Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmell). Now that we’ve seen this conflict finally take place in Episode 105 - “In Blood, Truth,” I have to say it did not go down as I had originally predicted; and there are good reasons for that.
Who better for me to chat with than Ms. Brune-Franklin herself, as she was available for a late season Dune: Prophecy press day. Chatting about the friction-filled encounter between Mikaela and Desmond, she shared with CinemaBlend the following thoughts:
It's almost like that person that you've been hearing about from all of your friends, that’s just an awful human being. So it doesn't matter that when you meet them, you have so much prior knowledge of this person being a piece of shit that when you meet them, you can't do anything but [think] like, everything they do is tainted. The way they walk pisses me off, the way they talk. I hate them because they've done all these awful things to my friends. That's literally it. The well has been well and truly poisoned with Desmond.
I have to admit, for a moment I thought that Sister Mikaela and Desmond might have enough of a common bond to get along. Both are familiar with the harsh environs of Arrakis, and as Shalome Brune-Franklin's previous Episode 2 comments alluded to, upending huge power structures is a shared interest.
However, the supposedly twice born man who’s been (literally) burning it all down throughout the Dune-iverse absolutely did not get along with the undercover operative trying to overthrow Desmond’s new best friend - Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong). So, of course, that trail of carnage didn’t do Dune: Prophecy’s charismatic death dealer any favors when it came to meeting Mikaela.
And as Shalom Brune-Franklin further described in our conversation, the uneasiness of Desmond Hart’s past deeds affected the young sister also influenced her perception of Prophecy’s story:
There was no way that he was gonna charm her, but he definitely gets into her head a little bit more than I think she anticipated. … I don't think Mikayla's a person that gets rattled easily either. He really hits a nerve with her, because we've seen her be very kind of cold. I sort of played her as somebody who just is so rational and is just doing what she needs to do to survive, and to basically just stay in allegiance with.
“In Blood, Truth” leaves Mikaela in a pretty rough spot, as the spice bar she and her fellow revolutionaries have been hanging out in is no more. Not to mention after Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason) discovered Sister Mikaela’s big secret, he told her he never wanted to see her again. Which, as we saw last night, left her pretty broken up.
Then again, when you’re talking about something akin to Dune: Prophecy’s milestone setting run, there’s bound to be a little bit of drama to keep the stakes high, isn’t there? Surely, the stakes couldn’t be higher, as we prepare for the end of Dune: Prophecy’s first season, especially with the further knowledge that Desmond is actually the son of Sister Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams).
That shocker in particular could play into the the potential woes of the entire Sisterhood, with HBO and Max subscription holders alike finally getting to see how it all plays out in Episode 106 - “The High-Handed Enemy,” on Sunday, December 22nd. As with all previous entries, 9 PM ET is the magic hour to watch out for; and be warned, this week’s concluding chapter is feature length. So be sure to prepare yourself for a potentially epic wrap up.
