Warning: Spoilers for Dune: Prophecy, Episode 4 “Twice Born,” are in play. If you haven’t caught up with the latest chapter, you’ve been warned.
We’re in the endgame now with Dune: Prophecy. The 2024 TV schedule entry has only two episodes left of HBO’s streaming hit to air, and this fourth installment ended with some pretty huge happenings. One of those involved a character death I thought had taken place and, to be fair, the depiction of this event was pretty realistic.
However, after speaking with the cast member in question, I can confirm that their character is very much alive. So consider this your final warning for Prophecy spoilers, as we’re about to dig into how that supposed death scene was more of a suggestion than a reality, per what the actor told CinemaBlend. If you’re not on board with HBO’s milestone-setting prequel, you’ve been warned.
Aoife Hinds Confirms That Rumors Of Sister Emeline’s Demise Are Greatly Exaggerated
Surprise surprise: Sister Emeline (Aoife Hinds), who did not die, might still be a problem for Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Wiliams) yet. After the sister who’s sacrificed so much for duty successfully revived Sister Lila (Chloe Lea) from death, she appeared to be confronted by one of her young charges.
With Emeline supposedly chastising her for what she’s done, and threatening to reveal the truth, Tula was left with one option: to slit Emeline’s throat, in the name of her science project. Or so I thought.
When sitting down to speak with me on behalf of this past weekend’s episode, Aoife Hinds cleared up the confusion that may have ensued in that moment. Here’s what she said to CinemaBlend:
It's in Tula's subconscious. … And then I think it's really interesting 'cause it's kind of all of Tula's guilt, right? All that she's been holding in and suppressing for such a long time. So it was really cool to kind of like be a part of bringing that to life. But no, Emeline is still very much there.
I am truly thankful that Sister Emeline is still kicking around in the Dune: Prophecy universe. That is a claim I will gladly double down on after watching “Twice Born,” seeing as Ms. Hinds’ character has also been revealed as having a bit of a following herself.
Amid the dedication to uncovering the truth behind the death of Reverend Mother Dorotea (Camilla Beeput), the air of distrust within the leadership of the Harkonnen sisters continues to grow. And as I further discussed with Aoife Hinds in our conversation, Tula’s regretful past is rearing its head through this act of dream-based murder.
What Tula’s Nightmare Says About Her Past
I think Ms. Hinds found herself walking through the same path of initial confusion as I had. Admittedly, this entire discussion came from me asking the Normal People star about her reaction to reading Sister Emeline’s supposed death on the page for the first time.
While I was mistaken in the state of her mortality, I did receive quite the analysis on what she felt Tula’s mind crime meant in the Dune: Prophecy story. Here’s Aoife Hinds’ take on what we saw:
I thought it was really cool, because obviously you read it, and the way you read it you go, ‘Okay, she's going through this whole thing in this episode. She starts off, and then how are we gonna navigate it?’ And then suddenly this big scene kind of happens and you can't believe [it], you're like, ‘Oh my God, did Tula just kill Emeline? Did she just kill her?’ And then when Tula wakes up from her Nightmare, it's like, ‘Oh my gosh! No, she's not!’ And it's really cool, because it's mirroring the nightmare that Emeline has at the beginning. And that suddenly now Tula’s had this nightmare where she's killed Emeine. But you know, ‘Okay, no, I'm still there.’
From the first introduction to the world of Dune: Prophecy, the playing field has been as dangerous and deceitful as the Denis Villeneuve films that inspired it. Keeping the audience on its toes is certainly a priority, especially with Prophecy’s Tula/Lila storyline being teased as a bombshell waiting to happen. As we’ve seen with this week’s antics, Aoife Hinds’ Sister Emeline isn’t the only one that’s in danger, as the entire Sisterhood might be changed irrevocably in the events to come.
Which is a good time to remind you that if you’re looking for how to watch Dune: Prophecy, it’s not a very hard question to answer. New episodes debut simultaneously through HBO’s broadcast feed, as well as the streaming platform Max subscription holders have access to, every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.
