Dune: Prophecy 1.4: The Ambience

We learn a lot in every episode of Dune: Prophecy.   Before I tell what specifically I learned in episode 1.4, let me begin with an overall ambience I realized I was experiencing when I was watching this episode last night:  there's something about the pacing, the cinematography, the dialogue, the acting, I don't know, about Dune: Prophecy that makes me feel I'm in the original Frank Herbert Dune novel and its Dune Messiah sequel.  More so, much more so, than the original David Lynch movie, and the more recent efforts by Denis Villeneuve.  I haven't read the Sisterhood of Dune prequel by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert that is the basis of Dune: Prophecy and of this authenticity feeling I have about it -- whether it's in the Sisterhood of Dune, or just in Dune: Prophecy, or in both -- so I don't know who deserves credit and thanks for this.  I guess like the Dune saga itself, it's real and powerful, but its specific contours are blurry (cool, in Marshall McLuhan's sense), and it maybe, likely, adds to the charm of this narrative on HBO Max, or even is responsible for it.

Now on to some more specific things I learned last night, and here of course there will be a few spoilers in what follows:

• It's confirmed that Desmond's fearsome ability to burn people from the inside out can indeed extend across the galaxy -- it's the case that Kasha's burning at the same time as Pruet was not somehow a reflection of Pruwet's burning.  He and Kasha were both burned by Desmond at the same time.
• Desmond's power to burn people extends to more than two at a time.
• A single Bene Gesserit is so far no match (for want of a better word) for a one-on-one with Desmond.  It will likely take some sort of group of Bene Gesserit to do him in.

What other powers does Desmond possess?  Is he responsible for Lila's awakening?  Also, I said last week that I'm liking Tula more than Valya.  I'm also beginning to think that Tula not Valya may be the one to bring Desmond down (if anyone can do that).  There is something about Valya that is too ... obvious. She and her wiles are easier to spot than Tula's.  We'll see.

And I'll be back here next week with my review of the next episode.

See also Dune: Prophecy 1.1: Compelling Prequel ... 1.2: The Hart of The Matter ... 1.3: The Power of Voice

and Dune, Part One: Half the Movie, Twice the Power of Most Other Complete Films ... Dune, Part Two: Not As Good as Part One

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