Sisterhood Above All

...on one hand I like the show, but on the other I am getting a Star Wars/ Harry Potter vibe.

I don't like how they went for the Sisterhood perspective. They want to humanize the Sisterhood, but to me the Sisterhood is this mystic entity that is conniving behind the scenes. I would rather have them keep that aura.

In my opinion it would've been better if the storyline revolved around the emperor and Hart character and have the Sisterhood play a big part in the background.

The reason I get a Star Wars vibe is because of the clothes they wear, the spaceships and especially the scene where Valya was standing in the rain. That reminded me of Rey in the rain in the Rise of Skywalker. Also Valya's ability to manipulate gives me the Jedi force vibes.

The Harry Potter vibe comes from the fact that we follow Valya during her training years. It's like they are at Hogwarts and someone will say "You're a wizard, Valya".

I still like the series and I am invested in it, but those points just bother me a bit.

Man oh man, this is really bad. Herbert wrote one good and short sci-fi novel with a lot of great world-building (I was never really interested in what he wrote after and surely not what his son wrote). The writing on this is third rate fan fiction that could have been latched onto any generic sci-fi world, this specific episode leans heavily into Game of Thrones aesthetics and plotting. Three episodes in and I thought the previous one couldn't be worse but than they hit you with this arrant nonsense of an episode. You think you're getting prestige TV but what you're getting is a 90's fantasy sci-fi low-budget production without the charm and humor. This has nothing on the (good) Villeneuve movies, it doesn't feel it's set in the same fantasy world. No coherent and convincing vision of this world; truly miserable casting with a distracting melange of accents, extremely poor costume design that looks very unflattering on some of the actresses, it looks cheap, the dialogue is bad. Just a dispiriting production all-around. Considering quitting watching like I did after the first episode of the second season of the Rings of Power.

I don't know why I am still watching this.

The Denis Villenueve films were great and very rewatchable. This is never getting revisited.

It's boring. Really boring. The acting, off such a ridiculous fan fiction script, is dreary.

This episode lost all the Villenueve style points by having the Harkonen home world a freezing, whale infested wasteland and the Atreides home world being a forest.

All the men are weak. All the women are intelligent, skilful and resourceful.

It still feels like the Acolyte.

Where has Ragnar Lothbrok gone? The only interesting character wasn't in this turgid episode.

Avoid.

When the show sticks with the Sisterhood and the main characters within their order, it truly shines. The focus on the Bene Gesserit's inner workings, and the relationships between the sisters especially the two main Harkonnen Reverend Mothers is interesting to watch as they unfold.

However, when the narrative shifts to the palace intrigue and the broader politics of the noble houses, the show loses some of its focus and momentum. While these aspects provide necessary world-building, they lack the emotional resonance and intensity found in the Sisterhood-centric plots. Some have also mentioned a lack of chemistry between the Princes and her combat trainer.

I hope the future episodes focus deeper into what makes the show compelling: the machinations, rivalries, and growth of the sisters themselves. The Bene Gesserit's philosophy, their training techniques, and their strategic influence on the universe, and the great houses. Elements like the Agony and the use of the Voice.

Again, the creative team poured their soul into this episode, sooo many great details that book fans will enjoy! The first Gom Jabbar! Gel-circuit computer! The first step toward spice agony! Salusan bull! The then-Tula Fjord! And hot damn, I absolutely LOVED the setpieces with the fur whales!

And again, the writing was soo sub-par that it hurts. Especially the opening on Lankiveil, the family dinner. Exposition dump, "tell, don't show", spelling out a character's motivations and traits instead of just... You know, showing us, perhaps?

Imagine an everyday conversation like this:

• Hello my second daughter.

• Hello my father of great social and economic status.

• How was your 25th week in the school we are paying you from our offshore investments?

• Most pleasant, but not so much for my second sister who was born exactly 10 years ago.

Felt natural? No? Well, neither the dinner talk in the Harkonnen family. All the accolade for Jessica Barden who tried to bring the most out of that garbage of a script.

And yeah, why would we EVER want to see the scene about Vayla finding out the use of the Voice, when you can literally make Griffin tell us the story, and spoon-feed us about her awesomeness.

Also, Tula, if you're trying to lay low for your secret plan, the worst possible answer for the "when can we see your family" question is what you gave. Literally, anything else would've raised way less red-flags... But I guess Orry and his people are just that gullible. That scene was mildly enjoyable, although the outcome had been telegraphed from miles away.

This episode was better than the previous two, but it irks me to no end to see yet another good source material being wasted in the hands of mediocre writers and show runners.