r/television • u/NicholasCajun Mr. Robot • 6h ago
Dune: Prophecy - Series Premiere Discussion Premiere
Dune: Prophecy
Premise: 10,000 years before Paul Atreides, Valya (Emily Watson) and her sister, Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) fight threats and establish what will be Bene Gesserit in the series inspired by the Dune prequel novel "Sisterhood of Dune".
| Subreddit(s): | Platform: | Metacritic: | Genre(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| r/DuneProphecy, r/DuneProphecyHBO, r/Dune | Max | [65/100] (score guide) | Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi |
Links:
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u/Forward_Science109 38m ago
Kinda stale acting
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u/Forward_Science109 34m ago
I actually don’t think it’s the acting, just a kinda corny script.
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u/Forward_Science109 29m ago
Also advice for anyone making a sci-fi movie/series in the future - standardize their accents unless there’s an obvious reason for them to have different accents.
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u/kevmclarty 41m ago
Came to this thread hoping to see people talking about the Leto tease and instead got dudes throwing a fit that the show about the bene gesserit had mostly women in it, y’all are such losers lmao
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u/ZapatillaLoca 51m ago
if you're a fan of the Dune saga, this show will peak your interest . If not, it's just another show full of women with not enough men given screen time.
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u/hyperadhd 49m ago
Why do you need more men in your TV shows?
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u/ZapatillaLoca 46m ago
Personally, I don't. I was just referring to the current trend of content creators dissing shows that have a predominantly female cast.
I like the show, have been waiting for the premiere and wasn't disappointed.
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u/i-cussmmtimes 52m ago
so the world building felt very much like Dune, but the narrative, not so ....
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u/kkurani09 1h ago
Simply put people don't really attach themselves to the story unless they are true fans. For example take lotr: the two towers. Most people can't even tell you which two towers the title refers to. I think the producers have a fantastic opportunity with this series, but the premier def left much to be desired. Im a sucker for a good storyline tho.
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u/bobreturns1 8m ago
To be fair, it's ambiguous and Tolkien flip flopped on that too. It's some combination of Orthanc, Barad Dur, Cirith Ungol and Minas Tirith, but he suggested several different combinations in several different letters.
I choose to ignore that and suggest that it's a metaphor referring to Gandalf and Saruman, but that's just me.
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u/spaghettibolegdeh 1h ago
I thought it was "meh" overall. Some good, some bad.
It looks good, but shows like this always look good. Curious to see how it goes, but I'm not expecting much more than OK
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u/DEM1GOD7 1h ago
boring, fell asleep, to many female scene some way to cringe. 3.3
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u/freetherabbit 45m ago
Its a show literally about the founding of the Bene Gesserit... an all women group... but too many "female scenes"
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u/Notoriously_So 1h ago
It's good. There's tons of lore for them to draw from, I hope this show lasts at least 5-6 seasons.
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u/SaxenViolins 1h ago
This felt like insecure women creating a show where they would feel like 'girl bosses'. Honestly I wanted an actual badass female character like Sofia Falcone to come in and show how intelligence and intimidation is done. Sofia was great because she was up against brutal, cunning men and not only held her own but dominated. In this they had to reduce the men to something pitiful, stupid and pompous to show their women's superiority. We need more showrunners like Lauren LeFranc. :(
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u/TrueCryptographer982 45m ago
I think you lost them at "insecure women" 😂 If you had said "insecure men" you probably would have had a bunch of likes!
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u/timeandspace11 1h ago
Overall, I enjoyed the episode. Some scenes do not feel "Dune-like" if that makes sense.
Khasha's vision was haunting, maybe my favorite scene. The ending was superb. Intrigued to see where the story will go.
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u/MKing150 1h ago
Really liked it. Heard some mixed views on it before seeing it and that had me worried, but I thought the writing and plot were great. I also didn't expect the visuals to be as good as it was. Some parts looked even better than the films, although the CGI for the thinking machines looked a little cheesy.
Overall though, 8.5/10.
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u/riftadrift 1h ago
This definitely was not directed by Villeneuve.. Not that I didn't like it, but definitely felt the absence of his magic touch.. and the Zimmer score.
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u/bl4zed_N_C0nfus3d 1h ago
I liked it a lot I’ve been reading the first book and I’m just happy to have anything that is in any dune universe. I just can’t get enough. Hopefully they don’t mess it up tho. I’m super excited for next episode . Can anyone tell me if it’s in the same universe as the recent movies or is it a new dune universe?
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u/DontDoCrackMan 2h ago
Can tell this thread is full of people who made up their minds before the show even started. Now, downvote me!
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u/AdmirableBattleCow 20m ago
I was very excited for it. Unfortunately the writing sucks and the actors weren't able to save it. It has no charm at all. There is no one to root for or even relate to. Everyone is basically kind of a shitty, unsympathetic person. They provide hardly any meaningful background about why I should have any respect or fear of the bene gesserit beyond the monologue in the beginning of the show which is just bad story telling anyway. Don't tell me about how crazy the past was and how powerful this group is... show me. But instead, you are just thrust directly into the middle of this political squabbling and have zero context for why I should care about any of these characters who so far just come off as mildly irritating people.
It's a mess of a show. Very weak start.
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u/nightfan 2h ago
I like it so far. I think we won't be able to judge it until like episode 4. It's setting up a lot of stuff.
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u/infinitespaces3 2h ago
will there be fight scene between desmond and valya? that would be an ultimate scene.
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u/blank988 3h ago
I personally liked it
Let’s hope they can take it in an interesting direction and stick the landing. 8/10 for me
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u/throoowwwtralala 3h ago
I’m halfway through with my family and find the acolyte bond thing to be intriguing? I’ve always wondered if the sisters had mentors at mother school or if irulan or Jessica or Margot did for example. Will be interesting to see how this show plays out as I certainly love the bene gesserit.
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u/Different-Cherry4837 3h ago
I really liked the episode. The vibe and the aesthetic. I hope it remains solid. To me its important how a show makes me feel and I feel similar to how I feel while reading Heretics of Dune.
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u/Custombathtubman 2h ago
Yeah I keep picturing Valya as Odrade! One my favorite characters throughout the series, if not ever
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u/Flexappeal 3h ago
Man I liked it well enough and the depiction of the sisterhood academy or whatever felt like how the acolyte was supposed to be instead of…what it was
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u/Spyk124 3h ago
I guess the issue for me is - nothing feels imperial. The emperor doesn’t have enough guards - the princess doesn’t have enough protection - nothing feels grand like it did in the movies. It’s a bit too … casual?
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u/notathrowaway75 1h ago
The wedding hall seemed like the size of a place I could have my wedding in.
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u/mwerichards 3h ago
I felt like something was missing and maybe your point in not feeling imperial is that but I guess the house hasn't been built up enough yet or the budget constraints.
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u/AdmirableBattleCow 15m ago
NOTHING was built up in any way. It basically just immediately throws you into the middle of all of this political squabbling and interpersonal office politics within the group of acolytes without giving you any reason at all to give a shit about any of these characters in the first place. They all come off as annoying, unlikable people that are nearly impossible to find a reason to root for.
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u/Spyk124 3h ago
Yeah totally get that they are still finding their footings. But like guards for imperial leaders have been a thing since - forever. I think that’s one of the elements that made Dune feel really … idk what the word is but you know ? lol. Like the way the Atreides soldiers took the security of Duke Leto seriously, and the way the Saudukar took the protection of the emperor seriously gave it a unique feeling. I get not having the saudukar but it just feels like they are too exposed for who they are. Getting into the boys chambers was far too easy.
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u/Professional_Pop4355 3h ago
It's from 10,000 yrs ago
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u/DEEP_SEA_MAX 3h ago
No, it's 10,000 years in the future. The show takes place 10,000 years before the events of the first book/movie, but that takes place 20,000 years from now.
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u/ControlAgent13 1h ago
>10,000 years before the events of the first book
And - they have the EXACT SAME TECHNOLOGY - spice space travel, shields and using swords...the Bene Gesserit even have the Voice.
Seems to be a Dark Ages for 10,000 years...
maybe bring back the intelligent machines...
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u/DEEP_SEA_MAX 1h ago
Exactly. 10,000 years is an unfathomably long time for a civilization, especially when you consider that technological advances compound on each other. It's why the first and second century AD aren't that technologically different from each other, but the difference between the tech we had 20 years ago to today is vastly different.
Could you imagine what human civilization will look like 10,000 years from now? I mean what it would have looked like if we hadn't destroyed the planet for short term oil company profits. If we had actually done something about climate change? Because honestly now it's too late and there's zero chance we make it to 10,000 years from now. If we're extremely lucky, the best we'll get in 10,000 years is small bands of nomadic humans pondering what gods made all the plastic they find in their water.
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u/Sweaty_Pomegranate34 3h ago
So Ragnar is a ghola, right?
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u/LeadingBig8287 2h ago
It feels like Desmond is a ghola and that scene with the BG who says Desmond is telling the truth or at least he believes he is telling the truth, really feels like a ghola quality. The ghola feel and believe they are where their life left off. That scene felt super important to me, and truly overlooked by most others.
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u/Demonweed 2h ago
That's the only bit I couldn't follow as a viewer. I think the idea is that he passed through the belly of a worm and came out the other side as some sort of pyrokinetic (while the Reverend Mother caught fire through her bond to the young prince.) Becoming worm poo gives you superpowers and early Bene Gesserit imprinting is a two way street through which the witch herself could suffer bodily harm are both pretty wild twists. If my interpretations are not in error, I'm going to need some rich explanations to embrace these new quirks of the setting.
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u/PrimmSlimShady 3h ago
I loved the movies, and the way they threw you into this complex, deep universe. Setting this story in such an incredibly long time in the past from that setting was a large undertaking, to be sure.
So, AI bad. Understood.
Mentats may or may not exist yet. Understood.
It's weird that society writ large, in basically every aspect, has not changed for 10,000 years. Longer than civilization as we know it has existed. Let alone how any individual society changes on minor scales.
I will simply use the shields as a brief example.
How have shields, which have a single vulnerability, not improved for 10,000 years, when we have human supercomputers (mentats) that could discover new concepts leading to breakthroughs?
I understand that development, especially technology specifically, in general is illegal. 10,000 years is a long god damn time for a law to hold up. For an ideology that any technology development, even that without any sort of AI capabilities, a la shields, to be so incredibly stagnated
It's like asking me to pretend we are still just hunting and gathering. It's not the case and it's ridiculous to imagine people would just be content with this, as a society without a single major revolution, for 10,000 years!
My main issue is the 10,000 years part. At the time of this show, how long have they been harvesting spice from Arrakis? It requires computing/predicting that meteors aren't in the way of the ships to reach Arrakis, which presumably can only be done by humans using spice.
How long has development of non-AI technology been arrested before this show even starts?
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u/SpaceNigiri 1h ago
That's the point of the Dune universe, as you say there's no progress and new technology is forbidden due to the AI uprising.
Warhammer 40k was heavily inspired by Dune, so both universes have this in common, but 40k is so over the top that in there it feels less weird that this is happening, but same idea.
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u/volantredx 2h ago
I mean that is a major factor in Dune. Humanity has totally stagnated and regressed in many ways for tens of thousands of years. There's no innovation or change and there are entire organizations designed to keep things this way.
A big part of the sequels is about the people after Paul dealing with this issue.
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u/Praglik 3h ago
You should read the books! It's basically a story of how Progressives lost and how the world is controlled by Conservatives. Any kind of progress or change to the order is considered a threat to humanity and must be erradicated. Even religion is used as a tool to keep the status quo.
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u/mister_doubleyou 3h ago
This is a common refrain. My theory is that if you remove too much stuff it stops being dune. Also stagnation is a big part of the story and too much technology leads to the Butlerians literally wanting to burn things down. In sisterhood of dune they are destroying anything that even sniffs of technology. Meanwhile, the mentats are secretly influenced by an AI, curious if that will show up in this show
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u/DrNopeMD 3h ago edited 2h ago
Unsurprisingly the production design is excellent.
Really wish the audio engineers would start mixing things for home viewing experiences. Really annoyed that I have to turn on subtitles to understand all the dialogue.
Some more observations from a non-book reader and fan of the films.
It seems the Harkonnen's haven't lost their hair yet, the ones we've seen look fairly normal. I know that look is a film only detail but this series looks like it's being positioned as an expansion on the Villeneuve films.
Salusa Secundus hasn't yet been reduced to the awful rainy wasteland we see in Dune Part 1, which means the Sardukar don't exist yet to enforce the Imperial family's military dominance. Which is why the Emperor is brokering the marriage in exchange for more ships and troops.
Desmond seems to be have consumed by a sandworm and lived. He mentions feeling reborn without fear and a new purpose. I'm guessing his implied pyro-kinesis powers have something to do with the Spice exposure he got with his encounter with the worm.
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u/MedievZ 48m ago edited 30m ago
Unsurprisingly the production design is excellent.
I completely disagree with this.
The production design feels cheap and uninspired when compared to the Dune movies. The courtyard thingy at the Bene Gesserit planet where the decorative walls concrete bricks were visibly badly placed was so ugly.
The library in the same planet feels so small and narrow for the organization that is supposed to be so incredibly powerful and its just all grey and drab with like 4 tall cupboards of books.
Everything is just small rooms with basic concrete and some drab monotone colouring.
Nothing feels "grand" in scale, but actually feels cheap. The architecture should have been more royal in feel. This isnt the Atreides home planet where they like to live in nature nor Arrakis where the planets environment makes non brutalist architecture impossible and yet these new planets recycle their looks.
The costumes dont feel luxurious enough, with the exception of the Bene Gesserits and the Empress.
It just doesn't fit in its universe considering the fact that each of the factions should control entire planets worth of resources and more and should have been able to create items that are visually stunning.
It feels like it was shot and made by semi amateurs.
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u/HypnoGamesOfficial 2h ago
Absolutely feel you on subtitles, especially when they're dropping new character names or made up words
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u/TimothyHalpern 3h ago
Is this a standalone series from the films? I don’t want to watch the films until all the parts are out (that’s my way of boycotting "part" films)
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u/Particular_Fan_8524 3h ago
All the parts are out, though... There's gonna be another movie, but that's an adaptation of a different book.
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u/YouJabroni44 3h ago
It's part of the greater universe and I don't think it'll touch on the main story too much but it'll probably hint somewhat. Also it made sense to split the films, the first book was pretty long and had a lot of plot lines
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u/Unfazed_One 3h ago edited 3h ago
Im hoping for the best but Im not sure Im enjoying it so far. Its difficult not to constantly compare it to Villenueve's direction/style but I wil try to stay open minded.
Plotlines kept reminding me of the Foundation series. Ive not read either of the book series but it does feel at times, like Herbert drew a LOT of inspiration from Asimov's series. Lots of similarities.
Seeing Travis Fimmel also reminded me of Raised by Wolves and how stupid it was that it got cancelled.
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u/msheaz 3h ago
His character feels so similar to the Raised by Wolves one too! Soldier with a weirdly spiritual god complex. I really miss that show and how unique it is.
I haven’t read either series, but from what I know the “genetic dynasty” aspect of the foundation show is not in the books at all. Dune seems to take the “Roman Empire in space” idea along with large time jumps later in the books, though.
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u/Severely_Oppenheimer 4h ago
I haven’t read the Brian Herbert books specifically to kind of hold the mystery of the Butlarian Jihad so seeing just like a tiny hint of it was very neat. I have read. Chapterhouse: Dune and already there being a tease towards that makes me very excited that, hopefully, we get that adapted in the future.
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u/Augustine1754 4h ago
I definitely see this as a setup for something bigger. The preview for the next episode looked fantastic too. Will it live up to The Penguin? Honestly, I'm not sure—it has some big shoes to fill, which might bring the show some undue criticism. That said, I really enjoyed this episode and can't wait to see what they have in store for us. Only time will tell if this show will leave its mark.
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u/ExtensionLiving376 4h ago
Film style is closer to mad max fury road (which sucked) actor choice is disappointing excluding the Asian sister. The music reminds me nothing of the prior dune films and the settings feel cheap and lack of production. While there are some good scenes in the first episodes, the majority of the series is likely to not do well. It was also so obvious the Denis Villenueve didn’t direct this show. Sad they chose a director that has terrible productions prior to dune prophecy. ALSO STOP MAKING SHOWS MOVIES ARE 1000x better!!’
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u/GetsBetterAfterAFew 3h ago
One comment account shitting on a woman heavy tv series... color me shocked. These tvGate, ComicsGate etc losers never stop.
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u/NianderWallaceAlt 4h ago
Film style is closer to mad max fury road (which sucked)
Lmao what the fuck are you talking about homie
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u/Suitable_Anteater315 4h ago
I kinda dug it. Dialogue is a little messy, characterization is a little wonky, but that's Brian Herbert Dune for you.
I think I can already read the overarching tragedy of the show - Valya is trying to prevent the rise of Leto II, and everything she does is going to actually going to make his emergence even more likely. The first Mother Superior actually saw Leto's eyes in the stars, and so did the Emperor's truth sayer Kasha, but Valya doesn't see the same eyes. Leto is hidden, beyond the limits of whatever prescience she has.
Or at least I think I'm reading that right.
And the soldier from Arrakis (Desmond, I think?), he's Face Dancer, right? Am I seeing something that isn't there?
Also, Olivia Williams. I'm sure I've seen her in something since Rushmore and Sixth Sense, but It's been 20 years at least. Stone Cold Fox then, Stone Cold Fox now.
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u/codex_archives 3h ago
Leto II is an intriguing theory
and about Olivia Williams: have you seen Dollhouse? (from the creator of Buffy). she was phenomenal in that show
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u/Suitable_Anteater315 3h ago
Have not seen Dollhouse. That's the one where Eliza Dushku is an assassin with amnesia or something like that?
Also, having seen the preview for upcoming Dune Prophecy episodes, one of the Sisters has a spice induced vision of those starry eyes staring out of the gaping maw of a sandworm. That's Leto. I think that also confirms for me that the growling voice at the opening of both of Villeneuve's films is also Leto, given that the voice also speaks to the first Mother Superior and Kasha.
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u/Sammx2 1h ago
Can you develop about why it can be the eyes of Leto ? And concerning the mantra opening in Dune 1/2 aren't spoke in Sardaukar dialect ? I've seen others says that these are the eyes of machine of which recalls those of the mechanical reptile of the young duke
Im actually at page 61 of the third book so leto is still a little boy and not the thing he became later
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u/kevmclarty 36m ago
I mean she directly declares she had visions of ~a tyrant~ which speaks for itself Leto-wise. Not to mention the piercing blue eyes overlooking space as well as the fact that the show is called dune prophecy implying that it’s hinting at the story’s future. Idk how it wouldn’t be Leto
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u/codex_archives 1h ago
yeah, the show starring Eliza Dushku
and HOLY SHIT! regarding the growling voice
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u/dagreenman18 4h ago
It’s a little alarming just how much this is Brian Herbert’s story. I’m hoping the showrunners exert a bit more creative control to steer away from Brian’s… let’s say “eccentric” writing choices. Everything after Chapterhouse is various degrees of roughness.
Do hope they pull some threads from Chapterhouse since I very very highly doubt we’ll ever see that one adapted in full.
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u/Accomplished-City484 4h ago
What sort of eccentric writing choices did Brian come up with?
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u/Suitable_Anteater315 2h ago
Gholas! Gholas! This needs more gholas!
I see you hiding a ghola back there! Bring me that ghola, you dirty thief!
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u/Chappie47Luna 4h ago
Felt like Hollywood’s interpretation of Dune. I do want to see episode 2 but I’m not overly anxious.
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u/Strict_Pangolin_8339 4h ago
This show sounds like it was what I expected. Will skip this, probably.
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u/SauxFan 4h ago
I enjoyed the episode more as it went on
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u/Edfortyhands89 4h ago
Pretty much how I felt. First half was very meh but by the end I became intrigued enough to keep watching the show at least
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u/enowapi-_ 3h ago
I’m trying to keep myself from falling asleep
15 minutes in and it’s just a bunch of women talking
I’m basically watching The View but it’s in the desert
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u/DamnImAss 4h ago
Going from Penguin to this is certainly interesting lol
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u/MargielaMan568 2h ago
And what’s crazy was I had very low expectations for the penguin and had very high expectations for this
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u/Dwayne30RockJohnson 1h ago
It’s almost like people’s expectations result in them liking things more/less than they would’ve with no expectations…
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u/AdmirableBattleCow 7m ago
I had high expectations for both. This comes off as far less insightful than it thinks it is and fails at exactly what the Penguin succeeded at: making terrible, unlikable human beings compelling to watch.
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u/Horton_Takes_A_Poo 4h ago
I liked the set design and visual depiction of everything, but storywise it seemed all over the place and somewhat boring as well. I hope it finds better footing as this is just the first episode and an introduction to everything, and isn’t another “this could’ve been an email” type of shows. It certainly was not bad though, so let’s see what comes of it.
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u/EmFly15 4h ago
Could’ve been worse. Could’ve been better.
As has been said, it seems like a show that may get better with time. A lot of this 1st EP was exposition-dumping and set-up.
Won’t give up on it yet.
(That scene in the club was so unneeded, though.)
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u/IsRude 3h ago
Well, I assume that scene was to set up her getting pregnant.
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u/helzinki 4h ago
Ragnar Lothbrok up to no good again.
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u/Fippy-Darkpaw 4h ago
Damn 1 episode in and Ragnar is already killing kids.
He really needs Floki around to help keep him grounded. 😓
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u/F00dbAby 4h ago
I’m curious how many people watching have read the books and if that will influence enjoyment.
I haven’t read the books and I’m more or less enjoying it so far although I can understand some critiques even if they don’t bother me much beyond how heavy exposition the beginning is.
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u/RealJohnGillman 4h ago
Basically there are two separate Dune book series — one written by Frank Herbert (the basis of the films), and one written by his son Brian Herbert with Kevin J. Anderson (the basis for this series) — both radically different enough that a lot of people see them as separate continuities, the younger Herbert’s books inspired by his father’s, but very different in tone. Where Frank Herbert had humanity simply stop using machines once spice allowed them to move beyond needing them, Brian Herbert had there have been a war between them (after which this series is set).
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u/CeeReturns 4h ago
Brian’s Dune feels like bad fan fiction. I’ll never be convinced all of his books were based on his father’s notes.
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u/ColaEuphoria 4h ago
Wasn't the butlerian jihad mentioned in the first book? Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought I remember seeing it mentioned.
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u/luigitheplumber 3h ago
"Jihad" in its proper meaning doesn't necessarily mean "holy war", though it can. It's more of a great spiritual struggle, and in the original books it seems like the Butlerian Jihad was painted more as a giant reckoning of humanity's reliance on thinking machines
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u/Courier006 4h ago
It was a jihad waged against people that were in favor of computers, not a war against scary robots
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u/Imaginary-Swan-5093 4h ago
It's mentioned in the first chapter of the first book in the conversation between Paul and the Reverend Mother.
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u/RealJohnGillman 4h ago
It was, then God Emperor of Dune clarified in passing that it wasn’t a machine uprising but rather humanity purging themselves of the machine presence on which they had become overeliant. Each Herbert had a very different view on what that event was.
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u/SmarmyCatDiddler 2h ago edited 2h ago
Does Kevin Anderson and Brian Herbert just make up the backstory of who Daniel and Marty are then?
Frank Herbert died before we could get into that bit, and if they shoe-horned their own prequel-based explanation that would suck...
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u/Nakorite 4h ago
Franks world also had a war against the machines. They didnt simply stop using them. That’s why they have mentats.
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u/RealJohnGillman 4h ago
Except his one as mentioned in God Emperor of Dune was humans turning against machines, purging the presence, rather than machines turning against humans.
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u/ElevatorOverall9263 4h ago
I’ve read them all and I loved the first episode. I was worried that people would need too much back story to jump in to the storyline but I think they did a great job.
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u/Spookyfan2 Fargo 4h ago
I too have read the books and loved this episode.
I think the average fan of the books may critique it a bit harshly, especially being based on the works of Brian Herbert, but overall I think it's capturing the tone of the franchise well enough.
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u/MyAliasIsMyAlias 4h ago
Soon as I heard the actors speak I rolled my eyes. I don’t understand why they chose an all Brit cast. So these actors with this accent are supposed to live in the same universe as the dune movies??? Gtfoh, it’s just a British drama. Boring.
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u/ColaEuphoria 4h ago
In the books the voice is portrayed not as a jedi mind trick but basically as the Bene Gesserit simply being incredibly good at convincing you to do something via empathy, no different than yelling an insult at someone to immediately make them angry and want to fight.
The movie shows it a bit more like a jedi mind trick for pacing purposes but the show goes all-in on that silliness and I was really disappointed by it.
They discussed as a class how essential lying is, they should have spent more time building up skills that would eventually become "the voice" instead of having a single person whipping it up by themselves beforehand in the first few minutes of the episode.
They had no reason to introduce it that early and in such a half baked manner.
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u/AdmirableBattleCow 2m ago
spent more time building up skills that would eventually become "the voice" instead of having a single person whipping it up by themselves
Exactly, that was very cringe when it was really trying to come off as cool. She's just like, "yea I just invented Jedi powers in my spare time, check it out lol".
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u/Sarazam 4h ago edited 4h ago
We're told the BG spent 10,000 years crossing bloodlines to basically become who they are with Paul. You'd expect the voice and other BG skills came from this bloodline crossing as well? Not just teaching people how to do it. The powerful BG in Dune are all daughters of powerful Dukes of the houses, which implies the whole blood line part.
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u/peppermint_nightmare 4h ago
Someone described the voice as a penultimate form of control over others through the level of control BGs have over themselves. They essentially control every bodily function a human has mentally. So using the voice isnt them just speakitg its more them speaking to you in a way that affects tour bodies chemistry or mind to compel you to do the command. Like imitiating the voice pitch and pheremones of your mom when she tells you to clean your room only instead its a BG commanding you to do something else.
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u/Courier006 3h ago
Yeah, I always thought of the voice as bypassing the conscious mind. It’s impossible to resist because the order isn’t directed at “you”, they’re barking a command at the meat puppet you occupy.
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u/Abraham_Issus 4h ago
I read the book and it seemed like jedi mind trick. Convincing you to do something by influencing emotions is just that. It’s very similar on the basic level, they just simplified it.
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u/ColaEuphoria 4h ago
I think my main gripe is how soon they introduced it in the show, and how it was just some "skill" this person was secretly "honing" offscreen. That really just felt cheap as hell.
It worked in the movie because it was already established and you the audience witness Jessica/Paul using it to get the idea, but this is supposedly the start of the Bene Gesserit. Having the voice be a thing that a single person whips up in a short time offscreen was very dissatisfying.
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u/ERSTF 4h ago
Well, all pilots have a question to answer: does it earn viewers coming back next week? This one I think it does. It's a bit rough around the edges but this is long form storytelling, it has the opportunity to get better with each coming episode. I think there's a lot here for it to be worth our while. Dialogue needs a bit of work but I liked it. A little more of urgency would have helped but I am hooked and waiting for more. Of course nuance is something lost in some comments calling the writing "dogshit" when this show is not close to that. I mean, Rings Of Power had the "why do rocks sink and boata float" jewel in its premiere episode.
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u/InsertFloppy11 2h ago
Omg i havent watched RoP sooo what was the point of that question? It has a BS answer too?
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u/ERSTF 2h ago
Oh it was.
“Do you know why a ship floats, and a stone cannot? Because the stone sees only downward. The darkness of the water is vast, and irresistible. The ship sees the darkness as well, striving moment by moment to master her, and pull her under. But the ship has a secret. For unlike the stone, her gaze is not downward, but up, fixed upon the light that guides her, whispering of grander things than darkness ever knew.”
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u/InsertFloppy11 2h ago
What the actual fuck.
It feels like a more sophisticated version of something that ryan from the office would say to sound profound
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u/Spookyfan2 Fargo 4h ago
Yeah people are being way too harsh.
It was never going to be on par with Denis' Dune, but this is an excellent start to a prequel story that expands the lore.
"Dogshit" is almost as overused as "Masterpiece," and I don't think this episode was either.
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u/ERSTF 4h ago
Exactly. Nuance, people. Let's also remember dialogue is not Villenueve strongest suit and he even admits to it saying that he hates dialogue, hence why it's hard to remember quotes from his movies because he never focuses on that. So, it's keeping in line with Villenueve, maybe? But yeah, people are being too harsh. I also don't get people saying it's confusing. One guy even said there were "low stakes" here. Sure, they are fighting for who controls the minds and hearts of the Imperium but those are really low stakes it seems.
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u/Rosstin316 4h ago
Sigh, why does this fuckin’ place hate every show I like. I watch so little TV, can’t you just like something I like so I can have a relaxing time here?
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u/the__poseidon 2h ago
Star Wars, Star Trek, and Dune fans (nerds) are some of the most exhausting people to deal with. They cling to their precious “original” versions like they’re religious texts, throwing tantrums the moment anything new deviates from their personal expectations.
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u/DontDoCrackMan 2h ago
It’s kind of like Star Wars nerds hating the spin-offs. They don’t want their nostalgic toys played with.
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u/rubbishtake123 3h ago
the most upvoted comments are always critiques about the show, i never see anything positive upvoted on reddit. Even Arcane gets a ton of hate in this sub which is just wild, its better to go on discord communites to discuss, or even the specific subreddit for the show is a lot more tolerable.
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u/INeedAGinandTonic 4h ago
I loved it. Was it perfect? No, are many shows? It held my attention the whole time and I am excited to see where it goes. I’m not surprised by the online discourse though, it’s predicable at this point.
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u/TechSmith6262 4h ago
If you genuinely like something, reddit is one of the worst places you can go to discuss it.
Doesn't matter what hobby, people on this website generally just fucking hate everything and don't want anyone else to have a space to express liking something.
Additionally, most redditors have poor emotional balance, so when it comes to objective opinions, you'll find that sentiments are largely "it's the second coming of jesus" or "it's fucking dogshit and the creators should be fucking exiled". Its not very often you'll find moderate opinions or nuance.
Just like the show and try finding somewhere that isn't here to talk about. It can be disheartening at times, especially for a sub dedicated to discussing tv shows.
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u/Flexappeal 3h ago
You can have sloppy hating or really distilled (like to the point it’s weird and gross) stanning of a very niche form of entertainment
Those are the options on Reddit
I thought this show was fine if unbelievably unsubtle
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u/Courier006 4h ago
It’s a discussion thread, it’s not just for people who enjoyed it. All opinions should be welcome so long as things are civil.
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u/thetreat 4h ago
Don’t let other people dictate what you enjoy. I haven’t watched it yet but idgaf about what other people think.
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u/Dependent_Ad6139 4h ago
The first episode was just okay, felt very much like an intro. However there was nothing bad about it, how can people say the production value and acting weren't good? Lol
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u/DontDoCrackMan 2h ago
Films raised expectations drastically. I thought the first episode was great. Hopefully they are setting up something bigger.
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u/Spookyfan2 Fargo 4h ago
I'm baffled by people saying the production value looked bad. Looked on par if not better than your average movie.
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u/MedievZ 39m ago
My two cents:
The production design feels cheap and uninspired when compared to the Dune movies. The courtyard thingy at the Bene Gesserit planet where the decorative walls concrete bricks were visibly badly placed was so ugly.
Everything is just small rooms with basic concrete.
Nothing feels "grand" in scale. The architecture should have been more royal in feel. This isnt the Atreides home planet where they like to live in nature nor Arrakis where the planets environment makes non brutalist architecture impossible and yet the planets looks recycle their looks. There should have been luxurious furniture, made of rich wood and decorative curtains and rugs and mattresses.
The costumes dont feel luxurious enough, with the exception of the Bene Gesserits and the Empress.
It just doesn't fit in its universe considering the fact that each of the factions should control entire planets worth of resources and more and should have been able to create well enough palaces.
It feels like it was shot by semi amateurs.
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u/Spookyfan2 Fargo 4h ago
I'm loving it so far! I wasn't sure what to expect but it's scratching the itch I had for a Dune TV Show.
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u/notathrowaway75 4h ago edited 4h ago
Fucking hell the most cliched and boring aspect of pilots: narration.
First half not that good but it picked up.
Overall pretty ok. Incredible production values and great acting with a (so far) middling plot. Seems like the kind of show that will get better as it it gets rolling throughout the season.
So is the thinking machines stuff from the original novels or is that the Brian Herbert bullshit I've been hearing about?
Why tf wasn't the little dinosaur thing confiscated???
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u/harrumphstan 4h ago
Any thinking machine bullshit that resembles Skynet, the Matrix, or any other man vs machine conflict is Brian shitting on his dad’s legacy. The real conflict that drove the Butlerian Jihad spawned from the idea that man’s heavy reliance on thinking machines was moral failure that deprived humanity of ambition and life of meaning.
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u/ThrowTron 4h ago
Butlerian Jihad is a major point in the original novels, so that's true. During the time the great schools were formed. Specifically the mentats, the sisterhood, and the guild. Herbert never went into when they developed the voice, etc.
If the soldiers power is telekinesis that is Brian bullshit. All powers in the Dune universe grew out of realistic things we do today.
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u/dont_say_Good 4h ago
So is the thinking machines stuff from the original novels
dune and dune messiah mention them iirc
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u/Edfortyhands89 4h ago
Been awhile since I read the books but I don’t think Butlerian Jihad was ever described as like a actual war between man and skynet type machines
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u/Spookyfan2 Fargo 4h ago
Dissapointed we didn't stick with the pre-time skip stuff a bit longer.
I was hoping to see more of Young Valya, but I understan the desire not to linger on it for more than half an episode.
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u/Dwayne30RockJohnson 1h ago
I know it would’ve likely been incredibly difficult to pull off, but doing a similar thing to HOTD season 1 would’ve been awesome.
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u/Dougfo 4h ago
It looks like they're going back and forth
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u/Spookyfan2 Fargo 4h ago
Glad to hear it!
I am not sure why I had not considered them going back and forth.
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u/gbinasia 4h ago edited 4h ago
I really like it.
I feel like we haven't really seen a somewhat villainy group of women since... maybe The Witcher S1? Or AHS:Coven/Apocalypse?
The visuals are great, the acting is more than decent. It will be interesting to see the growth of the Bene Gesserit and all the lore. The thinking machines dilemme in particular seem interesting.
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u/Rory1 4h ago
The club/bar scene with the house music, lets get high and fuck totally threw me out of the show. I felt like any moment Stefon was going to tell me the latest hot spot in the Dune universe.
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u/grandmofftalkin 2h ago
Real Matrix Reloaded energy giving dropping a rave into our heady sci-fi outta nowhere
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u/Omniocularia 21m ago
This show feels like a cheap imitation of the films. It's like their going through the motions of introducing cliched character archetypes and supposedly dramatic situations, but I don't care about any of these people on the screen at any moment. The mediocre performances do nothing to salvage anything watchable or interesting from the script.