The following review contains spoilers for Dune Prophecy’s fourth episode, “Twice Born.”

Divided once again into two parts, “Twice Born” returns Dune: Prophecy to its familiar fronts: Valya’s visit to the royal capital to sort out the Sisterhood’s relationship with the Empire, and Tula’s attempts to feud with the younger sisters during These spiral out of control due to mysterious omens and Lila’s death. Now that the backstory and setup is out of the way, things pick up in Episode 4, but it doesn’t always feel as exciting as it should. With a few exceptions, “Twice Born” is a prime example of what doesn’t work in this series.

What’s been clear from the start – but most obvious this week – is that Dune: Prophecy is trying to become HBO’s next Game of Thrones. (Although, you know, HBO already has one of these.) At its core, it’s a political drama full of noble families with their many problems, a king who rules them all, and everyone vying for the throne. But this half of the story was never the highlight of the show. This remains the case in Twice Born, where the Emperor’s insecurities drive him into the arms of Desmond Hart and the plan to bomb the Landsraad never evokes the right emotions.

Regrettably, the lack of drama comes down to some stilted acting – although it’s fair to say the cast isn’t given much to work with. Many of the younger actors in the series find it difficult to express the emotions of what is happening in their performances. I’ve said it in previous reviews, but Travis Fimmel also struggles to make Desmond Hart seem anything more than crazy. The only one who stands out in Twice Born is Edward Davis, who absolutely outshines the vacillating young Baron Harrow Harkonnen and does his best to feign confidence and regality in front of the Great Houses. It’s absolutely perfect, which makes Harrow’s presence a pleasure.

The other half of “Twice Born,” as the name suggests, concerns Tula’s dealings with Wallach IX as the omen of Tiran-Arafel slowly consumes the sisterhood. A shared dream and a spooky arts and crafts séance send the younger sisters into a frenzy, and as interim superior in Tula during Valya’s absence, she must deal with the chaos. It’s another example of Dune: Prophecy having good ideas but ultimately failing to execute on them. Although Olivia Williams’ portrayal of Tula is as thoughtful as ever, she fails to elevate the plot beyond its basic level. What’s most interesting is when we see the emotional impact of this collective fear grow within the sisterhood, such as when Emeline becomes so absorbed in the dream that she almost kills herself (and Jen’s ability to drown out the noise and prevent that) . But we only see snippets of the younger sisters, as the focus of most of the time we spend with Wallach IX is on Tula.

Dune: Prophecy Episode 4 Gallery