WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Dune: Prophecy episode 2.
Episode 2 of the HBO prequel series Dune: Prophecy reveals what happened to Lila and her mother, Reverend Mother Dorotea. Dune: Prophecy is a six-part series based on the 2012 novel Dune Brotherhoodwhich was written by the original Dune son of author Frank Herbert, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. The story takes place more than 10,000 years before the rise of Paul Atreidies, narrated in the book by Denis Villenueve. Dune (2020) and Dune: Part Two (2024). Dune: Prophecy reveals the origins of the powerful shadow brotherhood known as the Bene Gesserit and how they manipulated the destiny of humanity.
Dune: Prophecy Episode 1 “The Hidden Hand” introduces Emily Watson’s Valya Harkonnen, a fierce and calculated leader, and her biological sister, Tula Harkonnen. Together, they oversee the development of highly qualified young women who learn to become Bene Gesserit sisters. The beginning of Dune: Prophecy also reveals how Valya came to power in the early days of the Bene Gesserit, which involved using the Voice’s supernatural power to kill Dorotea, biological daughter of Reverend Mother Superior, Raquella. Dorotea had a moral vision for the Bene Gesserit, but Valya had something else in mind.
Sister Tula claimed that Lila’s mother died in the dunes: prophecy
Dorotea was murdered by Valya Harkonnen
As shown in Dune: Prophecy episode 2 “Two Wolves”, Sister Tula Harkonnen, biological sister of Mother Reverend Superior Valya Harkoennen, took Lila under her wing as one of her most exceptional and promising students. Despite their closeness, Tula never revealed the true nature of Lila’s mother’s death.perhaps because she is unaware of the truth, like the rest of the Brotherhood. Valya used the Voice against Lila’s mother, Dorotea, to kill and silence her due to differences in Bene Gesserit views. Dorotea was the daughter of the first Reverend Mother Superior, Raquella, and intended to undo many of the principles Raquella had established.
Lila knew the significance of her ancestry, but was unaware that Valya Harkonnen had essentially stolen the role of Mother Superior from the rightful heir, Dorotea, by using the Voice to assassinate her. After the first two episodes of Dune: ProphecyIt has not yet been revealed how much Tula knows about Valya’s original betrayal of Dorotea. Lila was possessed by Dorotea’s spirit during the Agony ceremonywho came seeking revenge on the Harkonnens for the life they stole from her. With this, Dorotea takes her “hope” in the form of Lila, who ends up killing her and also reuniting her with her ancestral lineage.
Why Lila was raised by the sisterhood
Tula took Lila Winder under her wing within the Brotherhood
Lila was raised by the Brotherhood because she had no mother. She knew that her grandmother was the powerful Raquella, but she was never told the truth about her mother Dorotea, as it would have completely destroyed her belief in Valya, Tula, and the Bene Gesserit Brotherhood. Tula basically raised Lila as her own, but she’s not her real mother. A scene in which Lila discovered the truth about Valya killing her mother would have been tense and full of conflict. However, Lila is taken by Dorotea to the “other side” during the Agony ceremony and never has the chance to discover the truth and face the Harkoennens herself.
It’s quite shocking that Dorotea chose to sacrifice her own son’s life to get revenge on Valya Harkonnen. However, Dorotea took Lila to be with her ancestors, which is where Dorotea believes she belongs, out of the hands of the evil and manipulative Harkonnen leaders. Now that the Harkonnens have lost one of their students in the Sisterhood, the integrity of their school will likely be questioned and some of the other Sisters-in-training will want to leave. Dorotea taking Lila’s life protected her, in a way, from being controlled and used by the Harkonnen and may end up sparing her from the imminent “Reckoning”.
What Lila saw during the agony ritual in Dune: Prophecy
Lila was sent to a mysterious otherworldly cave with her ancestors
During the Agony ceremony in Dune: Prophecy episode 2, Lila is welcomed by her grandmother Raquella and her mother Dorotea. She was sent to a spiritual realm to extract information from Raquella about “The Reckoning” known as Tiran Arafel so that the Brotherhood could better prepare. Although Lila’s experience was mysterious and frightening, seemingly lost and trapped in a dark and forbidding cave, she was with all of her female ancestors who held supernatural knowledge. Ultimately, the poisonous serum that Tula made for Lila to begin the Agony ritual ended up taking her life. Dune: Prophecy episode 2.