***Spoilers ahead for episode 102 of Dune: Prophecy***
The HBO original drama series Dune: Prophecy, made its series debut November 17th. The series has captured the hearts of viewers with its relentless twists and turns, visually stunning world-building and heart-pounding dramatic moments. In a universe governed by power and prophecy, few figures loom as enigmatic as Sister Jen and Sister Emeline. In Dune: Prophecy, these characters embody the delicate balance of faith, strategy, and survival. Played masterfully by Aoife Hinds (Sister Emeline) and Faoileann Cunningham (Sister Jen), their roles bring a fresh perspective to the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, adding layers of intrigue to the fantastical series.
BGN chatted with the actors to discuss the events that unfolded during episode 102 aptly titled “Two Wolves”. As Sisters Emeline and Jen respectively explore the world around them — a place filled with dirty politics, mysticism, and the intrigue of the spice-rich empire. The challenges of what they experience in episode 102 with the loss of their fellow acolyte Lila, begins to shape a moment that may have an impact on their journey throughout this season.
Although at first Sister Jen doesn’t seem to take the Sisterhood seriously in episode 1. In episode 2, she finally sees the power of what the sisterhood harnesses and she seems even a bit surprised by it. Would you say that that’s a fair characterization of her and who she is and what she represents to the sisterhood?
Faoileann Cunningham: I think across the series, she matures in every episode. She’s quite reactive and maybe you could say immature or maybe that’s the most mature response is to be reactive. I also think it’s still a different thing watching someone you care about go through something really traumatic and you can’t do anything about it. We don’t know how she ended up at the Sisterhood. Another thing was, we spoke about a lot on set was actually how competitive the acolytes are with each other because they have to be.
Sister Emeline, sadly, gives a haunting premonition to Lila, referring to the term “martyr”, in which Lila inevitably becomes one. Although she does explain, based on her family history, what she meant by using the term martyr, however, do you also think that there’s some intuition she inhabits?
Aoife Hinds: That’s really interesting. I think she truly believes what she says and she truly believes that it’s such an honor to give your life and to sacrifice your life for the greater cause. I think she is still experiencing what that actually means. And I think that she doesn’t really expect what’s going to happen. There was a scene in episode 1 that didn’t make it in that we shot, but it kind of showed Lila in this position, in a very skilled position to deal with the agony. That was something that gave her the confidence to say this to Lila, because I think she truly believes that Lila would make it out the other side. And that when the agony is happening, there is something within her that suddenly kicks in and there’s something that’s obviously not going the way that she thought it was going to go. I feel that they’re all learning as they’re going along.
Now that we know Lila’s fate as a result of being used as a conduit, do you think that Sister Jen feels some sort of rebellion now towards the Sisterhood?
FC: I think it’s a really mixed bag because I think she’s super smart. Maybe at some stage, the audience will come to understand that. She’s a very intelligent individual and she’s always taking in information. It’s one thing to come into the sisterhood and not know what you’re going to train in, but it’s another thing to rock up and then suddenly you can see that the ground is falling out from beneath them and they’re not hiding it that well.
As the sisters are trying to figure out who killed Kasha, do you think that they’ve lost a sense of trust and unity within the group or has the loss of this mother made them stronger together?
AH: I think it’s definitely where they’ve had their differences kind of in the past. Jen and Emeline have very different world views of life. And they butt heads alot. And I think because they’re thrown into this absolute situation that they have no idea, no control, it kind of brings them together. It’s always in hard times your enemy becomes your friend. And I think that’s what’s happened. And they have no choice but to band together and, and put their differences kind of aside for a time.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
Through the layered portrayals of Sister Jen and Sister Emeline bring depth and humanity to a tale of epic proportions, ensuring that the sisterhood remains as enigmatic as ever. And as the spice flows and the prophecy unfolds, one thing is certain: Dune: Prophecy is just the beginning of a journey that will leave us all pondering what will happen next as this season unfolds.
New episodes of Dune: Prophecy air Sunday nights at 9pm ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
