When viewers are first introduced to Bene Gesserit Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen in the first episode of HBO’sDune: Prophecy,she is a hardened woman shaped by years of tragedy. In the third episode of the series, “Sisterhood Above All,” a series of flashbacks introduceDune: Prophecy’s viewers to the primary reason for Valya’s detachment and sorrow: the death of her brother Griffin.
At a press conference attended by Game Rant, Emily Watson (who plays Valya) discusses how Griffin’s death shaped her entire life and relationships, particularly with Harrow, the young head of House Harkonnen.
Valya Saw Griffin As Her “Perfect Person”
Griffin Harkonnen was a young, confident potential heir of House Harkonnen and the devoted older brother to Valya and Tula. Exiled to theisolated planet of Lankiveil, the Harkonnen family sees Griffin as their one hope to return to prominence and glory. When Griffin is killed by Vorian Atreides, the remaining members of House Harkonnen are shattered. Valya withdraws, Tula (Olivia Williams) becomes determined to seek revenge, and Evgeny (Mark Addy) stews in bitterness for the remainder of his life.
The loss of this relationship made Valya who she is in the modern day, someone who is unwilling to get close to anyone besides Tula and who is willing to make difficult decisions dispassionately. While she cares for theBene Gesseritacolytes under her tutelage, nobody will ever replace Griffin in her life. Explaining what Valya lost when she lost Griffin, Watson said:
“I think she has an utterly irrational hero worship of Griffin. Griffin is to her the love of her life and the perfect person. His love was perfect, they were perfect, and everybody else [thinks that].”
She Looks Down On Harrow Because He Isn’t Griffin
After Valya begins to feel that the Bene Gesserit are losing their influence on Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong), she reluctantly teams up with the young family head Harrow to enact a plot within theLandsraad. Edward Davis, who portrays Harrow, told Game Rant that he feels that Harrow has been compared to Griffin his entire life, primarily by Evgeny. By the time ofDune: Prophecy,Harrow knows that he is “weak” and “not the new Griffin,” and is constantly made to feel lesser simply because he is not as charismatic, physically fit, or outgoing as the late heir.
When asked if Valya ever sawHarrowas a potential replacement for Griffin, if a connection to her late brother had anything to do with her choice to team up with Harrow, Emily Watson laughed. “She sees Harrow as a sort of a bit of a worm, really, compared to Griffin. She’s looking down her long nose at him, for sure.” Presumably, Watson means a small, wiggling earthworm - not the mighty sandworms who populate the planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune, and provide the valuable spice that makes interstellar travel possible.
Valya Harkonnenis a complex character, influenced by so many things: her family’s past, her bond with Tula, her responsibilities as Bene Gesserit Mother Superior, and her desire to see the Sisterhood further its goals and influence. But few things stay with her as strongly as the loss of her beloved Griffin. Nobody she meets in her life will ever compare: not Tula, not the acolytes of the Sisterhood, and most certainly not the “worm” Harrow. Season 2 ofDune: Prophecy,which has recently been confirmed by HBO, will likely explore Valya’s trauma, past, and motivations further as she pursues a new goal in the wake of Season 1’s events.
