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There was a major clue to the secret identity of Dune Prophecy's Desmond Hart hidden in his very first scene, as revealed by showrunner
Watch carefully for how Desmond Hart is dressed the first time we meet him, says Dune: Prophecy showrunner Alison Schapker. The key to his secret identity was there all along
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- Watch: Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]
- Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]
Major spoilers for Dune: Prophecy, season 1, episode 6 follow.
Dune: Prophecy's season finale featured the answer to one of the biggest questions presented in the show so far: that is, the true origin of Desmond Hart. Even though that answer took a full six episodes to reveal itself officially, however, eagle-eyed viewers may have gotten clues to Desmond's parentage (Tula Harkonnen and Orry Atreides) long before the final episode aired. In fact, as series showrunner Alison Schapker recently admitted "To look back over season 1, there are clues to Desmond's identity and his power and where it all comes from."
But just where can eagle-eyed viewers look for those clues? Schapker was only too happy to explain.
First, some context: Schapker, along with series stars Emily Watson (Valya Harkonnen) and Olivia Williams (Tula Harkonnen), participated this past weekend in a press conference to mark the tail end of Dune: Prophecy season 1. Probably the most reported-on thing that came out of the presser was the official announcement of Dune: Prophecy, season 2, but there were plenty more juicy details that came up in conversation. At one point, Schapker was asked if there were any clues to some of season 1's biggest reveals in the early episodes, and where devotees should be looking
"I don't know if people will notice," Schapker answered, "but the cloth he's carrying the first time we see him - when Desmond Hart appears and walks up to the palace - he has this black cloth, and that is really his token of his mother."
And you thought Desmond was just emo-coded.
She continued, "Through the whole series, he uses it in private moments as a kind of 'keeping alive' of his drive and his connection, until finally he meets her and is clutching her actual dress and realizing what once was a piece of his actual baby blanket. That she swaddled him in Sisterhood cloth. He's held on to [it] and now he's finally with his mother. We tried to do things like that to kind of build in and foreshadow where the story was going."
Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but hear this story and think of a similar situation from a different prestige adaptation of a high fantasy franchise. As you may recall, Popverse reported in 2023 that the season 3 finale of The Witcher was foreshadowed by its creators. And the method they chose to foreshadow? You guessed it - it was in the characters' costumes.
Now, I'm not saying that every big TV mystery can be solved by examining character's outfits, but the more of these stories come out, the closer attention I'm paying to what those characters are wearing.
Dune: Prophecy season 1 is streaming now on Max.
Face your fear, and permit it to pass over you and through you with our key guides to all things Dune:
- Dune: Part Two's ending explained,
- All the Dune sequels and TV show prequels that are planned
- Dune watch order
- Which Frank Herbert story Denis Villeneuve believes would make a great Dune: Part Three
- Movies to watch after you've finished Dune
- Sisterhood of Dune ending explained: Understanding the book that Dune: Prophecy was based on
After reading it all, turn to the inner eye to see its path.
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