An ungainly prequel buckling under the weight of exposition, but still intriguing enough to keep me wanting more.

What is a thinking machine? Is the Sisterhood the Bene Gesserit? We have your Dune: Prophecy episode 1 answers here.

Editor's note: The below recap contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy Episode 1.

HBO's new "Dune" series from Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker kicks off with a 66-minute premiere episode.

Prophecy" episode 1 ahead! Screenwriters Schapker and Ademu-John keep a tight rein on the series' dour tone and bleak visuals that do present flashes of pure sci-fi geekiness, like the premiere episode's Butlerian Jihad clash with the thinking machines paired with Valya's passionate voice-over of how the Harkonnens were branded cowards and banished.

The first vision comes courtesy of Mother Superior Raquella (Cathy Tyson), the founder of the Sisterhood that will one day come to be known as the Bene Gesserit. On her deathbed, she foresees a terrible future,

Prophecy has stepped into that Sunday night slot to keep us entertained. The show from Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker takes place years before the rule of Atreides, and critics say the new series "delivers twist after twist" in this tale,

The first installment of HBO’s “Dune” prequel series suggests there is a “burning truth” very few are capable of seeing. It may be too hot to handle.

Dune: Prophecy episode 1 "The Hidden Hand" showcases everything that can go wrong when bringing Frank Herbert's world to the screen.

Dune: Prophecy has officially landed at Max as of Sunday, Nov. 17 when the series premiered. The prequel show follows the establishment of the Bene Gesserit years before the events of Denis Villeneuve's two films starring Zendaya,