Within the waning months of 2024, HBO introduced two of its company overlords’ most profitable IP from the large to the small display: The Penguin in September and Dune: Prophecy in November. These two Warner Bros Discovery properties obtained combined important responses, however each have been very talked-about with viewers, repeatedly topping the most-watched sequence on the community and its sister streamer Max. And whereas a gritty comedian e book crime drama and an epic house opera fantasy most likely appear fairly totally different on the floor, each sequence share a stunning thematic hyperlink: the ability of a story.
In The Penguin’s devastated Gotham Metropolis and Dune’s far-future imperial society, tales are in every single place: tales characters inform about themselves, and that others inform about them. In some methods, the tales have develop into extra essential than the reality, and whoever controls the narrative has the ability to vary their future. It is a well-known adage that historical past is written by the winners, and each of those sequence discover that concept in numerous methods.
‘The Penguin’ — Story Is Future
Observe: the next incorporates spoilers for The Penguin
The Penguin explores the ability of a narrative via its two principal characters: Oswald “Oz” Cobb (Colin Farrell) and Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti). For Oz, taking management of his story is a option to change his future by altering the best way his group sees him. Within the very first scene, Oz tells the doomed Alberto Falcone a narrative of a gangster from his previous neighborhood who took care of the poor residents in his group, and was thought of a type of people hero quite than a felony. Alberto mocks Oz for his want for the same standing, and Oz shoots him useless, pulling down the primary domino that units the story in movement.
Oz has bigger aspirations for himself, and hopes to transcend his standing as a lowlife thug via mythmaking. He does handle to briefly obtain his aim when he bases his drug manufacturing operation beneath his previous neighborhood, using some residents and giving again to the group — uncared for by metropolis officers within the aftermath of the Riddler’s lethal plan in The Batman — by getting the lights turned again on. His glory is short-lived, nonetheless, when Sofia blows up his operation and devastates the neighborhood even additional.
Sofia has her personal story to deal with, one which was compelled upon her and would go on to form her future. Born into the Falcone crime household, Sofia initially tries to make use of her wealth to do some good on this planet, elevating consciousness of lacking and murdered ladies. However when a reporter reveals her proof that her personal father, Carmine, is a suspected serial killer known as “the Hangman” who murdered a number of ladies, her family lies to guard him, fabricating a narrative that Sofia was the assassin and getting her locked away in Arkham Asylum.
This resolution is what turns Sofia into the villain she turns into, perpetually saddled with the story of “The Hangman.” From that time on, her descent into criminality turns into inevitable, with no alternative however to reside as much as the narrative that was compelled on her. By means of these two contrasting characters, The Penguin examines how each self-mythmaking and imposed mythmaking can alter the course of an individual’s life.
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‘Dune: Prophecy’ — Correcting the Legend
Observe: the next incorporates spoilers for Dune: Prophecy season one
Set about 10,000 years earlier than the start of Paul Atreides kicks off the occasions of the Dune saga, Dune: Prophecy begins some years after the Butlerian Jihad, the warfare between people and the “pondering machines” which had enslaved them. The people have been ultimately victorious, and destinies have been written. Households just like the Atreides ascended to energy for his or her valor in battle, whereas others, just like the Harkonnens, have been banished for his or her cowardice.
Younger Valya and Tula Harkonnen (Jessica Barden and Emma Canning) grew up in exile on the frigid planet Lankiveil, their household compelled to eke out an existence within the margins, labeled as cowards by affiliation. Their mom Sonia (Polly Walker) and Uncle Evgeny (Mark Addy) suggest that this story is not precisely true, however in the end it does not actually matter; their household is taken off their pedestal regardless. The sequence hasn’t totally examined how this narrative may need been manipulated, nevertheless it clearly had an impact on the youthful technology of Harkonnens, main Valya and Tula to do no matter’s mandatory to revive their household identify effectively into their maturity within the Sisterhood of Truthsayers (performed by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams respectively).
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This want to regulate the narrative extends to the Sisterhood itself. After Reverend Mom Raquella dies, a wrestle for the way forward for the Sisterhood ensues, with Raquella’s daughter, Dorotea (Camilla Beeput), making an attempt to uphold the Sisterhood’s noble objectives by ending Raquella’s controversial breeding program, the place future world leaders are rigorously bred behind the scenes to protect the Sisterhood. Moderately than let Dorotea destroy the Reverend Mom’s work, Valya makes use of “the voice” to compel Dorotea to take her personal life, labeling it as a suicide and forcing the opposite sisters to both settle for her rule or die.
They preserve this facade for 30 years, till the spirit of Dorotea is ready to return to the residing world via the vessel of her descendant Sister Lila (Chloe Lea), revealing that the acolytes’ perception system relies on a lie. It stays to be seen how this revelation impacts the Sisterhood, nevertheless it’s seemingly {that a} rebel is forming.
Each The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy display how tales have the ability to form individuals’s understanding of themselves and the world round them, and that true energy lies in who will get to inform these tales. After everybody who lived to see the reality is gone, solely the story stays, so ensuring it is informed the appropriate method may be a very powerful factor of all. Stream each on Max.