Review: Dune: Prophecy, "Two Wolves" | Season 1, Episode 2
A dash of sexposition underlines the "Game of Thrones spec script" vibes of the prequel
“We are all just pieces on the board to be played in the pursuit of power…and spice.”
It’s hard to believe it’s been over 13 years since Game of Thrones debuted, as it means it’s also been 13 years since I became associated with the term “sexposition,” which even has its own Wikipedia page. However, I was reminded of the passage of time when midway through this second episode of Dune: Prophecy we got a classic case of sex being used to make necessary information more exciting: as soon as the Emperor’s bastard son makes eyes with the Duke’s daughter as they grieve the latter’s brother, you know it’s on.
It’s striking to think about how much the discourse around sex scenes in media has shifted in that period. At the time, the conversation around sexposition was about the gratuitous presence of nudity in contexts where it wasn’t required, presumably shoehorned in by executives convinced it was a reason people subscribed to premium cable. Speaking for myself and I think most of my colleagues cited on that Wikipedia page, we didn’t have a problem with sex being part of shows; we had a problem with sex being deployed without any reason beyond making a history lesson more thrilling.
But since then, it feels like there’s a whole new discourse against the idea of sex scenes in general—I don’t know how much of this is just a few bad tweets being extrapolated out into an opinion of the “youths,” but it does seem like there’s a shifting tide. Constantine’s sex scene with the Duke’s nameless daughter wouldn’t just be critiqued based on the fact we don’t even know her name, and the fact the scene only functions to provide more insight into his character’s relationship with his father—it would be criticized for existing at all, given that those plot functions could have been achieved without the nudity, the thrusting, the pleasure.
What I’ve always said about sexposition—like in this followup essay in Thrones’ second season—is that it’s not an inherently problematic instinct. Sex is a space of intense vulnerability, where pleasure and intimacy break down the facades we put on in our daily lives if we’re characters in a story of palace intrigue. Given how many lines in this episode feel ripped right out of a Game of Thrones spec script, it’s only logical that this would crib from that show’s love of sex as a window into one’s true self. Constantine thinks he can use his sexuality in order to get information for his father, but he only manages to give information to the Duke, revealing news of Desmond Hart’s arrest. While you could argue the scene could have just used the recreational drug use to get its point across, the power dynamics of sex are more potent, and the show is clearly invested in exploring them (while also, yes, lingering on the act itself and the pleasure therein).