My, how the misogynistic tables have turned.
OK, OK. So The Handmaid’s Story’s Serena Pleasure doesn’t really grow to be a handmaid on this week’s episode. In any case, thank goodness, she’s not subjected to the ritual rape that Gilead forces upon any lady chosen to put on crimson. However she is made to dwell in a home the place she’s handled like rubbish, whereas a lady who hates her appoints herself mom to her child.
Karma, eh?
In the meantime, Lawrence makes June a proposal she will be able to’t/doesn’t need to refuse. Learn on for the highlights of “Motherland.”
SERENA’S NEW LOW | Close to the highest of the episode, we get our first take a look at “New Bethlehem,” Commander Lawrence’s housing improvement for individuals who’ve escaped Gilead. Or, because the pamphlet doubtless will say, “A modernized, strategically liberalized island the place Gilead refugees can come dwelling with amnesty and the promise of reuniting with long-lost household and buddies.” Lawrence tells Nick and the opposite commanders who’re touring the positioning that he desires to challenge maturity, confidence and “ethical fortitude” to the skin world. What’s extra, he’s planning a visit to Toronto to entice households into transferring again.
Talking of Toronto: We study that Serena has been phoning June and Rita from the detention middle, hoping for some assist. They’ve been screening her calls. And once we minimize to Mrs. Waterford, crying as she pumps breastmilk in a nook of the detention middle’s guests’ room, that evaluation appears correct.
The Wheelers are fostering Noah whereas Serena is in custody, and Alanis is there to gather the milk and be a judgmental jerk. As Mrs. Wheeler seems to be at Serena like she’s a bit of chewed gum caught to the underside of her shoe, she relates that Ezra survived, due to the bulletproof vest he was carrying when Serena shot him. Serena tries to play on the youthful lady’s sympathies, saying “the strain and the being pregnant” brought about her to go just a little kooky. Alanis doesn’t actually care. As a substitute, she complains about how Noah cries all day and evening, and that they’re utilizing the cry-it-out technique with him to attempt to get him to hush. (“YOU CAN’T DO THAT WITH A BABY THAT YOUNG! THEY CAN’T SELF-SOOTHE!” I write indignantly in my notes. That poor kiddo.)
Then Alanis throws shade at Serena by implying that she doesn’t have the “psychological toughness” vital for motherhood. “I’ve overthrown a rustic. And I’ve, towards all odds, given start to a really wholesome child. And never as soon as have I lacked for psychological toughness,” she grits out. They argue extra, nevertheless it comes down to 1 stark reality ultimately: “You’re in right here,” Alanis says, “and I’m not.” Ouch.
HELLO AGAIN | June and Lawrence meet up throughout his journey north. He’s each extremely frank about his objectives at first of Gilead (“Sadly, I had to make use of non secular nutjobs as a supply system” to avoid wasting humanity “and I underestimated their depravity, nevertheless it was triage, and it labored”) and his provide to carry June again into the fold. Gilead gained’t let Hannah out, however June is greater than welcome to grow to be one among New Bethlehen’s first residents. “No handmaids, no hangings… the place one would possibly go to their grown kids working their very own homes,” he dangles, bringing June to tears as she contemplates a reunion with Hannah. “You’re saying I may be with my daughter?” she wonders, and man, Elisabeth Moss’ studying on that one is really heartbreaking. Lawrence additionally places it on the market that Nick is working with him on this decision, and the he provides June a telephone so she will be able to get in contact when she’s thought issues by means of.
Again at dwelling, she’s definitely contemplating the provide. Luke… positively isn’t. She factors out that Lawrence has repeatedly come by means of for her, and “he has been my good friend,” whereas the American authorities hasn’t finished a lot for them. Their dialog ramps up into an argument that isn’t helped when Luke, who’s understandably annoyed by how a lot Gilead has blown up his household and altered his spouse on a basic degree, blurts out that she’s letting emotion cloud her judgment. “In fact you don’t perceive what I really feel,” she shoots again. “Look what you probably did to Serena and her child.”
Yeowtch. June’s assertion is fascinating on a number of ranges. First, it positively falls into that class of “Belongings you suppose throughout an argument along with your companion however strive to not say… however you then say them and the truth that you’ve clearly been sitting on them for a while is extra damning than the issues themselves.” Second, June is kinda #TeamSerena on this one, which is a change, to say the very least. June doubles down, telling her husband that she didn’t ask for him to intervene. “Simply let me shield you typically, please,” he begs. However she doesn’t soften. “The factor is, I don’t want your safety. I don’t want it,” she says. “Hannah does.”
JUNE CONSIDERS HER OPTIONS | June goes upstairs and soothes Nichole, who’s been roused from sleep as a result of anti-refugee protestors are honking exterior the home. June sings The Velvet Underground’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” which she used to sing to Hannah. “I need you to know her,” she whispers to the little lady. Simply exterior the room, Luke overhears.
After June wakes up in Nichole’s mattress the following morning, she comes downstairs to search out Tuello there. He’s not happy that the Architect of Gilead is canvassing refugee households in Toronto. “Lawrence’s aim is to kill off America, as soon as and for all. You’re a get for them,” he says, calling June a “domino” who will kick off a catastrophic impact if she chooses to return. That’s when June decides she’s had nearly sufficient of people that weren’t handmaids telling her what’s and isn’t good for her re: Gilead. She calls for to know what Tuello is doing with the knowledge they obtained for him in No Man’s Land; after making an attempt to cover behind “it’s categorised,” he finally admits {that a} navy motion is in play. However that imprecise promise isn’t sufficient for June. “Lawrence is providing us Hannah,” she says angrily. “You might be providing us NOTHING.”
Later, June consults Rita, asking her what she ought to do. Rita gently says she’d by no means return — however she additionally doesn’t have a toddler on the within. “If there have been a world the place my son isn’t useless?” she wonders. “I might do something to see him once more. I might journey to the ends of the Earth.”
‘GUESS I’M A BETTER CHRISTIAN THAN YOU’ | Let’s test in with Serena once more. Lawrence swings by to inform her that she’s being launched to Gilead custody, and she or he’ll return to a room on the Wheelers’ home. She is NOT completely happy about that flip of occasions, and she or he’s gutted when he reminds her that Alanis and Ryan have authorized custody of Noah; principally, the one means she may be with him is to play ball. She refuses to dwell in the identical home as her little one’s “kidnappers,” crying and saying, “I’m not a handmaid.” Honey, it if walks like a duck, talks like a duck and has its human rights violated like a … OK, you get the place I used to be going with this one.
Serena’s subsequent customer is June. It’s clear that Mrs. Waterford thinks they’ve leveled up of their relationship, and she or he doesn’t hesitate to ask her former handmaid for assist discovering an advocate. “Serena, we’re not buddies,” June says bluntly. In a short however superior trade, June makes it clear that she didn’t for one second forgive Serena, and that she helped with the start as a result of Noah “didn’t do something unsuitable.” Nonetheless not fully getting it, Serena brings up their “bond,” and June’s face principally has a patronizing “Oh, sweetie” written throughout it. “I turned the opposite cheek,” she explains. “Seems in spite of everything this, I suppose I’m a greater Christian than you.” BOOM.
As Serena tries to course of that reality, she wonders aloud “How do you go and dwell in a home with a lady who’s making an attempt to steal your child?… How did you ever dwell with me?” So June tells her: Mainly, your complete time, she was plotting her revenge. And, it kinda paid off? “Have a look at what occurred to Fred, and take a look at you now,” June says. Who knew the detention middle would serve up such a satisfying array of simply desserts?! Earlier than June leaves, she tells Serena that you would be able to’t assist your little one should you’re not with your little one. And that appears to cement one thing in her mind.
LAWRENCE’S CONSCIENCE | So when she subsequent meets with Lawrence, she calls for that he cease Gilead from marrying off Hannah. “Gilead’s gonna Gilead,” he replies glibly, including that the “organized marriage” is “not too dangerous” by the regime’s requirements. That is an excessive amount of for June, who yells at him about all the ladies raped, tortured and abused “in a world YOU created, you sick f—okay.” That hits him exhausting. Tearily, he says he was simply making an attempt to avoid wasting the world “and it obtained away from me,” and he’d erase the whole lot “simply so I wouldn’t have Gilead on my conscience.” (Facet notice: Bradley Whitford is admittedly, actually nice on this scene.)
June implores the commander to do SOMETHING, and he counters that New Bethlehem IS that one thing, a “nicer autocracy.” Nonetheless, not lengthy after their assembly, June receives a package deal with a DVD in it… and it’s footage of Hannah strolling by means of a glass passageway at what seems to be a college.
Keep in mind how Luke and June’s earlier argument was robust? It was nothing in comparison with the best way they throw down about what to do re: New Bethlehem and the footage they’ve simply obtained. She yells that he hasn’t finished something for seven years, then instant apologizes. He places his foot down that he gained’t carry Nichole again into Gilead, then June counters that she’ll go alone. “We’re by no means going to be sufficient for you, are we?” he says, dejected, and June sobs. “She wants me, and I left her behind,” she cries as Luke takes her into his arms. “I deserted her… I’ve to return to her.”
In the long run, they take the footage to Tuello, who guarantees to throw each useful resource into finding Hannah however asks for a while earlier than June makes her ultimate choice. Elsewhere, Lawrence tells Nick he’s fairly certain June will transfer, and he presents Nick a publish within the improvement as his right-hand man. And elsewhere from there, Serena returns to the Wheelers’ place, the place they make it clear that she’s solely allowed to nurse Noah, and Alanis will carry out “all of the duties of motherhood.” Even worse, Serena has to agree — out loud! — that she’s not match to be a mom. When Mrs. Waterford is ready to maintain her child, he nurses with abandon as she weeps and tells him she missed him a lot. (Facet notice: Have a look at how that child is taking a look at Yvonne Strahovski! This present’s child casting is ACES.)
‘WE FOUND HANNAH’| Every week later, there’s nonetheless no information from Tuello… till he calls June to say the phrases she’s been ready to listen to: “We discovered Hannah.” (!!!) He explains that they know the place the college is, they know the place she is, they usually have a plan. June’s pleasure overflows; she’s at a neighborhood market and winds up hugging the storekeeper earlier than working dwelling, smiling. She bursts into the home and hugs Moira and Luke as she cries, “They’re gonna go get her!” Luke is overcome. Everyone seems to be completely happy, aside from me, who fears that any good factor on this present goes to be contaminated by Gilead’s poison.
Within the final shot, we see Hannah at her faculty, engaged on some plantings. Because the digital camera pulls again… what’s the form of that planter? Interlocking Cs? US? Hit the feedback along with your theories.
Now it’s your flip. What did you consider the episode? Hold forth within the feedback!
