The Handmaid’s Tale season 2 episode 11 review: Holly

No, it’s not Christmastime in The Handmaid’s Tale, not yet, but “Holly” ends up undercutting itself with some musical choices.

There’s no timeskip for this week’s episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. There’s a closeup on June’s eyes to start it all, but “Holly” keeps her right at that empty house. “I’m sorry there’s so much pain in this story,” she says in voiceover, which seems like an apology to all of the viewers as well as her intended listeners in-universe.

Yet so much of this opening scene is silence. There’s no music, just the sounds of June’s somewhat panicked breathing as she searches the house for a way out. It turns out that the house belongs to Hannah’s Gileadean parents, and that’s when the music finally kicks in, breaking the peace. It almost feels too intrusive. We know this is a sad scene; we don’t need music to tell us to feel sad. When it cuts out to show June and Hannah in flashback, it’s much more effective.

There’s something about the roar of a Chevrolet’s engine and “Hungry Heart” that not only inspires us, but June, who grabs supplies to try and escape. (Honestly, those two things are so very American. As the radio announcer says, “We’re still here.”)

Unfortunately, she waits too long, and Serena and Fred arrive. Again, the music kicks in a little too forcefully to contrast the silence as Serena searches the upstairs; there’s tension in the strings, but Yvonne Strahovski’s angry screams and hisses do plenty to create that, even before she and Joseph Fiennes have their argument.

It’s almost funny — Serena even calls him out on his wry commentary — to finally see this come to a head. “I only ever wanted one thing in return. I wanted a baby,” she says. “You’ve left me with nothing.” The contrast of this emotion with June loading a shotgun and then aiming it at the Waterfords doesn’t need music, but it has music all the same. However, June doesn’t get to take a shot before they leave.

Even as she tries to open the garage door, her water breaks. Although she fires off shots to try and get some attention, she’s left to give birth on her own. The episode cuts between this second child, June’s experience giving birth to Hannah, Aunt Lydia teaching the Handmaids the chant, and Janine’s childbirth from the first season.

For naming the episode “Holly” after June’s mother (and her new daughter), we honestly don’t get to see much of the former, and as the latter is quite literally born at the end of the episode, it’s hard to see why that was the choice of name. Here’s hoping we see more of both Hollys.

Here’s where this episode excels: direction and acting. Elisabeth Moss has to carry this pretty much by herself, and she has absolutely no trouble with it; Diana Reid’s work behind the camera, meanwhile, is nearly perfect.

Here’s where it doesn’t: the music, aside from “Hungry Heart.” Everything is too loud and breaks the silence too strongly, making at least this reviewer wish that there was no music at all. But this is an episode in which June gives birth in an empty house; it could have been easy to mess up, but it’s honestly strong and intense without being disturbing.

It’s the first time all season that I’ve wanted to immediately watch the next episode, so that’s good, right?

Next: The problem with Serena Joy

Don’t let the side thoughts grind you down:

• We know it’s a Chevy not because we ever see the name of the model, but because we see the keychain with the familiar logo. For a show that emphasizes how women aren’t allowed to read, it’s a nice touch.
• The radio announcer is apparently Oprah Winfrey.
• “I tell, therefore you are,” June says in voiceover towards the end of the episode, twisting “I think, therefore I am” into something strangely more profound. We’re still not sure who she’s addressing; it could very well be Hannah.