The Handmaid’s Tale review: How does it feel?

The Handmaid’s Tale — “Watch Out” – Episode 303 — June navigates a meeting where she must face both Commander Waterford and Nick. Serena Joy attempts to recuperate at her motherÕs home. Lawrence teaches June a hard lesson about the difficult decisions he makes as a Commander. Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski), shown. (Photo by: Elly Dassas/Hulu)

After spending an episode focusing on June’s new efforts, the focus of “Useful” splits between June and Serena Joy, both wrestling with what it means to be the titular adjective in their own ways.

Of course, those consequences of June’s mission in “Mary and Martha” are shown explicitly: Marthas hanging for “heresy,” and a new Martha, Sienna, in the Lawrence house. There’s a meeting in the house, one which Fred attends. “He does not like to be bored,” Fred tells her about Lawrence. The Handmaid’s Tale has certainly cultivated a sense of danger about him.

He goes between chewing June out and then letting her pour drinks at the meeting of Commanders, where she can overhear the plans for Gilead attacking Chicago, but then asking her to fetch a book specifically, only telling her how to find it visually after a moment of making her suspect she’ll have to read. However, there’s only so much we can take of this before it starts to lose its luster.

The later scene between June and Lawrence does something to open this up, since the discussion lets June light into him after he calls her “useless.” His response is to take her to what looks like an old greenhouse that’s been converted into holding pens for women headed to the Colonies; she has to pick five women to become Marthas.

She refuses (at first). Then she picks five women who can help the resistance.

When she’s back at the house, Nick visits because he’s going to Chicago — the front. Nick’s been a non-entity in these first three episodes, but we imagine he’ll come back at some point, or his body might.

Meanwhile, Serena Joy is staying with her mother, and to say that Pamela is a trip would be an understatement. We know Serena helped construct Gilead’s gender politics, and her mother seems to have bought right into them or perhaps molded her daughter that way. It’s underlined by how Pamela will say something, and then Serena will repeat it.

Perhaps Serena’s scenes are more compelling because there are so few of them. Part of it is because Pamela can reduce Serena to tears, saying that Serena needs to go back to her husband. This is a brilliant bit of casting. We can see how this woman produced Serena in demeanor as well as physically.

When Serena heads back to Boston, it’s not to Fred she goes to. Instead, she visits June, who offers a very different view on who and what mothers are than Pamela. “You’re scared,” June says. “Use it. Maybe we’re stronger than we think we are.” Back on the beach at her mother’s, Serena walks into the ocean as the sun rises. Then she wades back out, a new woman, perhaps, even as Fred approaches. They say nothing to each other.

“One day, when we’re ready, we’re coming for you,” June finishes in voiceover. Does that we include Serena? We’re certainly meant to think so right now.

These are a strong first three episodes, even if they’re very different tonally and have some uneven balance of performances. After a brutal second season, here’s hoping The Handmaid’s Tale has finally found its balance again.

The Handmaid’s Tale airs new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu