This week’s ep picks up immediately where last week left off—with June and Nick hiding while Commander Wharton tells Serena it was Nick that spilled the beans. His messy legumes led to the deaths of every sex worker at Jezebels—every one except Janine. We know already who probably saved her and why she’d almost certainly rather be dead than with him.
I found myself hoping June was leading Nick to Mayday so they could take him out in a Commander-Fred-Waterford-way. Watching Nick’s sniveling excuses and justifications was bad enough, but making June feel culpable so she’d forgive him? Ew. “And you love me, so what does that make you?” He says. But does she even remotely love him now that she knows what he did? I don’t see how.
Now June has to go back and face Mayday with the news that she foiled their plan, because she trusted Nick. Only Moira understands. The rest won’t even look at her. Understandable. But here’s the issue—June keeps saying that all the things that happened to her don’t excuse her mistake. But trauma literally rewires your brain. The longer it goes on, the more it changes you.
Given what we’ve seen, it made sense for June to believe Nick wouldn’t betray her. It’s cruel of Luke to assume she still loves him after such a horrible betrayal. Sure, love doesn’t just evaporate. But she went from almost running away to Paris with him to not wanting to be seen with him at all. Who’d have thought Commander Lawrence would turn out to be the trustworthy one? Anyway, Luke and June once again decide they’re staying together despite everything.
One of the main themes of The Handmaid’s Tale is how we respond to things like oppression, guilt, culpability, revenge, and prolonged suffering. We see it every time characters argue about who is the most aggrieved, or which architect of Gilead had the best reason to abdicate their humanity for some performative cause. When Aunt Lydia enters Jezebels to see what remains of the carnage, she’s overcome. That’s real.
Lydia was always a true believer in Gilead, so we know she’s got to be feeling unbearable anger at herself for believing in what must seem now like a very obvious lie. She’s no hero, of course. She was cruel to so many of “her girls.” But when she committed those atrocities, she really had bought into the idea that it wasn’t just for the greater good—but that the girls would be better off for it. If you’ve ever talked to a Trump supporter who now regrets their vote because their friend got exiled or their partner lost their cancer treatment--multiply their anger by beatings, orchestrated SA, and mutilating the disobedient and you’ve got Lydia’s current conscience.
Speaking of Aunts, Phoebe finally makes her appearance this week (to the delight of readers), enacting a scene that I would swear is from The Testaments. If you’ve not read this sequel, it’s a mind-bender. It’s also going to be a HULU series soon. Aunt Phoebe is delightfully portrayed by D’Arcy Carden, who you may recognize as Natalie from the HBO show Barry. Does this mean Carden will return in the series as Aunt Phoebe? Damn...I sure hope so. She seems a touch aged-up here, which would support that theory.
Easily the funniest part of Shattered is Serena’s bridal shower, thrown by the green-suited wives of Gilead. They’re dismissive of New Bethlehem, of the proposed fertility center, even the idea of Handmaid’s ending up anywhere decent after retirement. The endless refrain of “my husband thinks” was enough to make me gag—especially since I know a few women like that in real-life. No time for headachy thinking when their husband can make all the big decisions. We’re reminded of that nation that kidnapped and enslaved a bunch of people, then got mad when the law changed and then got even madder that the descendants of the people their ancestors brought here are still here? America, it’s called.
The confusion on the wives faces when Serena asks “what about YOUR dreams, YOUR ambitions.” The Gilead wives end up dragging Serena pretty hard. That’s probably why she think she’s brave. Serena thinks sitting there in mild discomfort is what it means to fight and struggle for a cause. Soon after the shower, she and Wharton decide to throw the biggest blowout wedding since Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell. Soon Serena is picking out plates and cakes and whatnot. The wedding promises to be the event of the year. Even the handmaids are invited. Gosh, I hope nothing goes horribly wrong.
Aunt Lydia’s intense relief at finding out Janine is alive is tempered by finding out that she’s trapped in a house with her abusive stalker Commander Bell. With Fred Waterford dead, Paul Bell is the new worst commander—though I’m sure Wharton has some true colors that haven’t been put on full display yet. Bell is so controlling that he answers his own door in a place where he almost certainly has an abundance of servants. His wife appeared to be the woman who pulled Janine from the window—so she’s awful too. It’s likely that she welcomes Janine so Paul has someone else to take his anger out on.
By the end of Shattered, the resistance has a new plan in place. It’s solid. The Wharton wedding will be attacked by Mayday because everyone (except Aunt Lydia) will be there. The Handmaid’s and Martha network will help, and June is gonna get Janine out of the clutches of Commander Bell. We see the first steps of the plan in place as Lawrence (now working closely with Mark Tuello) hands off weapons to someone...then drops Moira and June at the Red Center before letting Aunt Lydia know she needs to leave town now, now, now.
We can’t help notice that Rita is now on the side of the resistance. She found her bravery when she too learned that trusting Nick is for suckers. He’d promised to help get her and her sister out of New Bethlehem altogether, but after losing June’s respect, he doesn’t care about anything anymore. Sure, he’s all smoldery and whatnot. But he can expire at the Wharton wedding for all I care. As June and Moira pointed out—Nick is no Rhianna.
We conclude with June and Moira in place, with hours to kill before the next steps in the plan. Oh, and Aunt Phoebe is part of the resistance. Yay! Moira asks June to say something inspiring, something...leaderish. What does she come up with? Dear god, please give us the strength to murder these godd*mn motherf*ckers. A f*cking-men indeed. How June or Moira can still believe in a righteous god after everything they’ve been through is staggering, and frankly I don’t see the value in it. But I guess that’s why it’s called faith. 8/10