It’s slightly maddening that June Osborn, the most wanted woman in Gilead, would think she can just waltz around in a Handmaid’s cloak and not be recognized. How many people at that wedding have only seen her in that getup? Nonetheless, the plan to arm the Handmaids and off the Commanders is afoot.
If you’ve read Atwood’s novel, you’ll know that Offred (She doesn’t get a name in the book. The movie version called her Katherine) isn’t the hell raising scrapper she is in this show. Moira is actually the bolder of the two women, which is why she escapes the Red Center early on. In this series, June gets a name, a spine, and the people skills to get others to risk their lives for a cause over and over.
The rumination on clothing and the color red was inspiring, but I’m not sure I wanted it at this point of the story. I appreciate the show’s desire to be inspiring as fascist rise in power around the world. I just wasn’t in to the overtness of the symbolism as if we hadn’t been contemplating all that since season one. The imagery of the red dyed fabric and the declaration that red is the color of rage that became uniforms of war though? Love that part.
There was a high level of tension this week, a grating slowness that was maddening to experience. Every errant look, the dropped knife, Lydia’s unexpected return...seeing June and discovering the cake--all of it so suspenseful and yet so bleak. It could all go wrong at any second.
Serena’s appeal to the handmaids at her wedding was indicative of her same mindset. ‘Oh, I had a handmaid. The woman I held down so my husband could [redacted] her also was mean to me sometimes, but now we’re cool. And soon things will be cool for all of you!’ Double yikes. At one point, it seems almost as if Serena knows June is there. She couldn’t though. Could she?
We know that Serena will never understand the impact of her actions, only what makes her feel good. The wedding happens basically without incident. It is ostentatious AF and borderline regal. Between the ceremony and the reception, all the handmaids are armed—Except OfGabriel, AKA Christina We’ll get to her.
The wedding cake was laced with sedatives—thanks to Rita. The handmaids entered all the ritzy homes to find the passed out commanders and kill them one by one. Excellent. We might be tempted to celebrate. But it was all portrayed with a bleak dourness that reminds us all that this isn’t the time for smiles. Even Janine’s rescue and the murder of Bell jr right through the eye was joyless. Nice to meet you, indeed! I bet Mrs. Bell jr will be delighted at this development. Pretty sure she despises him.
Aunt Lydia seemed to notice a lot of uneaten cake. Commander Lawrence was pushing cake on everyone, Lydia included. BTW, Serena noticed how nervous he was at the reception. Since she and Gabriel might be the only survivors—that could go very wrong for Lawrence. Seeing the cake under the seats made Lydia sure something was up. She’s enraged, exhausted, and drugged on cake. She knows June is involved. Her yelling and ranting is less effective than ever.
What ends up happening is June returning, Moira telling Lydia off, and a Gilead guard stands around listening for far longer than seems reasonable (was he in on it with Aunt Phoebe?). Ultimately Aunt Lydia realizes what she’s done, how she’s hurt so many women and children. Janine seems to forgive her instantly. I’m not sure I could. That said, I’m not sure Ann Dowd’s bottom lip has stopped quivering all season. Refrains of “You Did This” break Lydia down the way she broke her girls down. Deserved, but pitiable. Because again, Aunt Lydia was a true believer.
No sooner does Serena get carried across the threshold than Wharton’s true colors appear. Commander Bell Sr sent him a magical handmaid who gets pregnant with twins in one ceremony. Serena is horrified, not so much because of the handmaid being a person. No, the first thing she says is “but I’m fertile.” Because nobody is more important than Serena, in her mind. It’s an ugly scene and we begin to wonder if the Commander might raise a hand to her. The baby starts crying just as we see the fear on Serena’s face. I’m not a mom, but I’ve heard that’s a real thing. Babies just know what the mom is feeling.
As nice as it would be for Christina to be in on it and take out Wharton, we don’t get to see that. We do get to see Serena leave the house, demanding to be let out after Wharton initially stops her. He’s immediately a tyrant, telling his new wife that his compromise and catering to her was performative, and she’s his wife now. She’s under his...something. Serena sees, finally, that he’s “just like the rest of them.” Well duh. Serena takes her child and escapes before he can get violent. But honestly, where is she gonna go now?
Wharton’s low-voiced, “you deceived me” was chilling. Will Serena receive some kind of old school Gilead punishment for that? A stockade? A public lashing? I’m most excited to see where that leads. The most likely outcome is that she will come upon the cadre of escaping handmaids that are now running down the street. Their escape is possible since most of the town is still zoned out on wedding cake.
After a long talk about god, (again, how do any of these people still believe in the Yahweh of the bible?) Exodus concludes with a defeated Lydia allowing the handmaids to escape, and them running down the street to...anywhere. New Bethlehem being the most likely choice, unless they all want to go to join Mayday. Rita might wind up being a good recruiter since she’s now committed to the cause.
All hell is gonna break loose now that so many high commanders are dead. Wives will be apoplectic. Serena, Phoebe, and Lydia are now all on the side of the resistance—and two of those three can probably be trusted not to change their minds. And Wharton might take over all of Boston. Two episodes remain. I cannot wait.