Two Weddings and a Funeral on this Week’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Offred may have submitted to the Waterfords in The Handmaid’s Tale, but she’s still resisting in her own way. Spoilers below for this week’s episode!
June may have fully embodied Offred again last week, and this trend continues as the woman continues to retreat into herself, leaving behind what appears to be just an obedient husk in a handmaid’s dress this week. At one point, we even see Offred secretly burning the letters she received from Mayday last season, simply because she wasn’t supposed to have them. Serena Joy, always like a dog chasing a car, seems to not know what to do with this placated Offred, and has visibly grown frustrated with her handmaid’s new, almost robotic nature.
But even so, this episode isn’t about a “good” handmaid doing her job well and serving Gilead as she is commanded, because that would be boring and a bit too frustrating to watch. Instead, even deep down in the recesses of her mind where she’s retreated, June is still resisting Gilead, as at the beginning of the episode we see that she is bleeding and her child may be at risk. And of course, Offred’s fate may very well be tied to that of the child.
Meanwhile, in the Colonies, Janine is inspired by the love that two of the workers share and arranges for a brief wedding ceremony between the two. Emily is furious- in part because obviously a regime like the Republic of Gilead obviously wouldn’t at all look kindly upon same sex marriages, but also because she sees nothing but futility in trying to find a spot of happiness in the Colonies.
We see another, much more disturbing wedding scene back in Gilead. After Nick expresses concern for Offred and suggests that she see “another kind of doctor” (though honestly, I doubt Gilead is the type of place where people see the value in psychiatrists) Serena begins to plant little seeds of doubt and disruption around the household regarding his relationship with the handmaid. At one point, she even brings up to the Commander how “cute” it is that Nick is concerned. So far, Joseph Fiennes has played the Commander as a pretty aloof character, probably due to the fact that not only has his marriage with Serena gone cold, but also the child Offred is carrying isn’t even his. This trend continues, with him barely looking up from his work as Serena describes Nick’s questions.
It can be assumed Fred Waterford was listening though, because Nick later gets “rewarded” at a sort of group wedding. In an eerie twist on the traditional veil, the brides emerge with their entire faces completely obscured, and it’s clear that neither Nick nor any of the other Guardians have any idea who their brides are. It’s not until after the vows have been read that the veil are removed that we see that each of the brides are just young girls, almost certainly minors. The crowd cheers and claps, but the audio is nearly completely cut, emphasizing the empty facade of joy that the people of Gilead must pretend to experience in the face of this horrible injustice.
Back in the Colonies, one of the two lovers from the marriage Janine arranged has died, and her partner kisses her as she’s lowered into the ground. Emily sees this and realizes that, even if for a brief time, their marriage did bring them happiness in a place as horrible as the irradiated hell that they are imprisoned in.
Nick finds Offred, whose bleeding has gotten significantly worse, sprawled outside of the Waterford’s house, possible after an attempt to take her own life. She’s taken to a hospital, where she learns that her baby is actually fine.
“You’re tough,” Offred says, clearly inspired by the child’s resilience. She pulls the covers over her head and makes an oath to her unborn child that they both will escape Gilead together, a far more pure oath made under a white sheet than the one at the child bride wedding earlier in the episode (I promised credit to my wife for making that connection!).
Clearly, June is back, and I’m excited to see what’s in store next week. Perhaps even more so, I’m really starting to hope that the people in the Colonies revolt against the overseers there (who, by the way, I love their plague doctor-inspired outfits). Otherwise, I really don’t see Janine or Emily lasting much longer. Plus, after everything, it’s about time Gilead bled a little too.
