The Handmaid's Tale: Allegiance (5x09)

Oh goodness. I can't believe there's just one more episode of this season. Lots to discuss.

Cons:

I could have predicted that something was going to go wrong with the planned Hannah rescue, but I have to admit I'm a little disappointed in this less than creative outcome. Is Hannah's rescue going to be the last thing that happens in this show? Are we not going to actually see the aftermath of that, or are we going to drag out this family separation for all of season six as well? I guess I'm just getting a little frustrated. I would have at least liked something a bit more thrilling than all the Americans getting shot down and killed, essentially offscreen, while June and Luke just worry and wait.

So, the thing is, seeing June and Nick interact is just... it immediately sucks all the air out of the room. They have such good good chemistry that you just root for them to start smooching at every second. This is good, for the most part, but there are two problems. One, it just re-emphasizes how underwhelming Luke and June's connection is, by contrast. And for two... we've seen similar scenes for June and Nick so many times. So many fraught goodbyes, so many situations in which there's an unavoidable reason why they just can't be together. Every time, I don't know if I'm meant to believe a door is firmly closed, or if it's still cracked open in some way. So I'm left more flummoxed than I am moved. Nick's excuse for not being able to come to Canada feels a bit weak. Yes, Rose is pregnant, and yes, "Gilead is Rose's home", but come on, Nick. Obviously you have far more power to change your life circumstances than June does.

There are things that have happened in this season, and, honestly, throughout the whole history of the show, where in isolation I loved the moment, it was so cool and felt like it was propelling the story forward... only to learn that we're just going to reset the status quo and repeat ourselves a few episodes down the road. So, for example: I loved all the stuff with Serena in this episode, but as she flees with baby Noah in her arms, I'm thinking about how a few episodes ago, Serena was making a daring escape with June. Then she got put back into her same cage, and now she's escaping it again. I'm getting early-season flashbacks, when June would get free and then return to the Waterfords and the Handmaids system, again and again and again. Will Serena be apprehended by the Wheelers again? Will she, inexplicably, be allowed to remain with Noah for a third time? Will there be real forward motion? I hope so!

Similarly, Commander Lawrence and June having tense conversations that are at cross-purposes. Nick and June's merry-go-round. Tuello failing to deliver on his promises. It's all stuff we've seen before, and I'm finding myself glad that this show is ending after one more season, despite still thinking the quality is very high. There's just a lot of repetition!

Pros:

A lot of my "cons" this week are also "pros", in a weird way. Like I said, June and Nick's scene was electric. The look on her face when Nick said that Rose was pregnant... oof. The "I love you"s, the way June called out to him after he'd started to walk away... you can just sense how badly these two want to be holding each other at all times. It's intensely compelling. I also love the way Lawrence knew to dangle Nick over June's head, promising them the opportunity to be in each other's lives. It's heartbreaking that you can tell it's legitimately tempting to them both, but they still feel they can't say yes.

The scene with Hannah, where we see these little snippets of the life she's living, contrasted with June in Canada waiting for the rescue operation, worked really well. It was a tease, a promise of something they really need to deliver on, and despite my frustration, I am still really compelled by the building tension.

Looks like we've got wedding bells in the air, for the most bizarre of new potential spouses: Commander Lawrence and the recently widowed Mrs. Putnam. This is such a bizarre scenario, and really highlights the grim tensions of Gilead. This woman, who, to be clear, is part of an evil system and who I don't have a ton of sympathy for, is basically being forced into marrying her husband's murderer, very, very shortly after the death of said husband. And much like when Commander Lawrence was forced to undergo the ceremony with June and with his wife, this is a situation where no party is consenting. Yes, Lawrence has more power than Mrs. Putnam, but this is still something he's being pressured to do, and the threat if he does not could very well be serious indeed.

The Wheelers, especially Mrs. Wheeler, are some of the most interesting villains this show has ever produced, which is such a refreshing sign, so late in the game! The way Mrs. Wheeler makes calls about Noah specifically because it goes against what Serena wants to do, the lack of respect, and also the clear lack of real affection for Noah as a person in need of care... it's chilling. I don't know what Serena is going to do from here, but I hope she can stay away from a woman who hits her and wants to keep her away from her baby.

I think my favorite moment of the episode might actually have been June and Commander Lawrence's phone call. The amount of shit these two have been through, the strange twisted, warped series of loyalties and betrayals between them... it's so intense. When June realizes that Lawrence isn't going to help her get Hannah out of Gilead, she turns on the offensive, and basically says that Lawrence's dead wife hated him, was disgusted by the man she'd once loved. Would rather die than stay with him. Lawrence receives these words as the punishment they're meant to be, then says his wife would still want him to help June, and help Gilead to be a better place. June is a victim of so much, but she has learned to be incredibly cruel.

I want to wait to reserve judgment on how things turn out with the big dramatic ending of this episode, with a gunman shooting into a crowd of mourners trying to honor the dead American soldiers. The Canadian protesters who want the Americans to leave seem to be responsible for the action, but it's yet to be seen how much damage has been done. Obviously it was horrifying and difficult to watch, and I can't quite decide yet how I feel about its placement thematically in the season.

I'll stop there. Next week, the finale of the penultimate season of this excellent show. I have my complaints, but the quality is still undeniable!

8/10