Oh nooooo. I think they're breaking June and it's making me so sad!
Cons:
The flashbacks this week were about Luke's first wife, and June's feelings of guilt about the affair, and "stealing" Luke away from her. There was nothing necessarily wrong with this plot thread, but in comparison to the rest of the episode, I just didn't connect to it as much. I think part of it is the fact that the main plot doesn't really tie it together? Her guilt over being a "fallen women" doesn't really seem to be the reason for her despair in the end. I don't think that part of the story was hit hard enough in Season One for me to understand it fully in its context now. She's only a Handmaid because she had an affair? I thought it was based solely on fertility.
Pros:
That's a quibble, though, because this episode mostly packed a serious punch. June is back with the Waterfords, back under Aunt Lydia's thumb, back in her Handmaid's garb. These last few episodes have been so atypical, with a lot of emphasis on life in the fridges of Gilead, in the underground. But now we're back to the oppressive and rigid culture of Gilead, and it makes for such a terrifying contrast.
We get to see another ceremony, this one with Mrs. Waterford blessing the lord for Offred's pregnancy, and a bunch of other Wives and Handmaids in attendance as well. There was a great economy of language in this episode, as key concepts and ideas are imparted brilliantly. I think my favorite moments were when June is being rebellious in small ways during her stay with the Waterfords. At the baby shower, she announces to the whole room that she felt the baby kick for the first time the night before. Later, just with Mrs. Waterford and the Martha, June makes an off-hand comment about how things went at her own baby shower, when she was pregnant with Hannah. This show does such a good job of steeping you in its atmosphere, because these comments, in our own real-world context, are not incendiary or rebellious. But here, you don't need it explained to you why Offred's words are unacceptable to Mrs. Waterford.
One of the more chilling parts of the episode is when Mrs. Waterford comes in to June's room late at night and lays her head on June's stomach to talk to the baby. Mrs. Waterford has been encouraged by both her husband and Aunt Lydia to disregard June and focus solely on the child. As if it weren't already clear that Offred is only a vessel, nothing more. The worst part of it is, you understand how desperate this woman is to have a child of her own. There's no sympathy for the abuse she has put June through, but you can feel her pangs of longing all the same.
Aunt Lydia is such a despicable monster. She's the worst kind of abuser - cruel, unpredictable, and then there to be a comforting presence as you crack under the pressure that she herself put on you. The scene where she shows June that her rescuer from last week's episode has been killed, was one of the hardest things to watch. She insists that June admit to her own culpability, and then says that June is guilty of the sin, but that Offred can be absolved. June's inner monologue is dulled to the point of extinction by the end of the episode, as every spark of rebellion seems to be gone from her. She doesn't even respond when Nick tries to talk to her. I would never claim that June has made it through her ordeal up to this point unscathed, but I think we're seeing an extra level of defeat here. She came so close to freedom, and now she's back where she started, and she has lost all hope.
This is a good show. I want to check in with Emily and Moira soon!
9/10
One of the more chilling parts of the episode is when Mrs. Waterford comes in to June's room late at night and lays her head on June's stomach to talk to the baby. Mrs. Waterford has been encouraged by both her husband and Aunt Lydia to disregard June and focus solely on the child. As if it weren't already clear that Offred is only a vessel, nothing more. The worst part of it is, you understand how desperate this woman is to have a child of her own. There's no sympathy for the abuse she has put June through, but you can feel her pangs of longing all the same.
Aunt Lydia is such a despicable monster. She's the worst kind of abuser - cruel, unpredictable, and then there to be a comforting presence as you crack under the pressure that she herself put on you. The scene where she shows June that her rescuer from last week's episode has been killed, was one of the hardest things to watch. She insists that June admit to her own culpability, and then says that June is guilty of the sin, but that Offred can be absolved. June's inner monologue is dulled to the point of extinction by the end of the episode, as every spark of rebellion seems to be gone from her. She doesn't even respond when Nick tries to talk to her. I would never claim that June has made it through her ordeal up to this point unscathed, but I think we're seeing an extra level of defeat here. She came so close to freedom, and now she's back where she started, and she has lost all hope.
This is a good show. I want to check in with Emily and Moira soon!
9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment
I'd really appreciate hearing what you think!