This show is... it's something special. It hits at a place deep within me that feels such sadness and worry about the state of our world today. It strips things down to their basic level and hits at the core of certain issues in a way that's just so powerful.
Cons:
I honestly don't have much of anything? Maybe the girl who's living with Luke and Moira could get a bit more development. We haven't really checked in with her in a while and I don't feel like I understand her whole deal.
Pros:
Okay let's start with the stuff in Gilead. June learns that Serena is going to kick her out as soon as the baby is born, so she asks Rita to look after her child. She later brings up her concerns to Aunt Lydia, and we get one of the most fascinating Aunt Lydia scenes to date. See, Aunt Lydia is in some ways easier to hate than Serena, but there's this drive to her that captivates me. More so than almost anybody else in Gilead, she feels like she was born in this system. The life she had before is completely hidden from us. But we learn just a tidbit here - she was godmother to her sister's child, who died when he was just four days old. When June offers her condolences, Aunt Lydia's response is: "it wasn't my fault." This just fascinates the heck out of me. What does it mean? In some ways it seemed like Aunt Lydia was asking for June to understand that none of this is her fault. That she's a cog in the machine, a victim as well as part of the problem. I'm not sure if I agree, but it's interesting to think that she might look at her situation that way. When she tells June that she would never let anything happen to a child, I believe her. It doesn't excuse her abhorrent behavior, but I believe that she really does hold the lives of children above all else.
We've also got the scene with Rita and June, which was so fascinating to me. The two have never exactly been the closest of friends, and I think there's a strange amount of resentment between them. It's difficult to be a woman in this society when you're comparing yourself to other women and trying to figure out your place in the pecking order. Rita's position is arguably much less dangerous and more stable than June's, but June gets privileges and a place of honor that Rita does not. June talks about how her best friend is Hannah's godmother, and now she pretty much asks Rita to take care of the new baby when she's gone. Rita's not June's best friend. Not even close. But the reality of their situation is, this is the best June has.
Poor Janine, thinking she'll get to see the baby again... I hope she's right, but I sincerely doubt it. I wonder what the perception will be in Gilead at large when they learn that Serena doesn't want her handmaid to stay and nurse the child. Clearly it's permitted, but is it frowned upon? Considered bad form? The whole goal of this society is to produce healthy babies. Would baby formula carry a stigma? I'm just fascinated by the whole idea of it.
The bulk of this episode takes place in Canada, and let me tell ya - it's a wild ride, folks. The Commander and Serena are going to try and establish an alliance with the Canadian government, something that has thus far been impossible. Let's just stop and think about the idea of this. The rubble of America, what used to be the most powerful nation on earth, is now in the weaker position in terms of negotiating alliances. It's like the rest of the world is the exclusive clubhouse, and Gilead wants in from the cold outside. That's such a fascinating dynamic to me, especially given the shifting opinions of various world leaders with our current American administration.
When they get to Canada, Serena is an object of curiosity and derision - this woman who has been complicit in the subjugation of her own gender. There are so many great cutting moments. My favorite has to be when she's offered a schedule of the cultural events for her trip, and it's given to her in pictographs, as a cultural courtesy, since women from Gilead don't read. Yikes. There's a woman with her young daughter who doesn't want to ride an elevator with Serena, and her guide ends up telling her that it's sad, what they've done to her. Serena gets approached by someone from the American government (or what's left of it) who offers her an escape from Gilead. It's so interesting to see Serena framed as the victim of circumstances, when we know exactly how much she did to make all of this happen in the first place. But at the same time, she is being oppressed. We've seen her husband beat her. She's not allowed to write, to work, to make decisions about her family without her husband's approval. It's a terrible situation she's in. But, of course, she would never leave her baby behind, even if I'm starting to think she might be willing to turn her back on Fred. I'm a broken record, but Serena is just so interesting.
Luke, Moira, and a whole crowd of protesters are there to greet the Commander when he arrives. One of the more intense scenes in an episode filled with intense scenes came when Luke confronted Fred. This is just such a messed up situation. Luke is holding a big blow-up picture of himself, June, and Hannah, and it's so fascinating to see the reactions of the Waterford household. Fred seems cool and collected. Serena seems a little weirded out. And Nick... God. Nick seems crushed, confused, conflicted. Later, Nick finds Luke, gives him the letters from the women in Gilead, and lets Luke know that June is pregnant. Of course, he lies and says it's with Fred's baby. We later get a scene where Nick, back in Gilead, tells June that Luke is safe, and that Moira made it out too and is living with Luke. Of course, June is overjoyed, but Nick makes the situation more complicated by telling June that he loves her.
I've expressed before that I'm less than interested in Nick and June's romance, but I love that this show can pull off this kind of thing without tipping things over into melodrama. Nick is a good guy - he went to Luke, and he told June the truth about what Luke said. He's not some deceitful monster. The truth is, he loves June. The truth also is, June is married to Luke, and Nick is married to Eden, however much that might disturb him.
So... the letters get out, and the Canadian government cancels its talks with Commander Waterford. Protesters in the streets, women, hold up signs that say "My name is Moira" or "My name is [insert their own name here]. I talk a lot about how this show is good at distilling things down to their core. It's good at taking something small and stripping it down to what really matters about it. Like... the power of names. Obviously that's been a big theme on this show. We saw it most clearly when we had the Handmaids sharing their true names with one another in this quiet but meaningful act of rebellion. And here, we see it again, with the signs, with Moira getting right up to the car and letting Commander Waterford know, in no uncertain terms, that her name is Moira, not Ruby.
And then there's the scene where the American refugees celebrate their victory in shutting down talks between the Canadian government and Gilead. The whole group sings a quiet yet hopeful rendition of "America the Beautiful." It's another moment where something that already has symbolic resonance and importance takes on a whole new level of meaning. I never really thought about the idea of America having this government in absentia. Is this like France having a satellite government in Great Britain during World War II. To have these people sing this song, this song that they've probably all heard growing up but not paid much attention to, and suddenly to have the full meaning of it hit them... it was very emotional to watch. There are so few victories to hold on to in this show, and this moment of everyone coming together, protesting injustice, and getting immediate (if small) results, was so satisfying to see.
I'll stop there, but believe me - I could talk about this show all day.
10/10
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