The Handmaid's Tale: Sacrifice (3x12)

Uhhhhh what the hell, June?

Cons:

I can't fault this episode for moving the plot forward... I certainly prefer action to the drudgery of some of this season's earlier episodes. But what the hell am I supposed to make of Eleanor's death in this episode? What the hell am I supposed to make of June letting her die, a la Walter White? It was dark in a way that I'm not sure this show has earned. What am I supposed to be thinking about June right now? This season has spent a long time turning her into a villain, but this moment was just sickening. How am I supposed to get past it?

See, the thing is, there was a relatively easy fix to this problem. If they had done more to show how much of a threat Eleanor was to the plan, or explained why her death was of huge benefit to June, then I'd still be horrified, but I'd maybe feel differently about the narrative benefit. It would be about June being forced to make a horrible choice for the sake of the kids. But here? Sure, Eleanor's mental illness almost blew the plan up, but June stopped her, and she was contrite. They could have kept her in her room and kept her quiet enough to salvage the plan. Her death was in no way necessary. Also, this was a huge tactical risk for June to take. Joseph manages to keep the borders open and preserve the escape plan, even in his mourning. But what if Eleanor's death had sent him spiraling? What if he'd locked himself away and refused to help? What if he'd blamed June for Eleanor's death, because June was too rough with her, and decided to turn her in? I just feel like Eleanor's death benefited June because the narrative needed that to be true. I honestly don't think it was smart or necessary for Eleanor to die. The show was more interesting with her there.

And back to the bigger point - how am I meant to forgive June for letting a good person die? A person who needed help, who could have been okay if allowed to escape from Gilead, and to receive proper psychiatric care? Fred tells Luke that June isn't the same person anymore, and I think he's right about that.

Pros:

All that said, I still like the push and pull of loyalties and sympathies that exist in this complicated world. June can feel sorry for Commander Lawrence, but we cannot forget what this man is, and what he has wrought. There's this moment when Joseph is talking about the wine he saved for his anniversary with Eleanor, and June reminisces about her own anniversary with Luke. She's doing it to form a connection with him, but she's also invoking the name of her husband, the man she was violently separated from, because of the world Joseph helped to create.

And as always, this show is great at establishing atmosphere, and showing how oppressive this world is. There's the moment when Rita and June briefly touch hands at the grocery store, sharing news of Serena and Fred, and of the escape plan, and connecting over their shared history and trauma. There's Aunt Lydia giving June the chance to be alone with Joseph at the grave of his wife, a strange respect of their shared grief. And these little moments shine bright because of the oppression surrounding them.

For my money, the stuff going on in Canada is more interesting than anything else. There's something so invigorating about being out of Gilead, about breaking up that oppressive atmosphere with something different. It's the small things, like seeing Serena with her hair down, in different clothes, being offered pizza. And the big things, like seeing Luke and Moira, with their unconventional family, bicker while going through the metal detectors. Even though they've escaped Gilead, even though Nichole has escaped Gilead, the pressures of global politics are still ensnaring these people. It's scary, because it feels like these freedoms can be taken away from them so quickly. Everything about this world feels tenuous, and seeing the contrast between the trapped and the freed makes this very obvious.

I suspected that Serena gave up Fred on purpose, but seeing it confirmed was a real treat. That scene was a master class in acting from both of them. I love that I can watch the Waterfords interact with such passion and feeling, and yet still never for one moment lose sight of the truth. They're monsters. They're rapists. And Fred, as the realization slowly dawns on him, is not feeling merely the pang of a broken heart. He's feeling betrayed. Duped. His pride is hurting him. He's still the same weak-willed, power-hungry monster that we've known all along, but now he's paying for his arrogance, and it's satisfying in the extreme.

Luke doesn't come across looking so hot in this episode. He wants an audience with Fred, but anyone could have told him that was a bad idea. Still, I like seeing this moment of weakness from him. I can't exactly blame him for being filled with rage, for having a sick curiosity to confront the man who raped his wife. There's the temptation to gloat, to show Fred how his own actions have led him to his downfall. I also thought it was interesting that Luke pointed out how similar he and Fred were, in the time before. Similar upbringing, education, etc. It really shines a light on how arbitrary the system of Gilead has become. The power has consolidated into the hands of the few, but those few are just the ones who already had power and influence. The rich get richer, or what have you.

Moira has a real MVP moment when she drops Nichole off with Serena for a supervised visit. Serena tries to be polite, but Moira states that she's June's friend. That Nichole is June's daughter. And that Serena is just the person who held June down so her husband could rape her. She even lets Serena know that Fred went to Jezebel's, reminding the audience that Moira has a personal reason to hate these particular people, rather than just the system at large. And Serena seems offended and hurt by Moira's outburst. But once again, there's this awesome tension between watching a woman in serious emotional distress, who you want to feel sympathy for, and remembering that this is Serena Joy Waterford. I don't feel sorry for her. I think she's pathetic, and frankly she doesn't deserve these visits with Nichole. I'm glad this is all she gets, though.

Next week is the finale. I really hope that the plan to save the kids works, because I want to catapult this show in a new direction. I want a serious status quo change, instead of the fits and starts we've gotten so far. I want Gilead to be ripped apart, so we can examine the aftermath. Even though I'm pretty horrified by June's behavior in this episode, I still feel compelled to follow her journey. I want to see what comes next!

8/10