The Handmaid's Tale: Shattered (6x07)

This was... a singularly frustrating experience, I'm not going to lie. I didn't hate everything indiscriminately, but I was having such a hard time with a lot of what happened here. I'm going to try and untangle some of that.

Cons:

So, the Nick thing. The Nick thing. Ahem. Last week I worried that we were going to be asked by the show's framing itself to be anti-Nick after this, and what we got was such a weird version of that playing out. Here's the thing: Nick doing what he did, it had really bad consequences, and it would totally track for June to be mad at him for it, maybe even think that she hated him. But rationally, Nick is right that this isn't some sort of singular breaking point that's worse than all the other shit the two of them have pulled over the years. And I think the show wants me to believe that Nick is Bad Now because of this, and I just... I don't? I kept thinking about all the ways I could have bought into this more. One avenue would be to do an actual corruption arc for Nick, gradually over time. Show him actually liking the perks of being a Commander, show him enjoying having power, even if he doesn't agree with everything. But we never saw that. He's always been uncomfortable and terrified in Gilead. Another option, have his father-in-law have more explicit proof about the death of those two guards, that could point a finger at Nick, and have Nick explain to June that if he hadn't given up the plan, once the bombs went off Nick would be put on the wall for it if there were any survivors at all.

The framing of this whole scenario, the way June is processing it as this abject, unforgivable betrayal, all the bullshit about "I trusted him for so long that I forgot who he was" like... what do you mean, June? You forgot what, exactly? He's just trying to fucking survive in there. And Lawrence pissed me off saying that June was stupid to trust him all along, because again: footage not fucking found, Joseph. He's actually been incredibly trustworthy and done everything that's been asked of him, putting himself at more and more risk every time, and then when he was backed into a corner he found a way to get himself out of it. The consequences suck, yes, but this isn't some heel turn, and it was bizarre how the characters surrounding it treated it as if it was.

And don't get me started on Luke, calling Nick a Nazi, being all self-righteous and going off on June about the Nick situation. Once again I found myself thinking, well, if this show were going to develop and resolve these elements properly, this sign of simmering anger and resentment from Luke would be the downfall of their marriage at last. June would realize that being scolded back to back by Nick and Luke both, that Nick was the one who had a valid point, whereas Luke basically does not. But instead, it seems like the show wants to frame Luke as the objectively correct one in this scenario, and June has to apologize to him for everything.

I don't want to harp on too long, but it just felt like if this was the direction you wanted the story to go, it was such a weird way to handle it. Like, what was that scene with Nick and Rita? He's just a pouty little baby now? Is this a way to engender our sympathy, or to make us hate him? I literally couldn't tell, because it just didn't feel like the character we know.

I hate to say this, because I don't want Janine to die, but honestly if she had it would be a stronger emotional anchor for why June is in this headspace now, this idea that Nick is "unforgivable." Because it's not his fault all those women were killed, but if Janine had died, June having the irrational feeling that it was all on Nick would track a lot better, since that's a personal friend and someone she feels so much protective instinct for.

I also want to do a bit of eye-rolling about Serena. I feel like they have a charismatic actor who can imbue her performances with a lot of nuance and depth, and then a script that doesn't actually keep up with who the fuck this woman is supposed to be? Like, June says that Serena's narcissism is going to be the downfall of Gilead. Is that accurate? Is Serena not a True Believer but in fact just power-hungry? I mean, okay, I guess, but that doesn't exactly track consistently through the show. And that scene with the other wives was so weird, like she was trying to bring feminism to them. They're all saying "well, my husband thinks..." and then Serena is like "but what do YOU think" and it's just a little... like... girl, this is all far too little far too late. It's actually blood-boiling to hear her considering the Handmaid's fates now, baffled that these other women don't seem to give a shit, when it's like... Serena! You fucking helped set this shit in motion, and you're only now considering the broader consequences? I don't know what the show wants me to think about this character. Is she going to die in a fiery explosion on her wedding day? Is she going to discover the plot and then learn that her husband sucks and then do a last minute reversal and help May Day pull off the revolution? Both seem equally likely with what they've given us so far, and that's not a compliment. I don't understand her.

A smaller point that I want to make sure I address is that it feels like Moira has been totally wasted this season as a character. It's like they don't know what to do with her, she has to follow around in June's shadow and be pulled into her wake, and that's about it. Sure, we know she feels resentment, we saw that last episode with their fight. But here she is again, following June back into Gilead and then asking June to be the leader and give her inspiring words. I don't know structurally what should have been going on with Moira this season, but it feels like they just kinda stuck her into the sides of things to see if she'd fit, and it's a bummer.

Pros:

Okay, well, I think I need to go back to what I've been saying all season, which is that there are a lot of talented performers in this show who can really lock into some great dynamic moments. Bad architecture, good gargoyles. So if I can set aside the broader context that's bugging me so much, I can highlight some performance moments that I did like.

For one, I like that June didn't yell and scream at Nick, she was kind of cold and numb as she processed what had happened. She was a lot more hurt than she was angry, and I did like that in concept, like, the way it clashed with the May Day people when she gets back and she has to tell them that it's her fault the information leaked. She has to bear their understandable anger, and all the while she feels like she's grieving a breakup. And I like that Nick at least said his piece a little bit, reminding June of all the shit that she's taken for granted, seemingly. He's absolutely right that she's used his role as a Commander to suit her without ever grappling fully with the reality of that. I wish that I trusted the show to develop this idea more fully and have June realize that he's absolutely right, but I don't think that's going to happen.

I like that Lawrence is here to help, because honestly it tracks for his character that he'd only be motivated by his own well-being to do something this extreme, but he's been so uncomfortable and so unhappy in the world he created for so long, you do believe he'd find it worthwhile to tear it down if he can do so without incurring too much risk. It makes sense that we've finally reached his tipping point.

Janine... Jesus Christ. The moment where she comes to the window and Lydia sees her beaten black and blue... it's almost cartoonishly over the top, how much of a villain Bell is, but that small moment of Janine making herself known to Lydia was interesting to me. Was that Janine reaching out in the only way she could to ask for help or to form a connection with someone who, however fucked up it may be, seems to care for her? Or was that Janine's one and only way of telling Lydia: "I fucking told you so." Or was it both? I do like the nuance there. And I like that Nick tells June he's going to try and find out about Janine, and that Lawrence delivers the news to June about her being alive, it's such a weird network of secret-keepers.

I think that's about it for things I liked? I don't know. I wasn't miserable watching this episode, but I wasn't pleased either. This feels like the setup for an endgame that is probably mostly going to annoy me. And that's too bad, because I want a show like this to end in a way that feels big and bold. I'd rather they strike out trying something insane rather than trip and just sort of fall over the finish line. The latter is what I'm concerned is going to happen here. But I guess we'll have to wait and see.

5/10