The Handmaids Tale Season 2 Episode 4 Review
Spoiler alarm: this epitomize is for people watching The Handmaid'south Tale, serial ii, on Channel 4 in the UK. Please do non add spoilers from afterward episodes.
Although the violence is kept to a minimum, this week's episode is harrowing for a different reason as June loses the fight to keep her identity and appears to give up to Offred.
The before fourth dimension
The flashbacks are used very effectively to underline June's guilt; coming between a husband and wife has clearly played on her heed since her and Luke'southward affair, fifty-fifty though they went on to become a happy family, albeit briefly. We encounter Luke's ex-married woman, Annie, then the cuckold who'd merely lost her man to June. She begins by pleading but ends up screaming, "Fucking whore!" at a retreating June, who sits in her car, angry and ashamed.
And of course, Annie mentions her "vows before God", indicating that she would happily have reported them to the land equally adulterers when Gilead took control. Later, we encounter June and Luke in a busy cafe with baby Hannah when Annie comes in, sees them and turns to leave. Another reminder of the cost of June'due south own happiness.
Gilead
Offred is re-tagged and returned to captivity to keep gestation chained-up in a basement. Her talk (in voiceover) of caged animals pain themselves just to pass the fourth dimension is apt. "In that location are 71 flowers on the comforter," she repeats. At that place'south a lot of repetition in this episode equally June is gradually worn down once again by the regime. They gaslight and manipulate her until even her reservoirs of resilience seem to run dry.
But she comes out fighting to kickoff with. When Aunt Lydia greets her as Offred, she snarls back, "It'due south June. Y'all know my fucking name." She has nil at all to lose anymore. Lydia tells her that the Waterfords are willing to accept her back while she is carrying their child.
"June will be chained in this room until she gives birth. And then June will be executed," she is told. Offred, on the other hand, might get some kind of life later on.
Back at the Waterford house, Offred waits for the commander and his wife. "Posture, dear," says Lydia and bends Offred'due south head down in deference.
"Welcome domicile, Offred," says Fred. He says they had been determined to rescue Offred from her "kidnappers". She goes along with information technology, little believing what she'southward hearing. The pretence of this scene is stifling and June is nonetheless visible below the white bonnet, eyes burning with exasperation.
Back in her onetime room with the chilly blue walls, Serena comes to Offred and throttles her. "Ninety-ii days," she spits. Equally she strangles, Offred goes notwithstanding and smiles a repulsive smile, daring Serena to keep going. "As long as my baby is safe, so is yours," growls Offred quietly, turning Serena's own words on her as she leaves.
Lydia'due south "Rub-a-dub-dub" while Offred is in the bathroom is nauseating and intended to humiliate. Adding insult to injury, she watches as she washes "downwardly at that place". And so comes the crucial moment in whatever significant woman'southward life. June feels her babe motility; a connection is fabricated.
In the morning, Rita gives Offred back the bundle of messages she hid behind the bath, being too afraid to pass the letters on herself. They might as well be a parcel of dynamite sticks. June re-hides them behind the bath just she'south in no position to communicate with May Day at the moment.
Serena notices the affectionate glance between Offred and Nick at breakfast the next forenoon. The household is preparing for a grand baby shower for expectant female parent, Serena.
When June announces, "I felt the baby kicking for the first time last nighttime," she silences the room and Serena looks stricken. She afterward lets slip that with Hannah they gave half of their shower gifts away. Annihilation she can exercise to remind Serena that this does not belong to her, she does with relish. The only power to wound she has left.
The men shoot clay pigeons and talk of interference from Canada. Could a revolution be on the cards?
The wives stand in a circle to perform some sort of fertility ceremony. Offred kneels in the middle of the circumvolve in forepart of Serena and their hands are joined past Lydia. Cord is jump effectually both hands, joining them in fertility. "Let the little children come to me," says Serena. "For such is the kingdom of sky," replies the room.
Then comes the moment of June's breaking, as Lydia shows Omar'southward trunk hanging on the wall. We are told his wife is at present a handmaid and she will never see her son over again. All thanks to June. "Such a selfish daughter," chides Lydia. "Whose fault was it, huh?" demands Lydia.
"June did this. June ran away … non Offred," soothes Lydia as she holds her charge like a mother would a child. She tells her if she submits to beingness Offred she will be free of the guilt. Has she finally broken her? Offred holds on to Lydia as she embraces her.
Offred is reluctantly welcomed back into the household and that final scene where Serena embraces June's belly equally if she weren't fastened to information technology is a portrait of madness. "Mama loves you," coos Serena like Joan Crawford in Mommie Beloved.
The adjacent morning, Nick tries to talk to her and she ignores his pleas. "We've been sent adept weather," she says. She stands impassively in front end of the gates and looks directly down the barrel repeating in her head, "We've been sent proficient weather," over and over.
The Sound of Music
The track used to shut the show this week is Hate by True cat Power. "I hate myself and I want to die," she sings, appropriately.
Blessed be the fruit. May the Lord open up.
Grim Calibration
Until that moment by the wall, I was veering towards an easy 3, the torture being more mental than concrete this week. Only because of poor Omar, it's up to a half dozen.
Under His eye
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Is the powercut, while Offred'south in the bath, a sign of instability in the democracy?
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Lydia's heavy-handed solicitousness over Offred, making her good for you smoothies, is annihilation simply kindness. Every green concoction might as well be poison.
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June is devastated to find the Latin words of encouragement on her cupboard wall have been sandpapered away. Has she finally allowed the bastards to grind her down?
Quick Guide The Handmaid'due south Tale: all our episode-by-episode recaps
Evidence
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jun/10/the-handmaids-tale-recap-season-2-episode-4-the-regime-strikes-back
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