Anna Green
The following recap contains spoilers for The Handmaid’s Tale S6E1, “Train” (written by Nika Castillo & Bruce Miller and directed by Elisabeth Moss), S6E2, “Exile” (written by Jason Holtman and directed by Elisabeth Moss), and S6E3, “Devotion” (written by Nina Fiore & John Herrera and directed by David Lester)
The Handmaid’s Tale has finally returned, and I am back to take you through an analysis of the episodes as they come out. Please be aware that this article contains context and spoilers from the first three episodes of the sixth season of the show.
We are right back where we left off, as if no time has passed at all. Of course, though, it has. It has been three years since we watched Luke sacrifice his freedom to allow his wife and child to escape on the train, since we watched the harrowing moment June realised the other mother on the train was Serena, since we watched that train thunder away into the distance. Now we can dive right into the first three episodes and find out what happened next.
We are here again: sitting in a train carriage with two very different mothers, looking at each other with disbelief and uncertainty. Immediately, I get the sense that this series is going to focus on character development and the relationships these interlinked characters have formed with one another, and what those ultimately mean. As Serena and June discuss the situation they find themselves in, as Serena says, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” territory, and that seems as good a place to start as any.
This being said, it seems as though Serena is on an arc of redemption. When June describes how Hannah was ripped from her arms, and how Gilead had her run over by a truck just the previous day, for the first time Serena seems truly appalled by the brutality of the regime she created. Despite losing her finger, Serena has never been emotionally exposed to the full brute force of what Gilead is. Whilst fully aware of what the Gilead reality is, she was not awake to it and has always been mentally separated from the reality. She also seems jealous of June’s relationship with Luke—she has not had her husband fight for her, or wait for her, or love her the way that June is so obviously loved. I wonder if this is one of the reasons she is reconsidering her position.
People and relationships are messier than ever before, and there are a lot of currents bubbling under the surface that sometimes even the characters themselves don’t seem to fully comprehend. Despite everything that has happened, and the wrongs they have done one another, Serena and June are bonded by trauma and loss. They are both aware of the other as powerful, intelligent, and potentially useful to them. To form an alliance is wise, and despite a few disgruntled statements (most notably, Serena asking June, “do you think I’m going to steal your daughter?” without seeming to realise the irony), we watch the women come to an unspoken understanding that, although not friends, they can work together.
This is tested almost immediately when the other women on the train recognise Serena after the conductor addresses her as, “Mrs Waterford.” They gang up on her immediately and would have literally ripped her to shreds if it wasn’t for June’s intervention. June chooses to see her as a vulnerable woman and a refugee in this moment, and pulls the emergency brake and forces her off the train. She hears the other women calling her a “traitor,” and, surprising as it is when she may have once wished violent death upon Serena, June is seeing her now as only a mother with an infant who needs help.
In the colours and the transitions between scenes, I am reminded once again how incredibly well done this series is (although I will never forget June of last season having freshly shaven armpits after being on the run for days!). There is a beautiful balance between the darkness of the stories and the scenery and the way it contrasts with the bold, often somewhat slapstick, soundtrack. I have always loved this about the previous series, and this one is no different.
Although the artfulness and the quality of the show is very prevalent, I am left thinking only that this is not TV that is meant to be enjoyed. The stories of these characters are not entertaining and they are not joyful. Instead, The Handmaid’s Tale is both a warning and a lesson. These realities face characters in dictatorship and their rights are greatly diminished. This is something Margaret Atwood wanted to highlight in her novel, and there are lessons in her words that are still missing from our real lives.
Nick is another character who is waking up to the reality that he is living in. He tells June he can’t let go of her, but we watch him go back to New Bethlehem and the wife he does not love, only to be berated by her father, who tells him he should stop thinking about childish things like fighting with commanders and that he should prioritise his family instead. He seems uncomfortable about this, obviously still thinking about June and the life he really wants, but is too afraid to fight for.
In Episode 2, we revisit Serena, still alone and on the run. She finds refuge with some women who cultivate land and protect one another. She stays with them for a while and seems safe but restless. She has a very poignant conversation with one of the founders, which I see as the final push into her deciding she wants to be better than the woman she is in the present.
She decides to confide in the woman, who tells her that she already knows who she is. She asks her, gently and without judgement, “what do you think of what you’ve done?” She holds her accountable, softly, firmly, and most importantly, productively. By asking her in such a careful and genuinely thought-provoking way, she has solidified the fears and the guilt that Serena has started feeling towards her past actions. Despite her veiled disapproval, she tells Serena, “I welcomed you here anyway.” This is a great lesson in kindness and acceptance and how these can be ways past division that can lead to overcoming great barriers and differences—political or otherwise.
Her refuge lasts only a few days, and then Joseph approaches her to be their poster woman of change and the expansion of New Bethlehem. She is unable to resist, knowing that she is restless and would like to be involved once more, powerful. She goes with him and seems to believe that New Bethlehem really will be Gilead but with more dignity and respect—a better place to be a woman.
Elsewhere, Luke is still ready to fight and wants to help Mayday. He and Moira are as fearless as ever, plotting and scheming to get into Gilead and wipe out as many Commanders as they can.
We are also taken down memory lane, back to Jezebels, to another familiar face as we learn that this is where Janine is now living. She seems happier than she has been, and perhaps she is in the best place possible, considering her alternatives. Lydia visits her frequently, much to her dismay, and seems to genuinely care for her (we always knew she had a soft spot!). Lydia, too, is having a change of heart. She has always had a soft spot for Janine. Through her, she truly starts to see the barbarity of what this regime has done, and the part she has played in it. For her, the penny finally drops. Where she goes from here will determine if her character has really changed, or if she is just sad and weak over what she has become, and what others have become under her guidance.
“Better never means better for everyone.”
As we have been told from the very start, but perhaps that is not true. Although the Commanders are propped up on pedestals and have power over others, they do not have any basic rights or freedoms, just like everybody else. They cannot freely travel, cross borders, live their lives unquestioned. They may have forms of soft power, but they are not free. They have caged themselves into a system that, although it does not physically harm them if they obey it, necessitates obedience and demands their lives to be ones of service to their country. This system does not benefit them as much as it harms everybody else, and the vast majority would be safer and happier without it.
June is very torn. We see throughout the duration of our third episode that she essentially has two men who love her, and, although she always chooses her husband, there are times that her connection to Nick feels more powerful and mutual than what she has felt with Luke. However, her commitment to her family, and to Moira, is unwavering.
It seems this season is focused on revolution and on the redemption of characters who have traditionally obeyed Gilead’s way. I am excited to watch the story unfold, and I hope there are more wins to come. However, I remain heavily sceptical about Serena’s ability to reform.
