Anna Green
The following recap contains spoilers for The Handmaid’s Tale S6E4, “Promotion” (written by Jacey Heldrich and directed by Natalia Leite)
The Handmaid’s Tale S6E4 brings us closer to two of our long standing characters: Joseph and Lydia. I felt like I really got to know them over this hour, and saw sides to them that I haven’t before. Joseph has always been witty and sarcastic, but this was the first time I saw that this is exactly who he is. He is darkly humorous, defensively sarcastic, and ultimately quite honest with himself about who he is.
Lydia is more complicated. She has a lot of faith in those she perceives to be her superiors, and a lot of faith in her religion. She has spent years building what she thought was the state of God—the pillar of new birth, life, and harmony. She has, for a long time, believed that Gilead was a worthy cause worth the pain of generations of women. Lydia wanted to do ‘God’s will’ and repopulate the Earth. It is only now that she is starting to see the consequences of her actions, and asking herself if the human cost and pain is really worth it. Her character is written very well and is very intriguing. At any given moment, I do not know what her next move will be.
When Joseph meets with Lydia, she tells him about Janine, seemingly deeply wounded by what she had seen at Jezebels. He is cold and tells her that Janine was “gone the moment you got your hands on her,” implying that the damage she had done to her could not be undone. This clearly hurts her, but she looks defiant.
This serves as a true reflection point for her, and she is really up against the value of her internal belief system versus her genuine care for the only people she has—her ‘girls.’ For the first time, she is seeing that what she thought was most important to her, her religion and her loyalty to Gilead, is damaging those around her, and she must make a choice about what she values the most. We watch her face as these thoughts pass over her, unsure which version of truth she will internalise before making her next move.
What is very interesting to see is that these are two characters, who were pivotal in the creation of the oppressive regime, are taking two different paths toward what I suspect will ultimately be the same destination: regret. Joseph has been openly cynical about Gilead. He has in the past condemned the actions of other commanders, he has helped June despite the danger it has caused him, and he has openly disregarded the rules and policies regarding his own handmaids. It appears as though he realised quite early on that this was not a good idea, and this was amplified after the loss of his wife and his observations of June.
He jokes to young Angela about his ‘real wife,’ and has little regard for how she may perceive this, or what he is saying at all. His entire demeanour is unserious in his approach to the issues he faces. Although he has done shocking things, he is not afraid to face what he is done, and he doesn’t seem afraid of the consequences. He understands that his past will catch up on him, and seems determined to continue being himself until it does.
Lydia, on the other hand, continues to grapple and struggle to come to terms with the reality that is Gilead. In fact, she is only just waking up to it. After her conversation with Joseph, she starts to think even more deeply about what is really important to her. We have known for a long time that she has a weakness for Janine; that her plights and perils touch her in a way that the other girls don’t. When she starts to see the world through Janine’s experience, she is opened up to the horror and the lifestyle that is the ‘best case scenario’ within Gilead. This is a true turning point for her.
As the episode closes, we are left to ponder what will be next for Lydia—will she ultimately become an ally for ‘her girls,’ or will she turn her back and become an agent for Gilead with fresh zeal and aspiration?
