'The Handmaid's Tale' Recap: 'Other Women'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Part of the reason we enjoy our favorite television shows so much, is because we enjoy the rollercoaster ride they take us on. We will experience plenty of ups and plenty of downs as the story rolls along and we’re fine with it, because nine times out of ten, the story will reward us with some satisfying moments for going along with the ride and there’s nothing wrong with a series letting its tale play out in this fashion because it works and it’s a blast. But when it comes to The Handmaid’s Tale, things play out a little differently. Because this is a series that teases a reward like any other show, but it has no qualms with keeping said reward, hidden away, and for proof, look no further than last night’s episode of the show, ‘Other Women’.
 
Because this is a story that in essence teased quite the payoff for the audience, since we’ve all suffered alongside June in harrowing fashion for the past year and a half and it would seem that the reward in question, was going to consist of watching June stick it to the Waterford’s in stunning fashion. Because following her capture at the border, she was given a tough choice, stay at the training center, chained to a bed for the next nine months and die after the birth of her child, or resume her old life with the Waterford family and perhaps be given a second chance and obviously June chose the latter. 
 
But her actions upon her return signaled the fact that she was going to make this a hellish nine months for Serena and her ‘darling’ husband by being defiant every step of the way. From a lack of praising the Lord to something as simple as a look of disdain, she kept the Waterford’s on their toes because it was inherently clear they had no idea how to react or deal with this kind of behavior and their complete surprise only pushed June to further antagonize them by offering up some deliciously smarmy moments that undermined Serena in epic fashion and well, when one considers the fact that nothing could be done to June in the slightest because protecting the baby is paramount, it truly seemed as though she was going to get away with her actions.
 
However, it would seem that Aunt Lydia had other plans in mind and in a stunning turn of events, she in essence gaslighted June into believing that she was at fault for the fact that the man who took her in in the last episode was dead now, and it was also her fault that his family was scattered about Gilead and to complicate matters further, Serena took a new approach with June, and treated her like a vessel for her baby and nothing more and this combined front did the impossible…and seemingly broke June. Because just like that she found herself believing in the crap they were feeding her, and she suddenly seems docile and compliant and well, that’s about as devastating as it gets for this tale because we were all hoping for June to be a beacon of hope in a world without it.
 
So, with that in mind, why would one want to continue to watch a tale that would do this to the audience and its characters? Well, there are reasons a plenty. For starters, its bold and brilliant to go this direction because it’s clearly the goal of the people behind the scenes to tell a powerful and raw story above anything else and also because, we are invested in June’s plight and we have to know how her story ends and also due to fact that this twist is still poignant and relevant. Not only from a social commentary standpoint, but also in respect to the fact that our greatest challenges sometimes put setbacks in front of us, and how we respond is what matters and really, that’s what we need to discover going forward, how June will deal with this setback and how she recovers from it and that…may be quite the reward in and of itself. Until next time. 

---