'The Handmaid's Tale' Recap: 'The Bridge'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

Despite how strong people are, or appear to be, there's one fundamental truth when it comes to humanity...we can only take so much. There simply comes a point when the weight upon our shoulders breaks us, or the trouble in our lives makes us snap and it's safe to say that fans of The Handmaid's Tale have been wondering for some time now...just how much more can the people of Gilead take when it comes to the hell they live in?

As it turns out, the answer to that question is...not much more. The people of this 'proud' nation are starting to crack, and while one might expect that to be a wonderful thing, the better word for it is bittersweet. Because reaching the breaking point is good for some, and bad for others and that dynamic was on full display in last night's episode, 'The Bridge'. But before we dig into the details there, it's important to note that this particular chapter in this harrowing story was vastly different from anything else we've seen to date on this show. This was...when compared to the other episodes, an action packed tale, one that dropped the social commentary to propel the plot into new and exciting places and it worked like a charm. This story was captivating, thrilling and downright heartbreaking and perhaps the best place to start, is with the darker plot line that this episode featured.

Because this particular tale took us back into Commander Putnam's household to examine another tough aspect of the Handmaid's role, the day they are sent packing to another Commander's home and needless to say, this act was not going well for Janine. She struggled to hand over the baby and she struggled to keep it together at her new post, and that meant trouble was on the horizon for Janine. We've known for some time her mental health is suffering in this world, and Putnam made it worse by promising her the world and well...despite the fact that June expresses concern and that Aunt Lydia knows something is wrong, Janine is left to her own devices and that leads to disaster. Because Janine escapes, return to the Putnam's and grabs baby Angela, and threatens to dive into a freezing river with baby in hand and if it wasn't for June, she would have succeeded in hurting the baby. Instead...she chooses to harm herself and ends up in the hospital for diving into the river after all, and when all is said and done, what a powerful and sobering storyline this turned out to be and who knows if Janine will ever recover. 

But despite the darkness prevalent in Janine's harrowing story, there is hope on the horizon after all, because June finally made contact with Mayday and offered up her help and she was given orders to help the resistance. She was to return to Jezebel's and pick up a package from a bartender and this task presented us with a completely different type of June. Suddenly she was confident once again, filled with purpose and direction and she arranged a return to this awful place but what matters more...is that suddenly June is becoming a leader whether she knows it or not. While she didn't succeed in her mission thanks to the Commander's focus on 'romance' over anything else, she did finally get through to Moira and remind her to fight this awful world and Moira went from coward to hero in no time at all since she smuggled out the package and found a way to get it to June before orchestrating her own escape and it was utterly magnificent to see this kind of strength and fight appear in a pair of characters that appeared to be losing all hope.

If anything, this is quite possibly the only true feel good episode the show has offered up this season because seeing this many people buck the system and resist brought a smile to my face, and when one considers all the talk of resistance that's been permeating throughout the season, perhaps the fight will finally come to Gilead's core. But we can never forget that when it comes to matters such as this, things get worse before they get better. Clearly Nick is suspicious of what is going on with June and no one knows exactly where his loyalties lie but his dedication to the Eyes is disturbing to say the least and with this all important package now in the Waterford's home...June is at risk more than ever. Either way, this is quite the setup for the season one finale, and I'm expecting something explosive because these poor people have all had enough of this oppressive place and it should be interesting to see where this insurrection will go from here. Until next time. 

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