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

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

I am always appreciative of when a television show takes risks when it comes to storytelling and if there's one show that does that on a regular basis, it's The Handmaid's Tale. Week in and week out, this series finds new ways to shock us or stun us, or in the case of last night's episode, 'The Other Side', it finds a way to tell the story in surprising new fashion. 

I say that because last night's episode completely and utterly broke away from the standard structure of the show. Whereas we spent the first six episodes of the series in the heart of Gilead with June because this is her journey, this particular tale decided to expand on the revelation that arrived last week, in that June's husband Luke is alive and well, which meant it was high time to figure out how on earth he survived the gunfire we heard in the pilot episode and also learn where exactly he is living in this shattered new world. 

As it turns out, the gunfire exchange that Luke entered into with the Guardians of Gilead only left him wounded, and a touch of fate helped him escape their grasp when a careless driver crashed the ambulance Luke was riding in, putting him back on the road and that's really where we spent a good majority of this episode; in the cold north with Luke, and a few new friends he meets along the way as they all try to escape the horrors of Gilead and make their way into Canada. Plus, this episode also threw in some flashbacks as to how Luke, June and Hannah found themselves in the predicament we witnessed in the first episode and well, all of this served as a nice little twist to the overall story in that, we rarely see that outside perspective when it comes to Gilead and this tale allowed for us to confirm that pretty much no one is happy living in this awful place, they're just getting by to survive.

But the part of this story that I found to be incredibly captivating, is what life looks like in Canada, away from the prying eyes of Gilead and well, it's unfortunate that the episode didn't spend more time on this because this would have added an incredible wrinkle to the fold, especially when one considers how fascinating everything up north turned out to be. After all, there's a 'Little America' in Toronto and the remnant of the U.S. Government even has an office up there and to explore that in depth would have been downright amazing. However, I fully understand the need to show Luke's plight, and the gratitude he exhibits for being granted a chance to see another day, and the fact that he has a newfound purpose in life; getting his wife and other Handmaids away from their terrible and twisted life of servitude.  

However as interesting as this episode was to watch, there's really only one moment that stands out in my mind, the fact that this story once again ended on a powerfully hopeful note. Because Luke did receive the note from his wife, and the knowledge that she was alive and well sent him over the moon and well, it's safe to say we all shared in that joy and when you combine that, with the fact that the U.S. Government, albeit badly depleted, is actively looking for Handmaid training centers means that few are giving up on the fight to see Gilead fall and I'm certainly hoping that this episode serves as the grand setup for a big battle to come. Either way, despite the joy that this particular episode sent our way, I have no doubt that it's back to the horrors of Gilead after this, and June's incredible struggle to survive the madness surrounding her. Until next time.

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