‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Recap: ‘Witness’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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

We reap what we sow. That’s a phrase that carries a lot of weight with humanity, because it is a saying that we’ve all learned has a great deal of truth to it. For time and time again, we’ve seen good deeds and hard work rewarded and we’ve seen the flip side to that as well. Because regardless of how sneaky or how powerful bad people are, eventually, the rotten karma they inject into the world finds its way back to their doorstep and while we all know we shouldn’t gloat or celebrate on that particular day, there is a sense of satisfaction and justice that comes with seeing bad people take part in a sour harvest. And it just so happens that after watching June endure constant sorrow and hardships at the hands of Gilead’s ‘proud’ commanders on The Handmaid’s Tale, the universe finally paid it forward for a member of executive leadership in this twisted nation.
​
Which quite frankly came as a surprise, since ‘Witness’ spent most of its early moments focusing upon June’s plan to move children out of Gilead and I honestly thought this story would remain on that plot thread and let us witness more growth from our intrepid heroine. But, June’s return back to the Lawrence residence revealed that Fred Waterford has been enjoying his newfound sense of purpose and direction in Gilead by using everything he saw in D.C. as a blueprint for his district, demanding that his fellow commanders conform to a lifestyle that better pays tribute to the ‘God’ they worship. Which means that the creature comforts that Commander Lawrence has been enjoying for some time now are gone, and while that is a touch of karma in its own right, since the world he designed tightened the reins upon him, that was merely a taste of things to come since Waterford wasn’t quite done with testing Lawrence’s loyalty and dedication to the cause.

Because Fred firmly believed that something was afoul in the Lawrence household since Joseph has yet to produce a child after having four handmaids’ in his home, and with Winslow’s blessing, he enacted a policy that had gone the wayside. Wherein Waterford and a cadre of Gilead officials, including Aunt Lydia and his wife and Commander Winslow, made their way to Lawrence house to ensure the ceremony is happening under Joseph’s roof, and this, well this is what rocked Joseph’s world like never before. Because it became clear that he’s never performed the ceremony, because he loves his wife and only wishes to be faithful to her, and sleeping with another woman would devastate Eleanor and sadly…with a High Commander and troops in his home, he had no choice but to follow the edict of Gilead and well, it would seem that having karma slap Commander Lawrence soundly in the face, changed his perspective on a great many things, for what followed the ceremony was stunning to say the least.

For not only was Eleanor in rough shape emotionally, Lawrence was equally as rattled and he was so disgusted with the ceremony and everything it stands for, he actually offered up emergency contraception to June, and a grand assist in her plan to get kids out, so that he can get his wife out of Gilead as well, and this was jaw-dropping to say the least. Because I really thought Lawrence relished in this world and everything it stands for. But June’s potent words and having his dream backfire upon him, finally allowed for Joseph to see that no one can escape an idea this evil, and really the only question hovering over Commander Lawrence at this point, is whether or not he will take up June’s offer to leave with his wife. Because there is an inherent risk that he will end up in jail for his crimes, but there is also a chance that defecting to Canada could serve as his redemption, since his intimate knowledge of Gilead’s inner-workings could help to bring it to its knees.

If anything, this really was quite the stunning episode when all is said and done. In part because I never thought I’d see the day when a commander would consider turning his back on Gilead, but here we are, and I really hope that Joseph leaves this place with his beloved Eleanor. However, all of that aside, this is also a pivotal tale, one that sets the stage for a bold plan, one that will hopefully rip the fabric of Gilead to shreds and it should be interesting to see how June pulls this all off in the weeks to come. Plus, it should be equally as intriguing to uncover what Serena is up to when it comes to Nicole since this little push, she’s making upon Fred could endanger them both and I do hope she’s also trying to do something noble for a change. Because the decency that was present in this particular story was a welcome change of pace and it would be lovely to see this story serve as a keystone episode, one that motivates the story to continue to embrace the light, so that it can triumph over the darkness that is Gilead. Until next time. 

---