TV RECAP: The Handmaid’s Tale, S3:E1-3

**SPOILER ALERT! EVERYTHING AHEAD IS FULL DETAIL ABOUT EPISODES 1-3 OF THE SEASON 3 OF HANDMAID’S TALE. You have been warned.

The Handmaid’s Tale is back on Hulu and I could not be more thrilled. We were blessed with three full episodes dropped all at once (much to my surprise because I was sad when the first one was over thinking I had to wait a week!) With that said, let’s get to discussing.

Episode one was incredible. Probably one of my favorite all time episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale. It started with her being brought back where everyone was pissed off. Serena talking to the Commander and admitting she did what was best for the baby all while Nick was sitting outside with the Commander held hostage. Serena has clearly lost it. She’s having a mid life crisis over her abusive, terrible husband, her thoughts of the past, and now her missing child. I guess she has the right to break down. I mean… she burned the house to the ground. So there is that.

So it would appear we go back to normal for the most part, but my one major question is this. Why are there virtually small consequences? I mean, she tried to escape and Nick was clearly in on it. Why did Nick get to go back to driving as usual? And why was June basically just put back to work with no consequence. I was sure we were going to have to watch her escape from being strung up on the wall. She had some mild punishment with her feet, but it was over before you could realize. And then she was off to her new home.

And new home it was. I was very excited to see she had landed with the Commander who had tried to help save her! My favorite part of Episode one though was Emily making it to Canada. I thought she had drowned the baby, but alas, she did not. She made it to Canada and, as she is being walked through the hospital, I got very emotional as everyone started clapping for her. What an awesome feeling for Emily to go from being looked upon as just a vessel, a means to make kids, to being applauded for escaping and surviving. Then more emotions as she shows up and introduces herself to Moira and Luke. So many emotions!!!

Moving on to Episode two, my joy with the new Commander placement was short lived when he very clearly is upset at June. He is pissed she didn’t leave. He seems to be putting her on a very short leash. Why? Is it because he fears she is going to get him caught? I think he may be justified in that with her very cavalier behavior throughout episode two.

Aunt Lydia is back from being stabbed and inspecting the new residence. We get a glimpse of the Commanders wife who seems completely off her rocker. Aunt Lydia shows some concern, but then quickly turns into the evil stepmother and screams at June for trying to help her off the stairs she has no business climbing.

June tries to help some of the other women who are working with the resistance as they try and smuggle a woman out of the country. However, things seem to go right but they turn terribly wrong when said girl shows up on the doorstep with a gunshot victim. And the guards are ALL over the house. We get a good glimpse at the Commanders wife again, who seems to have gotten her mind together and is very organized and methodical. She ushers the guards into her husband’s office and helps the women get the blood cleaned up and down tot he basement to help. The Commander comes down later and again yells at June for her behavior and insists she take care of the body of the now dead woman. June very nicely buries the woman and the next day finds the Commanders wife planting flowers where the body was. I think I may like the Commander’s wife. A lot. I don’t know much about her but something is different about her and I haven’t yet put my finger on it.

Episode three was a quieter episode in my opinion. I think this was the point where June realizes that she can’t just go rogue and do whatever she wants just because of her placement with the Commander who helped her try and escape. He’s not all sunshine and rainbows as we previously thought. He really does think he’s doing the world a favor by helping repopulate it even if he’s not partaking in the repopulation.

The Commander takes June to a facility where a bunch of women are locked up in cages and being sent to the Colonies, where June realizes they will die. He makes it sound like he’s done a great job by saving five of them that he got to choose for placement in their community instead. June thinks this is absolute nonsense and he should save more. This is her turning point though. I think she realizes that she cannot save all of them. A mass escape is never going to happen, so she has to do what she can in small bits to get the outcome she desires. The Commander tells her she can pick five woman for placement out of a pile he has and she refuses. Says she won’t do it.

While we are waiting on her contemplation of this task, June gets a visit from Mrs. Waterford. She is ready to just give up, but June gives a moving speech about how she can’t and she is stronger than this and they can do something. I was not entirely sure it stuck until the very end scene when you see her walk straight into the frigid waters, where I think she is going to let herself float away to oblivion, only to come out looking very stern faced and ready to take on the world… even as she just ignores her husband who is waiting for her.

Nick makes a brief appearance. June saw him when all the Commanders came by the house in the room. She says, “So you’re a commander now?” Not sure where that is going or if we will see Nick again because he stopped by to inform her that he has been sent to the front lines in Chicago and is leaving. I think she is gonna send him away without a stroke of emotion but she gives us what we want and pulls him into the room. June and Nick forever! What about Luke?

When the Commanders were over to her house, she did get a chance to talk with Mr. Waterford, and I think he is just as crazy as he has always been and I secretly wish bad things for him, but only time will tell.

The episode ended with June turning in her five picks for women to keep, all of which she feels are useful to the resistance. Then the final shot is a creepy close up of her face as the voice over talks about how she is going to slowly destroy the monsters.

I don’t know about anyone else, but this season has me PUMPED! I am so ready for more and yet I have to wait a week. They should just release the entire series in one go Netflix style! I’d not go to work for a week.

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