All I have to say is go, Luke.

I definitely got June’s choices in this episode. Strangely, this is the one episode where the close-ups didn’t annoy me. There was that one moment you saw the vindictive rage on her face and she literally shakes it off. At her core, she’s not a bad person and she’s a mother, so she can’t bring herself to do to her enemy what was done to her. I get that and I’m glad it wasn’t just a June rage fest (as fun as those moments are). Because at the end of all this, you can’t just kill all the Gilead architects and collaborators; you have to rebuild.

Pretty satisfying episode overall. Though I would have preferred to see June taking the baby, telling Serena she’d be happy to care for him until S delivers Hannah to her. Then watch Serena scheme accordingly.

I also don’t buy June’s reluctance to see her suffer. Her very rare moments of decency are meaningless compared to the pain and trauma she inflicted. Eff her.

How they are chosen:

Wives/commanders: typically these are people who were instrumental in Gilead’s founding or government. If you are a woman married to a man in charge, you are a wife. Wives can be fertile or barren. If they are barren, they can have a handmaid.

Econopeople: regular people. “Lower class”. These are the faithful citizens who are basically cogs in the Gilead machine. Fertility is not a factor in this designation.

Economen can be promoted to commanders if they do something beneficial for the government/prove their loyalty. Their wives would then be promoted to teal wearing Wives.

Handmaids: “sinful” fertile women.

It is hard to move up in Gilead but super easy to fall from grace. A handmaid is typically never going to be promoted to Wife but a wife can be punished and made a handmaid (if fertile) or sent to the colonies (if not).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is a wife determined? Are they infertile? It doesn’t make sense that Esther was a wife (and fertile) but then demoted to Handmaiden.

Whoever earlier said Esther was raped, I totally missed it.

Esther was demoted to Handmaid as punishment for helping the escaped Handmaids and poisoning the Commanders. If her husband had died of natural causes and none of that had ever happened, I think she would’ve been reassigned as a Wife. I’m not sure how Wives are chosen initially.

All I know is they have to be "virtuous"--no affairs, divorces, questionable occupations etc. But not sure how they distinguish between commander's wives and econowives, who may or may not be fertile.

Yeah, I'd like to know because we've seen a couple/few Marthas that were fairly young - Beth and Sienna. Why wouldn't they be Wives?

The age thing is odd and I think different in the book. In the book, it is very clear that Serena was post-menopausal. June makes a bunch of comments about her "creaking bones" and her use of a cane. It was surprising when Yvonne Strahovsky was initially chosen for the role since there was such a marked difference in age from the role, and yes, that she could be fertile was put on the table. I got the impression that most of the Commanders and their wives were old and not peers of the handmaids. The Marthas I think were also post-menopausal women who hadn't done anything wrong but were also not married. The show took some creative liberties with the societal setup I guess so they could have plotlines like the ones we are seeing play out...

Yes - I remember the same from the book. And while it wasn't explicit the implication was that the "right" people should have and raise children, so the high commanders were given handmaids. The whole baby as a status symbol has been carried through in the show. I think it was also presumed Serena could not have children after she was shot, so she might have been one of the younger wives with a handmaid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is a wife determined? Are they infertile? It doesn’t make sense that Esther was a wife (and fertile) but then demoted to Handmaiden.

Whoever earlier said Esther was raped, I totally missed it.

Esther was demoted to Handmaid as punishment for helping the escaped Handmaids and poisoning the Commanders. If her husband had died of natural causes and none of that had ever happened, I think she would’ve been reassigned as a Wife. I’m not sure how Wives are chosen initially.

All I know is they have to be "virtuous"--no affairs, divorces, questionable occupations etc. But not sure how they distinguish between commander's wives and econowives, who may or may not be fertile.

Econowives were already married, and living a virtuous life. Think SAHMs. They weren't reassigned to a commander if they were raising kids, and living a good life. Definitely like a caste system.

Career women were punished, by becoming handmaids if they were fertile. Marthas if they were post menopause or interfertile, but compliant. Non-fertile but young were Jezebels. Noncompliant...hanged or worked the fields.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is a wife determined? Are they infertile? It doesn’t make sense that Esther was a wife (and fertile) but then demoted to Handmaiden.

Whoever earlier said Esther was raped, I totally missed it.

Esther was demoted to Handmaid as punishment for helping the escaped Handmaids and poisoning the Commanders. If her husband had died of natural causes and none of that had ever happened, I think she would’ve been reassigned as a Wife. I’m not sure how Wives are chosen initially.

All I know is they have to be "virtuous"--no affairs, divorces, questionable occupations etc. But not sure how they distinguish between commander's wives and econowives, who may or may not be fertile.

Yeah, I'd like to know because we've seen a couple/few Marthas that were fairly young - Beth and Sienna. Why wouldn't they be Wives?

The age thing is odd and I think different in the book. In the book, it is very clear that Serena was post-menopausal. June makes a bunch of comments about her "creaking bones" and her use of a cane. It was surprising when Yvonne Strahovsky was initially chosen for the role since there was such a marked difference in age from the role, and yes, that she could be fertile was put on the table. I got the impression that most of the Commanders and their wives were old and not peers of the handmaids. The Marthas I think were also post-menopausal women who hadn't done anything wrong but were also not married. The show took some creative liberties with the societal setup I guess so they could have plotlines like the ones we are seeing play out...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is a wife determined? Are they infertile? It doesn’t make sense that Esther was a wife (and fertile) but then demoted to Handmaiden.

Whoever earlier said Esther was raped, I totally missed it.

Esther was demoted to Handmaid as punishment for helping the escaped Handmaids and poisoning the Commanders. If her husband had died of natural causes and none of that had ever happened, I think she would’ve been reassigned as a Wife. I’m not sure how Wives are chosen initially.

All I know is they have to be "virtuous"--no affairs, divorces, questionable occupations etc. But not sure how they distinguish between commander's wives and econowives, who may or may not be fertile.

Yeah, I'd like to know because we've seen a couple/few Marthas that were fairly young - Beth and Sienna. Why wouldn't they be Wives?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is a wife determined? Are they infertile? It doesn’t make sense that Esther was a wife (and fertile) but then demoted to Handmaiden.

Whoever earlier said Esther was raped, I totally missed it.

Esther was demoted to Handmaid as punishment for helping the escaped Handmaids and poisoning the Commanders. If her husband had died of natural causes and none of that had ever happened, I think she would’ve been reassigned as a Wife. I’m not sure how Wives are chosen initially.

All I know is they have to be "virtuous"--no affairs, divorces, questionable occupations etc. But not sure how they distinguish between commander's wives and econowives, who may or may not be fertile.

Anonymous wrote:How is a wife determined? Are they infertile? It doesn’t make sense that Esther was a wife (and fertile) but then demoted to Handmaiden.

Whoever earlier said Esther was raped, I totally missed it.

Esther was demoted to Handmaid as punishment for helping the escaped Handmaids and poisoning the Commanders. If her husband had died of natural causes and none of that had ever happened, I think she would’ve been reassigned as a Wife. I’m not sure how Wives are chosen initially.

How is a wife determined? Are they infertile? It doesn’t make sense that Esther was a wife (and fertile) but then demoted to Handmaiden.

Whoever earlier said Esther was raped, I totally missed it.

Mrs. Putnam will be on the hunt for a new husband soon. What else is there for her to do to survive? They didn't account for widows in creating Gilead. Handmaids, Jezebels, Marthas, and Wives. That's it. Oh, and Aunts. Naomi only fits into one of those.

Anonymous wrote:I like this episode more than the others. Watching Serena realize she is as trapped. I think Serena realizes she is trapped and risks losing her baby. Although not sure why she wanted to return to Giles’s if she wanted to be treated like a full person.

I think the only reason she said she wanted to see June killed is she realized it was a chance to escape. My guess, she planned to kill June also, but went into labor and realized she needs her.

I'm not convinced Serena ever wanted June killed. She looked positively shaken when Wheeler told her they had June and were going to kill her. I think those two have very conflicted and complicated feelings about each other. But yeah, Serena obviously asked to go just to have the chance to escape.

As far as Serena wanting to go back to Gilead - Gilead could keep her and her son safe. If Serena remarried she gets to keep her social status. And she clearly hope to keep her clout/influence by scheming to marry Lawrence.

Anonymous wrote:I like this episode more than the others. Watching Serena realize she is as trapped. I think Serena realizes she is trapped and risks losing her baby. Although not sure why she wanted to return to Giles’s if she wanted to be treated like a full person.

I think the only reason she said she wanted to see June killed is she realized it was a chance to escape. My guess, she planned to kill June also, but went into labor and realized she needs her.

I think she only wanted to stay in Gilead thinking that she could still be a commanders what. Been a commander’s wife with the shore for the lifestyle that she likes in Gilead. She would get the freedom to raise her baby and still have all the perks of being the commanders wife. She did not anticipate being a single mother in Gilead.

I like this episode more than the others. Watching Serena realize she is as trapped. I think Serena realizes she is trapped and risks losing her baby. Although not sure why she wanted to return to Giles’s if she wanted to be treated like a full person.

I think the only reason she said she wanted to see June killed is she realized it was a chance to escape. My guess, she planned to kill June also, but went into labor and realized she needs her.