‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Sets Up Season Finale (TV REVIEW)

The Handmaid's Tale -- "The Bridge" Episode 109 -- Offred embarks on a dangerous mission for the resistance. Janine moves to a new posting. Serena Joy suspects the Commanderís infidelity. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Janine (Madeline Brewer), shown. (Photo by: George Kraychyk/Hulu)

[rating=8.00] “The Bridge”

After delving into a somehow crueler world than she has been subjected to, and losing the one glint of happiness/humanity she has left, Offred is not in a great place. Her relationship with the Commander has taken a turn, and it seems that whatever power she may have held over him has shifted as they returned from their tryst at the brothel. Offred is floundering, but with the vague hope that there’s something more just waiting on the horizon.

It seems that all the women in Gilead have reached their breaking point. After last week’s look at how the bonds of servitude were formed, we’re starting to see little cracks in every caste. Aunt Lydia allows Offred to ask her questions about Ofwarren, Moira (Ruby) is shown to be pushing back against straight murdering her oppressors, Offred finds a small way to join the resistance, Serena and her Martha connect over a mutual hatred of circumstance, and Ofwarren actually snaps. This is just a small sampling of the world of Gilead, but if it’s happening here, then surely it will ripple across the country?

The fall of Ofwarren is devastating. She’s always been slightly unhinged, and losing her child to Warren and his wife breaks her. It seems Fred isn’t the only Commander to be cavorting with his Handmaid in his spare time. Rather than acknowledge Ofwarren’s mental incapacity, she’s forced to leave the house where her child resides and move on to a new couple who needs her services. The pressure is immense, and as she stands along the edge of the river, not one of us could blame her for the desire to just be done with it all.

Offred did a very dangerous thing by serving up her own glint of hope to Ofwarren. Yes, her comments could be interpreted as solely the ramblings of a women “doing her duty” as she tries to talk Ofwarren off the edge, but if her counterpart were to wake up and repeat the blasphemous words of hope, Offred would be in danger very quickly.

With nothing present in her to life to hold her back, Offred switches her attention from Nick to the resistance. Knowing that Luke is out there alive, it’s given her new hope for her daughter. After attempting to dabble in the resistance, she’s finally rewarded, but at a cost. She must get Fred to take her back to the brothel immediately. She’s able to navigate the issue, but once Fred gets what he needs from her he throws a curve ball; Moira is sent up to their room. Moira freaks out, eventually leaving Offred (June) in tears as she loses her best friend once more.

Now, on the one hand this could be Fred doing his best to appease Offred. We’ve now learned that he’s lost two Handmaid’s, and without a child to raise, he and his wife will not be completing their duty to Gilead. On the other, in just a few flashbacks we’ve seen Fred evolve from someone who genuinely thinks he’s doing the right thing in overthrowing the country, to a power hungry, corrupt politician. With the government and church so closely intertwined, he and his fellow Commanders are taking liberties with their lives in the name of God that have nothing to do with any religious values, let alone anything steeped in morality. No, this was a power play, and he has reminded Offred of her place.

There was a certain amount of glory when Offred was finally given the “package” from the brothel. After her encounter with Moira, she falls back into wallowing in self-defeat. But as the butcher gives her a knowing smile, it’s as if she is reborn. Her joy emanates off the screen as she reads the note and clutches the precious cargo so genuinely happy. This is the first step for the beginning of the end of Gilead, at least in her world. The fact that there’s supporters hidden around her comes with immense relief, and an excitement that one only feels a few times in their life.

The wrap up with Moira escaping again is taking us straight towards the season finale.  “One must never mistake meekness for weakness” should be tattoo’d on the hands of each male in this world, for it will be the “meek” women they’ve come so fond of oppressing who will rise to take on this paltry world, and the funny thing is they’ll never see it coming.

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