Take Three: The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 1, Episode 3 “Late” (B+)

This show truly is terrifying to watch, and it’s just as equally well-done. The two most horrific things we saw in this episode were the way that women were swiftly marginalized in society and how this religious order punishes what it calls gender traitors. We’re past seeing even mildly pleasant memories of the past, since the most optimistic scene of the entire hour found June and Moira being called sluts by a barista when her card got declined. Seeing all the women summarily fired from June’s office and the protesters being chased down and shot demonstrated the way in which total authority was established, even if we still don’t have all the details of how they first come to power. None of that matters anymore, of course, since they’re in charge, and they deal unforgivingly with anyone who does anything to offend them. What happened to Ofglen as a result of her relationship with the wife of her house was brutal, and her emitted scream at the end of the episode was resounding. When Serena thought that Offred was pregnant, she treated her so well, rushing to stop her torture and offering her special privileges. As soon as she found out that she wasn’t, she was incredibly cruel, utilizing what little power she has left thanks to her gender. If there’s one thing that’s consistent is that unsanctioned relationships do seem to exist at nearly every house between the lower and upper classes, hardly the most fitting terms to describe what they are.