What I’m Watching: The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 3, Episode 5 “Unknown Caller” (B+)

One of the things that has always interested me about the world of this show is how Gilead maintains relations with the rest of the world. This is an extraordinary depiction of the intimate personal drama that results, but I’m just as fascinated by the way in which governments interact and how they look at what this horrific, oppressive society that has taken over much of the United States. I do have many questions, like, for instance, why Luke would agree to see a woman who claimed to be the mother of his wife’s child without demanding that his own child be returned to him? It’s possible that there isn’t a whole lot of information coming out of Gilead save for the few handmaids like Moira and Emily who did manage to escape, and they recognize their powerlessness when it comes to truly effecting monumental change. But still, I’m curious why that’s the case, and wondering if the antique-looking press conference with June standing defiant and angry in the background is actually going to work in pressuring the Canadian government to act without some crucial concessions against their typically uncooperative neighbor. Yvonne Strahovski continues to be a superb standout on this show, and I hope that she’ll be able to win an Emmy for this season even if she should have won for last year. June recording a message for Luke that was brutally honest about what she’s had to do and decided to do was unexpected but powerful, and I wish he too would go on camera to challenge the public relations campaign being waged by the Waterfords. I have no idea what comes next, but I’m intensely invested.