What I’m Watching: The Handmaid’s Tale

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

The impact of Hannah being next to Serena during the funeral hung over this episode, with June particularly disturbed by the color she was wearing, unsure of what it might mean. It’s so interesting to see the direct lines of communication that can happen between Gilead and Canada, with Mayday once again introduced with its impressive network of satellites that operate independently so that they won’t be able to implicate other cells. That wall of photos was both heartening and heartbreaking since there are so many people trapped within Gilead, and even those who have found a way to exist, like Nick and his new wife Rose, are still miserable. The notion that Serena and Joseph could help each other by entering into a marriage of convenience is an interesting one, but Serena does seem to think that Joseph owes her something when she’s never really been on the right side of history. Joseph does have to figure out how to maintain his power without having a wife, and his style of international negotiation – like explicitly telling Mark that he has a “no spies allowed” policy – is probably even more productive than Nick being a secret asset for Mark, who needs to watch himself as he’s starting to fall for Serena. It looks like Janine is still alive, and hopefully Lydia will actually protect her rather than putting her right back into service. June showing up to terrorize Serena outside the window of the car was very effective, and I’m eager to see what next steps she takes to ensure the safety of her daughter.