The Red Resistance: A Handmaid’s Tale Podcast

Join Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery as we dive deep into season 5 episode 1 of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale.

Visit our website https://www.theredresistancepodcast.com/
And our YouTube channel 

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Join Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery as we dive deep into season 4 episode 4 of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale.

Visit our website https://www.theredresistancepodcast.com/
And our YouTube channel 

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Visit our website https://www.theredresistancepodcast.com/
And our YouTube channel 

Support the show

Visit our website https://www.theredresistancepodcast.com/
And our YouTube channel 

Support the show

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Praise be it's the season premiere! It's been a long wait and we're swan diving into Season 4 Episode 1 Pigs.

As always, we start with what we're drinking and we jump into the episode at 15:40.

Want to watch instead of listen? We have a Youtube channel

And a new website:
TheRedResistancePodcast.com which is a work in progress but you can find links for all our social media as well as all of our episodes. 

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We're currently in the process of archiving our season 1-3 episodes on our website but we're leaving some of our most popular episodes. 

We're leaving this episode so everyone can hear for themselves what we say, since we certainly never say June deserves to be mistreated by the Waterfords in any way. Never. It didn't happen. What we do say is that it's hard to find joy in June leveraging her agency when we know that it is what is going to motivate Serena to rape her. Acknowledging this doesn't mean we condone Serena's or Fred's actions. 

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Hey lovelies! Hope you all are doing well. We've been geeking out so hard over The Handmaid's Tale's upcoming Season 4 that we just had to talk about it. Come hang out with us in our natural state, where we rabbithole and talk about our theories, hopes, and dreams for this wonderful show that is going to drop in just 4 short weeks ;)

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It's part 1 of our S2E6 rewatch of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale.

First Blood is Roxy's favorite episode of the season, everything from the mood and ambiance, all the way up the the explosive ending. Scarlett is excited for the run of episodes leading up to the season 2 finale. And Margery loves the cohesion of the episode as a whole from the way it was shot to the converging of all the story lines in the present and how the flashbacks tie in nicely with these events.

In this episode we spend a lot of time discussing what is motivating Serena and June's actions. We also frame a lot Eden's story line through what we have learned from The Testaments, so if you haven't read it yet, now is a good time to get on that before season 4 drops.

Scarlett highly recommends the book Sisters in Hate: American Women on the Front Lines of White Nationalism by Seyward Darby.
Find out more here: https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/seyward-darby/sisters-in-hate/9781549199905/

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This week we're drinking Manhattans as we get into this cringe inducing episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, season 1 episode 8, "Jezebels"


1:14 - We get into our overall thoughts of the episode and we do a little housekeeping

• Thank you to all of the feedback we've been getting, it's been so much fun hearing your thoughts and observations. 
• Scarlett calls for a mass flooding of our Apple Podcast reviews. It's been awhile since we got one so if you have some time we'd love to hear from you that way, as it helps with our ranking on the search page.

5:02 - We're drinking Manhattans!

• Roxy gives us some history on the martini glass and the Manhattan cocktail
• We're using Amadore Kentucky Bourbon, Hot Ginger Charakter by Jagermeister, and Luxardo Cherries

12:25 - Shout out to one of our OG listeners: Dawn Nichole - our first Wive on Patreon! And a bonus shout out to @CmdrLawrence on twitter.

14:02 - We get into the first scene of "Jezebels" with an incredible monologue from June

• This scene is shot like a play and executed perfectly

21:52 - It's our first Nick flashback - he's at some kind of work placement agency

• This is how cults lure people in

30:04 - June finds Fred waiting for her in her room

• This scene has all the foreboding of a horror movie
• Fred says, "How's my fair little one." We collectively shudder, it's gross.
• He dresses her and it's clear that he get off on this power trip.
• Roxy makes a great reference to Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, Young Goodman Brown

56:40 - June is dressed and Fred parades her downstairs as she, Fred, and Nick head for the car

• This entire car ride is Fred's version of foreplay, yet June has got to be out of her mind with fear

1:09:05 - We're back in the past as Nick drives Gutherie, Waterford, and Pryce

• We get to see the inception of "The Ceremony" and Gilead in all of it's hypocrisy 

1:22:17 - They arrive at Jezebels

• Scarlett unpacks "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane
• We end the first half of this episode with June and Moira seeing each other from across the room

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1:00 – We’re back in the present and Luke is jolted awake by someone kicking the shit out of him

3:40 – Luke is taken on the bus and fixed up and we get to meet the rag tag team of refugees. We work out the timeline between DC falling and the first Red Centers popping up.

13:05 – Luke, June, and Hannah are having some family time in the cabin when they’re interrupted by hunter with a gun and a dog.

18:28 – Luke realizes that this group is taking him to Canada and he’s outnumbered and injured, he’s gotta ride with them to the border. The guilt is piling up and once again he can’t help June and Hannah. 

21:03 – June learns quick with the gun and has no problem pointing it at anything that threatens her survival

28:00 – Zoe convinces Luke to come to Canada by showing him what happens to those that fight back. The boat smuggler forces Luke to give up the last of his possessions to cross the border. Moments before they all make it to freedom they are found and under attack.

30:30 – We flash forward three years and get our first glimpse of Little America, in Toronto, Canada. Luke is given the note that June wrote. 

46:17 – Final thoughts on the episode

58:30 – We get into some US politics talk on the heels of the democratic primary season kickoff

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1:07 – It’s Scarlett and Roxy’s favorite episode of the season! It’s shot like a horror movie and it’s harrowing to put yourself in Luke’s circumstances.

2:52 – We debate who’s perspective we’re seeing in this episode. Is it June imagining how he got out or is it reality?

8:10 – We’re drinking La Croix des Loges Anjou Blanc

11:27 – It’s a Luke bottle episode! The episode starts with a scene we’ve seen before but this time we’re going to see it play out through Luke’s perspective

15:22 – This scene really puts a spotlight on the 2nd amendment rights argument that you need to be armed when the government turns against you. Turns out those guns are not going to anything against a van full of machine guns. 

20:29 – It’s very fascinating to see the horrors of Gilead through the eyes of someone who is not a handmaid. So many atrocities are directed at the cisgender woman but that isn’t the only group of people who are hurt under this totalitarian regime.

24:54 – Luke was quite rational and logical as he navigates his continually changing circumstances. Until he’s mumbling along the main road. A road Luke? It’s not very covert for a man on the run. 

32:25 – Once he gets to this abandoned neighborhood he finds refuge and falls asleep.

33:55 – We get a flashback of Luke and June in the car, beginning their escape. This scene really lays the groundwork for Luke’s guilt of not being able to protect his family. 

40:45 – We meet Whitford at the docks. This entire scene gives us so much insight. We hear the first mention of what June’s mother did for a living. We find out vasectomies have been illegal for a while. And we see that, while it took a bit too long, Luke is beginning to understand he has to say goodbye to everything his life was. 

51:35 – June has a much better handle on the situation than Luke does

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S1E6 A Woman's Place Part 2

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S1E6 A Womans Place Part 1

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S1E5 Faithful Part 2.

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2:01 - We're drinking Evil Twin Brewing Company's Fire Water - a pale ale brewed with jalapenos. The back of the label reads: 

Many of us have a passionate love-hate relationship with painfully spicy food and beverage - there is simply something substantial fascinating, thrilling and a little frightening about a burning sensation in your mouth. Scientists are at a loss why humans (and only humans) find such great joy in tasty pain. Perhaps it’s what makes us human - it takes a complicated brain, mixed with weird self-awareness to enjoy events that the body are programmed to treat as a threat but the mind knows better. Test your human skills with this burning beer - mind over body. Fire walk with me.

It's the perfect drink for an episode where everyone is playing with fire.

7:47 - We talk overall feelings and thoughts on the episode

12:13 - The episode starts out with Fred and June sitting by the fire, playing scrabble, drinking scotch. There's a lot happening in this scene. It's reckless but also charming. There's imagery of hell even as June talks about heaven. The writers weave a poem, from Margaret Attwood's Power Politics, into June's monologue - it's 4 lines of masterful writing, and used perfectly in the scene.

28:45 - We get a flashback to June and Luke's first meeting. Moira is not only present but initiates the interaction. 

38:47 - The flashback ends. June is eating breakfast. Rita is surely. Nick is hovering. And Serena manages to ruin everything with her terrible timing. Serena takes June outside and makes her an offer she can't refuse. 

50:02 - With the weight of Serena's proposal lingering over her, June goes shopping and sees that Emily is back. New Ofglen confronts June with a harsh reality, that her life is better than it was before. 

1:00:18 - June is having a moment with her writing in the closet when Serena comes to escort her to Nicks apartment. This faux ceremony is juxtaposed with June's first sexual tryst with Luke. The differences are jarring. 

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S1E4 Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum Part 2

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S1E4 Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum Part 1

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Season 1 Episode 3 of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale - "Late"

This episode couldn't be titled any better. Not only is June's period late but we see through the flashbacks that June is late in understanding that Gilead has taken over.

2:45 - We finally acknowledge that we dropped our original lighting theory because we've had some communication with Bruce Miller, The Handmaid's Tale creator. 

5:50 - We're drinking Domain Tempier Bandol Rose. The primary varietal is mourvedre, one of the latest ripening grapes, which is appropriate for an episode titled "Late"

14:50 - Right out of the gate we see where Ofglen has taken

19:19 - Prisoners wear pants? We debate why Gilead is okay with this

21:28 - June is walking with Ofglen 2.0 and we learn from the monologue that June was late to waking up to what was happening in her country

25:30 - It's the first flashback on the episode and we see June and Moria out for a run - oh, the horror. And we get the fateful coffee shop interaction with the worlds worst barista

38:00 - We tip our hats to the makeup team. The difference in June's appearance in the flashback highlights the toll that Gilead has taken

43:57 - June's flashback shifts to later in the day and she's on hold with the bank as armed guards enter her work place

56:15 - Back in present day Gilead, Offred is bringing home the groceries - and it's a scene shot in one take

57:40 - Rita is surprisingly chipper - and it's setting off alarm bells

1:05:53 - Rita finally clues Offred in as to what all the fuss is about - she's late. Serena comes barging in and begins to interrogate

1:17:13 - Serena brings June on a play date to the Putnam's and Serena figures out too late that this wasn't a great idea

1:28:98 - Naomi enters with the perfect line - excellent writing! "I'm sure you're all starving" and that's exactly what all these women are experiencing

1:32:17 - Whether June teleports or not, she ends up in Janine's room

1:42:48 - Serena ask June if she had any fun...was this supposed to be fun Serena?

1:51:19 - Serena sends June back home with Nick and he is trying to send her a message but there's no context to his advice

1:53:53 - The conversation with Nick transitions into a flashback of June, Luke, and Moira trying to make sense of the fact that women in the United States have just lost many of their rights overnight. 

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1:05 - We're drinking Ommegang's 21st Anniversary Ale - a spiced saison ale co-fermented with New York apple cider. Fun fact: Ommegang, out of Cooperstown, NY, is a sister brewery of Duvel.

5:00 - We're jumping back into "Birth Day," season 1 episode 2 of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale. We're back in the birthing room and Janine is in the throes of labor.

8:30 - In comes the train of ridiculous wives and a Naomi joins Janine on the two-seater birthing stool. 

8:50 - It's not lost on Janine or any of us how absurd it is that Naomi is pretending to be in labor. How many wives have been punched by their laboring handmaid by pulling this nonsense.

10:33 - Madeline Brewer is brilliant in this labor scene. It is so believable. 

14:16 - Why is there no medical interventions available for these precious babies?

15:09 - Gilead's extreme fundamentalist mentality regarding the medical care available for newborns feels like an intentional mirroring of the anti choice Christian fundamentalist of today. They're pro birth not pro life.

26:07 - The sound of the wind carries us from the present Gilead to a flashback of June in the hospital, waking up to see that Hannah is missing.

33:45 - The handmaids are in the birth mobile and heading home. Ofglen is not discreet. Roxy makes a great point that she was drinking spiked punch.

36:11 - Back at the Putnam's it's feeding time for baby Angela. 

43:05 - The bells toll back at the Waterford's and it's time for Offred to meet Fred.

45:20 - Offred is outside the office door and the writing in June's monologue is brilliant.

51:48 - Fred wants to play a game with June. Isn't this secret meeting game enough for him?

53:48 - Offred gets the first move in scrabble and Roxy has a great take on the nuance of this scene.

1:01:59 - We look at all the words they played on the Scrabble board

1:08:04 - Fred and Offred say their goodbyes. Offred retreats to her room and the absurdity of the situation hits her.

1:10:30 - The upbeat music as June strides out of the house and down the driveway. They really want you to feel good and let your guard down for just a second. But this is Gilead, it's never safe.

1:11:42 - The joy comes to a screeching halt as we meet New Ofglen and everything feels a lot more like Gilead now.

1:16:55 - Margery points out some of the scenes from the first two episodes of season are almost identical to scenes from season 3 and wonders if this could be a signal that season 4 is going to shift gears in some way. 

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Grab a glass of Flora Springs merlot and listen as Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery recap episode 2, season 1, of the Hulu's original series, The Handmaid's Tale. 

"Birth Day" proves that Aunt Lydia was right: "This too will become ordinary." So much of this episode feels typical and mundane, yet terror is lurking near every interaction. We can't help but think of Margaret Atwood's word's in The Testaments, "in Gilead, as elsewhere."

This episode also gives us mirroring births to compare and contrast. As Janine gives birth in Gilead, June is reminded of her own labor. Through the flashbacks, we see the fertility crisis compiled with complacency that served as a breeding ground for Gilead's inception. 

1:02 - George sent us baked goods so we're already off to a great start with this episode

1:31 - Be like OfYogapants and leave us a review on apple podcast. Best handle yet!

2:05 - We're drinking Flora Springs, a 2016 merlot from Napa Valley

8:05 - We get into "Birth Day" season 1 episode 2 of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale

8:35 - It's ritual rape time at the Waterford's 

10:02 - These ceremonies aren't getting any less awkward for anyone involved, ourselves included

13:41 - Ofglen and Offred are our for a walk again, but there is a friendship and familiarity that wasn't there in the first episode

15:59 - The episode is driving home what Lydia insisted on, even the fuckery that is Gilead will begin to feel ordinary

19:45 - Any listeners have guesses as to what the X on the hood could signify? 

24:50 - The progression of Offred and Ofglen's conversation starts so mundane and normal and builds to sheer terror because this is still Gilead

26:22 - As the van pulls up everything about this scene is shot in a way that induces that instant terror that the characters are experiencing. 

28:59 - "I'm not that kind of person." "No one is until they have to be." This episode is highlighting the pre-Gilead mentality of apathy and complacency

31:34 - Whether your politically active or not, politics are happening, get involved now before you can't

32:18 - There is a great shot of Offred and the Waterford's house looming behind her as she learns from Ofglen that there is a resistance network. Hope is a powerful thing, especially in the doom and gloom of Gilead.

35:40 - Scarlett still really hates the Waterford's house

39:23 - June shows Nick a little leg - whoa, she really trust this dude. Nick can only respond with "you need to be careful."

41:50 - Show Nick is portrayed exactly like book Nick. He's a mystery. We dial back the Nick/Max outrage

43:30 - We want a matchbox birthmobile

46:50 - Janine is having a baby! Praise be! Babies being born is quite an event

51:45 - It's Battle of the Houses: Putnam Vs. Waterford

55:05 - We see Mrs. Putnam pretending to labor....it is even more insane than one would imagine

1:10:01 - We move upstairs where the real work is happening. It's another chance to display June's maternal nature

1:13:40 - There is a beautiful transition from June's hand on Janine's belly to a flashback of June's hands cupping Hannah's newborn feet. We also hear the nurse exclaim, "praise be," and we're once again reminded that the wheels to Gilead are already in motion.

1:17: 30 - The transition back to present time is driving home the point of the episode. The writing was already on the wall. Resistance is easier before they turn you into a handmaid.

1:26:05 - There are going to be problems if Lydia is in charge of delivering babies. Babies are so rare. Why are they chancing it with no medical professionals present at these home births?

1:29:30 - Offred is offered a cookie and a chance to defy the wives in even the smallest of ways. It's so much more satisfying than a macron ever c

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We've shaken off the rust and found our flow for episode recaps once again. This week we pick up where we left off in the series premiere of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, "Offred."

This episode we're drinking Illuminati from Riparosso, as we're introduced to this dystopian world and the secret society that has claimed power. Scarlett and Margery learn that a Montepulciano D'abruzzo is just a local colloquialism for Sangiovese. Italian wines are hard. 

12:20 - We acknowledge that we stumbled while getting back into a flow for episode recaps, off the heels of several weeks of our Book Club Series for The Testaments.

12:55 - Margery talks about the artistry of the transitions between each scene

21:21 - We pick up at the wall and transition into Aunt Lydia's Slide Show of Horrors, which is quickly juxtaposed with a flashback of June and Moira and all their freedoms

24:30 - Ann Dowd is brilliant and Aunt Lydia can be seen as a terrifying zealot or a woman under extreme duress to survive, a la The Testaments. 

31:05 - We decide we're watching the Season 4 Handmaid's Tale premiere viewing party since the three of us have we've never watched an episode together

45:45 - Woah, these aquarium shots are stunning. Scarlett points out the red jelly fish and we launch into a color theory

54:18 - The bells chime to summon Offred to the Ceremony

56:56 - Slut shaming and a Margaret Atwood cameo 

1:01:09 - The household assembles for the government mandated rape ceremony - fun for the whole family

1:11:30 - The Ceremony - Holy awkwardness batman! This scene is brilliant in capturing all the dynamics at play within this Gilead household breeding ceremony

1:20:15 - Fred finishes and we're dumped into post rape clean up, which is equally as awkward as you think it would be

1:24:27 - June is in her bed having herself an anxiety attack as she's left alone post rape. Has a run in with Nick. Imagine having your life be at risk simply for getting some fresh air

1:28:40 - Offred attempts to composes herself in her room and there is a really cool transition to a flashback of Janine having a mental break that is blurred with June's present break. The episode is tied together with these flashbacks laying the groundwork for Moria and June's relationship and how these flashbacks haunt Offred in present Gilead. 

1:36:36 - The bells chime for our first glimpse into a salvaging and the purpose it serves for all those involved

1:40:02 - Margery attempts to articulate why people rooting for June should welcome Nick's presence 

1:57:23 - We see super pregnant, present day Janine. She delivers a gut punch to June when she reveals that Moira was caught running away and sent to the colonies. But like...why are these handmaids being so loud as they gossip?

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We're currently in the process of archiving our season 1-3 episodes on our website but we're leaving some of our most popular episodes. 

We’re doing a rewatch! Join Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery as we go back to the beginning and examine the series with all the understanding we’ve gained from three seasons of Hulu’s series and both of Margaret Atwood’s novels, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments. 

This is part 1 of "Offred," season 1, episode 1 of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, directed by Reed Morano. 

1:55 - In honor of revisiting old episodes, we’re revisiting a favorite wine. Plucked from the archives of “Household” is Two Blondes by Andrew Will Winery. 

The perfect wine to sip as we watch June and Serena spar for the first time in “Offred.” This 2010 Bordeaux style blend comes from Yakima Valley AVA. Two Blondes is a blend consisting primarily of merlot, with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and Malbec, with 21 months of barrel aging. 

6:40 - Quick roundtable of our first impressions. As an introduction into the world of Gilead, "Offred" serves to lay the groundwork for the tone and direction of the season and the series. The writing and cinematography both set the standard for The Handmaid's Tale series. Right out of the gate, they did a really good job of making us feel what it is like to be a woman in Gilead. There is an immediate vested interest in each of the main characters as they are introduced.

11:09 - How we're going to approach this rewatch: In anticipation of season 4, we're rewatching the earlier seasons to look for clues as to where the next season will take us.  So while we will try to focus on the episode at hand, there may be talk of future Gilead events from the series and from The Testaments. 

12:38 - Black screen and Sirens - Oh Gilead, it feels good to be home

14:20 - We meet June and see her intense maternal instinct, setting the groundwork for June's main motivation.

18:58 - We're learning from June's mistakes with this PSA: When the United States government goes to complete shit and it's time to start fleeing, stay put and then backtrack. Brought to you by somebody who's never gone through that.

23:33 - First we met June, now we meet Offred. Everything feels like the season three finale, "Mayday."

41:34 - Serena and June meet. Always a power struggle with these two. Fred's enters and we see Gilead's version of a love triangle. It's as tense and awkward as you'd imagine.

54:27 - Reed Morano gets her props

58:04 - Scarlett talks about the origins of the word "Gilead." Want to read more? Check out The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.

1:02:13 - Damn, Rita, what's your deal? June is alone as fuck in this household. June's monologue becomes a welcome reprieve from the hostility and tension. 

1:10:50 - We meet Nick and we're still as at odds with each other as we've ever been.

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Listen to us discuss the 13th Symposium chapter of The Testaments, as well as our likes and dislikes now that we have finally conquered this book. It felt like a champagne kind of day so we started the episode with Ruinart Champagne Rose and finished up with Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut Champagne.

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Grab a drink and join Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery as we dive into The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. This week we’re discussing The Final Chapters, and we're drinking Chapoutier Bellaruche Cotes du Rhone.

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Grab a drink and join Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery as we dive into The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. This week we’re discussing Nicole Part 2, and we're drinking Jura 10-year Single Malt Scotch.

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Grab a drink and join Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery as we dive into The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. This week we’re discussing Agnes Part 2, and we drank three different wines! Dashwood Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Savion Vouray, and Cave d'Lugny "Coeur de Charmes" Macon-Village, 2015.

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Grab a drink and join Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery as we dive into The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. This week we’re discussing Aunt Lydia’s part 2, and we're drinking Purple Hands Pinot Noir from Dundee Hills, Oregon.

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Grab a drink and join Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery as we dive into The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. This week we’re discussing Nicole, and we're drinking Born of Fire "The Burn" Cabernet Sauvignon of Columbia Valley, WA.

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Grab a drink and join Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery as we dive into The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. This week we’re discussing Agnes, and we're drinking G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne.

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We're currently in the process of archiving our season 1-3 episodes on our website but we're leaving some of our most popular episodes. 

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Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery sit down after a short break and discuss the character arcs of Season 4's cast. Part 4! For this one we're drinking Debts and Lessons Riesling from Monterrey, CA.

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Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery sit down after a short break and discuss the character arcs of Season Three's cast. Part 3! And we're drinking L'avvocata Babera d'Asti.

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Scarlett, Roxy, and Margery sit down after a short break and discuss the character arcs of Season 3's cast. Part 2!

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We're currently in the process of archiving our season 1-3 episodes on our website but we're leaving some of our most popular episodes. 

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We're currently in the process of archiving our season 1-3 episodes on our website but we're leaving some of our most popular episodes. 

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We're currently in the process of archiving our season 1-3 episodes on our website but we're leaving some of our most popular episodes. 

Mayday Part 1. For this one we're drinking the Gilead Kool-Aid, a delicious cocktail crafted by our resident beverage goddess, Roxy. Here's the recipe!

Roxy's "Blessed Be the Fruit" Martini
2oz Ciroc Vanilla
1oz Pomegranate Juice (Pom brand is fine)
Splash of amaretto
Juice of one lime wedge.
Shake it up, strain it into a martini glass, and drink away your frustration with the patriarchy!

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Sacrifice Part 2

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Sacrifice Part 1

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The second half of our HT episode recap and discussion. We start with the dinner/ballroom scenes and then end with a discussion about Marshae Jones, personhood laws, the Brock Turners of the world, consent, and Ohio's heartbeat bill.

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Today we have Roxy start us off with a little Hindsight (a superb Napa Valley cab and something June is sure to be experiencing after this episode's events). This is part 1 of 2 of S3E7. We cover from the opening scene to right about where June and Eleanor get busted at Hannah's school. 

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The latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale “Household” saw us grappling with the dynamic between two women claiming maternal rights to the liberated Nichole, as well as exploring the wider reaching implications of a world where men’s authority goes unchecked, leading to a reality where women are treated as second-class citizens if they are lucky, and property if they are capable of bearing children. The imagery was haunting, the implications even more so.  

Dearbhla Walsh showed an adept hand at portraying this stark reality; she transports the viewer into a dystopian nightmare through a lulled sense of security in the opening scene. In a stark monochromatic Boston, with only June’s red handmaid’s colors shining through the dismal black and white doldrum, the viewer must take notice, even if only subconsciously: the handmaids do not belong here. They are outcasts in their own world, as the bleak color palate will remind us time and again.. 

Sneaking a peek into life in Gilead outside the narrowed scope of Boston afforded us an opportunity to see just how fortunate June has been, and allowed us to contemplate the ramifications of her actions had she been in this inhospitable environment of a dilapidated DC this entire time. By broadening the scope of our lens, we are able to more fully appreciate the liberties June has been afforded in her internal fight against Gilead, however minute those privileges may be... for in the Capital, handmaids have zero liberties.

And from there we are steadily and constantly reminded that things can always get worse. 

Hope can be desecrated. Voices can be silenced. Wills can be broken. Freedoms and liberties previously thought to be innate can be stripped away. Promises and vows can be broken. But what cannot be broken is June’s resolve, nor the resolve of those who continue the fight despite such dire and desperate circumstances.

We are reminded of this by the Martha who wakes June to rendezvous with Nick, in Aunt Lydia’s tears as she longs to return home, in June’s voice, ringing out against the hollow desecrated Lincoln Memorial that Serena will never be rid of her until her daughters are both safe. The path ahead may be dark and trepidatious, but still, hope rises, even in the most desperate of times.

As for the Waterfords, their resolve is renewed, with Serena realizing she is powerless unless she stands as a reflection of her husband’s ideals.. Fred is forced into an unfamiliar role of submission by High Commander Winslow, who shows Waterford, through a tactful thrust of his hips and an intentional shoulder caress,  that he is very much under Winslow’s eye. Fred’s need to assert sovereignty over himself and his ideals comes to a head as he delivers a speech that hearkens back to the Quiverfull Movement, a very petrifying and very real movement in the United States. For those unfamiliar with the Quiverfull Movement, it utilizes Fred’s exact words on those steps as the cornerstone for its belief system, plucked from Psalm 127:3-5 from the King James version of the Bible.

The implications of a government dominated by the ideals of the Quiverfull Movement is, to put it mildly, horrifying. And in this moment, despite all the fear and control-mongering, we are reminded of the words emblazoned in the Lincoln Memorial: “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever”.

And though we see Lincoln’s likeness completely shattered, we, and June, see his clenched fist remains.  And just as that fist has survived a most brutal onslaught, so too shall June survive this affront to everything she holds dear but has seen stripped away. And just as she stood against Serena, verbally annihilating her, so do we hope she is able to obliterate the cornerstones of this dilapidated reality she finds

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What the hell, Serena? Episode 5, Unknown Caller, left us divided on Serena's motivations and in awe of June's mental fortitude. We're drinking Changeling, a dark sour ale, to match the sour taste the episode left us with. But we got to watch June enjoy music and we geek out at the first book nod to The Handmaid's Tale being recorded by June on old mixtapes. 

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In this episode we finally get into a sound room and get our first usable recording. Praise be. We're getting the hang of this. 

Roxy first tastes us on Aerena, Cabernet Sauvignon and we get into Useful, the third episode of the season. But this episode is intense and we get really fired up, so we up our game and switch to Cardhu Gold Reserve "House Targaryen" single malt scotch.

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