The Handmaids Tale
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Almost any ritual can start to seem normal after a while.
Junes voice is measured: All this is now commonplace.
Fiery and obstinate as she might be, when Emilys Commander keels over dead it doesnt throw her off.
Of course, she gets a few good kicks in on his dead body, too.
But enough time has passed for the Gileadeans (Gileadites?)
to have settled into routine.
The Handmaids prop pillows just so, unfold sheets, and ready bowls of ice.
Serena, too, is in white, gracefully mimicking the deep breathing of a standout Lamaze devotee.
Theres even a goddamn harpist in the corner.
No spicy tea, no matter how goddamn spicy, will do to get this baby out.
On January 21, 2017, I walked nine miles for the Womens March in D.C.
The next day, I went into labor at 11 a.m., two-and-a-half weeks early.
They could have just cooked up some hearty Thai food for June.)
But June also has next to nothing to lose.
Why not reach back and see if she can tug on his heartstrings just a bit?
Her mistake isnt in asking.
The camera zooms in on Serenas tight hold on Junes hand.
This isnt a part of the job that she has resigned herself to.
She cannot slip away to that mental place.
This isnt a state-sanctioned atrocity.
Its more than likely painful.
No matter what has happened in her past, June is a victim anew.
Are we meant to view one as more emotionally damaging than the other?
And yet, Junes rape was not the hardest part of the episode to watch.
I watched the scene of Junes brief reunion with Hannah three times.
The first time I sobbed so hard and lost myself so emotionally that I knew I needed another viewing.
This is the danger of blind adherence.
I just want to tell you that I will always be your mommy.
Yes, this is a television show, a dark fantasy borne out of one geniuss worried mind.
But art exists to unclothe and redress reality in garments that will make its truth more apparent.
