Handmaid's Tale Season 3 Episode 6

The Waterford household (by and present!) goes on a trip to Washington, D.C., in this calendar week's The Handmaid's Tale, which gives u.s.a. the answers to these tantalizing queries:

* What, exactly, would the Usa' majuscule expect like if Nazis took over?

* What is an even more than horrifying manner to enslave women than the methods nosotros've previously seen?

* That new commander totally wants Fred's action, doesn't he?

Read on for the highlights of "Household." (And make sure to read our mini oral history with Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski and executive producer Warren Littlefield about the episode.)

A CAPITAL IDEA | June walks by a agglomeration of marthas, kneeling in the snowfall and praying for Nichole's return, on her way home from whatever mind-numbing task she'due south been doing. The site comforts June. "If they're praying, then she's withal safe," she voiceovers. "I pray that their prayers go unanswered." She also prays that Serena volition find her way back and will become Fred to cease trying to reclaim the infant, "or may they both get striking by a f—king truck. I'one thousand honestly down for either." (Heh.)

At home, Lawrence instructs June to pack, because the Waterfords desire to infringe her for a week of public prayer in D.C. Fred has orchestrated a big media shebang to exert force per unit area on Canada to give Nichole back, and having his whole household at that place is of import for optics. June perks up slightly upon learning that Serena volition exist in attendance, also, and goes upstairs to become her things together.

June, of course, doesn't ride with her old commander and mistress during the trip. She and Aunt Lydia are relegated to a divide auto; while the older woman is sleeping, June pulls back the red curtains covering her window and is shocked to see that Gilead'south holier-than-thou Powers That Be have transformed the Washington Monument from an obelisk into a cantankerous. Similarly, the new train station is night and looks like something direct out of Soviet Russia. June muses that the onetime one, Union Station, was so beautiful. "Information technology was designed by a heretic," Lydia chirps, adding that the building was destroyed for the greater good. (Side notation: That seems rather short-sighted for Gilead, no? Why not just powerwash the place with holy water, string upward a bunch of crosses and use what you've got rather than rebuilding such a massive — and pivotal — transportation hub from scratch?)

A giddy Aunt Lydia prattles on that she'southward "pumped," and asks June if she feels the same mode. June, who'southward decorated noticing that the local handmaids wear ruddy scarves around their mouths in improver to the regular uniform, absently replies, "Oh yeah. I'thou pumped, Aunt Lydia."

MEET THE WINSLOWS | The Waterfords call up June from what amounts to a homo baggage claim (keep it classy, Gilead), and Rita and June quietly say they miss each other. But Rita is a niggling more #TeamSerena than she used to be, and June picks upwards on it when Rita mentions that having a infant is "the only thing she ever wanted" and seems a little irked that June is so against a reunion.

They're driven to a grand home belonging to High Commander Winslow and his wife, Olivia. Fred has heard the family is "very downwardly to earth" and sees the visit as "an opportunity." Serena gives him the countenance. "For whom?" she wonders. "Us. All of u.s.. Nichole," Fred sputters, trying to land on an answer that will de-incense his married woman. When they finally meet George Winslow (hello, Christopher Meloni!), things are a little awkward — when the high commander reminds Fred that Gilead has to be "judicious about the images we release to the earth, it well-nigh sounds like Fred has already messed up even though nothing has happened withal — simply the weirdness is cleaved when Winslow'due south children race in to say goodnight.

There are roughly 300 of them (OK, closer to six, but Nonetheless), and Fred and Serena are taken ashamed by the sheer number of little ones that flood into the study. Olivia Winslow (howdy, Elizabeth Reaser!) follows, holding the youngest, whom she passes to Serena. Serena, of course, immediately starts salivating over the infant. While all of this is happening, June and Rita slip out, unnoticed. June'due south surprise over seeing so many kids in one family unit — remember, nigh commanders are lucky to take ane kid — is chop-chop eclipsed past her horror at finding out what'due south underneath the D.C. handmaids' mouth coverings. When she wonders why the Winslows' handmaid is then repose, the woman removes her scarf and reveals that three metal rings are holding her rima oris closed. The visual, similar the thinking behind information technology, is horrifying.

JUNE'S INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT | The next morning, Fred, Serena, June and a few local handmaids are practicing for the giant media moment that'll take place later on. Nick surprises everyone past stopping by; he's still heading out to the front in Chicago presently, but hasn't gotten his orders yet. "Would you mind standing in for me? Just for this shot?" Fred asks. C'mon, Commander, we know that you know that Nick doesn't listen stepping in for yous — in pretty much whatever situation. Nick takes his place adjacent to June and whispers, "Dainty girl like yous in a place like this?" She lights up, smiling as they surreptitiously touch hands.

Back at the Winslow habitation, Serena and June watch the children play. "Serena, I know you don't desire this," June says, seizing the opportunity to try to modify her heed about getting Nichole back. Mrs. Waterford replies that seeing the babe "changed everything for me," and they're both crying a footling as June points out that "seeing her changed you lot. It didn't change this place. She deserves ameliorate. Our girl deserves better. And I know you know that." Before anything else can be said, Fred arrives to announce that the Swiss have agreed to human action as a neutral party in Gilead'due south bid to get Nichole back… and they want to talk to everyone in the household.

That'south how June winds up talking to some Swiss officials, without the Waterfords or any other observers in the room. "I am the child'due south mother, and I want Nichole to stay in Canada," she says, adding that Fred isn't the baby's father — which they know already, having somehow gotten wind of the tape she made for Luke. And so if the Waterfords have no biological tie to the kid, easy peasy, right? Well, no: Gilead has a lot of military force and weapons, and Canada has no desire to tick off its nutty neighbor to the south. And then the Swiss float the idea that the more info they/Canada can glean about Gilead — which is a huge question mark to the residue of the world, call up — the more they might be able to do. June offers up Nick as a source: As a commander and onetime Eye, he'd be an information goldmine. The Swiss are wary that he'll cooperate. "I'll persuade him," June says confidently. So she shakes hands on a deal to aid protect Nichole and leaves feeling rather good (relatively) nearly the time to come.

HE Actually PUTS THE 'Homo' IN 'COMMANDER' | Back at the house that evening, Fred and George Winslow play puddle, potable liquor and by and large celebrate being male and in charge. Is it me, or does Winslow seem to be putting his tush in Fred'due south personal space as much as possible? "Here'due south to your vivid time to come, maybe in D.C.," George says, which makes Fred blush like a shy teenager whose trounce but asked him to prom. But and so George places his hand on Fred's shoulder, rubs it a chip and and so keeps it there: Oh, he WAS putting his tush in Fred's personal space as much as possible. Gives new pregnant to "two ball in the corner pocket," no? Fred freezes, but then ane of Winslow's daughters runs into ask them to a tea political party, and they get.

In the playroom, Olivia tells Serena, "I know this is a bit taboo, but I really loved your book." We learn that she and George both were corporate lawyers in their pre-Gilead life, then Fred comes over with a stuffed king of beasts and does this playful trivial flake about asking to borrow some sugar. Serena laughs. I scream, "HE Cut OFF YOUR PINKY." When i of the children reclaims the toy, Fred false mopes, "I lost my lion." Serena tin can relate, considering SHE LOST HER PERSONHOOD.

Later, June is in bed when a martha creeps in to tell her she has a company outside. June smiles, like, "Yep, still got it." Of course information technology'southward Nick, and she runs to him in her nightgown with her hair unbound. They osculation, then she tells him nearly the bargain she made to continue Nichole in Canada. He'due south… not psyched. "They're politicians. They have their own calendar," he reminds her, just she's undeterred. "This is your one chance. This is it," she says. "This is your take chances to be a father to our girl. How many of those practice yous recollect yous're going to get?" He relents and agrees to go to the meeting.

SAY It Own'T SO, NICK! | Of course, this is Gilead, so everything's gotta get terribly wrong at some betoken. And that bespeak arrives when a member of the Swiss delegation shows upwardly at the Winslows' to tell Fred that they're recommending the continuation of discussions about getting Nichole back. In a moment alone, June asks the Swiss adult female what the heck happened, and she says that they can't do business concern with Nick. "I don't think you know who Mr. Blaine is, or who he was. He is non to be trusted," the woman says ominously, mentioning that Nick has shipped out to Chicago.

June gets Serena solitary for a moment to ask what Nick did before he was a driver. "He was a soldier in the cause. We wouldn't exist hither without him," the blonde says. And and then, because she volition non Non be a raging jerk, she twists the knife by adding, "All this time you spent together, and he never mentioned anything?" Indeed, we cutting to Nick on a armed forces ship, and all of the men snap to attention and salute every bit he walks down the line. Interesting….

SCARF ON, GLOVES OFF | As a wrung-out Aunt Lydia helps an fifty-fifty more wrung-out June become prepare for Fred's big media moment. "Do yous want the states all to be silenced?" June asks, referring to the D.C. handmaids' rings. "No, no I don't," Lydia replies, besides crying. They hug, and Aunt Lydia tells her how she tries to focus on "the good I can even so try to do in God's world," merely and then she'southward gotta go June strapped into her brand-new rima oris scarf and ready for the event.

Then we encounter June at the Lincoln Memorial, except the statue's been severely damaged. It's missing a caput and an arm, and is by and large a sad visual representation of the state of the ruined spousal relationship. Serena approaches, and they get into an statement when Serena says she tin can't wait until she and Fred are settled in D.C. and can be "free" of June. "You will never be costless of me until both my children are safe," June growls at her. There'south some dorsum and along — Serena is mad that June didn't accompany Nichole to Canada, June is mad that she can't trust Serena — and then June launches into a verbal evisceration of her sometime mistress.

"Yous can't love! You don't know how!" she yells. "You built this whole world just and then you could take someone. Only it didn't piece of work. You're small-scale. You lot're cruel. And you're empty. You lot will always be empty." Serena quietly cries. "I should've put a ring in your oral fissure the day that nosotros met," she responds. But nope, Mrs. W: June'due south gonna get the last word this fourth dimension. "I should've let you burn when I had the run a risk."

After, it'due south fourth dimension for Fred's moment. As June walks out to where the Waterfords are continuing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, we come across a zillion handmaids clustered on the plaza and on both sides of the reflecting puddle stretching toward the former Washington Monument. When the pageantry begins, all the 'maids kneel when June does, and Fred begins to pray in forepart of the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration a public appeal, period, both in person and around the earth

Now it's your plow. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments!

Source: https://tvline.com/2019/06/26/the-handmaids-tale-recap-season-3-episode-6-household-washington-dc/

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