'The Handmaid's Tale' 3x07 Review: Oh, June (Spoilers)

One of the biggest complaints about The Handmaid's Tale season three is that there is "nothing happening." Also, close-ups of June's angry face that rivals Daenerys Targaryen's. King's Landing may not have deserved immolation, but the Republic of Gilead certainly does. This season was touted to be about revolution, but so far it's been about June making questionable decisions, Fred being confused by Commander Stabler (Winslow), and Serena Joy regaining her role as "egotistical bitch hag."

But these writers aren't the same as Game of Thrones' disastrous season eight calamity. Much of The Handmaid's Tale has been about what would actually happen, rather than what you want to happen. Real-life totalitarian dictatorships aren't toppled in a day, or even a month. June's motivation behind her actions have been about survival, and keeping both her daughters safe. She's not going to be charging into Commander-filled buildings with a bomb detonator. She said at the very beginning of the first season that she "plans to survive." However, after this last episode, June has lost contact with her only saving grace—her daughter, Hannah.

Hannah was given to "fit" Gilead parents, because her father was a divorcee, and her mother, an adulterer. Hannah was the only reason keeping her in Gilead at the end of season two. June felt she couldn't be free if Hannah was still trapped in Gilead. In this episode, June ropes Mrs. Lawrence, a Wife secluded in her house due to her untreated bipolar disorder, into escorting her to Brookline in order to see Hannah at her school. We already knew this was a horrible decision, but June's desperate at the best of times.

In 3x06, we discovered the reason Nick is so influential as a newly ranked Commander—he helped takeover the American government and turned the nation into Gilead. June's obviously conflicted because Nick is Holly's true father, and they were in love with one another. We also get another punch to the stomach, as we discover the Washington DC Handmaids and Marthas have their mouths wired shut—for seemingly no discernible reason other than they are servile women. June sees the destruction of America's landmarks, up close and personal, laying her hand on the beheaded Lincoln Memorial. The Washington Monument has also been perverted, turned into a massive cross—an appropriation of Christianity if anything else. Gilead certainly doesn't practice tolerance or forgiveness like modern Christianity does (or should) today, so this cross is definitely seen as a slap to the face. Hell, I was offended... and I'm an atheist. June has unwittingly become the poster child for the Waterfords plea for "their child" back.

June's obviously not all there. She's not as dissociated as she was in 2x05, but she definitely isn't thinking rationally. She's becoming unhinged and with good reason. June's shopping partner Ofmichael is pious to the point of contention. She's given three babies to the regime, and is pregnant with a fourth. We at first feel sorry for her, because she's obviously brainwashed into accepting Gilead's indoctrination, but her disregard of Janine's brutal punishment at the Putnam's party makes us feel less sympathetic. She annoys June with her holier-than-thou gossip, and June lets her know just how annoying she is.

Unbeknownst to June, Ofmichael was coerced to spy for Aunt Lydia and she listened in on June and the Mackenzie's Martha as they had a secret discussion about Hannah. So, before June even enlisted Mrs. Lawrence for the walk to Brookline, Ofmichael had reported in, which is theorized to be the reason Guardian Parker isn't at his post when they arrive. Mrs. Lawrence manages to schmooze her way in, but June is left outside—presumably because Handmaids aren't allowed in the schools, or they've been warned that June would try to see her daughter. June desperately follows the children's laughs as they're playing through the fifteen-foot wall. She hears Hannah's laugh, momentarily filling her with hope before being led away by a Guardian. Mrs. Lawrence starts having an episode, because they won't allow her to see the kids.

Fans and critics alike have been commenting on June's seeming "Plot Armor" because she has done a hell of a lot this season that would normally get a Handmaid killed. But it is my suspicion that she's kept alive, because she's the bargaining chip for "Nichole's" return. She's the last direct link to "Nichole," and killing her would put the refugee extradition off the table entirely. But by God, June is pushing it now. The vehement stare she gives Aunt Lydia after being forced to hang the Mackenzie's Martha. And yet she pulls the rope with a rage-filled "by His hand," blaming her for Hannah being moved.

Ofmichael doesn't know when to quit, it seems. At the end of the episode, she admits to being the one to tell Aunt Lydia that June was talking to the Martha. Unsurprisingly, June is pissed and throttles her. The bottle is off the bottle, the fizz is spewing everywhere, June is unhinged. The previews of the upcoming episode are implying Aunt Lydia's backstory is finally going to be revealed... and also someone in the market being killed. The shaming circle also returns from the very first episode, June and Ofmichael in the middle.

This episode also had important scenes with Serena and Fred. Olivia Winslow leads Serena into a vacated house, saying that it belonged to Baptists—a sect that Gilead outlawed. Whether they were killed or escaped is left up to interpretation. Mrs. Winslow nonchalantly goes on about the house's fixtures and decoration, ignoring the evidence of a family that once lived there. Mrs. Winslow implies that Serena and Fred could make this their house, suggesting that the Waterfords could be gaining affluence.

Serena and Fred go to a ball. No, you read that right. Yes, indeed, it seems very out of character and hypocritical for Commanders and Wives to be enjoying such luxuries. There's waltzing, fine dining, drinking, and plenty of pretentiousness. Serena and Fred have an illuminating discussion about the art exhibits they visited before, and Serena missing her cousin's baby shower, which sounds like the last thing the baby-crazed bitch would do. Fred talks about them having a home again someday. Just earlier Fred had an intimate discussion with Commander Winslow about the refugee situation, the latter implying that "Nichole" would have to stay in Canada just a bit longer to secure the complete extradition of refugees.

I compared the dance scene to Morticia and Gomez Addams, two twisted people in love with one another. What's most frightening is how much I love their on-screen chemistry—two narcissistic powerhouses that feed off each other's delusion of grandeur. For a second, you want to like them, you forget that they are war criminal rapists. I also compare the ball scene to Schindler's List, during the scene where Oskar Schindler is schmoozing the Nazi officials with finery and charm, under the guise of enlisting Jews to save by marking them as "essential workers." However, there's no underlying motive between Fred and Serena Joy Waterford—it's all quite plainly conveyed. They admire power and prestige. They don't just want to be a family—they want to be a high-ranking Gilead family. They aren't portrayed as a shallow villain, one who does evil, and only evil. They are three-dimensional people that used to be like us before extremism and power corrupted them.

Let's move onto to a potential bombshell I just picked up on after a rewatch. After Emily's interview with an investigator, which was less than hope-inspiring, Emily confides in Moira at a cafe. Moira mentions that she and her group were going to protest Canadian officials even discussing refugee extradition, and Emily tags along. Emily tells them quite loudly and plainly that June was the one who handed her "Nichole." Yeah, you can see the problem of this. If Gilead can hack into medical files in other countries, they can find out who said what. The Waterfords lied about June's involvement in "Nichole's" kidnapping, saying that it was Emily who stole her from the Waterford home. Emily's already facing the heat over her "crimes" in Gilead (which we can all agree were fully justified), so I bet you this is going to snowball into a shitfest.

It looks like we're finally going to get some action, if the rest of the episode titles aren't indicative enough. I won't spoil them, you'll have to look them up yourself. But I can tell you this... Gilead, like so many heartless regimes of history, is going to fall.