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'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 3 Is Off to a Strong Start Despite Setbacks... So Far

What will season 3 offer, and will it be 'blessed'?

By Eli JacquelinePublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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Audiences everywhere screamed "BLESSED BE THE FRUIT!" on June 5th, when the first three episodes of The Handmaid's Tale, season 3, premiered on Hulu. The premiere picked up right where the season 2 finale left off, making for a fast-paced first thirty minutes or so before it retreated back to its slow-burn style. What will season 3 do differently?

Spoilers ahead.

June (Elisabeth Moss) faces the consequences of her decision to stay in Gilead to find her first daughter, Hannah, and escape with her. She convinces Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) to help her, but things go wrong. After a stint at the Red Center and a reeling Serena sets the Waterford home on fire, (a brilliant and much-needed change) June is placed with a new Commander, and it's none other than Commander Lawrence. Don't sigh in relief just yet, though. The first thing made clear is that the unsettling Joseph Lawrence is not the Chosen One. He lets the Marthas in his home run the resistance, but that doesn't mean he's totally a part of it. There may be no ceremonial rape, but that doesn't mean he's not a misogynist. He's got many faces, and this season will explore them all.

This seems to be a theme that will be very present. Villains come in all forms. At first, the villains of Gilead seem to be as clear cut as the distinctive colors of the women's apparel. But as stories progress, humanity for these villains is shown. But is that always a good thing?

The complexity of Commander Lawrence is definitely a plus. As an instrumental architect of Gilead, his character is a fresh, fascinating take on the subject of consequences and guilt. His house presents a totally new set of characters with a new dynamic. But for other characters, like Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes)—is it worth it to see him have human moments when he's actively abusing, raping, and oppressing women, including his own wife? There's making your villains dynamic, and then there's just wasted screen time. The show has done a wonderful job with turning Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) into a character to feel for, despite her pinky-less hand in Gilead's oppression. Between Serena joining forces with June and Lawrence giving June a first-hand look into the difficult decisions he must make daily, it's simply not worth the time to watch Fred develop.

Parting from last season's misery and violence, this season will follow June as she goes deeper into the resistance. The writers knew they were stuck, and this provides a purpose for June, as well as a look into more characters and aspects of Gilead's society. Particularly, the Marthas. Two season's worth of the Handmaid's trials and tribulations was enough. At this point, there's pretty much nothing new left to learn about them. The Marthas, however, have always remained somewhat of a mystery, and it's finally time to get some details. June now helps the Marthas, probably partially as a self-initiated penance for totally ignoring the risks they took for her when she decided not to escape.

A part of this new resistance storyline comes the information that rebels have risen in parts of Gilead. There was always a question of whether or not all of the U.S. was under the Republic, and now it's been mentioned that Chicago has initiated an uprising. While this storyline is fresh right now, how long before it wears itself out? June has been doing a give and take with rebellion since season 1, and even new characters and situations can sometimes feel like putting a pretty new pillow on an old, stuffy couch. The real promise of season 3 will be the aftermath of surviving Gilead.

Emily (Alexis Bledel) escaped to Canada with Nichole in a brilliantly crafted, emotionally challenging scene where she collapsed onto Canadian ground after nearly drowning trying to get across the river, and was immediately welcomed by a border patrol agent who asked if she needed asylum. She reunited with her wife, a moment that everyone has dreamed of since season 2. Luke and Moira (Samira Wiley) take care of Nichole and Luke is struggling with the thought of June refusing escape. Although these characters seemingly got a happily-ever-after, they still have grief and trauma to work through. The glimpses of Emily's difficult transition to her new freedom provides a compelling layer to her character, and to the season. How does someone go from a torturous society, where their rage drives them to stabbing an Aunt, poisoning a Wife, and running over a Guard, to just having all of their freedom given back to them as soon as they cross a border? How does someone learn to be a productive member of society again after being constantly told she's only useful for her womb?

That is what season 3 needs to focus on, and it could have done that with June. At least June herself knows her decision was illogical, even if the writers don't. While it will be entertaining to see more dynamics of Gilead, particularly its leaders and rebels, season 3 runs the very high risk of falling into the same trap as season 2 did. The camera work is as stunning as ever, but there's only so many close-ups of June's steely gaze an audience can take.

Rating: Good enough to keep watching, but the writers should know they are Under Our Eye.

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About the Creator

Eli Jacqueline

Eli Jacqueline is a creative writer based in Cincinnati, OH. She writes YA, drama, horror, and suspense short stories, novels, and scripts. She watches copious amounts of TV and writes reviews about it to feel productive.

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