Episode Three turns its attention to the themes of commitment, loyalty, and the caustic consequences of faithlessness, as revealed in the very different contexts of New Bethlehem, Gilead, no man’s land, and the terrain between all three. It’s all impactful stuff, as characters once again make fateful decisions, and the entanglements connecting them and pulling them apart become more complex.
At the close of Exile, a newly energised June had told an assembly of Mayday militia that their efforts would soon rescue Moira and Luke from the hinterlands of Gilead, where they had become trapped returning from a vital reconnaissance mission. The now-rogue US ambassador gets word of their plan to Commander Nick Blaine, the rebellion’s reluctant asset in the Gilead hierarchy. In response, Nick absconds from a vital “open day” at New Bethlehem to rendezvous with June in the woods. His and June’s reunion is joyous but brief, not only due to the time-sensitive, life-or-death context, but also because their connection is stuck in an unresolvable contradiction.
Out of his seemingly unbreakable commitment to her, he agrees to help, making the whole mission dependent on his skills and conviction in the cause. En route, they reflect once again on their impossible, irreconcilable relationship – a love match that’s profoundly uneven and clearly doomed. Retrieving the trapped pair from the abandoned retail park, Nick is compelled to make an irreversible decision that, while it saves everyone, leaves him cruelly exposed to the risk of blackmail by the opposition.
Luke’s speedy elevation to the status of an espionage operative does feel like a stretch, and it challenges credulity to think that he and Moira would be the best, or the most capable, candidates for the critical mission to retrieve a Commander hit-list from behind enemy lines. But what helps to rescue the overreach is the pair’s inability to evade detection or to extract themselves unaided. It’s something that highlights the fact that many of those brave enough to consider attacking Gilead head-on are simply not equipped with the necessary skills or killer instincts.
As they all head for safety, the awkward, uncomfortable dynamic between Luke and Nick, watched over by a conflicted June, makes for an entertaining tonal contrast with the action and jeopardy of the mission. Max Minghella (Nick) and O-T Fagbenle (Luke) play the moment with just the right blend of discomfort, wounded male pride and grudging respect.
The scenes in New Bethlehem, where Lawrence begins his campaign to win over the visiting diplomats, show him at his most scheming and Serena at her most persuasive. Her sales pitch for a “safe and peaceful” Gilead enclave attracts the attention of Nick’s venal father-in-law, Gabriel Wharton, who is clearly beguiled by this articulate and passionate Gilead widow. So too are the ambassadors from an array of visiting countries, including Canada (from which June had fled in response to the “hostile environment” created for Gilead asylum seekers). The Canadian delegate indicates they may now consider deporting those stateless escapees to the “safe sanctuary” of New Bethlehem.
Once again, a punchy script (by Nina Fiore and John Herrera) draws in illuminating parallels with real-world events without that coming across as mannered or forced. Meanwhile, High Commander Wharton is rapidly becoming a person of interest, not just in the political machinations of Gilead, but also in his personal marital ambitions. Josh Charles continues to excel in what’s clearly a superbly crafted role, hinting that the full extent of Wharton’s meticulous game plan has yet to be revealed.
Another huge tilt in a long-established power balance comes with Aunt Lydia’s discovery that Janine, along with other former Handmaids, has been forced to work as a “jezebel” at a brothel for Commanders. Fired by religious certainties, Lydia is determined to save her former charge, but a resistant Janine recognises that the alternative to Jezebel’s is not a better life but servitude and hard labour out in the Colonies. Madeline Brewer (Janine) and Ann Dowd (Lydia) have long made for an extraordinary pairing in the series, and the fact that both their characters’ worlds have been upended brings fresh energy to their connected plight.
When her pleas to Lawrence to allow Janine’s return to his home are rebuffed, she’s clearly considering her options. Lydia is without doubt one of the Gilead insiders who knows where the bodies are buried, and her awareness of the inner workings of Commander households and the cruel peccadilloes of those Commanders would certainly give her leverage.
The events of Devotion continue to build the momentum towards the series’ final reckoning, adding to the growing sense that none of the protagonists, nor their respective regimes, are invulnerable.
Episodes of the sixth and final season of THE HANDMAID’S TALE screen weekly on Saturdays on Channel 4 in the UK
Read our previous reviews of the sixth season of THE HANDMAID’S TALE below:
