THE HANDMAID'S TALE, Season 6, Episode 4: PROMOTION

THE HANDMAID’S TALE, Season 6, Episode 4: PROMOTION

Written By:

Rich Cross

The Handmaid's Tale, Season 6, Episode 4, PROMOTION

It’s an irony that confronts any dystopian state hoping to attract new visitors enticed by unproven promises of reform: relaxing border controls increases the authorities’ vulnerability to attack by its enemies.

It is precisely the risk that the advocates of New Bethlehem take on, when accepting refugees and renegades from Gilead across its border. The rebels of the Mayday guerrilla group have identified the Jezebel’s club as the ideal location at which to target the vilest and most culpable Commanders for assassination, and it’s New Bethlehem that is their access point.

Events are moving at a pace in the final series of The Handmaid’s Tale as the enclave of New Bethlehem seems certain to become the battleground in which the dystopia’s fate will be settled. Promotion builds on the sense that forces are gathering, as Gilead’s self-styled reformers seek allies amidst the hardline religious zealots to bolster their new outpost, while the proto-guerillas of the anti-Gilead resistance consider just how far they are willing to go.

With the showrunners’ keenly aware that they only have half-a-dozen episodes left in which to deliver a decisive blow for one side or the other, things are being set up rather promisingly.

After their reunion and narrow escape from no-man’s-land in Devotion, June and Luke reach another fateful decision point. US ambassador-turned-rebel-rouser Mark Tuello brings news that all assault charges against Luke have been dropped, so long as he never returns to Canada. The relieved pair could decide to decamp to Alaska, to rekindle a sense of marital bliss that’s been sorely absent recently, and opt out from the coming reckoning.

But, naturally enough, there’s no chance of either of them agreeing to do that – and no ultimate payoff for six seasons of suffering and resistance if they did. Instead, they are joined by Moira in a bad-tempered argument about who is best equipped to take on the risks of running the next reconnaissance mission into enemy territory. Everyone wants to get stuck in.

New Bethlehem’s openness means that some Gilead escapees can walk back into the fringes of Gilead through the front gates. The Waterfords’ former housemaid Rita returns on a refugee charter and, after an awkward and stilted reunion with Serena, is overjoyed to be reunited with her sister Gina — the first of several family reunions she now hopes for.

It’s not immediately clear what the showrunners’ plans are in bringing the character of Rita back. She’s proved her bravery and rebellious resolve many times before now, and Amanda Brugel’s performance quietly captures the sense that Rita’s self-belief has been rebuilt following her escape to Canada. She takes heart from a promise from Commander Nick Blaine that he will help her, and agrees to stay. But as she settles in enemy territory, are her ambitions personal or political?

Commander Lawrence is also wrestling with uncertainty, as he follows Gilead’s arcane rituals that confirm his rise to the revered status of High Commander. While the promotion gives him extra political clout, it also leaves him more exposed as the effective master of New Bethlehem, ensuring his own fate is closely entwined with that of the fledgling, experimental territory.

At a ‘celebration party’ at Jezebel’s, he engineers some alone time with Janine. It’s a powerful moment, as a raging Janine refuses to offer Lawrence any forgiveness and reaffirms his culpability for her fate. His only offer to her is a hand-drawn picture by her young daughter Angela, and a pledge to protect the child. Despite his rise through the Gilead hierarchy, it’s a pitiful gesture which confirms how limited his reach remains. The awkward power dynamics of the moment are expertly caught by Madeline Brewer and Bradley Whitford.

Serena’s own rise through the ranks continues apace as the widowed Commander Wharton makes clear his intentions towards her. She’s clearly flattered by the attention and the prospect of the boost to her status and prestige that would come from the union. Ever the survivor, Serena has once again reinvented herself. Yvonne Strahovski continues to excel in the role of the ruthless, self-deluding chameleon.

With its strong focus on character, Promotion has less to offer in the action stakes. But there’s a sense throughout that the clouds of war are gathering and that everything will soon be in jeopardy. The episode also pins a target on the figure of the sadistic misogynist Commander Bell (a chillingly credible performance by Veep’s Timothy Simons). If ever there was a candidate to be on the receiving end of righteous retribution…