The Handmaid’s Tale “Nightshade”

I was pondering over the season premier if June still has too much plot armor for this show.  My general conclusion then was…probably.

I suspect this episode is to make me doubt that conclusion.

See, one thing The Handmaid’s Tale has always done to somewhat devastating emotional effect is, after every moment when a character, particularly one we are meant to like and root for, makes any personal progress towards a better life that something will come along and slap that character back down again as harshly as possible.  Right now, June is walking around like she’s untouchable, looking to hit back hard at Gilead again.  She’s got her little band of Handmaids and a willing, teenage Wife.  She’s also still really angry.  Nothing she does here is for some sort of “betterment for all” reasons.  She’s out for blood.

Such that, well, she will push a resistance contact to do more than the woman is comfortable doing.  The woman in question is a Jezebel, and there are a lot of Commanders coming by on their way to Chicago to do whatever it is they do there.  Why not just poison the lot of them?  I mean, June killed the supreme leader of the group or whatever they’re called and got away with it.  Surely murdering a bunch more will be just as easy.  I mean, was she even planning to kill that guy the first time?  I don’t think so.  Just a dumb coincidence.  Here she is planning something.  That can’t work.

It doesn’t, and not for the reasons I might have thought.  See, Nick is there.  June and Nick have a connection, and it looks like Nick will help with…something.  Mostly to help her get inside to, you know, kill a bunch of guys because June just wants to burn Gilead down right now.

Gilead is bad, no question about it, but it really does look like June is biting off more than any one person, no matter how angry, can chew.  I mean, the other members of her group seem to realize that as they opt to, you know, not help her.  She is also smart enough to respect their wishes and not tell Nick where they are.

Will this show ever settle whether or not June prefers Nick or her husband?  I mean, either would be fine, but she’s bouncing back and forth like this is Lost and her name is really Kate.

Truthfully, I think she should stick with her husband since Nick frames her for murder and arrests her at the end of the episode.

Well, that was unexpected.  I am sure June will be free in another two or three episodes, tops.

And over in Canada with characters I don’t care for, Serena Joy is somehow pregnant.