The Handmaid's Tale Episode Guide

74 Pages·2017·8.84 MB·English

Episode Guide
Episodes 001–056
Last episode aired Wednesday November 09, 2022
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Contents
Season 1 1
1 Offred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 Birth Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3 Late . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4 Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5 Faithful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6 A Woman’s Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
7 The Other Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
8 Jezebels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
9 The Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
10 Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Season 2 43
1 June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
2 Unwomen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
3 Baggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4 Other Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5 Seeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6 First Blood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
7 After . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
8 Women’s Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
9 Smart Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
10 The Last Ceremony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
11 Holly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
12 Postpartum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
13 The Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Season 3 79
1 Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
2 Mary and Martha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
3 Watch Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
4 God Bless the Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
5 Unknown Caller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
6 Household . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
7 Under His Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
8 Unfit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
9 Heroic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
10 Bear Witness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
11 Liars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
12 Sacrifice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
13 Mayday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
TheHandmaid’sTaleEpisodeGuide
Season 4 129
1 Pigs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
2 Nightshade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
3 The Crossing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
4 Milk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
5 Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
6 Vows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
7 Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
8 Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
9 Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
10 The Wilderness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Season 5 159
1 Morning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
2 Ballet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
3 Border . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
4 Dear Offred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
5 Fairytale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
6 Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
7 No Man’s Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
8 Motherland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
9 Allegiance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
10 Safe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Actor Appearances 199
II
Season One

TheHandmaid’sTaleEpisodeGuide
Offred
Season 1
Episode Number: 1
Season Episode: 1
Originally aired: Wednesday April 26, 2017
Writer: Bruce Miller
Director: Reed Morano
Show Stars: Elisabeth Moss (Offred), Yvonne Strahovski (Serena Joy), Joseph Fi-
ennes (The Commander), Alexis Bledel (Ofglen), O.T. Fagbenle (Luke),
Max Minghella (Nick), Samira Wiley (Moira), Amanda Brugel (Rita),
Jordana Blake (Hannah)
Recurring Role: Madeline Brewer (Janine), Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia), Bahia Watson
(Oferic), Nina Kiri (Alma), Elena Khan (Martha)
Guest Stars: Margaret Atwood (Aunt), Jenessa Grant (Ofsamuel), Shruti Kothari
(Woman with Moira), Adam Winlove-Smith (Guardian Prisoner), Ja-
son Boyd (I) (Guardian), Grace Munro (Red Centre Handmaid), Simon
Northwood (Guardian 2), Anne Yorke (Aunt 3), Sylvia Zuk (Protestor)
Summary: Offred, one the few fertile women known as Handmaids in the oppres-
sive Republic of Gilead, struggles to survive as a reproductive surro-
gate for a powerful Commander and his resentful wife.
The episode opens on a woman, a man,
and their little girl gunning it down a re-
mote road in their car. Sirens are heard
in the distance, it’s clear that they’re be-
ingchased.Theircargetsstuckinaditch
after losing control, so the man tells the
woman to take the little girl and to run
into the woods about two miles north,
where someone will meet them. Before
they get very far, there are three gun-
shots back at the car. For a moment, the
womanstandsthere,stunned,beforeshe
scoops up her daughter and continues to
run.
Nearby, men’s voices grow louder, so the woman and her daughter hide. The men have guns,
and are mere steps away from their hiding place. They start running again and, sure enough,
the gunmen catch up, wrench the little girl out of her mother’s arms as she pleads with them
not to do so. Ugh, heartbreaking. Mom is knocked unconscious and dragged off screen, then
loaded into the back of a van. In the background, we see their crashed car, but no sign of the
man anywhere.
In voice-over, the woman from the woods takes stock of her sunlit bedroom, dressed now in a
red habit and white bonnet. The woman is a Handmaid whose name is Offred. She had another
name, "but it’s forbidden now. Offred has a sit-down with, let’s call her Mrs. Green Dress who is
clearly in charge of this house. Mrs. Green Dress (MGD) compares the last Handmaid she had to
a "dog, only not a very smart one." Charming.
MGD runs down the house rules for Offred, the first of which is "don’t call me ma’am. You’re
not a Martha." Who are the Marthas and why do they have to call you ma’am?
Commander Fred Waterford, MGD’S husband, enters. Offred greets him by saying, "Praise be
to you. May God make me truly worthy." I’m from the South, so I’m used to a smattering of non-
sequitur God references peppering conversations, but she said, "Praise be to YOU" — meaning
the Commander.
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Anyway, MGD stares him down, with that look wives give when they’re warning their hus-
bands not to flirt with that woman. He smartly heeds her silent warning, sheepishly starts to
retreat out of the room with a "Nice to meet you." Successful first interaction over, right? Think
again.
Offred screws up by replying, "you too." Everyone immediately reacts as if she farted. Com-
mander W leaves, but it’s too late because MGD is super annoyed by this point. Offred is to be
seen as little as possible. She goes on to remind Offred that the Commander is HER husband,
’til death do they part. And then she throws in the fancy lady version of "don’t start none, won’t
be none," which is, "If I get trouble, believe me, I will give trouble back." Close-up on Offred’s
clenched fist after MGD leaves the room. I think Offred might start none, y’all. And as a result,
there might be none.
We then meet Rita, who is "a Martha," making bread from scratch. Marthas have to do things
thatareconsidered"areturntotraditionalvalues,"codeforkeepingyetanothergroupofwomen
deemed worthless trapped in the kitchen all day making a bunch of bleeping bread for MGDs
and Commanders.
Rita’sannoyedatOffred’sveryexistence.ShesendsOffredtothemarkettoshopforgroceries,
which she’s forced to do with her "friend," fellow Handmaid, Ofglen. Offred mentally derides
Ofglen as a "pious little shit with a broomstick up her ass." Can’t wait to meet her, she sounds
lovely.
As Offred leaves the Waterford property, she encounters Nick, the Commander’s driver, who’s
hauling dirt in a wheelbarrow and who looks very fine doing so. They have a brief conversation
about what she’s going to buy and it’s subversively flirty, more on his part than hers.
Ofglen and Offred head to the store, discussing nothing, yet speaking volumes. They distrust
each other and suspect the other is a spy. After shopping, they walk home, passing a wall where
three men are hung: a priest, a doctor, and a gay man, further informing us about the kind of
America this has become.
OffredflashesbacktoherfirstdayatHandmaidindoctrinationclass.Astern,militantwoman
in a potato sack style brown dress, explains God’s revenge on them for being toxic polluters and
whores:theplagueofinfertility.Sherailsagainstbirthcontrolpills,morningafterpills,abortion,
and even Tinder. Yikes.
AsOffredtakesaseat,shespotsMoira,andflashesbacktolifebeforeallthisinsanity.They’re
at some sort of outdoor party. We find out, a) they’re old friends and, b) Moira is a lesbian.
PotatoSackLadylecturesabouthowthey’reblessedbecausethey’vebeen"leftintact"byGod,
meaning they can have children. Their job will be to serve as baby-makers for the leaders of this
hell on earth and their barren wives. It’s abundantly clear that Potato Sack Lady really and truly
believes they’re lucky to have this gig. Easy for her to say: she’s beyond child-bearing age.
Janine, another Handmaid newbie next to Offred, is just not buying any of this garbage. Fed
upwithherattitude,PotatoSackLadywelcomesJaninetothe"RachelandLeahCentre"(biblical
references),byshockingherintheneckwithacattleprodandthesymbolismisovert.Twoother
Potato Sack Ladies drag Janine out of the room.
Potato Sack Lady continues to lecture, "Ordinary is just what you’re used to. This may not
seem ordinary to you right now. But after a time, it will. This will become ordinary."
At bedtime, in a giant cafeteria full of cots, Offred explains to Moira that she tried to escape
with her daughter but couldn’t. Moira swears that she will find Offred’s daughter and that all
this "crazy sh*t is gonna end." I love Moira for that.
MoiragoesontotellOffredthathergirlfriend,Odette,wasroundedupinapurge,reclassified
as an "Unwoman," and sent to the colonies. I thought Handmaids had it bad. Unwomen have it
worse.NowweknowthatiftheyfindoutMoiraisalesbian,she’llbereclassifiedasanUnwoman.
Janineisdraggedinandputonacot,withabandagearoundherhead,whimpering.Cometo
findout,theyremovedherrighteyebecause,"Ifmyrighteyeoffendsthee,pluckitout."(Matthew
5:29). Nothing justifies violence like a bible quote.
Back to the present, Offred has to rush home to get ready for "the ceremony." Once home,
she takes a bath and remembers going to an aquarium with her daughter, "Please, God, let her
remember me."
Flashback to the Centre where Janine, sans her right eye, describes being gang-raped in a
basement by boys she knew from school. Potato Sack lady victim-blames Janine, "Who led them
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on? Whose fault was it?" The Handmaids point at Janine and chant, "Her fault, her fault." God
allowed this to happen, according to Potato Sack Lady, to teach Janine a lesson.
Back in the present at the Waterford house, Offred kneels on the floor. Rita and Nick come
in and stand behind her. MGD rushes in, irritated that the Commander isn’t there yet. The
Commander knocks on the door, a sign that he’s not in charge. He comes in, reads a passage
from the bible about Rachel and Jacob having children.
Next thing you know, the Commander is thrusting into Offred, who lies on the bed, between
MGD’s legs, her wrists held in place by MGD. No one wants to be there at that moment doing
what they’re doing. The three people in that room are not happy.
Eventually MGD lets Offred’s wrists go, the Commander leaves. MGD orders Offred to "get
out." Offred reminds her that "the chances are better" if she lies on her back for a bit. MGD truly
does not give a d*mn. She wants Offred out. So Offred leaves. MGD cries. And I do feel sorry for
her.
The next morning, three bells ring. We learn that means "there’s a salvaging today." Offred
does some minor flirting with Nick in the kitchen before she heads out to her salvaging appoint-
ment, as one does.
Handmaids file on to a lawn area in front of a huge stage, again guarded by a bunch of men
with machine guns. What is with all these men with machine guns?! Janine is there, pregnant,
wearing a patch where her right eye used to be. She tells Offred that Moira is dead. Now to be
fair, Janine is not all there, mentally. They broke her spirit and her brain at the Centre, so I
canonlyassumeshe’swrong.ButOffredclearlybelievesher,andsheisinstantlyovercomewith
grief.
Potato Sack Lady, who we find out here is called Aunt Lydia, announces from the stage that
they’re there because of their "duty." A man is brought out from backstage. He was convicted
of rape, the penalty of which is death. Aunt Lydia announces that the man raped a pregnant
Handmaid — and the baby died. Was there a jury trial? Was an attorney appointed him if he
could not afford one? Doubtful. Aunt Lydia, doing what she lives for, commands the Handmaids
to form a circle around the man. I’m sure you know where this is going. Aunt Lydia blows a
whistle, the Handmaids go ham on the guy. Offred leads the charge, in the throws of her grief
overMoiraandherdaughterandthisworldandtheceremonyandeverything.Theykillhimwith
their bare hands!
Flashback to Offred telling Moira she’s pregnant. She’s not excited but Moira is! Apparently,
it’s really hard to get pregnant. Five women at Offred’s work miscarried. Moira tells Offred she’ll
be fine and that won’t happen to her. And "no matter what happens, I’ll be right here. Just like
always." So now I’m in tears.
On the way home from the salvaging, Offred and Ofglen have a heart-to-heart about how all
this Handmaid stuff is bullsh*t. And about how they each thought the other was "such a true
believer."OffredtellsOfglenhowsheandherhusbandtriedtocrossintoCanadafromMainebut
"they shot him." When they part, Ofglen tells Offred "it was nice to finally meet you." And then
she whispers to her, "There’s an eye in your house. Be careful."
Thelastsceneoftheepisode,backinherroom,Offredtellsusshe"intendstosurvive,forher.
Her name... is Hannah. My husband... was Luke. My name... is June." Nice to meet you, June.
We’re glad you survived.
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