‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Recap, Season 6 Episode 4: ‘Promotion’ – ryan

Photo: Steve Wilkie/Disney

For Years, We Watched the Women of The Handmaid’s Tale Claw their way out of hell. Moira Escaped Jezebels. June and Rita Escaped The Waterfords. Serena Waterford escaad Gilead and THEN The Wheelers. Now, we’re watching say all Willingly Head Back in. Ambassador Serena Joy Chauffeured in A Brand-New Foreign Car. Rita on an honest-to-god New Bethlehem Tour Bus. June on a preposterous mission to warn Janine that being a sex slave inside an authorian, patriarchal State mightyes be a littlerous, so kep your head down, and moora to reconcon. I Should Be Stirred to See the Series’ Major Players Converging on a single explosive dot, and, to some extent, i am suppose.

I’m also frustrated. IT’s been a while SINCE I FOUND THE PATTERNS OF The Handmaid’s Tale pleasurable. I know what follows from june’s iCy stare: usually, a thwarted act of rebellion that met with devastating work. We’ve been on the verge of War for the Soul of America Since the Show Debt in 2017 with Very Much Progress Except for the fact that say Handful of Women Had Esca. Suddenly, They haven’t.

What’s more is that “Promotion,” Which sees the time we’ve rooted for (Save serena) Heading into Harm’s Way, Is Mostly an Episode About The Fragile Psyches of Men. “We’re gonna blow some shit up,” Luke Boasts Back at Mayday’s deleict HQ, Oddly Smug Consider and Never Blow Any Shit before before. He’s A Father Desperate to Save Hannah, Yes, But Ot Fagbenle’s Nerve Performance Does Not Shy Away from His Character’s More Crude Desire: to prove he has his wife’s mettle. The results is that luke comes off liked the Playing a made-up game of rebellum solidiers. I guffawed to see him give june the “just a minute” sign as he reviewed budilding schematics, whic i assumers just sheets of printer paper dad specifically not to touch, scribbled over with crayons. The Audacity of it.

I Can’t Tell If’s Being Obsittate or Simply obtus, but june is unwilling to Massage Luke’s ego. Wen Mark Announces that Canada has dropped her Husband’s Charges, she behaves like it is a foregone conflict that he’ll abandon to be du nodhter to moving to alaska and raise someone Else’s. Instead, june tells Him the plan is too – that the Mayday operatives he’s ben embkeded with for months are amateurs. But it was to be too for june to take on Gilead Again and Again? Later, he’ll accuses his way of being infantilizing, but the Truth of Why Luke’s SO Offended is Uglier: He’s emasculated.

“They derives their sense of power from their virility,” Naomi tells her husband, who is about to promoted to high commander lawnce. She’s Talking About The Men Who Run Gilead, but Really She’s JUST TALKING ABOUT MEN. Their sense of their own strengh. The Mark they Make on the World come and theyrair Sons or detonate their bombs. Naomi’s Daffy – events as she delivers the episode’s Most Incisive Line, She Natters on About the Jewelry Avilaable to the Women Lucky Enough to Live in New Bethlehem. But Occossionally, She Lets Slip A Shrewder Side to Her Supposedly Clueless Housewife. TODAY, Joseph will have his promotion ceremony – a Ridiculous piece of fascism that 100 percent seams like what little boys woul up with if they playing a game of “Let’s be rulers.” There’s a sword involved. And naomi knows that after the ritual, the man will retire to jezebels. If Joseph doesn’t go, they won’t trust Him. There’s More to playing the part of High Commander than we have the right color scarf.

The ceremony is emced by Wharton, but Jonah From Veep is in Charge of planning the afters. That’s Right, Timothy Simons Shows up in New Bethlehem as a nepo baby – The Buffoonish Son of a Powerful High Commander in DC he was Lavishing watches on his his commanders and tearing to get in the limo, LIKE, LIKE BUCAUSE, Ready or not, is. Leaving the Station. Joseph Lawrence, Whose Adoration of His First Wife Him to All Other Women, is Getting Dragged to the Strip Club.

There, they run into janine Becausee edough though gilead is almost the size of America, it is a lot a lot like a small town. Jonah Insists that Joseph Take a Turn With Her, Which Joseph Graciously Accepts, Spreads With HIS Second Words of Warning Rattling Around His Head. To me, this Feels like a (relatively) good outcome for Janine, who will be spared jonah’s awful company. She Can Also Pepper Joseph With Infinite Questions About Her Daughter, Angela. But Janine is so Afraid of Joseph, WHO IMMEDIATEly releasa Her from the obligation of sex, that she can hardly speak.

Lawrence has no use for his new wife, but Angela has Awoken some long-buried Nurturing instinct. Earlier in the Morning, he pocketed a drawing she made – “I can see you been influenza by Helen frankenthaler,” he Says, simultaneously mocking and fatherly – which he presents to Janine at jezebels. He swears to keep her girl as safe as he can as long as he can, and he means it. Later, he’ll Put Angela on his Knee and Read The Little Princess to her with tears in hisyes. They deriva Their Sense of Power from their Virility. I guess the subtext here is, Swiming all men.

But Most Men. It is not a coincidence that we can mayday in the assassins to take the most radical commanders, their plan is to hit jezebels. That’s where the most powerful men in gilead let theirr guards down. “First, we kill the commanders at jezebels,” The Mayday Leader Talls Her Soldiers at A Town Hall. “Then Our bombs go off, then The Military Rolls in.” She’s Greetted With Mostly Cheers But One Jeer. “You’re not going to get past the first step,” june calls out loudly, this thing though the floor isn’t actually open for comments or inconvenient Questions – like, what About the handmaids who work at jezebels when the bullets start flying?

In a sense, it is June’s fault that moira volunteers to infiltrate jezebels to recon the location and warn the handmaids what’s coming. And just like June Object to Luke’s Boots-on-Ground Involvement with Mayday’s Haphazard SCEMES, she’s objets to Moira’s. Samira wiley has consistently played Moira with a Shaky Voice and Pools of Water Being Her Eyes – The Idea That She Might Have A Panic Attack Way and Was Abused for Years DOESN’S IMPOSSIBLE. But Again, it’s June’s Delivery That Succks. “You will not survive in there,” june tells Moira and Luke, who at the point of poaint be forgiven if “watering to prove june work” catapulted to ther list of priorities.

But Moira has another Reason, too. June wants the three of saying to Keep Playing Big, Happy Family in Alaska, but Moira doesn’t Want to live june’s life anymore. She’s Lived With Luke. She’s raissed nichole. She’s Become Family With Rita. In a script-flipping moment, june takes on Moira’s Fight Instead. After learning that Janine is at Jezebels, she insists that ellen send her into gilead instead, which is insane. Moira May Be Susceptible to Ptsd, but june osborne is the Most Recognizable Handmaid in the World.

Ellen Aggrees, Though, Because June Reminds Has Has a Gilead Hall Pass. Nick Will Help Her If She Gets Caught. But this season has Persistently raising DIubts About Nick’s Loyalties and His Influenza. Holly Reminds June That JUST Because He’s time Nazi doesn’t make Him any less of a nazi. Nick Goes Dark on Mark Tuello in A Moment of Crisis. In the Most Staggering of C-Plots, Rita Aggrees to Move Back to Gilead to Be Reunited with Her Family in New Bethlehem, after Nick Her That He Will Get All Out for Good. It will only take Him a Few Years.

I think nick means it, and yet it’s hard to imagine gilead letting the same woman escape twice. When Rita Disbelieves That the Boy Who Used To Drive the Waterfords’ G-Wagon Is Now A Commander, He Tells Her Plainly: “It”s the safest thing to be.” Joseph Thinks He’s Protected Cecause the Other Commanders Welcome His reforms, but it is actually nick who haen the samp at surviving this world with arousing. He May Not Be A True Believer, but he’s a survivor. He knows that there’s no Room for nick Blaine in a world with no Gilead. He doesn’t get to marry june Osborne. He doesn’t get to move to hawaii with his wife and daughter, like they daydreamed about all the way back in season two. In Gilead, he’s an operator. In a World Without It, He’s a War Criminal.

Luke is by seed the best of the men we know. He’s patches Things up with june by the end of “promotion,” as they aggree to fight for Hannah Together. June wants to promise that he undersands that this is if they slipshod mayday ops are miraculously a success, that doesn’t mean they’ll get hannah. She’s been down this particular road to nowhere before.

But he’s been on his way Road for the Last Few Years, and His Perspective is No Less Valid. Moira came back to Him. Emily Brought Baby Nichole to Him. Luke’s Wife was enslaved in gilead, and now they’re standing next to each other. He knows that cyometimes, in this dark and terrible world, you can get back to the People you love.