The latest episode of Hulu’sThe Handmaid ’s Talesent the Waterfords to Washington , as they negociate for thereturn of June ’s babyand grapple with a young and harsh side of Gilead . The episode is fulfil with on - the - nose — or rather , just under - the - nose — metaphors about the silencing of women . But there ’s one second that needs to be unpacked in detail , because it represents everything improper with The Handmaid ’s Tale right now .
“ Household ” takes June ( Elisabeth Moss ) , Aunt Lydia ( Ann Dowd ) , and the Waterfords ( Yvonne Strahovski , Joseph Fiennes ) on a road trip out of Boston and into the Gileadean capital of Washington D.C. It ’s a much - take going for the series , giving us a unexampled perspective and glimpse at the wider populace of Gilead . June and Aunt Lydia before long suspect that thing are , well , different in this neck of the woods . The Washington Monument is now a cross , escalators are segregate by sex , and there are designated “ Handmaid Waiting Areas ” in public place , where they ’re force to kneel on the story until beckoned by their families .
Oh , and handmaids all wear gags over their mouths — much to June ’s mortification , as well as Aunt Lydia , who prefers obedience over silence .
June (Elisabeth Moss) is forced to wear a gag while out in Washington D.C.Photo: Jasper Savage (Hulu)
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It ’s a powerful piece of mental imagery , even if it ’s one whose metaphor is so obvious it ventures into after - schooltime special territory . The only time we ’ve previously seen gags on the show was as a form of penalty . For example , Emily ( Alexis Bledel ) had a gag on during her trial so she could n’t verbalize in her own defense , and June and the other handmaids were forced to wear them when face a mass hanging .
In June ’s world , handmaids have had almost everything take off from them … except their voices . But in D.C. , you ca n’t even have that . It ’s a terrifying thought and visual , one that was redolent enough on its own . Then , for no grounds , the episode chose to go a step further .
A handmaid shows June why she’s unable to speak.Image: Hulu
No , you ’re not imagining things . The servant in Washington D.C. have hoops lodged in their lips . Not only does this forestall them from speaking , but from open their mouths at all . It ’s unclear whether these are lasting staple or single that can be easily remove like piercings , but it seems the handmaids have no say when they ’re in or out . It ’s a lurid and practically unthinkable slice of consistence horror , where June ’s repelled response matches our own . How could Gilead do this ? How could they be so savage ? But there ’s another doubtfulness that ’s even more significant :
How the netherworld does this make any sense ?
It ’s one thing to force handmaids to wear gags in populace , or even in secret , to check they never speak . It ’s a frightful modification from June ’s “ norm ” that wee-wee perfect sense in their world . staple a handmaid ’s sassing shut is something else entirely , a needlessly graphic jolt gimmick that starts to break down the moment you think about it logically .
A handmaid shows June why she’s unable to speak.Image: Hulu
These handmaid are unable to run through solid foods , something that puts their bodies and their potential babies at risk of exposure . They ca n’t brush their tooth , which imply tooth disintegration and moulder , and they ’re under constant menace of choking . They can not gape , sneeze , or swallow without suffer Brobdingnagian painfulness or some variety of bust on the skin . And unless the handmaiden and her staple are meticulously looked after by a medical wellness pro , those wounds are mature for contagion . A handmaid ’s economic value is solely base on her ability to bear healthy children . In what world would it make good sense to put their lives and bodies in such danger , especially when impermanent gags do the exact same subroutine ?
This late season has tone down the sexual violence , which fall as a relief , but that does n’t mean The Handmaid ’s Tale has stopped using shock value as a game machine . It ’s just airt it , in a way that now feels more like torture porn than storytelling . It ’s one of the manner The Handmaid ’s Tale is starting to lose grip on its own reality , something that begin the moment Junechose to stay in Gileadat the terminal of time of year two .
The show is trying so intemperately to keep June alive , because Moss is the star , cloaking her in patch armour as she tries more insurrection with few outcome ( the episode ends with June screaming at Serena as thousands of servant and Eyes stand by within earshot ) . It ’s start up to disconnect us from the absolved and present danger that the show used to be so good at conveying . Therefore , moment like the sassing staples , or when June had to bury a Martha ’s body in the commander ’s backyard , seem like attempts to make the audience feel just as terrified as we did during the inaugural time of year . But you do n’t ask to amp things up to make us worry : It ’s 2019 . We ’re scared of everything .
As far as we know, every one of those handmaids has a stapled mouth.Photo: Barbara Nitke (Hulu)
I interpret that stakes need to be raised , that the audience take clean-cut signal that the times in Gilead are a’changing . But gauge what : The gags did that just fine . The Handmaid ’s Tale works best when the fears it presents are veridical . When your dystopian reality starts to experience more like a sequel to Saw , peradventure it ’s clip to rethink the earthly concern you ’re trying to admonish us about .
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Elisabeth MossHorrorHuluStreamingthe handmaid ’s tale
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