The Handmaid's Tale Episode 4 Recap: Guess Who's Going Back In?!
As someone who loves June Osborne, I don't want her to make the decision she makes in this week's The Handmaid's Tale. And as someone who loves June Osborne, I know there's no way she wouldn't.
Yep, our girl is planning a return trip to one of the most dangerous places in Gilead. But there are reasons — good ones! — and c'mon: None of us signed on to this show to watch her cool her heels in Alaska all season, right?
Elsewhere, Serena is wooed, and she likes it. A lot. Read on for the highlights of "Promotion."
JUNE RAINS ON MAYDAY'S PARADE | At the Mayday house, June can barely keep her judgy face in check as Luke briefs her on their plans to bomb Gilead: They're going to use the new New Bethlehem trade route to get the devices in, "then we just roll in." She does not approve. "I hope it all works out," she says weakly. And he picks up on it, but they're interrupted by Tuello with good news: He was able to use the intel Luke got on the commanders to curry favor with the Canadian government, which has dropped the murder charges against him. June is overjoyed as Tuello talks about getting them back to Alaska. Luke, less so.
Later, we find out why: He's supposed to drive the bombs into Gilead, so he doesn't want to go back to Alaska. And then we find out the source of June's unease: She thinks Mayday is not adequately prepared to take on Gilead and its unexpected dangers, and she just wants to retreat to Alaska. "Holly needs us, and my mom needs us, and we have to go back and build a life together, OK?" she says. "Please?" He's noncommittal, and the "I love you" he tosses back in response to hers feels lukewarm at best.
June's concern grows when she, Luke and Moira attend a briefing about the mission and learn that Mayday is planning to go after the commanders at Jezebel's. She points out that their approach — to go in, guns blazing — won't work, and suggests poison instead. "That's worked in the past," the leader, Ellen, says. "I know. I was there," June replies. BALLER. But now all the food at the brothel is taste-tested. That's news to June, but she pivots to wondering what's going to become of the women if they're not briefed on what's going to happen. Mayday does have a plan to do a dry run in order to get eyes on the penthouse, where the commanders will gather, but Ellen's comment that the women won't be collateral damage "in an ideal world" doesn't make June feel any better.
Meanwhile, Moira has a plan of her own: She'll go in on the dry run. "I'm the only jezebel here," she points out. "And, unfortunately, I know that place like the back of my hands. I'm the one that's gotta go." June doesn't approve of this, either. But when they find out that Janine is at Jezebel's, that changes things. June goes behind Moira and Luke's backs and gets herself assigned to the Jezebel's run. When they find out, it goes about as well as you think it might. Luke and Moira say they're not changing a thing. "This is MY chance to fight for Hannah," he says, walking away from June.
When tempers have cooled, Luke puts forth the idea that he and June go on the mission together. The overture breaks the tension between them, and she gets teary as she talks about how they're still so far away from finding Hannah. "It just feels like when we lost her that it broke us, and broke me, and I feel like it breaks us every day," she says, voice breaking. (Side note: Damn, Elisabeth Moss is good here.) Luke sees it differently: "We are a broken family, and we may be beyond saving, but I already got one impossible dream... I got you back." And though this mission might not get them any closer to having their daughter back, "We gotta try," he says. This time, the "I love yous" they exchange are the real deal.
COMMANDER LAWRENCE'S PROMOTION | Little Angela shows Commander Lawrence a drawing she did, and he teases her about her artistic influences before giving her his highest compliment: "My wife would be very impressed." Then they hear Naomi calling, so he whispers a clarification: "My real wife." (Ha!) When Naomi bustles into the room, she immediately tells the girl to scram — I love how this show never passes up an opportunity to show us how much Naomi truly despises every bit of motherhood except for the status — and then fawns over Lawrence, who's going to be promoted to High Commander that day.
The High Commanders "derive their sense of power from their virility," she says coquettishly, but he's uninterested in her overtures... or anything she thinks, says or does, really. "Power," he informs her, "will come from reform. They know I'm their man."
High Commander Wharton presides over Lawrence's ceremony, and then Commander Bell (played by Veep's Timothy Simons) nearly trips over his own feet in his haste to get everyone to jezebels for a celebration. We learn that Wharton knows Bell's dad from Washington, D.C., and that Wharton has a very low opinion of the very sleazy younger Bell. Also interesting: When asked, Nick chooses to go home with his father-in-law rather than attend the party, even though Lawrence suggests he do so.
Oh MAN of course Bell has a thing for Janine when they get to Jezebel's, but he "gives" her to Lawrence for some alone time. Their time in the bedroom goes much like his always did with June: He reassures her that they're not going to do anything, she's angry, the usual. She softens a bit when he gives her an update on Angela and hands her the drawing the girl made that morning. Janine, teary, asks if he's going to help the little girl in the future: "Bad things happen to commanders' daughters, too," she says. "I'll do everything I can to help her," he promises.
NO, RITA! DON'T DO IT! | Rita arrives at New Bethlehem with other former Gilead citizens looking to reunite with their families; she's scanning the crowd for her sister when she sees Serena. "These reunions have become very popular," Mrs. Waterford tells her former martha. "I had to pull a lot of strings to make it happen." Yes, Serena, gold star for being a smidge less human-rights-atrocious than your peers. She's trying to upsell Rita on moving to New Bethlehem when Rita sees her younger sister, Gia, and runs to her. From her outfit, it looks like Gia is an econoperson; the two women hug, cry and apologize to each other for not being able to find each other. "I'm just happy you're alive!" Gia says, and even Serena is moved.
"Is it really better here?" Rita asks Nick when she sees him later. He says yes, and he says that his job is to make sure that it stays that way. So she agrees to stay in New Bethlehem provided he'll work to get her and her family out. He says he will, but it might take years. "For my family," she says, "anything."
FLIRTING, GILEAD-STYLE | Serena brings a pie by Nick and Rose's house in a blatant bid to spend time with High Commander Wharton, and she's incredibly charmed when he makes a show of doing all the domestic stuff (cutting the pastry, pouring the coffee, talking about cooking) as they sit down for a visit. He also gives her a lot of the credit for Gilead's success, and strokes her ego about her role in New Bethlehem, before acknowledging how much Fred tamped her down. "If I may, a better man would have encouraged your influence," he says. I'm not sure if it's possible for Gilead-approved undies to hit the ground, per se? But by the end of this scene, Serena's are definitely at least starting to roll at the waistline.
As he walks her home that night, Wharton confesses that he "coveted" Serena at a commanders' ball years before, when she was still married to Fred. "I did wish I was the one dancing with you that night," he says, holding out a hand so they can slow dance right there in the middle of the street. It's all smiley and canoodley until they realize that Aunt Lydia is watching them. "Blessed evening," she says smugly.