Things begin right where they left off last week with a scared yet resolved June (Elisabeth Moss) in her room, holding the gun Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) gave her. She’s ready for them to come for her, and when she hears a vehicle pull up that’s what she is expecting.
After all, she did murder a high ranking official. However, that’s not all that happened last week and June needs a little catching up. With “Sacrifice” we get the calm – in a way that only this show can provide – after the storm. Or is it the break before the next big, consuming wave?
“Cheer up. Fred and Serena are toast, and you just got away with murder. All in all, not a bad morning.”
What June soon learns is what happened to the Waterfords. After crossing the border under false pretenses, they were arrested. Or, was there more to it? After sharing a very intimate and touching moment Fred (Joseph Fiennes) realizes that Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) set him up to get Nichole back. As The Handmaid’s Tale often does, I caught myself feeling genuinely bad for Fred. The creators are careful in their handling in this way, because we don’t forgive, forget, or are given excuses for their behavior, we are just reminded they’re human.
It appears that Serena is done playing by Gilead’s rules. Or, you might say, she finally started being the one in control of the moves made. Either way, bold, Serena…bold. She may beat Fred out in the deception department. There’s a scene with Fred and Luke where Fred tries to rationalize some of his actions, and that’s part of what makes this show compelling. The people who created and continue to partake in the horrors of Gilead, actually think they are doing good. They think they are saviors, due to some twisted reiteration of religion and their own arrogance. Yes, they are delusional, but many are steadfast in their intentions. Not everybody realizes the full consequences of their actions, like the Lawrences do.
That particular conversation doesn’t go well for either parties, with Luke being brought to hitting Fred, and Fred messing with Luke’s mind as he taunts him about June.
Meanwhile, Serena gets to see Nichole, with Moira (Samira Wiley) bringing her in. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Moira and she doesn’t hold back telling Serena what she thinks of her and the things she has done. What will it be like with Serena living in Canada? As Moira states, “You are the gender traitor.” How does one fair across the border? This is new and engaging territory.
“Such a boss now.”
June gets some more good news. They currently think that Commander Winslow is just missing and not killed, due to the fortunate timing of the Waterford’s arrest. Billy, who she had asked for help at Jezebel’s, is in. And yes, this is through more baked goods. It looks like in a week they’ll be able to get Mr. Lawrence and his wife Eleanor (Julie Dretzin) plus 52 children on a plane out of the country. Things are working out for June, and the Martha’s are complimenting her efforts.
Then things start to go downhill. This is The Handmaid’s Tale after all.
Eleanor isn’t doing well, and apparently, they’ll be closing the border, so things need to be moved up. It isn’t that easy. Later in the episode, June finds Eleanor unconscious, having taken too many sleeping pills. While June does consider trying to save her, she eventually just lets her go and leaves. At the end there’s a funeral and we find out that Joseph was able to keep the borders open. I’m curious if anything will change now that his wife his gone. That was his primary motivation for helping June, to get Eleanor out. What will he do now?
This is another strong episode giving me hope that this show is reclaiming its former energy. One thing I’ve always loved about it, aside from being visually stunning and heart-wrenching, is the personal stories.
The characters and the wonderful performances bringing them to life are the real beating center of the series, and through some missteps, season three moved away from that. There’s been a resurgence with the last few entries and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.
Conclusion: Sacrifice
The penultimate episode of the season showed the consequences for many characters. The events adequately stoked June’s rebellious fire, and with next week’s finale we’ll get to see her plan come to fruition. Or will we? Obviously, there is plenty that can go wrong, and with the renewal of the fourth season recently announced it’ll be fascinating to see where they go. No matter what, we can expect something big to happen, bringing us into the next season with a fury.
Gilead won’t know what hit them, but will the viewers be satisfied?
What were your thoughts on the episode? Do you think June’s plan will succeed? Let us know in the comments below!
There are new episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale released Wednesdays on Hulu.
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