Birth Day

Birth Day is the # episode of the first season of The Handmaid's Tale.

SynopsisEdit

Offred and her fellow Handmaids assist with the delivery of Janine's baby, prompting Offred to recall her own daughter's birth.

PlotEdit

Offred and Ofglen go shopping and they reveal more personal information about themselves to each other. Ofglen tells Offred she's part of a resistance against the government and asks her to join.

Late that day, Nick, Commander Fred's driver, tells Offred that the Commander wants to see her alone, which is forbidden. Nick also warns her "You need to be careful" "with her, Ofglen" and "Don't get too close to her (her being Ofglen). It's dangerous."

Offred and other Handmaids go a home to witness the birth of Ofwarren's (previously Janine) child. In flashbacks, June remembers her own daughter's birth. During this time, healthy births were rare and in the flashback, we see a woman try to steal June's daughter shortly after she was born. Offred goes to the Commander's office unsure of what's going to happen, but he just wants to play a game: Scrabble.^[1] She later goes back to her room and laughs with relief. The next day, Offred prepares to tell Ofglen what happened that night, but when she meets her outside, it's a different woman, who introduces herself as Ofglen.

AppearancesEdit

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GalleryEdit

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References Edit

1. ↑ In the novel, it is explained that Scrabble, which was once "the game of old men and women," became "desirable" for Offred due to it being forbidden for women to play. Atwood 1998, pp. 178–79