Birth Day is the 2nd episode of the first season of The Handmaid's Tale.
Synopsis[]
As the relationship between Offred and Ofglen develops, Janine undergoes the birthing ceremony for Angela, prompting Offred to reminisce about Hannah's birth.
Plot[]
Offred and Ofglen go shopping and they reveal more personal information about themselves to each other. Ofglen tells Offred she's part of the resistance against the government and asks her to join.
Late that day, Nick, Commander Waterford'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 [Ofglen], it's dangerous."
Offred and other Handmaids go to the Putnams to witness the birth of Janine's child. In flashbacks, Offred remembers her own daughter's birth. During this time, healthy births were rare and in the flashback, we see a woman try to steal Offred'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 is excited to tell Ofglen about what happened that night, but when she goes to the meeting point, she finds it's a different woman who introduces herself as Ofglen.
Cast[]
Starring
- Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne/Offred
- Joseph Fiennes as Fred Waterford
- Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Waterford
- Alexis Bledel as Emily Malek/Ofglen
- Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo/Ofwarren
- Ann Dowd as "Aunt" Lydia Clements
- O-T Fagbenle as Luke Bankole
- Max Minghella as Nick Blaine
Guest Starring
- Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue
- Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam
- Tattiawna Jones as Lillie Fuller/Ofglen #2
Additional Cast
- Bahia Watson as Brianna/Oferic
- Jenessa Grant as Dolores/Ofsamuel
- Nina Kiri as Alma/Ofrobert
- Eilish Walker as Ofmyles
- Birgitte Solem as Putnam Martha
- Ashleigh Rains as Wife #1
- Genevieve Adam as Wife #2
- Jennie Raymond as Caroline
- Angela Vint as Leah
- Karen Robinson as Nurse Tania
- Tosha Doiron as Nurse #1
- Bea Santos as Protester
- Lisa Codrington as Officer
Trivia[]
During a game of Scrabble between the Commander and Offred, one of the solved words is "zygote" (an egg that has been fertilized by sperm), which is befitting of the peculiar nature of their relationship.
When Offred and the Commander play Scrabble for the first time, the first two tiles they turn over are the letters "M" and "A,". They are the initials of the author of the show's source novel.
Quotes[]
Offred: Has Ofglen been transferred to a new post so soon?
Ofglen #2: I am Ofglen.
Offred: [Voiceover] Fuck.
- Offred: [voiceover] I can't stop thinking about the girl in the horror movie, that goes down to the basement when the light is out. The girl who thinks her boyfriend with the perfect hair is just playing a sexy prank. "Justin? Are you there?" And then she descends with a stupid smile to her bloody end. The girl's a fucking moron.
- [she knocks on The Commander's study door]
- Fred Waterford: [from inside] Come in.
- Offred: [voiceover] Please God, don't let me be a fucking moron.
- Offred: [first lines; she is in the middle of The Ceremony] Blue. I let it take me. Blue Moon. Rhapsody in Blue. Tangled Up in Blue. Blue Oyster Cult. Blue Monday.
Ofglen. I can tell her that The Commander is going to Washington. Will she be surprised by the Scrabble game? She'll be glad I let him win - I know that much. She'll be proud of me for that.
Gallery[]
Music[]
- "Don't You Forget About Me" — Simple Minds, encountering Nick and closing credits.
References[]
Season 1 | Offred | Birth Day | Late | Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum | Faithful | A Woman's Place The Other Side | Jezebels | The Bridge | Night | |
June | Unwomen | Baggage | Other Women | Seeds | First Blood | After | Women's Work Smart Power | The Last Ceremony | Holly | Postpartum | The Word | ||
Night | Mary and Martha | Useful | God Bless the Child | Unknown Caller Household | Under His Eye | Unfit | Heroic | Witness | Liars | Sacrifice | Mayday | ||
Pigs | Nightshade | The Crossing | Milk | Chicago | Vows | Home | Testimony Progress | The Wilderness | ||
Morning | Ballet | Border | Dear Offred | Fairytale | Together | No Man's Land | Motherland | Allegiance | Safe | ||
Train | Exile | Devotion | Promotion | Janine | Surprise | Shattered | Exodus | Execution | The Handmaid's Tale |