Other Women is the fourth episode of the second season of The Handmaid's Tale.
Synopsis[]
A baby shower provokes a troubling shift in Offred's relationship with Serena Joy. Offred reckons with the choice she made that led her to become a Handmaid.
Plot[]
June is taken back to the Red Center, where she is re-tagged and chained to a small living space. As Aunt Lydia explains, the Waterfords are willing to take June back for a "trial run". June's other option is to stay in that room to be executed after giving birth.
The Waterfords greet her stiffly and formally. Commander Fred speaks of the tremendous effort it took to save June from her “kidnapping” at the hands of an "insidious terrorist network." June returns to her room and sees that Nick hasn't been to his home recently. Serena Joy enters the room and pushes her against the wall by her throat. As June catches her breath, she repeats Serena's threat: "as long as my baby is safe, so is yours."
The lights go out while June bathes. Aunt Lydia enters the room and brings her a candle and reminds her to wash "down there," to keep the baby healthy. When June exits the bath, she feels her baby kick.
On June's first morning back in the Waterford house, she is woken by Aunt Lydia. After Lydia leaves departs, Rita turns up to return the package of letters from Mayday to June, saying that she’d been saving for the past 92 days and "she can't any more". June once again hides the letters behind the bathtub. Downstairs, everyone's preparing for the baby shower that afternoon. Offred and Nick see each other and simply smile. Aunt Lydia forces June to drink a specially blended vitamin shake, which she spits up and nearly vomits. She apologizes, so Aunt Lydia "thoughtfully" makes her another.
At the baby shower, Serena opens up hand-made presents from the other Wives. Leah mentions to Serena how it was such a shame that she missed the baby's first trimester due to the "kidnapping" of her handmaid, and Naomi says that because of it, she probably missed the baby's first kick. When Serena tries to save face by saying that it is too early for the baby to kick, June interjects that she felt the baby kick for the first time last night. The other wives awkwardly congratulate Serena. Serena retreats to the yard with a cigarette. Lydia tells Serena that everything that happens now must be for the good of the child, taking Serena's cigarette and putting it out.
Fred is out skeet-shooting with a small group of the other Commanders, including Putnam, Pryce and Cushing. He insinuates that he'd like to travel to Canada with Cushing to "ease sanctions" and claims to have his house in order, to which Pryce replies "back in order".
As her fellow handmaids walk by, June stops Alma and she briefly informs June that Mayday has gone silent and is "done helping handmaids". She adds because that she stood up for Janine, Ofglen had her tongue removed as punishment. As June looks down on Alma's burned and scarred wrist, Alma tells her that what happened to Ofglen wasn't her fault, before adding, "...not that part..." and walking away. Lydia retrieves June, and June and Serena hold a "binding ceremony" with the other Wives and Handmaids.
In a flashback, Annie, Luke's first wife, confronts June after a yoga class. Annie accuses her of sabotaging a vow made before God. June is clearly affected by the encounter and when she returns home she finds Luke on the phone, loudly condemning Annie for her behaviour. June is troubled by the encounter and questions him. He comforts her, saying "she doesn’t matter" because they’re "going to get married" and he's going to "make her happy."
After the shower, Serena plays with the baby's toys as June watches. June nonchalantly tells her about her own baby shower and says that she gave away half of the gifts she received for Hannah. Serena is angered and violently lashes out at Rita who was unfortunate enough to be standing closest to her. Lydia pulls June away and Serena storms off. She tells her husband she wants June out of the house. He refuses, saying that Serena won't want to miss the pregnancy and not to let June take it away from her.
Lydia and June go on a walk by the river. She shows her the corpse of Omar hanging from the Wall. Lydia informs June that his wife was forced to become a handmaid and the son was given away, never to be seen by his mother again. Lydia emphasizes that June is responsible for Omar’s death, not Offred.
That evening, June begs for forgiveness in front of all the members of the Waterford household and asks to again be Offred. Lydia is happy with her apology and says that they house will find peace.
Serena smokes as she listens to a lullaby. She later crawls into bed with Offred where she caresses her stomach and talks to the baby. When Serena leaves, Offred goes into the closet and lies on the floor, finding both Offreds' messages of hope have been erased in her absence, and repeats to herself, "My fault. My fault. My fault."
In a flashback, Luke and June are at a cafe. When they are sitting down, Luke retrieves a highchair for his daughter. As Luke goes to order, June sees Annie across the room. She spots June and the baby and, with both anger and sadness, she storms out.
"My fault"
Back in the present, it is now morning. Offred is still lying in her closet, but now she is begging, "Please, God, let Hannah forget me. Let me forget me."
Offred goes shopping. Nick spots her and tries to apologize, she answers blankly, "We've been sent good weather" and seems oblivious to his apologies. She stands outside the gate and waits. She thinks, "We've been sent good weather" to herself over and over again.
Cast[]
Starring
- Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne
- Joseph Fiennes as Fred Waterford
- Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Waterford
- Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue
- Ann Dowd as Lydia Clements
- O-T Fagbenle as Luke Bankole
- Max Minghella as Nick Blaine
Guest Starring
- Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam
- Stephen Kunken as Warren Putnam
- Robert Curtis Brown as Andrew Pryce
- Greg Bryk as Raymond Cushing
- Kelly Jenrette as Annie
- Tattiawna Jones as Lillie Fuller
- Nina Kiri as Alma
- Bahia Watson as Brianna
- Jenessa Grant as Dolores
Additional Cast
- Angela Vint as Leah
- Ashleigh Rains as Wife #1
- Genevieve Adam as Wife #2
- Jane Smythe as Wife #3
- David Gingrich as Linds
- Danielle Height as Meredith
- Jamila Fleming as Handmaid
Quotes[]
“The Waterfords have kindly agreed to a "trial run," as it were, and, if you're a very very good girl, you might even be invited to stay. You see, June will be chained in this room until she gives birth. And then, June will be executed. Offred has an opportunity. It would be better for the baby.” — Aunt Lydia to Offred
“We made vows before God. That means something. He's a good man who wants to do the right thing. You have to let him do it. You can't just wreck people's lives like they don't matter. Did you ever even think about me? About what you were doing to me? Do you think about me when you're screwing my husband, you selfish bitch? He's just playing with you. He'll come back home to me. You are never going to know him like I do. I was his first, did he tell you that? You think you can just take him from me just because you want him? Fucking whore!” — Annie to June
Gallery[]
Music[]
- "Hate" — Cat Power, end credits.
Notes[]
Commander Fred says about Offred "she's nothing". Aunt Lydia says "she's strong".
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 | |