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Testimony

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Testimony is the 8th episode of the fourth season of The Handmaid's Tale.

Synopsis[]

June confronts Fred and Serena in court and challenges Emily to face a painful reminder of her Gilead past. Lawrence presents Aunt Lydia with a newly captured, familiar handmaid.

Plot[]

June chops off her long hair herself in the bathroom. She later attends a support group meeting, held at a local library. She is interrupted by a woman who wants to talk to Emily. Seeing Emily’s shaken reaction to the woman’s appearance, June and Moira yell at the stranger to leave. On her way out, the woman drops her contact information on the ground; June picks it up. The woman was known as Aunt Irene in Gilead, and she was assigned to the district where Emily was posted before she met June. June urges her friend to face Irene, who’s going by the name Iris now. “You have to get everything out you’ve been holding in. I promise you, you will feel better,” she says. Unsure, Emily replies that they're not all like June.

Luke has been struggling to understand his wife and what she’s been through. He tells Moira, “She is like a stranger half the time. We talk about Hannah, and then in bed…” Moira tells him to be patient, because getting over the trauma of Gilead is a long road.

The next day, Luke shows up at The International Criminal Court proceedings — even though June expressly did not want him to attend. June is there to give her testimony against the Waterfords. The Waterfords show up as a unified front. June is sworn in and testifies. She runs through the events of her time in Gilead. She asks the court to put Fred on trial and give him with the maximum possible sentence for his crimes. “I ask,” she concludes, “for justice.”

Fred’s attorney is allowed to question June, and the lawyer opens by talking about how June started seeing Luke when he was still married to another woman.[1] Out of turn, Fred starts to speak to June. “I am done,” June declares, turning to leave. “Anything more can wait for your trial.”

At home that night, Luke apologizes for coming to court, but tells her that now that he knows everything maybe they can move on together. June doesn't reciprocate but instead she begins to sexually assault Luke again, kissing him passionately while trying to remove his trousers. This time he manages to stop her, saying “Talk to me!” but she refuses and angrily storms off. Luke covers his face and weeps.

At the next support group meeting, June finds Irene hanging around outside and brings her in. A quick show of hands reveals that several of the ex-handmaids want her to stay, and Emily says she's fine with it, so June pushes a chair into the center of the circle and the older woman sits. Irene was the person who outed Emily’s Martha lover and informed the Eyes, which led to her lover’s death. Irene wants Emily to forgive her and winds up on her knees, begging, but June points out that Irene passed herself off as another refugee to find sanctuary in Canada. Emily ultimately tells Irene that there’s nothing she can do to fix what’s happened, and the former aunt sobs.

Later, Moira talks to Emily and says that maybe she can get Irene to testify. So she arranges to see her, but finds her hanging from a tree at the spot where they were supposed to meet. The support group later discusses Irene’s death, which leads Emily to tell them that she’s happy she’s dead. The other members are volunteering their fantasies about the violence they’d do to their former commanders and their wives. Moira, a little disconcerted, gently points out that they can’t live in anger. “Why not?” June pipes up. “Why does healing have to be the only goal?” Then Moira tries to bring the session to a close, but June says she wants to stay — and the rest of the women do, too.

At home, June finds Luke and hugs him tight, ready to reveal more: “I have to tell you about the last time I saw Hannah.”

After Aunt Lydia gets mad and uses her cattle prod on a handmaid and fellow aunt, she has to report to Commander Lawrence. He tells her Janine is alive and will be returned to her. Lydia tears up, relieved Janine is alive and insists that she is one of the good ones. Janine is being held at the same prison where June was held. Lydia tells her that June is in Canada, and Janine only weakly asks that she not be made a handmaid again. Lydia hugs her and cries.

At the end of the Episode. Fred Waterford and Serena Waterford thought they would face angry protestors but a small group of supporters would happily greet them with signs.

Cast[]

Additional Cast

  • Natasha Mumba as Danielle
  • Victoria Sawal as Tyler
  • Amanda Zhou as Vicky
  • Jasmin Husain as Ex-Handmaid
  • Jordin Hall as RCMP Officer
  • Edie Inksetter as Aunt Elizabeth
  • Wayne Davis as Richard Lomas
  • Al McFoster as Bailiff
  • Jane Luk as Presiding Judge

Gallery[]

Behind the scenes[]

Music[]

Soundtrack notes[]

  1. ↑ "Glory Box": Live on Jools Holland version; the studio recording used in the programme is here.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Portishead and Tricky songs sound very similar as both sample "Ike's Rap 2" by Isaac Hayes.

References[]

  1. ↑ Episode 2×4, "Other Women"
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