Handmaid’s Tale Recap: Women’s Work

Season 2/Episode 8/HULU **spoiler alert** TW: torture, verbal/physical/sexual abuse This episode of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale gives us an inside look at what complicity looks like when hope of a revolution is gone. It also shows us how precious the work of women is and how the world suffers at it’s loss. Easy Like Sunday Morning… In Gilead This episode quite literally opens with Motown, coffee and two women working for a revolution. But, this is Gilead so they’re really working for complicity. These two women who are sharing compliments and quips happen to be Serena and June/Offred. The Commander is still in the hospital and Serena, Mrs Waterford, has taken on the family business with the help of her handmaid’s editing skills. This partnership can’t and won’t last for long, of course. This is Gilead and ain’t nothing easy in these cold streets. Plus, Commander Waterford and his broken ass is back. He takes no time at all to make sure that his presence is known and that Serena is put back in her place; outside of his study. The first thing he does is get back to business, including closing the door deadass in his wife’s face. He’s eager to “get things back to normal.” Part of the new normal is Mrs Waterford and June with a semi-healthy working relationship conversing and shit. Serena gave June back her music box and photo of Hannah, plus a white rose. I can only assume that white rose is symbolic of the new neutral ground and proposed truce between the two women. I really c…