Rent The Handmaid's Tale: Series 3 (2019)

The Handmaid's Tale: Series 3 review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Series 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale could be considered the grander tipping point for the series. While the show has had its small wins and biting back against the oppressive state of Gilead, this season is where much of the build-up finally reaches a point where Gilead’s control crumbles hard. We get to see more of the world, learn more of Gilead’s inner workings, see more of its hideous practices, and watch the fury bubble further in June, driving her to strike back hard.

Having successfully transported the babies of the Waterfords out of the country, tensions run high between June and Serena. Serena is initially furious that June has taken away her child but June so viciously reminds her it is not her child, not even a little. June birthed the child and it was not of Waterford’s DNA. The child was a girl and both of them know what type of life she’ll have in Gilead, one where she will not be permitted to read or lose a finger. More importantly, however, June wants Serena to feel that sense of loss when her child has been ripped from her arms. A truce they once seemed to have becomes shattered, resulting in June being dismissed from the Waterfords home, which is allowed to be set aflame by both of them.

June is reassigned to Commander Lawrence, the man who helped give her a chance to exit Gilead. However, as she comes to learn, Lawrence is more conflicted and complex than his cocky demeanor may suggest. He wants to help June but also wants to keep his head low enough to not only protect himself but his mentally unstable wife. Thus, maintaining a household where he has no interest in having sex with June becomes a tricky ordeal to manage. Less so for June, realizing this is just what needs to be done to survive, but still concerning.

The most chilling arc of the series involves June and the Waterfords taking a trip to Washington DC in an attempt to threaten Canada to return their child. During their stay, June observes just how shocking things have become in the Capitol. The Washington Monument is now a giant cross. The Lincoln memorial has been decapitated. Of course, she’s aware of most of this. What she wasn’t aware of were the Handmaids who have either been forced to wear coverings on their mouths or had their mouths closed permanently with rings. This horrifying discovery leads to June ramping up her underground railroad of sorts and verily tests the acceptance of Aunt Lydia, still trying to reason with herself that she’s protecting fertile women rather than subjugating them.

One of the most remarkable episodes of this season features June being forced to stay in the hospital to care for her Handmaid partner, sent into a coma after being shot by security. The Handmaid is only being kept alive to ensure the baby is born and then she’ll die. As June waits, forced to pray for the baby, her mind wanders and she starts playing the same song over and over in her head. Thoughts of murder crop up. Killing the doctors and family would be so sweet. She even takes a stab at Mrs. Waterford but to no avail. It’s a tragic and cerebral episode that only furthers June’s drive.

Towards the end of the season, so much S hits the fan. The Waterfords are captured by the Canadians, war ramps up, children are snuck out of the country, June gets violent, and a handful of Handmaids go on the run. As a whole, this is one of the best seasons by far for how much ground it covers and how much it questions June’s psyche amid the anguish of Gilead. It also has the most teeth, where June becomes her nastiest with that scowl and determination to burn Gilead to the ground, a prospect that makes the show all the more worth watching into the next season.