*Warning: Spoilers ahead*
Fasten those wings tightly. Season two, episode six is a bumpy ride.
We open in the hospital, where Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) watches Offred (Elisabeth Moss) receive her final checkup before being sent home. The doctor peeks behind the divide and asks if she had any complications with her first pregnancy. June pointedly inquires if he means her pregnancy with Hannah, and he quips back, “Your first pregnancy.” Regardless, the answer is no. The doctor then prescribes her lots of rest and good vibes, saying, “This baby needs harmony in the household.” Easier said than done.
It’s now time for the ultrasound, and in a rare gesture of goodwill, Serena asks Offred if she’d like to see the baby. She says, “Yes,” and they watch in awe while the infant does in-utero somersaults. Praise be, little dude.
At the Waterford home, Offred receives a warm welcome from Rita (Amanda Brugel). Serena instructs the Martha to make Offred a smoothie, but Offred refuses. “It’s hard on my stomach,” she explains. Surprisingly, Serena is unfazed and suggests soup instead. But that’s not all. She also tells Offred to set up camp in the sitting room so she doesn’t overexert herself climbing the stairs. Now this is harmony.
Nick (Max Minghella) steals a moment alone with Offred in the sitting room and admits that her health scare frightened him. (Same, Nick. Same.) They catch up and he leans in to kiss her, adding that he’ll come back tonight. But Offred can only be the other woman in so many relationships. She lambastes the new Mrs. Blaine’s age and says they shouldn’t keep sneaking around.
Cue the heartfelt monologue from Nick(olas Sparks), who says, “You know, I think about us. The three of us. What we could be. I think about it all the time.” Turns out Offred does too, but before they get any sappier, Rita enters with some soup and advises Offred to milk Serena’s newfound kindness for as long as she can.
Meanwhile, Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) is overseeing the construction of the massive new Red Center replacement, the Rachel and Leah Center. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) pays him a visit to chat about the cold war transpiring between Offred and Serena. Ever the optimist, she says it’s a blessing he has such a “willful pair” on his hands and that she has confidence he’ll step in if he needs to.
But tension between Serena and Offred isn’t all Commander Waterford has to worry about. Commander Pryce (Robert Curtis Brown) arrives at the Center and is concerned that it’s unfinished because they have a big event in two days. Commander Waterford reassures him: “Trust me. We’re going to dazzle them.”
Back at the Waterford compound, Nick and his child bride, Eden (Sydney Sweeney), eat dinner and she tries to gauge how he likes her cooking. He can tell she’s really trying to make this marriage work and tries to put himself in her shoes. He says, “It must be hard to leave your family,” but she sees their new arrangement differently. She says she knows what God expects of her (read: bear children) and it’s clear that she’s troubled by the fact that they haven’t consummated their arranged marriage yet. Nick can’t deal, so he steps outside to smoke, ignoring Eden’s many reminders that she doesn’t mind if he smokes inside.
In the main house, Serena joins Offred in the sitting room while she tries to fall asleep. Offred can’t get comfortable and Serena kindly offers to look into getting her a pregnancy pillow. She ventures to ask, “What’s it like to feel life inside of you?” Offred invites her to come feel her belly. Their bun in the oven kicks, and Serena is amazed.
After their bonding session, Serena falls asleep and Offred goes into the kitchen to get a glass of water. The Commander is there helping himself to a midnight snack and seems pleased by his other favorite snack’s visit. Offred takes advantage of their rare alone time and asks if he’s mad at her because it’s been a long time since they’ve chatted. “What’s there to talk about?” he retorts, adding that pregnancy suits her. Yuck.
Offred says she better get back to the sitting room before Serena catches her out of bed and he sarcastically calls her Offred’s “guardian angel.” When she responds, “She’s been very kind,” it seems genuine.
While they talk, Serena dreams about her pre-Gilead life as a radical feminist figure. She and Fred visit a college for a speaking engagement, but the audience is so outraged by her presence (and wildly alt-right views) that she can’t deliver her speech. Fred is fuming: “She has a right to speak. This is America.” Oh, the irony.
As security escorts her out, Serena is pushed to her limits by the unruly crowd and she can no longer hold back.
“You want me to stay silent but that is not going to change what is happening in our country,” she screams. “You’re spoiled, you’re privileged and you’re living in a bubble, all of you. The rate of healthy births has dropped 61 percent in the last 12 months. That is exactly the problem we need to focus on right now. The future of mankind depends on what we do today.” The crowd can’t deny her passion and they begin to cheer her on.
Energized by the crowd, Serena rattles off orders to her press secretary about organizing more rallies. Suddenly a shot rings out and her press secretary falls to the ground, dead. Another bullet hurls through the air, and Serena is hit in the stomach.
The following morning, Eden approaches Offred to vent about Nick. She fishes for compliments and says that Nick probably hasn’t had sex with her yet because she’s ugly. Offred assures her that she’s, like, really, really pretty and that Nick is just trying to be respectful. She suggests that Eden should give the whole intercourse thing time, and that’s when Eden shows her trump card: If Nick doesn’t help her carry out her “duty to God,” she’s going to turn him in for being a gender traitor. Offred gently says, “I’m sure that’s not true. Hold on to him. He’s going to make a great father to your children.” Talk about complicated family dynamics.
After the awkward heart-to-heart, Serena calls Offred into the dining room and treats her to a surprise brunch with her fellow handmaids. Norah Jones plays in the background, and Serena encourages them to chitchat like they normally would, even though her presence makes them uneasy. Offred brings up one of her favorite pre-Gilead brunch spots and it turns out Serena used to go there, too. “They used to have the best banana nut pancakes,” she gushes before adding that their shared affinity of breakfast food seems serendipitous. (Hardly.) Some of the handmaids start feeling Offred’s pregnant belly, and Serena awkwardly excuses herself to the garden.
Serena’s good mood continues throughout the day and she even invites Offred to see the baby’s nursery. Hint: It’s very Martha Stewart chic. Serena’s eyes well up with tears and she tells Offred, “I want you to know I’m going to be the best mother I can be to my child.” It’s a special bonding moment, so Offred mimics Serena’s sentimentality and remembers the glow-in-the-dark stars Hannah (Jordana Blake) had on the ceiling of her bedroom. Offred sees an opportunity to ask Serena to organize a meeting with Hannah and, not surprisingly, it doesn’t go over well. To get Offred back for overstepping, Serena tells her it’s time to move back into her prison cell bedroom.
Offred stomps downstairs and, hearing the ruckus, Nick rushes in and asks her what’s wrong. He tries to soothe her anger by assuring her they’ll figure a way to make things better. She retorts that’s going to be pretty hard if he’s hanged for being a gender traitor. She levels with him and says that he needs to get busy with Eden for everyone’s sake. When he protests because she’s 15 years old, she says tough luck because she can’t lose him. She walks away, and he tells her he loves her. Her response? “She’s your wife.”
So, Nick extends Eden his own personal olive branch and agrees to consummate. They pray together and then, separated by a creepy sheet with a hole in it, pop goes the Eden. Thankfully, it’s over fast. Afterward, Eden excitedly shares that she hopes it worked. Ew.
After Serena and Offred’s disagreement, Commander Waterford finds his wife in her precious greenhouse. She’s been in there all day and she’s still seething. “She’s devious. Always plotting. Always wanting more,” Serena sneers. Her frustration distracts her, and she cuts her finger. The Commander rushes over to see if it’s a bad wound and asks her if it hurts. She says it doesn’t, and he responds, “You’d never say if it did. My wife, she’s so strong. I pray every day, ‘Dear Lord, make me worthy.’” Guess they’re doing much better than last season.
We flash back to them in the hospital after Serena was shot in the stomach. The moment she wakes up she dives right back into business and although Fred protests, she asserts that she’s captured the public’s attention and she needs to take advantage. Overcome by emotion, Fred tenderly says he never should have let her start speaking in public (!), and she responds, “Stop it and be a man.”
Later, Fred takes Serena’s advice and tracks down the man who shot her. He takes him out to the forest and shoots the dude’s wife in front of him so he can feel the same pain.
In present-day Gilead, the Commander visits Offred’s room with a peace offering: a recent photo of Hannah. Offred is filled with gratitude and the Commander admits that it’s nice to see her happy again. He touches her stomach, and what seems sweet quickly turns sexual. His hand moves to her breast and he whispers, “It feels different. I like it.” They kiss, and he tells her he wants her, but she uses the baby’s safety to escape his nauseating advances. He collects himself and says the photo (and the boob grab) will be their little secret. Cringe.
The next day Commander Waterford welcomes Gilead’s male elite to the just-finished Rachel and Leah center. Nick takes the opportunity to pull Commander Pryce aside and asks him to be transferred to another home. He also wants his word that “the handmaid” will be safe. When Commander Pryce expresses surprise, Nick replies, “There’s a lot I haven’t told you.”
Back at the Waterford home, the power struggle between Serena and Offred continues. When Offred doesn’t finish her breakfast, Serena pointedly tells Rita to wrap it up so Offred can eat it all later. Eden joins them in the dining room to offer her assistance with anything Serena might need, and the Ice Queen is pleased: “Aren’t you sweet. I wish Offered were as pleasant. It is so important to understand one’s place in the household, wouldn’t you agree?”
To make a point, Serena purposely drops her knitting needles. When Eden tries to grab them, she declines her help because she’s “a married woman of faith” and orders “the handmaid” to do it. After Offred begrudgingly picks up the needles, Serena makes Eden drop them too, so she can learn how to run a proper household. But rather than swallowing her pride, Offred fakes cramps and refuses to bend to Serena’s cruel tricks.
Meanwhile, Commander Waterford delivers the opening speech at the Rachel and Leah Center in front of tons of other Commanders. Outside, handmaids wait to be ushered in. An unruly handmaid walks into the room. She then turns to her fellow Gilead prisoners and reveals she has a bomb. Before security can do anything, she rushes the stage and the bomb detonates. The floor-to-ceiling windows shatter and it looks like it’s down with the patriarchy, literally.
Is Commander Waterford dead? Is Eden pregnant? Is Serena the grown-up version of Regina George? Guess we’ll have to wait until next Wednesday, May 30, to find out.
RELATED: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 2 Recaps: Every Agonizing Episode
