TV Review: The Handmaid’s Tale Confronts The Core Difference Between Men And Women
There have been MANY theories on what is the difference between men and women. From biological to spiritual, people run rampant on why the sexes are not akin, and why such difference should measure whether there should be equality.
Quoting from Margaret Atwood, in the next episode, Offred/June says, “Men fear we will shame them, while we fear they kill us.” My mind, literally, exploded off that one quote because it sums up a core difference between genders or rather oppressor versus oppressed is perspective. To be humiliated is a spiritual death but NOTHING compared to, literally, dying. At least, you can heal from humiliation, but you cannot heal from your literal life ending. The quote marks previous and next few episodes of The Handmaid’s tale.
The quote reminded me of the Seinfeld joke; statistically people would rather be dead in a casket than giving a eulogy. Hence,The Commander’s return home has NOT humbled him. A new lease on life is farther away now that feels embarrassed by his attack moreso than injured. Yet, intrigue rises as we witness Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and June (Elisabeth Moss) grow a friendship that makes you wish they would NEVER, inevitably, turn back into enemies. At the end of the day, Serena is Waterford’s wife, and his return drives a wedge in what would have been a formidable force. Offred/June’s intelligence with Serena’s network….. #runtheworldgirls. Yet, Serena’s inability to stand up or go beyond norms of submission plays to a bigger note in society.
By all means, Offred/June may be the Handmaid but she is also a “liberated woman”, whereas you really see, in these next episodes, how tied down Serena is in her own esteem. It is not as if the previous season did not display that Serena has ISSUES. Yet, issues also come from personal insecurity, and submission is not only a normative; it is a state of being. Serena wants to be smart, powerful, and even kinder to others, particularly those that are different form her like, June. Yet, her growing dynamics with Waterford and Offred/June show oppression is not just about about making people systemically low, but also speaking to the lowliness they may already carry towards themselves.
Confidence is never easy; FOR ANYONE! Nobody is born unto this earth believing they are God’s gift. You earn your arrogance as much as you earn your confidence, and the differences can be noted in how kind and encouraging June becomes to Serena, while Waterford becomes darker and more salacious. The lightened dynamic between J and S, though brief, is a show of how different women can empower each other. Yet, if someone, like a man, tells you are not worthy and you, actually, feel it; the negativity could overpower the positivity you receive. It something we all note in life; the one mean comment versus the millions of compliments. Yet, that drive to negativity over positivity has threatened Offred/June’s own resolve, but, soon, she’ll have to figure how to manipulate Serena and Waterford’s s dynamic against each other to get to Hannah and, hopefully, keep her baby. For Mire Information On The Handmaid’s Tale Click Here.
