The Handmaid’s Tale Review: Household (Season 3 Episode 6)
On The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 Episode 6, “Household,” the Watefords head to Washington D.C. to plead their case, and viewers finally get to see Gilead in a larger context.
On The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2 finale, there’s an implied promise to viewers when June decides to stay Season 3 will extend far beyond the Waterford house. With the exception of June’s dalliance with the underground resistence on The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 Episode 2, “Mary and Martha,” she’s been rendered rather impotent.
Strong alliances continue to elude her. Commander Lawrence’s behavior goes back and forth between ambivalence and distasteful. Instead of moving forward, the series is stalled, focusing far too much time and attention on the Waterfords’ obsession with repatriating Nichole.
There are so many problems with this storyline, starting with the Watefords’ cover story and continuing right up to this diplomatic mission to the capital. It’s difficult to fathom an entire season built around it.
But we finally get to see beyond the borders of the Waterfords’ district, and the result is sobering. The Washington Monument converted into a giant cross, and the headless likeness of Lincoln no longer looking out over the democracy he was so instrumental in shaping.
These images are a stark reminder that a few random acts of rebellion from Marthas or a Handmaid aren’t going to topple this regime.
If viewers thought severed limbs, gouged eyes, ritualized rape, hangings, and death from radiation poisoning are as bad as it gets, we were wrong. There’s no shortage of ways to abuse women in the name of religion, morality, or whatever excuse men deem acceptable.
June continues to be confoundingly naïve when it comes to Serena and even Nick. She keeps getting screwed literally and figuratively, and her stupidity is becoming off-putting.
What is obvious is Fred Waterford sees Nichole as more of an opportunity than his child. He’s turning June into the Mockingjay of Handmaids (including the wings), imagining himself some kind of Fellini when it comes to propaganda films. We can feel June’s frustration.
She finally has the exposure and the platform, but it’s created and twisted by Waterford for his own gain. It must be satisfying for him to know he’s breaking June down: payback for her burning down his house.
Waterford also catches the eye of the exalted Commander Winslow who is interested in Fred’s potential both professionally and personally. As if The Handmaid’s Tale needs another character who doesn’t abide by the laws he lives to impose.
More interestingly, will Fred use the fact that Winslow is a gender traitor against the man, or will our boy, who is becoming more ruthless the third time around, work it from a different angle?
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 is flailing, but the show maintains the element of surprise. We know June is currently less interested in a revolution than securing the safety of her daughters, and she’s succeeding with neither.
It’s time to extricate June from the Waterfords. This sick cycle of throwing them together under ridiculous circumstances is only remotely tolerable when June and Serena conspire.
What did you think of this episode of The Handmaid’s Tale? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Handmaid’s Tale airs Wednesdays on Hulu.
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Jennifer Lind-Westbrook
Jennifer has been working as a freelance writer for six years, contributing to BuddyTV, Screen Rant, TVRage, Hidden Remote, Gossip On This, and PopMatters. She prefers binge-watching old episodes of The Office (British and American versions) to long walks on the beach. She's still holding out hope that Happy Endings will get a revival.