The Handmaid’s Tale Review: Useful (Season 3 Episode 3)

On The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 Episode 3, “Useful,” life with Commander Lawrence gives rise to new opportunities for June. Serena reaps what she sows.

“Useful” delivers two very compelling storylines thanks in large part to Moss, Whitford, and Strahovski. As June tries to gain a better understanding of Commander Lawrence, Serena faces the harsh realities her future holds.

Confused by the incongruent behavior of Commander Lawrence, June learns he’s not as sympathetic to the plight of the women of Gilead as she may have hoped. Unlike Fred, Lawrence can’t be manipulated, and he has zero interest in June’s attempts at seduction. In fact, he shames her for them, viewing her tactics as demeaning to all parties involved.

But Lawrence’s hostility and frustrations aren’t restricted just to the people in his employ but also to those he finds weak, stupid, Incompetent, or useless in any capacity, male or female. 

Commander Waterford: He [Lawrence] does not like to be bored.

June does wind up in Lawrence’s home by coincidence, and his efforts to humiliate and demean her feel like tests. Unlike many of his counterparts, he doesn’t relish cruelty or view any life as simply expendable to be thrown away without a purpose. 

This doesn’t make him a nice guy, it makes him a pragmatist in a society filled with fanatics. Perhaps he is just a diabolical psychopath, but Whitford is succeeding in portraying Lawrence as someone so complex, viewers can reasonably doubt his true intentions. 

Until the confrontation between June and Lawrence, Gilead can be described as a place of absolutes. Their argument reveals some hard truths about both characters that force us to acknowledge nothing is black and white.

For once, we’re actually seeing Gilead through the eyes of someone who approaches its purpose not from a religious standpoint but a practical one. Lawrence is interested in saving the planet, making it better for future generations.

He expects everyone to play their part. He doesn’t make excuses or apologize for women becoming collateral damage in this quest.

Commander Lawrence: How tempting it is to … invent a humanity … for anyone at all.

It is true that until Season 3, June is singularly focused on her own self-interests, but Lawrence’s influence over her is nurturing her desire to become more than a victim. 

While June immerses herself in her new cause, Serena seeks solace at her mother’s home. At least part of her overwhelming desire to become a mother is to fill the void left by her mother’s lackluster maternal skills.

The dogma of Gilead serves only to reinforce Serena’s mother’s beliefs that her daughter’s place is at home with her husband, and this takes precedence over Serena’s happiness. She, like many of the husbands and Wives of Gilead, is concerned far more with perception than reality.

After all the reprehensible things Serena has done, it’s still difficult not to feel empathy for her. She’s dedicated her life to a man she no longer loves, and a cause she no longer believes in. Her dread in returning to Fred are well founded. 

He speaks of his love for Serena, but it turns out he’s just dictating a letter to his wife written by a whore at Jezebel’s. He can’t be bothered to put pen to paper. All he knows is he must get her back because, like it or not, their relationship is symbiotic. One can’t exist without the other in Gilead. 

When Serena enters the ocean, it’s like a baptism. The old Serena who reduces her previous life to ashes is reborn.

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 on Wednesdays on Hulu.

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