The Handmaid’s Tale Review: Unfit (Season 3 Episode 8)

On The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 Episode 8, “Unfit,” June seeks vengeance against Ofmatthew and Aunt Lydia for their roles in Hannah’s disappearance.

Who knew the Handmaids have the capacity to go all mean girl led by June acting as Gilead’s incarnation of Regina George? With Nichole’s safety no longer guaranteed, and Hannah relocated to somewhere far beyond her reach, June is behaving like a woman with nothing left to lose.

Initially, it feels like June’s actions are driven purely by rage and impulse which is out of character for a woman Commander Lawrence refers to as “tactical.” 

Even if June isn’t entirely sure about the possible ramifications of her actions, she does know Ofmatthew will be easy to break down because of her perceived piety and commitment to Gilead’s cause. 

If we lack sympathy for Ofmatthew prior to “Unfit,” the episode exposes that she’s doing what she has to in order to survive the same as everyone else. Even Janine, who comes unglued the moment they gouge her eye out of her head, sees June’s bullying as a disproportionate response to Ofmatthew’s actions.

Janine: She (Ofmatthew) was just doing what Aunt Lydia told her to.

June: Oh, I know. 

It is entirely ridiculous to hear Aunt Lydia speak to June about Hannah being ripped from her home since the girl is taken from her loving biological mother and placed with complete strangers.

This disconnect between the party line that every horrific action performed in Gilead is done in the best interest of the children while they are simultaneously viewed as little more than currency and collateral is even more pronounced on The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3.

Hell is full of good meanings, but heaven in full of good works.

In the Republic of Gilead, morality is relative, and randomly patched together religious dogma enables a small group to oppress the masses. When you take from people everything that makes them feel human, how long before their humanity follows?

What we’re witnessing is June metamorphizing into someone callous, cruel, and conniving to a point where it’s hard to see her as a sympathetic character.

Thanks to some long-overdue flashbacks regarding Aunt Lydia’s life pre-Gilead, we learn her intentions aren’t always so pure. She betrays Noelle out of spite. After being rejected by a man sexually, she lashes out at someone who is not only desired by the opposite sex, but who also encourages Lydia to seek out love and affection.

There turns out to be a fortuitous method to June’s madness, using Offmatthew to finish the job Emily starts without June getting her own hands dirty. Never mind that Janine or Ofmatthew’s unborn child become collateral damage. Although we do know June would rather see a baby girl die than live out her days in Gilead.

But even when behaving diabolically, June’s best laid plans don’t ever quite come to fruition. Aunt Lydia survives yet again, and she’s not going to just forget her desire to rip June from Commander Lawrence’s home which has become a prison, a sanctuary and perhaps, June’s last hope for a powerful ally.

June knows Commander Lawrence’s greatest weakness, and she’s doing her best to exploit it. Lawrence is aware of June’s machinations, but he still tolerates her increasingly combative behavior, so I have a strong feeling these two have significant roles to play in each other’s fates moving forward. 

As The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 moves forward, it’s difficult to envision how much story there is left to tell. June won’t continue to benefit from circumstances which guarantee her protection. Season 3 is one of so many wishes unfulfilled and promises broken.

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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