The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Under His Eye
Tonya Myers
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It is back to business as usual on The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 Episode 7 after June and Aunt Lydia return from their trip to D.C.
Aunt Lydia has reclaimed her position as reining tormenter to the handmaids, while June is back to making reckless decisions and showing little concern for the consequences that may follow.
There was not very much progress made on "Under His Eye," and I don't know about everyone else, but I'm ready for an uprising!
June's conversation with the Mckenzies' Martha at Loaves and Fishes proved to be somewhat fruitful as she gifted her with a few shards of information:
There is a guard at Hannah's school that could help June to see her daughter, and Hannah's new moniker is Agnes.
The information about the guard ultimately proved useless, as he was not even on duty when June showed up, but the consequences of her conversation with the Martha will be felt far and wide.
I still don't understand what June's plans were. Was she going to attempt to grab Hannah and make a run for it? Surely not, as there were armed guards at every turn.
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If she intended to tell Hannah that she is still there for her, that she didn't abandon her, she could have just had the Martha relay the message.
Sylvia: You know I don't care what you did there, right? You don't have to deal with this on your own.
Emily: I'm fine.
As a mother myself, I am sympathetic to June's plight. I could not imagine being separated from my child.
Knowing that Hannah is so close but that she still can't get to her has to be heartbreaking for June.
I imagine June's decisions are fueled by desperation, causing her to throw rationality out the window.
As understandable as that may be, June has to start looking at the bigger picture.
She is not in America anymore; she is in Gilead. There is no room for impulse, only planning and precision.
If June ever wants to escape Gilead alive and with Hannah, she is going to have to start thinking with her head instead of her heart.
Somehow June manages time and again to get away unscathed after whatever scheme she has implemented falls apart.
The same can't be said for her co-conspirators. The opening and closing of "Under His Eye" was quite similar.
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The handmaids can be seen trailing the length of a red rope on the way to fulfill their role as forced executioners. We can see death on the horizon.
June: Mrs. Lawrence?
Mrs: Lawrence: It's hard not to imagine what my own daughter might have looked like. Or little boy.
June: You and the Commander tried to have children? Before?
Mrs. Lawrence: I wanted to. He disagreed. I was teaching full -- time but it was a struggle. They were always adjusting my dosage. I wish we could've.
June: Being a mother in Gilead must pose its own challenges.
Mrs. Lawrence: Maybe. Maybe we did the right thing.
June: Mrs. Lawrence, I lied to you. My daughter's school is in Brookline. Today may be my only chance to see her. So... I'm sorry. I really am. I'll take you home if you want.
Mrs. Lawrence: No. Let's go. The t stops only a block away. I think I'm keen on an adventure.
June: Okay.
June's involvement of the Mckenzies' Martha ultimately led to her death, and by June's own hand.
As she stands there looking at the physical consequences of her actions, as she is forced to pick up the rope and acknowledge that she is soon to be responsible for another loss of life, will she decide to do things differently in the future?
We finally got to know Mrs. Lawrence a little better when June recruited her on her mission to see Hannah.
Although under false pretenses at first, June eventually divulged the real reason for their outing and Mrs. Lawrence was more than willing to participate.
When the two women run into Mrs. Putnam, Mrs. Lawrence keeps repeating that she is glad their baby didn't die.
I originally thought it is possible that she has lost a child, but she then explained to June that she wanted to have children in the past and the Commander didn't.
She does well when they first get to the school, once again showing that she is quick on her feet by coming up with a spur of the moment reason for their visit.
It is short lived as she is soon escorted out screaming "I want to see the children."
It was all too much for her, and while June was having a breakdown from being denied entrance to the school, Mrs. Lawrence was having one of her own.
I had no intention of putting her in any danger, sir. You should've seen her out there. She came alive. You should have seen her.
June
Even though only a wall separated June from Hannah, they were worlds away.
June could hear the children laughing on the other side, triggering an onslaught of memories of her life with Hannah before Gilead.
I wonder how mental illness gets treated in Gilead. Is it swept under the rug?
Leaving others like Mrs. Lawrence to suffer in silence.
I can't tell if she has depression or bipolar depression; regardless, she is not receiving treatment.
Even though depression makes you want to stay locked away in a dark room, that doesn't help.
If Commander Lawrence is so important, why can't he get help for his wife?
It seems like everything is coming up roses for The Waterfords' in D.C. Or so they think.
Moira: So, Luke will probably be cool. Uh, he might freak out. It's unclear. How 'bout Syl?
Emily: I honestly have no idea.
Moira: Well, um you're a prison bitch now. She might like that.
Emily: Maybe. No, if Syl is mad, she won't tell me. She's trying to give me space.
Moira: Space.
Emily: There's a lot she doesn't know. I killed a wife. In the colonies. I poisoned her.
Moira: Okay.
Emily: I'm not sorry.
Moira: I killed a Commander. I didn't have to. He was asleep. But I did it anyway.
Emily: Look at what they've turned us into.
Moira: You killed anybody since you've been out?
Emily: No. You?
Moira: Nope. So I think we're good.
Serena is under the impression that it is only a matter of time before she gets reunited with Nichole, but Commander Winslow has other plans.
Fred knows those plans but has yet to share them with Serena.
We get to see that perhaps D.C. is not as strict as it was originally portrayed. Well, for the elite anyways.
We now know the name of the fabric muzzles the handmaids in D.C. are forced to wear are called veils.
And while the veiled or ring lipped handmaids from The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 Episode 6 painted a picture of a much harsher region, "Under His Eye" showed a more lenient side for the higher-ups.
Serena seemed surprised as the other wives spoke openly with disrespect about their husbands. Considering she has lost a finger just for reading, her surprise is understandable.
As Commander Winslows' wife Olivia gives Serena a tour of the remains of someone else's home there was another reminder of the despicable nature of these people.
There used to be a family there. But because of Serena and others like her, they were forced out of their home.
Everything left intact for someone to come in and pick through the pieces of their life and discard whatever they don't want.
With the extradition treaty looming in the distance, I'm left wondering what it will mean for the refugees in Canada.
If Nichole gets returned to Gilead, what does that mean for the others?
Will they still be safe in Canada or is it possible that they could be sent back as well?
Ofmatthew: You should be thankful. Your temptations been lifted.
June: What did you do?
Ofmatthew: I saw you at Loaves and Fishes talking to that Martha. Aunt Lydia told me to watch you. To try and protect you.
June: What did you say to her?
Ofmatthew: I saved you. We saved you.
June: You "saved" me? What did you do? What did you do? Do you have any idea what you did? Do you? You fucking bitch! Do you?
Alma: June, stop it!
June: Do you know what you did?
Emilys conversation with the Swiss didn't appear to be very promising.
Her past transgressions in Gilead seemed to come back to haunt her further driving a wedge between her and Sylvia.
While I'm certain they still love each other, things have changed. Just like with Luke and June.
Sylvia escaped Gilead at the very beginning, and Emily has been through so much.
There aren't many people in Canada that could understand what Emily has been through, except for Moira.
I can't tell if they are just bonding over shared experiences or if their relationship will blossom into something more.
Although, I wouldn't be surprised if they did end up falling for one another.
Moira can understand Emily on a level that Sylvia will never be able to.
You can see they are comfortable with each other.
While Emily is usually more reserved, it was nice to see her show a little fire as she joined Moira at the protest.
Even if it did land them both in jail, it allowed Emily to find her voice again.
June also used her voice after discovering Ofmatthew was responsible for reporting back to Aunt Lydia.
The decision to use that voice led to the murder of the Mckenzies' Martha. While Ofmatthew claimed she did June a favor by ratting her out, June thought otherwise.
She attacked her and we're left with the question of will June suffer the consequences for attacking a pregnant woman.
Will June learn from her mistakes and come up with a better escape plan in the future?
Will Mrs. Lawrence get the medical help she needs?
What's in store for Emily and Moira? Will they end up falling for one another?
Is it going to be smooth sailing for The Waterfords in D.C.?
Hit the comments below and let us know what you think!
