The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 Episode 7 ‘Under His Eye’ Recap and Review

I did not love this last episode.  To be fair I haven’t loved the last few.  After a promising start this whole season has been kind of a mess.  

As the episode begins we see a  red rope that indicates where the HM should stand.  The HM pick up the rope and start to pull the rope and it’s clear its a gallows now.  There is a Martha who will hang from it. With a whistle blow the HMs pull one last time and the gallows floor drops and the group of Marthas hang.  Meanwhile, June and her HM are talking about the hanging and her partner is having some sort of contraction and June talks her through it. She tells June this is a difficult pregnancy.  June tries to bond with her but her partner is a bitch. She heads into the worst Aldi’s ever. There is a meeting at the back of a few of the HM. Something about fruit cocktail being the code word.  At the back of the store June talks to a Martha who works at Hannah’s house. They fight a little about what to do with Hannah. The Martha ends up giving June some advice about how to contact her. Meanwhile, Emily is made to recount her “criminal” activity.  I mean this is some horse shit…right? She stole a car and stabbed Aunt Lydia. Emily’s wife ain’t having it. She admits to doing other criminal actions that Gilead would see as criminal. After the interview, the married couple shares a moment but Emily is still very closed off.  

Serena and the high commander’s wife are strolling and the wife takes her to an unrestored house.  They walk around it. They spend time looking in the kid’s rooms. The commander’s wife wants the Waterfords to move to the capital and make over the house.  Now we get Fred and The High Commander talking about a potential extradition treaty. George mentions it might be a better strategy to keep Nichole in Canada.  It gives them more leverage. So Canada which up until this moment was seen as this great liberal land of freedom suddenly is like naw the fugitive slave act is totally cool with us?.  Again the writing this season is super clunky.  

June is trying to figure out a way to visit Hannah.  She asks the house Martha and then decides to take Mrs. Lawrence for a walk.  This probably will not end up good. During their walk, they run into another wife.  Mrs. Putnam has her baby and there is a strange interaction between the two wives. Mrs. Lawrence is a strange cookie.  June extracts her from that weird conversation. Mrs. Lawrence looks off a bridge and wonders out loud what her kids might have looked like.  June asks her if she thought about having kids. It’s like every woman has baby fever. There is an antinatalist vibe going on now with Mrs. Lawrence.  That is an interesting discussion to be explored. June comes clean about the reason for the walk and Mrs. Lawrence is down for the visit. Meanwhile, Emily and Moira bitch about the Canadian governments lack of balls when it comes to Nichole. Moira and Emily talk about their lesbian history.  They do not have a ton in common. Moira has to run to a protest and Emily asks to tag along. They try to talk to the minister and there is a scuffle with Emily and Moira providing most of the scuffle.  

On the walk, Mrs. Lawrence and June walk up to an armed compound.  Lots of guns and Godstapo patrolling. Mrs. Lawrence asks for a tour and June is left up to her own devices.  Rarely are they helpful as of late. She makes her away along the very tall walls and hears the children playing.  She can make out Hannah’s voice. She calls her name (albeit pretty quietly). HOW IS THIS HELPFUL. Mrs. Lawrence is melting down and June is escorted back to help her.  Mrs. Lawrence calls her June, which feels pretty significant. Back at Casa de Lawrence, my guess June is in BIG FRIGGIN TROUBLE. June apologizes but then notes that Mrs. Lawrence really came alive outside.  The Waterfords are eating dinner at a nice restaurant. She was looking at art while he worked. They both long for a day where they can have their own home again. Fred vows to bring Nichole back.  

Moira and Emily got arrested.  I mean again doesn’t sound smart.  They mention how mad Luke will be. Emily admits she killed a wife in the colonies.  Moira admits to killing a commander. They both take stalk of the type of people they are.  No murders since Gilead so maybe all in the clear.

There seems to be some sort of gala the Waterfords are invited to.  George (High Commander) and Fred run off to play. The wives all exchange jokes about their husbands including a pretty aggressive wife named Evelyn.  Gross…Serena and Fred are like eye-fucking each other. This is unnatural and icky. They dance. A cool kids circle surrounds them. It’s like a tango or something.  Its meant to be sexy. They are eating it up but George looks unhappy about the whole thing. Its like prom in the suburbs.  

We are finally back at the gallows where the handmaids walk the rope again.  Well shit the Mckenzie’s Martha and HM are all going to be hanged this time. June does not pick up the rope and Aunt Lydia makes sure she participates.  I mean June caused all of this. I don’t get any of this episode. I would have liked this episode to deal with gathering resistance instead we get a lot of dithering.  Her partner ratted her out. Holy shit it’s gonna be war. June loses it and tries to hurt her but the other HM pull her off. June is pissed. Maybe this will be a good catalyst to change her behavior.  She needs to be stronger. The episode ends.