[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Episode 7, “Shattered.” It also contains discussion of physical abuse and gun violence.]
The Handmaid’s Story delivered one in every of its most grotesque scenes of your complete sequence within the Could 6 episode. The Eyes dedicated a mass homicide of the ladies in Jezebel’s by order of Excessive Commander Wharton (Josh Charles). The one one spared was Janine (Madeline Brewer), who was saved by Commander Bell (Timothy Simons). The homicide was the results of Nick (Max Minghella) revealing Mayday’s plot to assault the commanders on the brothel to Wharton, his father-in-law.
Nick did it to save lots of himself, which hardly absolved him of guilt even when he did inform Wharton that the Jezebel’s girls weren’t concerned within the plotting (this was true; Janine was the one one who knew Mayday was coming and even then she didn’t know a lot). He “didn’t suppose” Wharton would harm the ladies. It’s astoundingly obtuse and ignorant to suppose {that a} Excessive Commander of Gilead wouldn’t punish “fallen” girls to such a level.
June (Elisabeth Moss) returned to Mayday in horror and disgrace after leaving Nick for what’s hopefully the final time. When tearfully confessing to Luke (O-T Fagbenle) that Nick knew the plan due to her and now she “didn’t know what to do” within the wake of the betrayal and its devastating fallout, Luke bit again, “Don’t be in love with a f***ing nazi.” That may be a much less correct label for Nick had he not tried to defend his actions in his final dialog with June. “You’re identical to them,” she mentioned after Nick mentioned he was simply attempting to remain alive. “And you’re keen on me for it,” he replied.
Disney / Steve Wilkie
June wasn’t the one one modified ceaselessly by what occurred at Jezebel’s. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) noticed the bloody aftermath within the Jezebel’s showers and wept. This was a turning level for Lydia, whose prayers had been answered when she realized that Janine was spared, however the nightmare continued when she visited Commander Bell’s residence to see Janine a Handmaid as soon as extra. Janine’s face was badly bruised and bloodied, the results of bodily abuse from Bell in his residence. Janine is in additional hazard than she ever was earlier than as we head into the final three episodes of The Handmaid’s Story.
Right here, Madeline Brewer dissects the troublesome episode and Janine’s relationships with Aunt Lydia and with Commander Bell, in addition to previews what’s to come back within the closing episodes of The Handmaid’s Story.
Previous to this episode, Janine’s psychological well being appears to have improved a bit this season. Is that this as a result of she’s now not a Handmaid? Is Jezebel’s nearly a greater state of affairs, in a twisted approach?
Madeline Brewer: Yeah, I feel in lots of methods Jezebel’s is essentially the most freedom that she’s ever skilled whereas nonetheless inside the partitions of Gilead. She’s discovered a goal that she’s extra comfy with at Jezebel’s. She’s a little bit of the mom hen in a approach, and that’s actually all Janine has ever needed, is to have a goal on this place. She tried that on the Crimson Middle, however realizing that she was getting ready these women for service as Handmaids, the cognitive dissonance was too nice for her. It was an excessive amount of to bear.
What else has strengthened her resolve between Seasons 5 and 6?
In direction of the tip of Season 5, she’s actually simply had sufficient of the masquerading and this charade of getting to place up with somebody like Naomi [Ever Carradine], who was, in Janine’s eyes, a very horrible human being. Janine lets it get the higher of her and says, “I f**king hate you,” to Naomi and faces repercussions for that. After we discover her in Season 6, she’s simply grateful to have a goal. It was actually soul-sucking for her to place up with Naomi and to organize all these girls to be Handmaids.
Is there a world the place Janine might depart Gilead with out her daughter, Charlotte? If she needed to, might she do what June did and depart Hannah behind to try to save later?
In some methods, I do suppose so as a result of though it’s not the life that Janine would ever need for Charlotte, I do suppose that so long as she’s protected and she or he’s cherished, on the finish of the day, that’s what issues most to Janine. If getting Charlotte out would in any approach threat Charlotte’s life, her security, or her consolation, I don’t suppose Janine would ever threat that.
Is she in any respect comforted that so long as she’s in Gilead, she’s bodily near her daughter?
I feel there’s some consolation there, however as we all know, I feel it’s in Episode 4, Janine has no delusions that simply because Charlotte is with a high-ranking commander [Bradley Whitford‘s Commander Lawrence] that she’s essentially protected. Being in Jezebel’s, she’s realized rather a lot about what these commanders consider one another and what they’re planning, and she or he is aware of that issues can activate a dime. So I feel that every one Janine actually cares about is guaranteeing Charlotte’s security, or on the very least guaranteeing that those that are caring for her are ensuring she stays and stays protected.
Disney / Steve Wilkie
What retains Janine holding on to hope? Do you suppose she had misplaced it earlier than June and Moira [Samira Wiley] confirmed up at Jezebel’s?
I don’t suppose that she had misplaced hope essentially, however I do suppose that it’s taken a special form for her. Janine is a survivor. She’s been a survivor since earlier than Gilead and has been all through her time there. She’s not the one who’s going to prepare the revolt. She’s clearly able to take up arms, for lack of a greater phrase, when that point comes, however that’s not Janine’s place within the revolution. Janine’s place has been to try to hold everybody protected, to maintain them from performing out an excessive amount of. She does a substantial amount of what June did for her. June stored Janine protected. She stored her from performing on her extra intense impulses and getting herself despatched to the colonies or worse. That’s what Janine was doing for these girls at Jezebel’s. I don’t suppose that she’s the mastermind behind any revolt, however she retains them hopeful.
What was Janine’s opinion of Aunt Lydia when she got here to Jezebel’s earlier this season?
It’s robust as a result of I feel that there’s a substantial amount of love between them. I might suppose that Ann would let you know that as effectively. It’s an absurdly sophisticated dynamic, however what Janine says is true. “Each time you attempt to assist me, issues worsen.” They both worsen for me within the bodily place the place I’m, or I’ve to organize women to be in service. Although I don’t have to enter service, I’ve to organize different younger girls to do that. Although at occasions Lydia has had the perfect of intentions, she’s actually, actually harm Janine, and I feel Janine’s additionally bored with being taken care of. She’s reached a degree now the place she’s like, I’m good. I’m pretty much as good as I’m going to get with out being on the wall, so simply depart me be. Let me be right here. Cease attempting to make issues higher. Cease attempting to alter the system whereas nonetheless working with the system. Until you’re working to alter the system, simply depart me alone.
Watching this season, I believed to myself a number of occasions that these people who find themselves obsessive about Janine, a.ok.a. Aunt Lydia and Commander Bell, and make her their “particular woman,” want to depart her the hell alone.
I do know, and each of them have very completely different causes [for their obsessions with Janine]. Bell is rather like a teenage boy. He jogs my memory a bit little bit of Jamie in [Netflix‘s] Adolescence. He’s attempting to puff himself up as an enormous man, which is type of ironic as a result of Tim Simons is like 6’5″. However that apart, he’s a really, very small particular person, and he sees Janine’s vulnerability and desires to reap the benefits of it or to use it or use it to make himself really feel robust.
Disney / Steve Wilkie
However as we all know inside this method in Gilead, males like him can have lots of energy, even when they’re seen within the eyes of different commanders as puny. What hazard does Commander Bell proceed to pose to Janine within the final episodes of the sequence?
He’s an impediment that must be overcome.
How was it working with Timothy Simons, who’s a newcomer on this closing season?
I really like Tim. He was so excited to come back in and discover this character. We had numerous conversations about what the boundaries are of the place is he being sadistic and the place is he being type of a bit boy who needs to be needed. It was actually enjoyable to debate as a result of there’s additionally sure scenes the place I’m pissed at him and irritated by him, after which different scenes the place I’m type of laughing with him and attempting to stability the scales of, when am I utilizing my sexuality and my attraction to maintain him in line and hold him in a spot the place I need him? And taking part in with that whereas additionally exploring every character individually. It was a lot enjoyable. I’ve a lot respect for Tim as an actor and simply as an individual. It was lots of enjoyable.
The taking pictures scene within the Jezebel’s lavatory is without doubt one of the most troublesome scenes to look at in your complete sequence. How did manufacturing deal with filming such a terrifying scene sensitively? What preparations went into that?
Oh gosh. Nicely, I imply, truthfully, not a lot. It’s unusual to say that, oh, I didn’t actually put together for the scene, nevertheless it’s actually letting Janine stay by me, as foolish as that sounds. I’ve been together with her for thus lengthy, and my solely aim was to be their protector, as a result of that’s who Janine can be, in my view. To the final and closing moments, she would attempt to defend them. And as we see, I feel in some methods, Janine would’ve favored to have gone with them as a result of simply the actual torture of watching her mates be murdered in entrance of her, and there’s nothing she will do regardless of how a lot she loves them and has tried to guard them and hold them protected and hold them effectively, it’s only a second of utter grief and helplessness.
And a part of the horror, too, is not only witnessing it, however having to stay with that reminiscence afterwards. How does Janine address that?
What retains her going a bit when she will get taken to Bell’s home is simply the truth that she is aware of June is on the market someplace. June and Moira are on the market someplace attempting to make issues higher. And I feel that Janine additionally acknowledges that she’s higher for the trigger if she’s alive relatively than useless.
Disney / Steve Wilkie
As we method the ultimate episodes of the sequence, how concerned is Janine on this disaster of religion that we see brewing inside Aunt Lydia? [Dowd will reprise her role as a main character in The Testaments spinoff, which is currently filming in Canada.]
The way in which you get Lydia to know what she’s finished is that she is aware of that she in a roundabout way owes Janine. I don’t know that anyone might pack that very same punch for Lydia as a lot as Janine can. As a result of June hasn’t been again in Gilead with Lydia shortly, however Janine has been right here together with her and dwelling by Esther [Mckenna Grace] and exhibiting Lydia that her particular women are in Jezebel’s. Janine’s tried a number of occasions to get Lydia to see the sunshine of it, particularly throughout this season. And so the one that has to place that nail within the coffin for Lydia must be Janine.
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