The Handmaid’s Story is lastly again with its sixth and last season. One of many major forged members returning is Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), a robust commander who appears to have a tender spot for a number of the girls, particularly June (Elisabeth Moss). However he’s additionally a robust chief and supporter of Gilead. These conflicting identities and allegiances have grow to be much more difficult in Season 6, making it not possible to know whether or not Lawrence might be trusted.
In Season 5, Lawrence constructed a brand new group referred to as New Bethlehem that he promised would have all the great of Gilead with out the dangerous. He tries to persuade June to maneuver there with Luke (O-T Fagbenle), promising to maneuver Hannah (Jordana Blake) shut by along with her new husband as soon as she’s married. In Season 6, he’s nonetheless making an attempt to construct up the group, however his position in how the story ends is up within the air as a result of he’s probably the most tough characters to determine.
It is Powerful To Decide Whose Facet Lawrence Is on in ‘The Handmaid’s Story’
In Season 6, Episode 4, “Promotion,” Commander Lawrence, who began as one of many present’s supporting characters, has been promoted to Excessive Commander. Later, he’s at Jezebel’s, celebrating with the opposite commanders, commiserating, and having their typical enterprise conferences over cigars and drinks. After all, all the boys mistreat the ladies there as effectively. However Lawrence sits again, talks, and listens, not focused on any of the feminine spoils of the venue.
He can’t let others know that, so after they all joke with him about Janine (Madeline Brewer) and the way he was his former handmaid, Lawrence takes her into one of many rooms to faux to sleep along with her. These aware of the character know he has no intention of harming Janine. As an alternative, he talks along with her and provides her a drawing her daughter made.
He tries to justify his actions when Janine chastises him for having her despatched to this terrible place. He assures her that he solely despatched her there as a result of he knew the alternate options, given her observe report, had been both a sluggish loss of life on the Colonies or a quick one on the wall.
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In that second, followers need to imagine that Commander Lawrence is an efficient particular person. However he nonetheless despatched her to Jezebel’s, arguably a destiny worse than loss of life, versus discovering a approach to save her solely. Though he is aware of all three choices are improper, he chooses what he believes to be the least terrible, which nonetheless falls inside Gilead’s guidelines.
In Season 6, Episode 5, “Janine,” Lawrence lastly has had sufficient of the boys’s terrible conduct in direction of Janine. He stands up for his former handmaid, who, unbeknownst to him, deliberately did one thing to make the boys violent as a result of she knew it could encourage Lawrence to take her right into a room. When he does precisely that, Janine expresses her combined emotions about him. “You’re not a very good man,” she tells him. “Simply in comparison with them, you might be.” It’s probably the most correct description of Lawrence ever to be uttered on the present.
Commander Lawrence Flips, However It is Principally for His Personal Pursuits
Additional including complexity to his story is that, whereas within the room with Janine, she affords him precious information. The ladies minimize a secret gap within the wall beneath a portray, which they often use to listen in on the boys. Lawrence makes use of this gap and hears his fellow commanders speaking poorly of him. Not solely do they need to drive him out of his place in New Bethlehem, however additionally they need to see him on the wall by the top.
In the meantime, June and Moira (Samira Wiley) have been infiltrating Jezebel’s, hoping their plan to kill all of the commanders there’ll work. Lawrence, in truth, virtually acknowledges June, doing a double-take as she scoots out of a room along with her head down, hoping he received’t discover her face.
When their plan is found and a lockdown begins, June and Moira should discover a approach to escape. Luke has been knocked out by a guard, so he’s not their escape car. As they rush out to the parking zone, they discover Lawrence heading out in his automotive, and he offers a sheepish “oh no” sigh when he sees June. He is aware of she all the time brings bother.
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However then he does the unthinkable: he tells her and Moira to get within the trunk and takes them to the security of his home. This as soon as once more suggests he’s a very good man. Nonetheless, is he solely doing this as a result of he’s offended and desires to combat again in opposition to Gilead, and even New Bethlehem, as a result of he is aware of they’re making an attempt to oust him? It’s unclear whether or not he would have performed the identical had he not simply overheard the dialog. He is nonetheless a commander and believes in Gilead’s aim to construct a brand new world order. At occasions, Commander Lawrence’s allegiances appear to lie whichever approach the wind blows.
That is evidenced in an earlier scene when Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) asks him to hope along with her and asks if he has ever actually prayed. She sees by way of the truth that it isn’t faith driving his motivations, however fairly economics. It’s energy and affect, a want to enact change. He doesn’t imagine in the entire “below his eye” doctrine, as Gilead purports in the whole lot it does. The truth is, he has even, prior to now, referred to as different commanders “spiritual nut jobs.”
Contemplating that he’s economically motivated and isn’t so entrenched within the different spiritual beliefs of Gilead, Lawrence is a sophisticated character. If he had been offered with an idea for Gilead that had nothing to do with faith, he would seemingly have been all for it in the identical approach.
A Look Again at Commander Lawrence’s Journey in ‘The Handmaid’s Story’
From his first introduction, it was clear that Commander Lawrence was completely different. He lived together with his mentally ailing spouse, whom he adored. As one of many authentic authors of Gilead’s legislative framework, he has grown conflicted concerning the society he helped create, particularly given its concentrate on faith and the truth that he views himself as religiously agnostic.
It’s clear he’s uncomfortable with sure facets, like The Ceremony with handmaids. This can be a part of the rationale why he chooses controversial outcast handmaids for his house, like Emily (Alexis Bledel), who had been mutilated in one of many saddest scenes of the present, June, and Janine. He is aware of he’ll have the ability to get away with avoiding traditions like The Ceremony, and so they received’t report him. Nonetheless, his spouse additionally as soon as instructed June that the Colonies had been his concept, so he’s not solely harmless of the mistreatment of individuals.
After having June in his home as his handmaid, the place he solely participated in The Ceremony along with her as soon as coerced, he helped her escape. He continued performing as a liaison for her, wanting to assist however making certain he wasn’t implicated. He even confirmed mercy to Emily, serving to her escape so she may get again to her spouse and son, unfazed by the truth that she is a lesbian.
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His focus was on making a utilitarian society pushed by financial prosperity. Typically, he seems okay with the struggling required to get there. Nonetheless, sure facets of Gilead don’t sit effectively with him. It was initially believed that his relationship together with his spouse was the one factor retaining some degree of humanity in him. Nonetheless, following her loss of life, and in these Season 6 moments, Lawrence reveals that he nonetheless has one thing of an ethical compass.
His try to create New Bethlehem is sort of a re-start, with the chance for him to strive once more and make Gilead the best way he initially meant it to be within the first place. This removes necessities, corresponding to girls serving as Marthas and handmaids. He needs girls to have the ability to learn and write. He even appears receptive to Serena’s concept of getting former handmaids work within the fertility clinic as an alternative.
Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) as soon as instructed June that Lawrence was “arduous to learn” and that he “doesn’t prefer to be bored.” This continues to ring true all through the sequence. Whereas Lawrence may solely finally be in it for himself, if the byproduct of that’s serving to June and the resistance, maybe being a very good man solely “in comparison with them” is sufficient. Stream The Handmaid’s Story on Hulu.