“The Handmaid’s Tale ”recap: With Jezebel’s shuttered, Mayday pivots to a new plan

Key Points

• Commander Wharton’s closure of Jezebel’s also includes its workers’ brutal execution by firing squad.

• Janine is spared at the brothel, but may suffer a worse fate as Bell’s new handmaid.

• Serena meticulously plans her nuptials to Wharton, while June and Mayday plan to make it a red wedding.

Last week’s episode of The Handmaid’s Tale concluded in Serena’s closet, where fans were left as shocked and disappointed as June (Elisabeth Moss) upon learning of Nick’s (Max Minghella) betrayal. But as episode 7, “Shattered,” opens, we discover that the young commander’s deception carries far worse consequences than simply foiling Mayday’s plans.

As promised, High Commander Wharton (Josh Charles) has closed Jezebel’s, circumventing the rebellion’s plot to massacre Gilead’s most unsavory leaders. Shuttering the brothel, however, also includes brutally executing all its sex workers.

In a heartbreaking scene, the girls are violently rounded up and forced to stand against a wall before being gunned down by the guardians. Thanks to a last minute call to one of the executioners though, Janine (Madeline Brewer) is pulled from the firing line and spared.

Back in New Bethlehem, June – still hiding in the closet – glares at Nick while they wait for Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and Wharton to go for a walk. When they’re finally able to talk freely about Nick’s treachery, he tells June that Janine survived. But June’s still processing what’s happened. “Are they dead?” she shakily asks him. He confirms her worst nightmare, but tries to defend his actions, saying he never specifically implicated the girls.

June won’t hear any of it – she just wants Nick to take her back over the border. En route,  she demands to be let out of the car before they reach their destination. Nick pursues her on foot, trying to explain himself. He recalls the two guardians he killed in No Man’s Land, and reminds her that senseless bloodshed never bothered her when it was serving her purpose. She’s still not having it. Before leaving him behind, she tells him he’s just like the other commanders.

When we return to Gilead, Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) is walking through the destroyed Jezebel’s. On the floor, among the mess, she finds the picture Janine’s daughter drew. Unaware her favorite girl was saved at the last moment, she holds the cherished keepsake to her chest and begins sobbing.

Her deep sadness is soon replaced by overwhelming relief and joy, however, when she returns to the Red Center. There, another aunt informs her that Janine was not only spared, but has been re-posted as a handmaid. The news is bittersweet though, as Janine’s abuser, Commander Bell (Timothy Simons), has specifically requested her for this post. Of course, Lydia has no knowledge of Bell’s mistreatment of Janine, so she releases a torrent of “Praise be”-filled tears.

Back over the border, June has returned to Mayday headquarters. Luke (O-T Fagbenle) gives his wife a hug, and tells her the rebellion is trying to suss out what happened at Jezebel’s. June  says it was all Nick’s doing. Her husband scolds her for trusting a commander, then calls her out for still having feelings for him. Through tears, she tells him she doesn’t know what to do. He’s in no mood to comfort her, so instead fires back, “Don’t be in love with a f—ing nazi. How ’bout that?”

In New Bethlehem, Nick’s drowning his sorrows in a bottle and burning more bridges. Rita (Amanda Brugel) pays him a visit, asking if June made it safely out of Gilead. Recognizing he’s not in a good place, she tries to be positive and supportive. But he accuses Rita of just leveraging their “friendship” to help her reunite her family. She encourages him to be a good person and do the right thing, but he’s too far gone. He tells her she’s on her own.

From Nick’s depressing, dimly lit office we move to a cheery, sun-filtered living room, where the commanders’ wives have surprised Serena with a bridal shower. The joyous occasion soon turns sour, however, when the women begin disparaging New Bethlehem. Between sips of tea, the women insult the reformed community’s refugees, and parrot their husbands’ opinions of it being too “radical” and “reckless.”

To Serena’s dismay, they also mock her idea of ex-handmaids working as attendants at the fertility center she intends to open in New Bethlehem. Serena, being Serena, doesn’t hold her tongue, but defends the handmaids and suggests the wives think for themselves. But her pleas mostly fall on deaf ears, including those of Naomi, who dismisses and patronizes her.

Later that day, Serena voices her concerns about the wives’ dismissiveness to Wharton. He suggests she remind them who they’re dealing with, the future wife of the highest ranking commander. They both agree the best way to send this message is by holding a grand wedding, a proper Gilead celebration that’ll showcase them on a global stage. Wharton wants to invite Marthas, aunts, and handmaids, so everyone is brought together and represented. Of course, he sees himself and his trophy wife sitting comfortably at the top of this food chain.

At Mayday HQ, June’s receiving the cold shoulder from pretty much everyone, save for Moira (Samira Wiley). Her friend reminds her of all the good Nick previously did, and insinuates she shouldn’t blame herself for his betrayal. Coming off the good convo with Moira, June attempts to reconcile with Luke. She apologizes to her husband, and essentially gives him the okay to move on from their marriage if that’s what he desires. But while he concurs he may have reason to leave her, he concedes that he loves her and can’t give her up.

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It seems Commander Lawrewnce (Bradley Whitford) can’t let June go either, as he soon arrives with Agent Tuello (Sam Jaeger). Following Jezebel’s blood-soaked closure, he wants her help devising a new plan to eliminate the other commanders. But June’s done. After what happened at the brothel, she’s heading back to Alaska to be with her mom and baby Nichole. In trying to convince her to stay, Lawrence unfavorably compares her to Serena, talks of her frenemy’s upcoming nuptials, and tells her Janine is alive, but posted at Bell’s.

It’s the mention of Serena’s grand Gilead wedding that stops June in her tracks and ignites a spark in her. We next see her in the rebellion’s war room, cooking up a new plan to use the ceremony as a second chance to carry out Mayday’s commander-murdering mission. Like a 5-star general, she lays out her plan of attack. She confidently talks of arming the handmaids, smuggling in weapons, igniting Luke’s still-unused bombs, and leveraging what’s left of Tuello’s military, all while Serena’s back in New Bethlehem taste-testing cakes, fussing over seating charts, and picking out flowers.

While Mayday’s new plan – which also includes 10 vials of a mysterious white substance snuck into Gilead – quickly comes together, Lydia’s begins to crumble. She excitedly heads to Commander Bell’s house to visit Janine with some clothing and personal items. When Bell greets her at the door with a smile, she praises him for saving Janine and taking her in as his handmaid.

But Lydia becomes suspicious when he won’t let her inside to visit. Bell also tells her he’s working on “adjusting” Janine to her new life, and that she cannot attend the wedding because she’s “not ready for public viewing.” As Lydia leaves, she spies a severely bruised Janine staring out the window. The two make brief eye contact before Bell’s wife violently pulls Janine away.

When Lydia returns to the Red Center, Lawrence is waiting for her. He’s arranged for her to visit D.C. to meet with the Department of Reallocation about moving the ex-handmaids to New Bethlehem’s fertility center. Lydia’s delighted, but doesn’t want to miss the big wedding. She asks to postpone, but Lawrence insists she leave right away.

Meanwhile, another aunt sneaks outside to Lawrence’s parked vehicle. She distracts a patrolling guardian, then pops the trunk of the High Commander’s car. June and Moira are hiding inside. The aunt sneaks them into the Red Center’s basement, where she tells them the Marthas and handmaids have been brought up to speed on the wedding massacre mission. She also updates them on Janine’s predicament.

On her way up from getting June and Moira settled, the aunt runs into Lydia, who’s immediately suspicious. The aunt/Mayday ally assures her everything is fine, and that she’ll take good care of the handmaids in her absence. Before leaving to catch her plane, Lydia peers into the basement.

Downstairs in the dark, the weight of what June has planned begins to sink in. Moira looks nervous and asks her friend to inspire her with some words of leadership. Sitting on the floor with their backs resting against a shelf, they bundle up, put their game faces on, and remind themselves that they’re there to save Janine and all the other oppressed women of Gilead.

June then begins reciting Psalm 23. She faithfully delivers the prayer aloud, but adds her own colorful verse at the very end. Rather than stopping at “…and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,”  she briefly pauses, then continues: “And please, dear God, give us the strength to murder those goddamn motherf—ers.”  Without missing a beat, Moira responds, “A-f—ing-men.”

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