Recap / The Handmaid's Tale S 5 E 4 Dear Offred

At the park with Nichole, June is accosted by a woman who tells her how lucky she was to have been in Gilead so she could give birth to her daughter. Serena is released from the custody of the United States and free to be the ambassador of Gilead values. Tuello delivers the news to June, Luke, and Moira.

Tropes present in this episode

• Action Girl: June shows it again when she quick draws her gun at a misogynistic Gilead supporter who has the audacity to punch a refugee and immediately getting him to stand down. Had Luke and Moira not been present to talk her down and get her away after she fires into the air, he'd be dead.
• Armor-Piercing Response: Luke civilly comes to Serena to tell her that he's going to try and take down the Gilead embassy unless she helps to bring Hannah home. Serena responds by snidely reminding Luke that even though Hannah (who she pointedly calls "Agnes") was in Gilead, he didn't once try and go back for her, even going further by callously pointing out that June tried and got punished repeatedly for it. At that point, Luke is less willing to go the civil route and threatens to kill Serena himself.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Serena’s emancipation from American custody and new position as Gilead’s “cultural ambassador” in Canada goes about as well as one might expect. She's now surrounded by protesters who hate her and everything she stands for on one side, and mentally unhinged absolute believers on the other.
• Dirty Coward: The Gilead fanatic who harasses the refugees in fron of the Gilead Center and punches Moira is reduced to a sniveling mess when June shoved her gun in his chest.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Serena becoming an unofficial “goodwill ambassador” of an oppressive regime in order to improve their international image is similar to Argentinian First Lady Eva Perón touring post-war Europe to promote her husband’s image abroad to mixed results.
• Everyone Has Standards: When June finally gets a clear shot at Serena, she can’t bring herself to pull the trigger when she sees Serena’s pregnant belly.
  • Janine has always put up with Aunt Lydia's abuse and still managed to get along with her surprisingly well, but in this episode she lashes out at Aunt Lydia for her removal of Janine's eye and her treatment of the girls in her care overall.
• I'll Kill You!: Luke pointedly tells Serena that if she comes near his family again, she's a dead woman, either by his hand or by June's.
• In Love with Your Carnage: Luke, now fully in with wanting Serena dead, is turned on by June having and using her gun, and they end up making love—first in the car, then in the bedroom.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Janine's poisoning on top of all of her other traumatic experiences throughout the show have left her jaded, angry, and feeling far less positive than she usually does towards Aunt Lydia.
• Personal Space Invader: Alanis introduces herself to Serena and immediately kneels in front of her, putting her hands on Serena's pregnant belly. Serena looks uncomfortable by the unsolicited touching from a stranger.
• Rage Breaking Point: June is pushing Nichole on the swings when a woman comes to her, making typical small talk. June gets suspicious when the woman claims to recognize her. Just when she is about to leave, the woman tells June how lucky she was to have been in Gilead. June loses it.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • June gives one to Tuello for his inability to do anything to reunite her and Luke with Hannah. As he himself points, her expectations were unrealistic regarding what he is able to do.
    June: God, you are such a fucking disappointment.
  • Janine gives a vicious one to Aunt Lydia for the lack of compassion she shows Esther, after hearing her say that Esther deserves to not wake up after trying to kill her "sister" Janine.
• Sympathetic Slave Owner: Aunt Lydia promises to guide Handmaids with compassion instead of cruelty. She also attempts to reform the Handmaid system to keep Handmaids in Red Centers under Aunts care, but Lawrence outright rejects her idea, pointing out that Commanders want Handmaids as sex slaves.
• Slasher Smile: Alanis gives one unsettling smile to Serena while cradling her bump.