Recap / The Handmaids Tale S 2 E 9 Smart Power

The Commander and Mrs Waterford go to Canada on a diplomatic arrangement with the Canadian Government. Moira sees them on TV and recognises Fred as the commander in June's house, and tells Luke. Luke publicly confronts Waterford about kidnapping and raping June, holding a photograph of himself, June, and Hannah before Gilead. Now aware that Luke is June's husband, Nick makes contact with him and gives him the bundle of letters from women inside Gilead. Luke, Moira, and Erin decide to put the letters online, which causes outrage in Canada at the truth of what Gilead is like, and as a consequence the Waterfords are told to leave and the talks with the Canadian government are over.

Tropes:

• Armor-Piercing Response:
  • When Serena is trying to convince Mark Tuello (and herself) that she is content with her life in Gilead.
    Serena: I have a child on the way.
    Mark Tuello: That's not your child.
  • And again, when he presses her to defect and she refuses:
    Serena: [referring to Gilead] I won't betray my country.
    Mark: [referring to America] I thought you already did.
• Babies Ever After: Mark tells Serena of the advances in their fight against infertility and promises an opportunity to help her in this regard if she abandons Gilead. Not surprisingly, Serena doesn't take the bait.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Serena Joy impliedly feels this all throughout the episode as she's treated with contempt by nearly everyone she encounters in Canada. She's expected to play the devoted wife and present Gilead as a society where women aren't repressed while she's surrounded by liberated women.
• Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: June's narration describing her room in the Waterford house:
  This could be an Airbnb. Not a great one. Three-star reviews, maybe.
  "Amazing house, tons of character, nice view of the yard.
  Owners are super polite, but creepy as fuck.
  Some ritualized rape required."
• Comically Missing the Point: When Nick tells June that Moira also made it out of Gilead and is living with Luke, June can only respond with "they'll kill each other." Granted, it was more of a cathartic moment for her.
• Crazy-Prepared: Mark researched Serena extensively before attempting to confront her in the bar. His use of a cigarrette in a no-smoking zone was a deliberate ploy to get her attention, not to mention get her to a more private area of the bar.
• Didn't See That Coming: The Waterfords were clearly not prepared for the cool treatment they would receive from the Canadian dignitaries, nor the uproar caused by the letters published by Luke, Moira, and Erin as they didn't even know of the existence of said letters.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: This episode aired the week following the G7 summit hosted in Canada, both which features a controversial representative from beyond the southern Canadian border leaving early (although in Fred's case, they were kicked out). Not only that, but Fred also cites "misinformation" about life in Gilead when he is confronted by Luke.
  • Ooh - even better. The recent protests against Trump in the UK? Based on Twitter chatter as it aired on Channel 4 on Sunday 15 July 2018...
• Drunk with Power: Isaac, a 20 year old Gilead Guardian, is placed in charge of the Waterford household while Fred and Serena go to Canada. Other than Eden, he treats the women at the household with disdain, orders June and Janine to stop talking, and clocks Janine when she acts out.
• Even Evil Has Standards: June convinces Aunt Lydia to watch over her baby when she inevitably has to leave the Waterfords' home in the future by telling her of her fears that since Fred is okay with hitting a woman, he's probably okay with hitting a child.
• {Foreshadowing}: Isaac is curt at best and violent at worst to nearly every woman we see him interact with in this episode, but politely asks Eden what kind of dessert she's making and even lets her feed him a spoonful.
• Get Out!: After the letters from inside Gilead go public on the Internet, the Canadian government immediately orders the Waterfords to leave.
  Minister Kevin McConnell: [curtly] You and your wife are no longer welcome in Canada.
• Humiliation Conga: The Waterfords get this in spades while in Canada, although it is Serena who suffers the brunt of it.
  • Serena is driven around Toronto and witnesses the life that she no longer has in Gilead. Fred shows his annoyance at this.
  • The welcoming party includes a female diplomat and a gay politician who simply sneers at Gilead's policies against homosexuality. None of them even address Serena's presence, except for Genevieve, who hands Serena an itinerary of cultural activities
  • Serena gets handed a wordless itinerary containing only icons, reflective of the Gilead Doctrine that says women are forbidden to read. Not only that, the female official that she is talking to highlights reading as one of her hobbies when she's not working, also stressing that she's constantly busy with work.
  • Serena gets the cold shoulder from a woman with a child; said woman is well aware of what Serena represents and is eager to get away from her.
  • Serena is approached by a representative of the American Government who tries to convince her to defect against Gilead, offering her the possibility of having a child truly of her own, while aware of Serena's actions and role in the rise of Gilead and curtly labels them as treason when she argues that she would never betray her country.
  • Although protests were expected during their visit, Fred and Serena are taken aback when Fred is confronted by Luke, with Serena realizing who Luke is.
  • Both Fred and Serena are told to leave Canada after Luke, Moira, and Erin upload the Gilead letters online. The diplomat that welcomed Fred and Serena whispers to her wondering how can she live with herself.
  • The airport confrontation with the anti-Gilead protestors is the final one for both, although Fred dismissed the Canadian lead diplomat as a coward, he's stunned by the appearance of Moira (whom he knew as Ruby), complete with "My Name Is Moira" sign.
• Internal Reveal
  • Fred, Serena, and Nick are made aware that Luke is June's husband.
  • June learns that Luke and Moira are alive, and that Moira's living with Luke.
  • Luke learns that June is still alive and pregnant, but Nick tells her it's Fred's child.
  • Fred learns that Moira (who he knew as Ruby) made it out of Gilead.
• Insult Backfire: Serena dismisses Mark's offer of asylum as "Treason and Coconuts". Mark reverses this by saying that Serena had already committed treason when she helped the Sons of Jacob seize power.
• Not So Stoic: Fred remains calm and cynic when confronted by Luke and even when he's told to leave Canada, however, the massive protest as his limo departs and the appearance of Moira shake his confidence and he grows visibly nervous.
• Parenthetical Swearing: When the Waterfords are kicked out of Canada, Mrs. Waterford is told by Claudine Fournier "I don't know how you live with yourself. It's sad, what they've done to you." Looking distressed and not knowing how to respond, Mrs. Waterford croaks out "Go in grace", in a tone that makes it sound a lot like "Go fuck yourself."
• Politeness Judo: Canada's government officials are unfailingly polite or at least tactful in their interactions with the Waterfords...but the delegation is composed almost entirely of people who would never occupy such powerful positions in Gilead. Most notably, the Secretary of Immigration remarks how much he used to enjoy visiting the United States with his husband, and says they will return when they feel welcome. Along with that, the cultural schedule Serena is given is entirely pictographic rather than in words, showing that they know that women in Gilead are forbidden to read.
• Powder Keg Crowd: Averted with the first group of protesters, seemigly the American refugees, of which only Luke moves to confront the Waterfords. Later, after the letters are published online, the mob of people protesting the departing Gilead's representatives grows larger, and a few throw a red liquid at the Waterfords' limo.
• Redemption Rejection: Serena rejects Tuello's offer and, once back home, burns the matchbox he left at her table.
• Rule of Symbolism: The greenhouse visited by Serena in Canada is lush and thriving, while Serena's is suffering from moss again.
• Shut Up, Kirk!: Fred softly calls Stuart Willison, of the Canadian PMO, a coward after the latter tells him he and his wife are no longer welcome in Canada.
• Sudden Principled Stand: Normally, Canada is considered to be a progressive nation in terms of rights and social issues, and their allowance of the Waterfords' visit causes tension with the American Government in exile (not to mention that even some within the Canadian delegation are also uncomfortable with the Waterfords' visit). But when the letters are published, the Canadians turn hostile against the Waterfords almost immediately and force them to leave. However, this may be justified by the fact that Gilead, though only a fraction of the size and power of the former United States, still poses a threat to Canadian security and thus the Canadian government reluctantly put forth a token gesture of cooperation in the interests of at least temporarily soothing Gilead.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The Waterfords learn that the repressive policies of Gilead are not welcome at the world stage (at least in Canada, as Mexico was already interested in the Handmaid program), especially after the publishing of the Gilead letters, which prompts the Canadian government to cut ties with Gilead and orders the Waterfords to leave Canadian soil.
• Tears of Joy: June when Nick gives her Luke's message, and tells her that Moira made it to Canada.
• Waving Signs Around: At the protests when the Waterfords arrive in Canada are many people holding photos of loved ones trapped in Gilead. After the release of the letters, the same thing except the women are holding signs that say "My Name Is ___".
• Would Hit a Girl: Isaac clocks Janine when the latter talks back to him.
  • June, speaking to Aunt Lydia, says that in her experience someone who would hurt a woman Would Hurt a Child.