Watching The Handmaid’s Story for the primary time, the inevitable query quickly rises: how did a spot as oppressive and merciless as Gilead come to be? Over six seasons, we’ve realized the Gilead origin story by way of flashbacks sprinkled into the principle narrative—one thing that feels more and more like a cautionary story for American viewers in 2025—and the Hulu present has additionally crammed in blanks for its major gamers. However in a latest episode, it gave us one other recent look into one character’s life “earlier than.”
We’ve lengthy been fascinated with Serena Pleasure Waterford, deftly performed by Yvonne Strahovski as a girl who backed Gilead’s right-wing Christian agenda from the beginning and married Fred Waterford, who turned the highly effective Commander Waterford as soon as the USA underwent its compelled transformation. Although Serena was as soon as a preferred creator and political speaker, she willingly put her profession apart and have become a dutiful spouse—for a time.
As The Handmaid’s Story has progressed, we’ve realized Serena is much from a one-note zealot. Her need to grow to be a mom guided a few of her most odious actions, however she ultimately proved she wasn’t too inflexible to appreciate her failings as a human being—and commenced to really feel deep remorse about her half in turning the world the wrong way up.
In episode two, “Exile,” viewers acquired to fulfill Serena’s father for the primary time. (Her mom, who lives in Gilead, made an disagreeable impression again in season three and hasn’t been seen since.) There are two flashbacks within the episode, which within the present’s current day follows Serena’s choice to return to Gilead—particularly, the extra reformed New Bethlehem area, the place she thinks she’ll have the ability to ease her guilt and get again on the trail God has envisioned for her.
Her relationship along with her father, a pastor, is part of the Serena puzzle the present’s been eager to discover, in keeping with The Handmaid’s Story creator Bruce Miller. Talking to the Wrap, he defined, “We’ve realized about her, however that is actually fascinating, as a result of it’s not a few relationship she selected, like with Fred … Right here, you’re like, how did you grow to be the girl you’re? I feel that’s the actually fascinating query now, since you’ve plumbed the depths of Serena to know what’s there, the girl that’s there. So once you get to season six, you’re asking the query of, what was her father like? And I don’t suppose you’re originally, as a result of I feel she has one million relationships in her life, however that one will get way more fascinating once you understand how a lot metal she has.”
The 2 scenes with Serena’s father unfold a number of years aside; within the first one, she’s simply met Fred and her father is congratulating her on her ebook tour. Within the second, her father—who is way older and extra frail-looking—listens as she excitedly tells him “We’re about to vary the nation!”
At that time she thinks she’s making good on her father’s earlier urgings to be a beacon for the motion—however after all we all know her marriage to Fred will probably be stuffed with distress, and the “adjustments” she helped spearhead will carry horror and tragedy, not “a brand new Backyard of Eden” as she envisions. Maybe she’s hoping New Bethlehem will probably be that as a substitute? You may by no means predict what Serena will do, however she does have an incredible manner of at all times touchdown on her toes.
You may watch new episodes of The Handmaid’s Story Tuesdays on Hulu.
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