Name: The Handmaid's Tale season 5 episode 8
Director: Natalia Leite
Released: 2022-10-26T09:30:00

The Handmaid’s Tale ‘Motherland’ delivers some positive news for the central characters while also setting the final pieces of the action to commence.

Recap

The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 episode 8 opens with June and the rest of the family being perturbed by the anti-American protestors outside.

Meanwhile, Lawrence addresses other commanders while giving them a tour of his ambition — New Bethlehem. He describes this new land as “a modernized, strategically liberalized island that Gilead refugees can come home with amnesty…”

His proposal entails projecting a far better and more benevolent image of Gilead to the world which would eventually help them become a UN member too.

There is some reluctance from certain individuals but Lawrence successfully quells any and all kinds of resistance for now.

He has gathered quite a significant amount of power and now wishes to get Nick by his side, for the journey that lies ahead.

He later goes to Canada and meets June, pitching her the idea of moving to New Bethlehem and getting the chance to reunite with Hannah.

Meanwhile, Serena’s problems continue to get worse as her son’s custody is in the Wheelers’ hands. Later on, Lawrence meets her too and tells her that she’s got to live in one of the rooms inside the Wheeler mansion if she wants to be with his son.

Mark Tuello arrives and tells June to not take Lawrence up on his offer, also sharing confidential information that America is to take military action on Gilead soon, and that she shouldn’t go there because others will follow her lead.

However, June isn’t fond of the secrecy on top of being no help to her at all. June and Luke have a spat as well, with the latter trying to talk her out of going to Gilead.

She doesn’t budge and says she’d have to go alone, with Luke and Nicole staying. She then meets with Serena who asks her for the help of the judicial kind.

June reminds her that they aren’t friends and also that she hasn’t forgiven her, nor can she ever do. Serena asks her what would she do if she were in her place.

June puts it straight and simple, telling her to go to the Wheelers and stay as their handmaid, being cordial and abiding all the while plotting and planning her revenge, like she did when she was Serena’s handmaid.

Serena does just that and at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale ‘Motherland’, she has returned to the Wheeler mansion and tolerates a lot of disparaging and dehumanising remarks by Mrs Wheeler.

She tolerates it all because the prize at the end is worth all that venom, as she gets to hold Noah once more.

Before The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 episode 8 rolls the credits, June gets a call from Tuello. He breaks the news that they’ve tracked down Hannah’s school and will be conducting a raid there.

June breaks the news to Luke and Moira and all rejoice amidst a thousand emotions and responses to years of efforts and trauma before the episode comes to a close.

Review

The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 episode 8 is rife with tears just streaming down everyone’s eyes like it’s nobody’s business. There’s a lot of emotional whiplash going on here.
June and Luke have a tussle and a tug of war to decide whether to return to Gilead or not. June puts it rather coldly how Luke hasn’t done anything for the past years.
However, the couple, later on, reconciles when they get the news that Hannah might be rescued, however, it might very well be another pipe dream or a palace made out of cards.
The best parts of The Handmaid’s Tale right now are those containing June and Serena, highlighting and expanding on the parallel between them.
Lawrence is gaining the momentum and strength that seem like the last boost before his dreams come crashing down.
One can’t have anything nice in The Handmaid’s Tale, but if Lawrence’s New Bethlehem plan does see the light of day, the climactic sequence of events, with all the dots connected and coming together, seems very plausible and near.