The most conflicting commander of the maid’s tale is one of his best characters

There are some terrible women The tale of the maidBut men make up the greater part of their villains. This applies to individual men as Fortunately Commander Fred Waterford, but also “Gilead men” as a collective, depressing, violent, misogynistic whole. The show tends to deal with heavy hands topics, but is also invested in creating complex characters. The most captivating examples are Gilead Insiders, who realize too late that they are trapped in prisons of their own creation.

We are earlier How does it do Serina Joy Waterford (Yvonzhdovski) one of The tale of the maidThe most obscene but interesting, but interesting characters, still loyal in the current sixth season of the show. Over the years, we have seen Serena captured by Canada for war crimes, after which she was released, after which we uneasily said that there was no room for her in Gilead, since his firm culture was not equipped to deal with a single mother. ThenAfter Gillead pulled her out of her sight as a representative in Canada, she had to escape from Toronto when Kerflufff over her immigration status meant she could lose his custody over her son.

Serena made a lot of a soul demand, as for the first time we met her as a pious wife of the commander, all this in favor of the ritualized rape, if it meant she could get her baby gloves. As we learned in lightning to our life “Before”, she was once a powerful author and speaker who pushed the far -right Christian movement, which led to the existence of Gillead … Gilead, a place where women were not allowed to read or write and anyone who dares to speak is quickly fulfilled.

Fortunately for Serena, her husband Fred did not order her to be killed when he comes out of the line; He just cuts his finger as a punishment. But her conflict feelings for Gilead have crystallized a lot when the first season begins. She now understands the harm she has caused both to the people who have been personally damaged by her actions and her guilty to help build a terrible regime.

After realizing too late that she is too famous to slip around, Serina barely escapes an angry crowd that is too ready to tear her apart. She is indeed a woman without a state, while commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) suddenly reappeared in her life, as seen in the second episode of Exile Season, Season. It is appropriate that Serena and Lawrence become allies on behalf of New Bethlehem, his “reformed” version of Gilead, because like her, he is constantly struggling with the guilty anxiety that he had a hand to bring a nightmare, which is Gilead to Life.

This week episode “Promotion” refers to the elevation of Lawrence from the commander to High Commander, a ranking that helps to give legitimacy to the newly hatched new Bethlehem. It is still part of Gilead, but in New Vetlehem, women are treated much more; They can read and write and there are no servants. (Also, there are no public executions!) Serena should not even personally see her elegant beach homes before agreeing to move there; The promise of being able to use his brain again is irresistible, as well as the feeling that God who once ruled it is so wrong is now directing it along the way to make corrections.

Lawrence may be the least religious person in Gillead – he does not ask him to recite prayer – but he can certainly be identified with Serena’s desire for redemption. Lawrence joined The tale of the maid In the second season, after we have long been accustomed to assuming that anyone who walks, calling themselves a “commander”, is a monster, hating a woman. But Lawrence, although known as the Gilead Architect, is not a monster. Dedicated to his wife throughout her long fight against mental illness, he treats women who are forced to serve in his home with benevolence – he has servants because all the commanders must, but he avoids rape of the “ceremony” and at first glance the only commander who sees him for what he really is.

He also turns out to be an ally for June (Elizabeth Moss) and the movement of resistance; Although he is not exactly an active participant, he often uses his status as a commander to mistakenly direct the nasal soldiers of Gillead. It transmits information, offers shelter and facilitates secret transportation, sometimes moaning, but always saves life in the process. At least externally, it is part of Gillead’s elite, maintaining appearances and going through the movements. But especially since his beloved wife dies and he is pressed to marry the piercing widow of an executed commander (the crime of the dead: rape of a maid who was not His Service), Lawrence is moving at full speed forward of New Bethlehem.

Lawrence knows that he cannot cancel the significant damage he has caused, but believes he has found a way forward with New Bethlehem. The rest of the world understandably rejected the Draconian lifestyle of Gilead – but it remains curious about the positive changes in the environment that have come into force, and especially all the successful pregnancies that happen within its borders. New Bethlehem also provides a more enjoyable point for a return to Canada and other countries that have become overcome with desperate Gilead refugees. They do not want to send people to a place known for growing human rights violations, but New Vetlehem is different, right?

With Serena Joy completely aboard and Lawrence confident that “power will come from the reform”, there is a moment in the hope that New Bethlehem can direct Gilead to a more progressive future. There is still much of a sixth season and it seems likely that the “Gilead men” who The tale of the maid Viewers have grown as president, they will not easily part with their cruel dystopic paradise.

At least we have Lawrence – sarcastic, depressed, but wrongly delayed and, although deluded at times, undoubtedly smart as hell – to remind us that not every commander is not disgusting for the base. The show itself seemed to emphasize this point this week when instead of playing a song over the Devotion end loans instead uses Lawrence Reading’s voice The little princess to Angela, his daughter of a young child. In the episode, he had presented the story, saying that it was his first wife’s favorite book when she was little and promised Angela – a child born in a society where women were not allowed to be literate – that after being old enough, she would be able to read herself.

New episodes of The tale of the maid Season six arrive Tuesday at 12 o’clock ET of Hulu.