I haven’t written anything about thmt yet but I want to put my two pence in on ep8.
So during this episode we seen June retaliating against Ofmathew because of Ofmathews betrayal. She’s playing the classic ‘mean girl’ and her ‘friends’ are joining in on it with the exception of Janine.
I don’t think it’s fair to solely blame June for bullying Ofmathew. An allegiance has formed between these women. June didn’t need to tell them to isolate Ofmathew just as she didn’t need to tell them not to throw stones at Jeannine. There’s an unspoken rule between them all now and Ofmathew went against it.
Do I think Ofmathew deserved the treatment she received? Yes and no. What Ofmathew did was break the trust these women had. It’s understandable that they would feel angry and hurt by her actions and thus result to pettiness. But Ofmathew is a victim of Gilead. She was brainwashed and has been desperately trying to convince herself Gilead and it’s laws are right. She was already vulnerable and fighting an internal battle when these women ganged up on her. Janine sympathised with her because she knows what that’s like, she’s been in the same boat.
I think the final scene really showed that June is loosing touch with herself. She’s put her trust and hopes into a wide range of people and been let down one way or another by all of them. She’s coming to terms with the fact that she’s most likely to never see Hannah again and that Nichole could be returned to the nightmare she’s living in. Her children are her ONLY reason to live. She has bottles full of anger and the lids are popping off.
This episode and the previous also showed another thing. While June isn’t telling the other Handmaids what to do they are definitely influenced by her. She’s become the ‘Leader’ of this group and these women feel the need to protect her/back her up. We’re all seeing this in a bad light due to the treatment of Ofmathew but this could also be used for good. June is going to turn her attention back towards the rebellion with the Martha’s and with her influence the majority of the handmaids will join her.
