u/HyperLexi

This is minor compared to all of the major developments of this most recent episode. I'm still processing the bigger stuff. In the meantime, I was a bit thrown off when Daisy, in her faux panic in the dentist's waiting room, was quoting from the 23rd Psalm. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because I know He is with me." Having had a very religious upbringing, I have memories of memorizing the King James version which differs slightly. ("Yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me.") For some reason, it surprises me that they would use a more modern interpretation (New International or something?). It seems like the original King James would be more their style. Are they maybe trying to portray that she memorized it wrongly because she is a novice? Or are all of their scriptures taken from a more modern version? This is the first time I really noticed which scripture they were quoting or which version thereof. Has anyone paid more attention to it than I have and noticed any patterns? Or any theories as to why they would use a more modern interpretation while being so old fashioned in other ways?

When Agnes was showing Daisy all of the things she had collected at the beach, speculating on what each item might be and imagining the people who might have used them, I kept hearing in my head, "You want thingamabobs? I got twenty!" It was interesting to discover that whether she has suppressed memories of her pre-Gilead life, or just a vague longing for life outside of her current norm, she is very aware on some level that there is more to life out there than what she is being allowed to experience, that she wants more and may possibly come to realize that she deserves more. She "wants to be where the people are", wants to find her legs, and find her voice. I thought her stash of "whatsits galore" was a simple but clever way to be able to convey all of that in one short scene. I'm not disney-obsessed or anything, just familiar with scenes and songs which the children in my life have enjoyed through the years. But I found it to be an interesting parallel which was a very effective way of bringing us into Agnes's perspective. (edited typo)

Does anyone know, is the school they attend just a school for elite girls in general, or is it specifically for wives-in-training? I get the impression that it's the latter, but if so, then if fates intervene to send one or more of them onto a different path, would they then have to be transferred to aunt training elsewhere? Then the girls would have to sneak around to meet up if they want to try to maintain their supportive friendships, since such friendship is discouraged or even downright forbidden. Not that any of them will be in school for much longer since they're being fast-tracked to become child brides. I'm just curious what challenges they may face to be able to keep in touch once their lives start drastically changing and possibly diverging.

I try to give Agnes's dad the benefit of doubt, because he seems to be the only father who is even remotely reluctant about marrying the girls off so young. He made lame excuses to justify it, citing bogus scientific "facts" to rationalize the need for a "new normal" for something that should never be normalized, but I try to hold out hope that he will come to his senses and find a way to steer her onto a safer path (if any exists in Gilead). However, there was an additional scene which is making it hard to hold onto that hope.

When they were in the car on the way home from the ball, he says to her that he wished her mother could have seen her, and she would have been so proud. My initial reaction was to think what a sweet moment it was. They were making a connection through their shared memories of Tabitha, and their shared loss thereof. But my bubble burst when he went on to say, "We'll tell her all about it when we get home."

It was clear then that he was referring to Paula, and it proved how deliberately oblivious he was to the tension between Agnes and Paula, how cruelly Paula treats Agnes, how begrudgingly she addresses her as Mother... So apparently, it wasn't just a one-off but a consistent pattern to tell himself pretty lies about how ideal the situation is, to sugar coat reality into something more palatable, rather than face it head on and seek solutions. It's so far from the truth to think Paula would be proud of Agnes, when all she ever does is belittle her or even threaten her. But he was more than willing to pretend it's all peaches and cream, for his own benefit, to help himself sleep better at night, and no benefit to Agnes whatsoever.

It also shows that he doesn't think very highly of wives, to speak of them as if each one is interchangeable, replaceable, disposable... Insisting on naming Paula "Mother" and acting as if Tabitha never existed. By placing such little significance on his own wives, what message is that sending his daughter to know that he supports her becoming one? Regardless of how reluctant that support, the damage is done.

Commander W on the other hand, is not oblivious to the dynamics between Agnes and Paula. He uses it to gain his own advantage by siding with Agnes against Paula. I feel like Agnes may have been less vulnerable if she hadn't been so hungry for the validation her father denied her. If she had a healthier more reality-based relationship with her dad, she may be better equipped to recognize her fiancé's manipulation for what it is. (Weird to refer to someone old enough to be her grandfather as her fiancé!)

I keep "almost" seeing glimpses of redeeming qualities in Commander McK, but he keeps missing opportunities and disappointing me. He may be the lesser evil compared to others, but he's still a "rod of flesh" when all is said and done.

Aside from the obvious and blatant predation of the perverted dentist, these poor girls are in general being groomed to believe that grown men preying on young girls is the expected norm. They consistently refer to Commander Judd as "young", while in fact he has silver hairs in his beard and is clearly old enough to be the girls' father. Hearing them refer to him as "young" makes us aware that in comparison to him, the vast majority of perspective husbands for them are downright geriatric, old enough to be their grandfathers. The only actual young man eligible for marriage is Garth, and even he as a young adult has a clear advantage over young teenagers in terms of life experience.

It's no secret that there is an enormous power imbalance between men and women in Gillead, but the Testaments are shedding light on the astronomical age differences as well. It wasn't as evident in the HMT because so much else was going on, but it is definitely an underlying issue which the entire hierarchy is founded upon. Their bragging rights about having higher fertility rates than the norm become so sinister when the realization dawns that they are bringing children into the world just so they can traffic them. Tragic!

Any thoughts on this? Do you think this dynamic was their sick intention all along, or did it just end up that way because the society has its roots in evil and this is the form it eventually took?