During the previous four episodes of The Testaments, we’ve heard all about a dance coming up.
Now it’s time for the ball, and all goes as you would expect with the men these Commanders are.
After all, who would expect the men to actually be respectful of the women when they don’t view them as anywhere near equals?
The Testaments Gets a Little Bridgeton-y
While watching The Testaments Season 1 Episode 5, I couldn’t help but think of the past. That’s what this episode reminded me of.
I felt like I was back in the 1800s, as the women were brought out into Society. There were elements of Bridgerton thrown in, although we still get the darker undertones of The Handmaid’s Tale’s Gilead.
The girls want to marry well. The men of Gilead have managed to bring it all back to that time period, and I found myself thinking about the easier life it could be.
That would be if the men respected the women around them.
The Aunts find themselves powerless to prevent the girls from getting drunk, and it’s got nothing to do with the girls sneaking alcohol.
The Commanders are the ones at fault. These are grown men plying teenagers with alcohol to do whatever they want to them.
Poor Becka is at risk of being blamed for not even really understanding what is going on.
She should be able to rely on the men who are supposed to protect her in this society that is supposed to be safe.
Yet, The Testaments reminds us of what Gilead really is — of the evil that created it.
For once, I wish the Aunts would admit they were wrong to blame the girls, but that can’t happen, can it? After all, that would mean going up against the men.
The Aunts are already fortunate to be in the position they’re in, but they’re not protected from everything, as we saw with Aunt Lydia at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Aunt Lydia’s comments to Aunt Vidala about how she’d failed the girls were out of order, and it’s no wonder Vidala is considering working with Commander Judd to take Lydia down!
Not only are the Aunts partially responsible for the girls getting drunk, but they’re also responsible for the shame that Agnes is currently feeling.
I have to remind myself that these women are trapped in this regime as well, but they’re not completely blameless.
It’s time for an Aunt backstory to see why they decided it was right to do this job!
A Wish to Grow Up
From the start of the series, I’ve noticed one thing: the girls want to grow up.
In a way, it’s such an innocent thing. We all wanted to grow up as children.
I remember looking at all the signs that I was becoming an adult, marking moments as goal posts and achievements.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but as Shunammite and Hulda drink the tonic (which I think is a mushroom tea), I can’t help but think that they may want to remain young for a little while longer.
Shunammite makes it clear that she wants to marry — and she wants to marry well!
This isn’t a small thing for her. It’s a chance for her to be someone her parents can be proud of, and I get a sense that there is a lot of pressure on her growing up from them.
My heart hurts for her, though, as she fears that she is going to be left behind, and it’s nothing that anyone else can do.
While Helda gets the exciting chance to ring the bell, Shunnamite is the last of her friends in purple.
There’s an ache there. While she is a gossip and a bit of a brat at times, she is also a loyal friend.
Look at how she supported Agnes as they got ready for the dance part of the evening. While she admits she’s jealous of her friends, she’s still a friend.
When it comes to Becka ending up drunk, Shunammite does everything she can to protect her, even slapping Jehosheba.
This is the girl you want by your side, and it makes me ache for her more as she finds herself struggling not to be part of the group, moving on to marriage.
The Testaments Season 1 Episode 5 was a little slow, focusing a lot on the dance and on the girls getting ready.
I think there could be a powerful way to show why these girls getting their periods is so important.
What becomes of those who don’t get their periods? Are they made into Marthas? Could Shunammite get the chance to be an Aunt?
This is better explained in the book, and I hope to see it delved into a little more in the TV series.
I want to understand Shunammite better, because there is so much more to her story that she’s letting anyone believe.
Daisy Needs to Wake Up
I’m still unconvinced that anyone with a brain decided that Daisy would be a good candidate for a mole in Gilead.
She proves yet again that she doesn’t have the composure for it.
Yes, perverts are horrible people. We shouldn’t have to put up with them, but as women, we do.
Surely, Daisy has put up with old men like the Commander, whom she told not to touch her.
In Canada, she’d get away with telling a man not to touch her — sadly, not that it does any good with many — but in Gilead, she has to learn her place.
It’s not easy, but if she doesn’t want to end up hanging from a tree as she saw of the rebels during The Testaments Season 1 Episode 4, she needs to be smarter than she is right now.
Daisy is just lucky that it’s Garth who comes around the corner, and he needs to start being strict as her handler if he doesn’t want this entire mission to fail.
After all, what’s to stop her from naming him as her handler if she gets caught?
Daisy is so much better when she’s around the girls. After helping Becca sober up, the two are able to bond a little.
We get confirmation of something that seemed likely from the previous episode.
Sure enough, Becka has romantic feelings for Agnes.
She knows that they’re wrong, and she knows that she can’t act on them, but none of that stops her from feeling the way she does.
Not wanting to marry has nothing to do with the system and the old Commanders. It’s all about her attraction to women.
There’s likely some foreshadowing here. Now that Becka has told Daisy this, she’ll know that Daisy holds something over her that can be used against her.
Not that I think Daisy would use that, but I have to wonder if it’s going to come up when it comes to the truth about Becka’s dad coming out.
That has to come out, especially now that Hulda is moving up to Green.
Chit-Chat From the Red Center
- Does Garth know that Agnes is Hannah? He seems to be getting rather close to her.
- Daisy being able to see what each of the girls is like in their hearts shows us just how much she’s watching from a distance.
- Garth’s promotion certainly turns the tables, but I doubt Agnes will get her wish.
- Like mother, like daughter, though! In love with a Guardian!
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