Home > The Handmaid's Tale > Season 2 > Episode 13
Episode Info
Cast & Crew
Offred/June
Commander Waterford
Serena Joy
Moira
Ofglen/Emily
Nick
The Word Photos
Critic Reviews for The Word
The Handmaid's Tale strongly wraps a good season that otherwise started to show some stretch marks.
More than that, though, the final plot twist was transparently manufactured, so much so that you can sense how the writer's-room conversations must have gone.
The finale muddles the entire story we've heard up to this point... Without some narrative purpose, what is all this for? The suffering, the violence, the rape scenes, the blood, the stoning, the drowning - what is it for?
If you're still here, The Handmaid's Tale series blog should really reward your long service, because many have fallen by the wayside during this gruelling series.
It was pretty good to see Fred finally get a good smack in the face. More of that in season three, please.
The finale may give us another intriguing change of direction, not to mention great new characters like Commander Lawrence, but it's also can't help be somewhat hollow at its core.
Happily, and there's a word I thought I'd never use in connection with this adaptation of Margaret Atwood's classic novel, those who did not weaken were treated to a doozy of a season finale.
An emotional rollercoaster of an episode that showcases the strength, resilience, and determination of motherhood.
The plot device of her getting away and coming back can only go so far.
The explanation [of this episode's events] at least makes sense, even if you don't like it.
Unfortunately, the finale is full of contradictions and plot holes that leave viewers feeling frustrated, confused, and unfulfilled.
Glass is the connective tissue of the episode -- we even get a very, very brutal example of what women have long known as the glass ceiling.