The Handmaid’s Tale – Episode 4 Review

For those of you who have been living under a rock, Hulu has recently released (try saying that three times fast) a new Hulu original TV show called Thee Handmaid’s Tale, based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel. The show is suspenseful, artsy, and eerily relevant to the world today. If you have yet to watch the first three episodes, watch the series trailer then continue reading. Or just continue reading if you are like me and the words “spoiler alert” make you keep reading instead of stop.

“Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundum” – the previous Offred

Episode 4, called Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum (Latin for “Don’t let the bastards grind you down’) was my favorite episode to date. At the start of the episode Offred is still forced to stay in her room because she turned out not to be pregnant, and Serena Joy was furious when she finds out. However, as the episode progresses we see the Offred is learning to assert herself. For instance, Offred tells her doctor no thanks to being impregnated by him. However, it is Offred’s interaction with the commander that shows the veiwer truly how far she has come since she tried to escape from the Aunt’s with Moira. When the  two friends tried to escape, Offred (aka June) froze when she was confronted by the guard’s, which resulted in her being taken back to the Aunts and gruesome feet whipping. In present day, however, Offred defeats the Commander in scrabble, and even has the guts to ask him what the Latin saying  “Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum”, knowing he will ask how/when she learned it. In the end of the episode, Offred’s confidence and refusal to let the bastard’s grind her down proves benefcicial to her. She now has some power over the Commander, and when she asks to be allowed to leave her room, he agrees.