‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5 Explores ‘Anti-Refugee Sentiment’ in Canada
Moira, Rita, June, and Luke live as refugees in Canada in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5. Although Luke and Moira were welcomed into the country, the sentiment in Canada is changing. The group faces anti-refugee protestors and harassment in episode 8.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Episode 8, “Motherland.”]
Gilead survivors take refuge in Canada in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
The Handmaid’s Tale has followed Luke, Moira, Rita, and June’s stories as they escaped Gilead and found asylum in Canada. The country initially seemed like a perfect safe haven that welcomed refugees with open arms, but by season 5, sentiments are clearly changing.
In episode 8, Luke, Moira, Rita, and June encounter Canadian citizens driving and walking by their home in Canada to protest and shout at the refugees. They also graffiti the sidewalk in front of their home and honk their horns at all hours of the night. “In this episode, we see that there’s a growing sense of anti-refugee sentiment in Canada,” executive producer Erich Tuchman said in a featurette.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5 explores anti-refugee sentiment
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Bruce Miller discussed the relevant issues explored in The Handmaid’s Tale. “The story about what it’s like to be a refugee in the modern world, I don’t think, is going away, especially in the time of climate change,” he told the outlet.
“Everybody who leaves America, all of the people in The Handmaid’s Tale, are either refugees or pre-refugees. Once they get out, they’re people without a country. America is there, off somewhere, but not necessarily a place you want to go,” Miller continued.
Miller also discussed Serena Joy’s unique situation. After refusing Canada’s asylum, she finds herself in a metaphorical No Man’s Land — unwelcome in Canada and likely unsafe in what’s left of America/Gilead.
“Serena can’t go to America. She’d have to put herself under their control, and I don’t know they’d be so happy to have Serena Joy,” Miller said. “The idea of being both physically displaced from your nation, or feeling like your nation isn’t what it was — the way they feel about America turning into Gilead — is, unfortunately, a common, relatable emotion these days.”
Commander Lawrence creates New Bethlehem to bring back refugees
As Canada grows tired of the rising number of refugees and Gilead’s prosperity begins to plummet, Commander Lawrence realizes he needs to devise a plan. His solution is New Bethlehem — a settlement in Gilead that will welcome back American refugees and maybe even reunite families.
Lawrence promises that New Bethlehem will be a more modern version of Gilead, but it’s hard to trust anything the nation’s architect says. He certainly has his own motivations, including getting Gilead to become a part of the UN.
Don’t miss new episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Wednesdays on Hulu.
