‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5 Is Toning Down on-Screen Sexual Violence
Sexual assault and rape have always been a core part of The Handmaid’s Tale. Margaret Atwood’s book and its subsequent TV series occur in a totalitarian theocracy. Women are relegated to second-class citizens. Handmaids are raped monthly in a “ceremony” in the hopes that they will become pregnant. Therese ceremonies have previously been shown on screen a number of times. The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 has far fewer on-screen depictions of sexual violence, yet its impact is no less powerful.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Episode 6.]
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5 shows very little on-screen sexual violence so far
In the past, The Handmaid’s Tale has shown quite a few instances of rape on screen. The ceremonies that the handmaids are forced to endure particularly played a role in the first few seasons. An especially disturbing scene in season 2 depicts Fred raping a pregnant June while Serena holds her down outside of the ceremony.
As The Handmaid’s Tale’s story has progressed, these depictions of on-screen sexual violence have faded. Season 5 has not shown any sexual assault onscreen, save for June’s brief flashbacks to the ceremony in episode 2.
The shift makes sense to the series’ progressing story. Many of the show’s main characters are no longer trapped in Gilead, where sexual violence is a part of everyday life. However, it’s also been an intentional change to the series.
Season 5 still conveys the trauma of sexual violence
Eva Vives, who was brought on to direct The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Episodes 5 and 6, doesn’t believe that rape should ever explicitly appear in movies or TV shows. “First and foremost, I don’t want to re-traumatize anyone, whether it’s in real life or when they’re home watching,” she told Vanity Fair.
Additionally, the weight of what Gilead does to women is still felt deeply in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5. “Viewers don’t have to see the act happen to know that it did,” Vives added, praising the show’s writers for working around the topic.
In Canada, June struggles with PTSD from her time in Gilead. Meanwhile, she and Luke’s desperation grow when they learn that their 12-year-old daughter Hannah will soon be made a wife, the implications of which don’t even need to be spoken out loud.
In Gilead, Janine does everything she can to avoid being posted to a new house, and Aunt Lydia begins to see the toll that constant abuse takes on the handmaids. One scene, in particular, relays a disturbing message without depicting anything explicit.
Esther’s chocolate scene in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5 deeply disturbed viewers
In The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Episode 2, Esther, a 14-year-old handmaid, visits the Putnam’s home. She is left alone in a room with Warren Putnam, who feeds her chocolates. Though nothing explicit is shown, this scene left fans especially disturbed.
“I honestly think that the chocolate scene was one of the hardest to watch from the whole show. I know there has been a lot of terrible stuff, especially in early seasons, but something about that scene just made it so terrible,” one Reddit user wrote.
While speaking with Elle Magazine, Mckenna Grace stressed the importance of her own young age when playing Esther. “I’m honored that they hired a real 14-year-old to play 14 because if we’re that uncomfortable shooting these scenes, we’re that uncomfortable with showing these scenes, maybe we should really be doing something about what is happening in real life,” the actor stated.
Aunt Lydia begins to understand the handmaids’ suffering
If the implications of this scene weren’t clear, they soon are made apparent. After Esther wakes up from poisoning herself, she tells Aunt Lydia in episode 6 that Warren raped her. While speaking with Vanity Fair, Vives stressed the importance of using the word “rape” rather than “sexual assault” to stress that the act was about power.
Additionally, Grace felt that her character would react with anger to the rape, not tears. “‘Just let it rip,'” Vives says she told Grace. “‘Of course, you’re f***ing angry.’ And she does, and it’s just incredible.”
This time around, Esther’s anger and pain have a real effect on Aunt Lydia. She petitions for Warren to be punished, and though this request is at first scoffed at, Nick and Commander Lawrence, in the end, follow through. Lydia then takes the handmaids to view Warren’s body hanging on the wall.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
Don’t miss new episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Wednesdays on Hulu.
