Yvonne Strahovski Praises ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ for Turning Serena Into a Handmaid ‘Without Turning Her Into a Handmaid’
Fans have speculated for a while that The Handmaid’s Tale would eventually turn Serena Joy Waterford into a handmaid. The show seemed headed in that direction when Serena was apprehended in Canada and learned about her pregnancy. While Serena never donned the red dress and white wings, she did become a handmaid of sorts in season 5.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Episode 7, “No Man’s Land.”]
Fans speculated that Serena Joy would become a handmaid
Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s hard to have any sympathy for Serena Joy Waterford. Although she suffers at the hands of her husband Fred, she also inflicts quite a lot of pain on June and even helped to write the laws of Gilead.
In season 4, Fred and Serena were arrested in Canada, where Serena learned she was pregnant. With Nick’s help, June orchestrated Fred’s death, leaving Serena alone, friendless and pregnant. Many fans began to speculate that Serena would be returned to Gilead and made into a handmaid.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ symbolically turned Serena into a handmaid
In The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, Serena Joy found herself in a situation where she was being treated like a handmaid. She arrived at the Wheeler’s home and quickly realized she had very few freedoms. The couple even planned for Serena to give birth in their home.
“I just love that they managed to turn Serena into a handmaid without turning her into a handmaid. That is great because turning her into an actual handmaid in a red dress would have been very obvious. This was a really clever way of doing it,” Yvonne Strahovski said while speaking to Entertainment Tonight.
“It just makes her really scramble. It activates all of the feelings inside of her that make her feel unwanted and rejected and all of those things,” the actor added. This leads Serena to a desperate decision. She accompanies her guardian to execute June but turns the gun on him and escapes in his car with her former enemy.
Serena’s baby was taken away from her in episode 7
Though Serena Joy managed to escape the Wheeler’s clutches, she finds herself in an equally heartbreaking situation. Serena goes into labor while fleeing with June, who helps her deliver her new baby, Noah. However, once June gets them to a hospital, Luke alerts the authorities, and they take baby Noah away.
Strahovski discussed her final scene in episode 7 when Serena learns that the authorities will take Noah with Entertainment Weekly. “That’s absolutely devastating. It doesn’t matter if you’re Serena Joy or June Osborne or whoever else in the show, one of the huge discussion points is that separating a mom from a baby is just so bad,” she stated.
However, the actor also knows that this is exactly what Serena has done to June and other women. “Objectively, it does feel a little bit like she is definitely getting what she deserves,” Strahovski continued. “I mean, the show defines it in the dialogue really well. It’s really hard to enjoy the moment because at the end of the day, there’s an innocent child involved.”
Don’t miss new episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Wednesdays on Hulu.
