Episode 108 – Broken
As Agnes is swept up in wedding plans, Daisy hides a life-altering secret, and Hulda faces backlash after speaking out.
Writer: Stuti Malhotra
Director: Shana Stein
Episode 8 begins with Agnes dreaming about dancing with Garth and her monologue talking about her fantasy life she believed God judged her for. While dancing, Becka interrupts in a wedding dress and Agnes continues dreaming that she will marry Commander Weston.
She comes back to the present where Agnes, her family, and Commander Weston are celebrating her engagement. Paula congratulates her, but it’s clear she is just happy about Weston’s status and power.
The next morning, Agnes is walking to the bus to head to school, and Garth congratulates her on her engagement. Agnes congratulates him on his engagement as well, so it must be Becka.
At school, the Greens are called into a classroom, but Aunt Vidala sends Daisy and Shunammite elsewhere. The Greens must go through Copulation Class. Daisy and Shu have a chat walking down the hall. We learn that the Pearl Girl Talia was taken away.
In class, the Greens are very carefully taught the barest minimum about reproduction. They are essentially just told to do what their husbands tell them to do, and then they move onto pregnancy and prenatal nutrition. That’s all they are aver taught about their bodies.
Daisy horrifyingly discovers that she has gotten her first period and does her best to hide the evidence. But Shu comes into the bathroom and sees. Shu has been doing everything she can think of to have her turn, but Daisy is terrified and begs her to keep her secret. We don’t quite know what happens to Pearl Girls in this situation, but Daisy thinks they’ll make her get married. I don’t think Mayday planned for this one.
Agnes and Hulda are outside playing croquet and are wondering when Aunt Lydia will announce their engagements. Agnes can tell something is wrong with Hulda, so she creates a reason for them to hide amongst the trees. Hulda reveals that she had her teeth cleaning with Dr. Grove and that her physically assaulted her. She is doing just as the Aunts taught her and is blaming herself. Agnes urges her to tell the Aunts and says that Dr. Grove was in the wrong. Hulda refuses as Agnes has tears in her eyes. She has been in denial about what happened to her at her own appointment with Dr. Grove. At lunch, Aunt Lydia begins to speak on the mic and announces the Greens’ engagements. It seems that they are not allowed to share the news until Aunt Lydia does. Shu appears to be more excited than any of them are, and she is doing her best to hide her jealousy. Daisy learns that Becka is engaged to Garth and the girls seem to be on edge. Becka will be hosting the first engagement party of the season.
At Agnes’s house, she and Commander Weston are doing their wedding cake tasting. Paula is not really interested in Agnes’s opinion on any of the wedding plans. She goes to answer the door, and Commander Weston tells Agnes he wants the wedding planning to be fun for her and is hoping she becomes excited soon. Agnes pushes back against Paula’s flower suggestion, and Commander Weston defends Agnes. Let’s remember that although he is trying to make this an enjoyable experience for Agnes, he is by no means a “good guy”. This is still a man in his 50s marrying a 14-year-old child.
Miriam confesses to Agnes how distraught her own mother is at her match to a Commander from the Colonies. Aunt Estee summons Agnes to Aunt Vidala. When she arrives, Hulda is there looking upset. Aunt Vidala reveals that Hulda came to her to tell her about Dr. Grove, but that after their talk, Hulda realized that she was just confused.
The Aunts are not holding any of these men accountable, likely due to the power structure within Gilead. Vidala tells Agnes that she can’t tell anyone and that it should never be spoken of again. Agnes still did not reveal what was done to her. Back out in the hallway, Agnes urges Hulda to look forward to her engagement and says she believes she will live a great life.
Back in class, Shu keeps giving Daisy a knowing look. After class is over, Shu confronts her and begins to break down about her lack of menstruation. She is beginning to blame herself, which is what all these girls are taught to do. They live in impossible circumstances and carry all the blame, even as children. We learn that Shu’s younger brother was one of the children rescued from Gilead on Angel’s Flight (though within Gilead, they call it the Night of Tears). Shu feels she must get married because her mom deserves this. She breaks down in tears in front of newly befriended Daisy, who offers to teach her more about the reproductive process than the Aunts ever will. But Shu doesn’t believe her about some of the mechanics.
At Becka and Garth’s engagement party, the Greens and Shu are chatting about Garth’s father (who apparently led the fight to try to save Boston for Gilead). Agnes approaches her dad, who stresses that he wants her to be happy. He does say, “You’re all so young. But it does make sense to do it this way with the birth rates so low. Societal norms need to shift; we have to go with the science.” Even Commander MacKenzie knows this is so wrong but forces himself to justify it with the Gilead and Sons of Jacob propaganda. Agnes asks him if he likes her fiancé. We learn that Paula is trying to get a Handmaid for her own house. YIKES.
The girls greet Penny, who looks very ill. She is already leaving and the girls are very concerned about her. Daisy approaches them and goes with Agnes to congratulate Becka and Garth. When Garth’s father drops a cup, Daisy takes the opportunity to follow him and Garth to get a moment to chat.
We learn that Garth’s Father was poisoned by Mayday. Garth believes he was fighting for the wrong side. No one will suspect Garth’s affiliation with Mayday. Daisy reveals that she got her period and begs for his help to get her out of Gilead. He reminds her that she needs to be in this for the long haul if they want to truly end Gilead.
Aunt Lydia approaches Commander Weston about Talia, and he very politely tells her it’s not her business. Dr. Grove approaches Shu, Hulda, and Agnes and I am horrified. He congratulates Hulda and Agnes on their engagements and reminds them of both of their upcoming appointments.
Agnes runs off and finds Aunt Lydia alone and takes the opportunity to chat. She tells Aunt Lydia that Hulda was telling the truth and alludes to her own experience without saying as much. Aunt Lydia sees their upcoming marriages as their safety from ever seeing Dr. Grove again. In Agnes’s monologue, she says she didn’t realize that Lydia was telling her that Dr. Grove would be dealt with.
Later, Daisy finds Agnes and tells her that Paula is looking for her. Agnes sneaks Daisy some pads to help her hide her news. Agnes tells her that you never turn on your friends. She then reveals some of what happened to her at Dr. Grove’s office. Daisy insists that it is not her fault and get increasingly furious. She offers to help her tell Aunt Lydia, but Agnes says she already did. She also reveals that it’s happened to someone else too. Daisy says, “I’m really glad you told me”, and OHH NO. Daisy, girl, what are you going to do now?!
