I apologize for the late review! I got home VERY late after a delayed flight home from Portland on Tuesday, but I am back! With today’s episode being so jam-packed, today’s review will lean more towards analysis than recap. Buckle up because this is where the action really kicks in!
Episode 109 – Marat Sade
As Daisy steps into a new role, she considers what she’s willing to lose to help her friends.
Writer: Bayan Wolcott & Ben Miller
Director: Shana Stein
The opening scene is of the Pearl Girls cleaning up after a Salvaging, all while Aunt Estee is teaching them about “an eye for an eye”, emphasizing that the Gilead system of justice is based in violence. Let’s remember this for later in the episode [insert major side eye here]. Later, Daisy makes the decision to make her menstrual news be known to the entire school by ringing the bell. The Aunts are thrilled, but we know Daisy would only ever do this for a greater purpose. Why else risk being married off in Gilead?
Aunt Estee brings Daisy into textiles class to announce the news to the Plums. While the song “Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon” plays, the Plums unwrap new a new Plum outfit and help Daisy dress for her new role. Becka has the honor of placing her Green pin on her and “accidentally” stabs her with it [which we now know is MAJOR FORESHADOWING].
Afterwards, Aunt Estee announces that there’s been a cancellation and Daisy is heading to her first Plum dentist appointment now. Agnes kindly offers to accompany her, knowing that she may need support.
Daisy has her scheming face on when she enters Dr. Grove’s office. As the appointment progresses, she notes that he never tries to touch her inappropriately. As she begins to panic, she realizes that she needs to stage it publicly, so it looks like abuse has happened in order to get justice for the Plums/Greens. After ripping her clothes and screaming, she runs from the room yelling that he touched her so that Aunt Estee and the men in the waiting room hear it.
Back at school, Aunt Lydia, Vidala, and Estee are all meeting with Daisy. Aunt Vidala tries to pull her “confused” excuse, but Daisy insists that she’s very clear about what happened. After dismissing Vidala and Estee, Aunt Lydia makes it clear to Daisy that she knows she made it up but is grateful that Daisy pulled it off. Outside the office, Aunt Estee falls on her knees apologizing for allowing such an awful thing to happen to Daisy; even though we’ve seen her blame girls for similar offenses before.
Agnes heads home from school, runs up to her room and has a full-blown panic attack. She’s clearly suffering from PTSD after her own abuse. That night, Commander Judd arrives at Aunt Lydia’s office to discuss the incident at Dr. Grove’s office. Unfortunately, what transpires is not far from what happens in our present-day reality. Not only does Judd admit that he’s heard about this happening before and has not done anything about it, but he has the audacity to say, “What a pity; he was such a good dentist.”
At the Grove household, Mrs. Grove and Becka are having tea with Garth, waiting for dinner. Dr. Grove arrives distraught and excuses himself. Mrs. Grove follows him to find out what’s going on, while Garth tries to chat with Becka and make her feel more comfortable. The dentist and his wife come back downstairs to tell Becka and Garth what happened earlier at work that day. Garth excuses himself, allowing them to deal with this new problem as a family.
The next day at school, Becka rushes at Daisy in the crowded hallway to scream about her accusations. She clearly does not believe her.
Agnes takes Becka outside to talk in private. Agnes reveals that Dr. Grove did in fact hurt her and other girls. It breaks Becka’s heart, but after hearing it from Agnes, she knows it must be true.
Later, Daisy manages to meet up with Garth. He’s angry that she made it up and is deviating from Mayday’s orders. But Daisy insisted that no one else is doing anything to protect the girls, so she had to do something.
That night, the Groves are eating dinner and Mrs. Grove is trying to carry on a normal conversation. Dr. Grove notices Becka is upset and tells her to speak up. She asks him if the accusations are true, and he only specifically denies touching Daisy. Becka seems to notice that he only denied Daisy’s accusation. She knows beyond a shadow of a doubt now.
While getting ready for bed, Becka is trimming some flowers with shears, or secateurs, if you will. She takes them upstairs and I’m afraid that we’re about to see what Book Becka did, but no. She walks into the bathroom where Dr. Grove is taking a bath, and repeatedly stabs him, killing her own father in an act of vengeance for Agnes. She is so calm when she walks in and when she leaves him bleeding out in the tub. She heads back downstairs and puts on a Marth outfit over her bloodied nightgown to sneak out of the house. She takes a bus ride to get to Agnes’s home.
Zilla wakes Agnes up to show her that Becka has arrived. Agnes notices the blood and asks her what happened. Becka simply says that her dad can’t hurt Agnes anymore, and she knows what must have happened. Becka calls it “divine justice” and “God’s work”, and to her point, she’s doing what the Aunt’s have taught these girls that justice is.
Agnes has Zilla draw Becka a bath and helps her get cleaned up. Becka begins to recount what she did to Agnes and then says they should run away before anyone finds out what she did. Agnes can tell that Becka is unwell and says okay. She claims that she’s going to have Zilla get her clean clothes. She later brings Becka downstairs where Agnes’s parents are waiting for her. They claim that they’re going to take care of Becka. Garth arrives to get her; Commander McKenzie said he is taking her to a doctor. Agnes believes this, but I don’t for one second.
As Garth walks Becka outside, a huge group of masked people arrive to cart Becka away and Agnes sees from inside. She really believed that they got her a doctor but sees that it’s the Eyes that have arrived to cart her off.
They throw her in the back of a truck with bars over the windows, very early Handmaid’s Tale imagery.
While Becka’s revenge is partially satisfying for us as viewers, we have to remember that this could literally end with her hanging on The Wall.
