Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale has now gone so far left that it’s hard to make any sense of it anymore. This season’s appeals to fake refugee and child-molesting priests narratives were already bad enough, but the latest episode takes things to a new level with more bizarre anti-Christian sentiments, including a Nazi parallel. I guess nothing’s too outrageous so long as it insults a massive religion.
The June 26 episode “Household” follows the aftermath of June (Elizabeth Moss) helping her infant daughter escape to Canada out of Gilead. Because of this scandal, Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) travel to Washington D.C. to make an appeal to have the child returned. Taking June with them, this gives the audience the first view of D.C. under religious totalitarianism. And what a sight that is.
For starters, iconic D.C. monuments are defaced or reformed for this fascist nation. The Lincoln Memorial is literally beheaded, with its dedication smashed for all to see. Apparently, the fact that the earliest abolitionists were Christians doesn’t register in these writers’ logic. Or the fact that Abraham Lincoln was a notable Republican.
Also, as seen by the above image, the Washington Monument has been transformed into a giant cross. For the record, I haven’t heard of that many rogue Christians destroying non-religious structures in America, but I have seen several examples in reverse. In fact, the leading group behind statue removal, the ACLU, is hardly Christian at all.
Another shocking revelation comes from the D.C. handmaids. When June interacts with one, she’s shocked to discover that her lips have been surgically sealed with mouth rings to keep her silenced. We must presume that all of the D.C. handmaids have the same affliction since every woman in red wears a large scarf covering her mouth. The writers desperately need to explain exactly how this horrifying image connects to everyday Christians. I know it’s repetitive at this point, but there is a religion that has extremists violently silencing women, and it’s certainly not Christianity.
Finally, we end the episode with a citywide prayer for the baby’s return. We witness a massive crowd of silenced handmaids gathered to listen to Commander Waterford as he recites Psalm 127:3-5, yet another instance of the show using Scripture to justify the actions of its villains.
Coupled with the large white cross in the background, the scene is clearly supposed to resemble that of a Nazi rally. The outright usurping of monuments, twisting of Scripture, and subjugation of women is just a bonus.
Waterford: Lord above, we beseech you, hear our prayer. Hear…our prayer. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Offspring, a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies. Hear our prayer.
It’s no secret this show doesn’t like Christians, but now it’s resorting to ridiculous fearmongering against the religion. Washington D.C. is enough of a mess without this nonsense.
