Author: Custodian of the Multiverse

Potential Guest Appearances in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’

Star Wars fans have been looking forward to Lucasfilm’s latest Star Wars streaming series, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The series takes place in the years that exist after the Prequels are complete, but before the Original Trilogy begins. This is ground that really hasn’t been deeply explored by other Star Wars properties.

The Star Wars content that has premiered on Disney+ has been lauded for taking the material in new directions while also tying into the existing canon, and some of the biggest moments in these shows have been cameos and Easter eggs. The inclusion of characters from animated series getting their live-action debuts, such as Bo-Katan and Cad Bane, has particularly driven fan interest.

Obviously, the return of Hayden Christensen as Vader was confirmed before the series and fans got their first glimpse of the character at the end of Part II, so we’re going to speculate about who else we can expect to see interact with Old Ben under the twin suns of Tatooine over the next four episodes.

Snips

One of the most anticipated cameos is the return of Rosario Dawson in the role of Ahsoka Tano. These characters are deeply connected in the Clone Wars animated series, and her introduction in The Mandalorian was so popular that Ahsoka got her own spin-off, which started production recently. The series will be set approximately 10 years after the conclusion of Revenge of the Sith, and according to her time in Star Wars Rebels she was establishing pockets of resistance as the agent codenamed Fulcrum.

Fans who only know her from live-action might not know that Tano never actually became a Jedi because she left the order. There are still gaps to fill in on her journey from padawan to resistance leader to Luke’s assistant in this year’s The Book of Boba Fett. She is very likely to appear in Kenobi.

Lothal Rebels

Obi-Wan Kenobi will take place before the animated Rebels series in the official chronology, so for any characters that make an appearance, it would technically be a prequel to those adventures.

Kanan Jarrus: spent most of this period hiding his force powers from the Empire, so very unlikely to appear here.

Ezra Bridger: he was just a child in Rebels, and lived on Lothal before that show ran, so also unlikely.

Garazeb Orrelios: Zeb was reeling from the loss of his people, the Lasat. His story doesn’t have many connections to the themes that surround Obi-Wan, so also unlikely.

Hera Syndulla: Hera’s family was involved in resisting the Empire on Ryloth when they suffered tremendous personal loss. She was the leader of the Spectre cell of the resistance and was one who had contact with Ahsoka/Fulcrum, so this Twi’lek is a strong candidate for an appearance. Hopefully, she brings along C1-10P/Chopper.

Sabine Wren: Sabine is an intriguing candidate given the popularity of Mandalorians in the live-action series. Sabine is an explosives expert and artist and spent her time before Rebels as a bounty hunter with her friend Ketsu Onyo. They alluded to a darker time in her past, and it would be fun to see her with a little bit of a sharper edge. It would also open the door to her return for the Ahsoka series, as they teamed up in Rebels.

Clones

Part II gave us a brief glimpse of one clone, but the return of others from the Clone Wars series is a possibility. It could complicate things because Temuera Morrison would likely be required to play them, and it might confuse casual viewers to see him back in action in a role other than Boba Fett, but the clone he played in Part II was barely recognizable as Morrison, other than the distinct voice. Captain Rex is a great candidate for a return, as he is seen in Rebels with Wolffe and Gregor as defectors.

Scum and Villainy

Odds are good we will get another banger from the Max Rebo band in a cantina scene. The cantinas are the heart of Tatooine, and often host cameos in the background. Favorite bounty hunters Greedo and Boba Fett, or more obscure ones like Cad Bane and Dengar would be appropriate for brief interactions. Perhaps we will get a glimpse of Jabba on a litter. Scoring Donald Glover for Lando would be a coup but seems unlikely.

A fun option here would be Hondo Ohnaka, a pirate who knows Obi-Wan from the Clone Wars days and goes on to play a role in Rebels. He is an unpredictable mix of soft-hearted and cutthroat and could serve as an ally Kenobi can never quite trust.

The Dark Side

There are some fun candidates amongst those who wield the Dark Side of the Force and could serve as a lead-up to Obi-Wan’s reunion with Anakin. Kenobi has a past with Sith Assassin Asajj Ventress, and though he did not meet her end on-screen, she has a pretty conclusive ending in a 2015 novel. It would be interesting to see if the current leadership feels bound by their other media.

Rebels established that there were Sith devotees who were tasked with hunting the Jedi who evaded the infamous Order 66. These Inquisitors, such as Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister, had some tremendous action scenes and would bring pressure on Obi-Wan to keep his location secret.

The most intriguing option is Darth Maul. He is established in the Clone Wars as being alive at this time, and although we know he has to survive to appear in Rebels, given the way they parted at the end of The Phantom Menace their reaction would surely be explosive.

May 28, 2022
Michael Waldron Teases Potential America Chavez Standalone

After her debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it appears America Chavez may be returning in a standalone project of her own. The screenwriter for the Doctor Strange sequel, Michael Waldron, explained in an interview with Vanity Fair that when it came to some of the America Chavez material, “that maybe we should hold some of that back.”

“Getting into the real specificity of her with her parents came a little bit later in the process. It felt, at least to me initially, that maybe we should hold some of that back. It felt like the sort of stuff you’d rather answer when you’re getting into America’s solo outing. But as we continued to build the story, we found that we wanted to know more about her. And, really, Strange would want to know more about her. It was just honest to their relationship and conversations.”
Michael Waldron

Waldron went on to point out that they “also set up the next chapter in the America Chavez story.” When you consider the mystery of her missing mothers and her training in Kamar Taj, there seems to be plenty of material for a movie or a TV series.

Especially fascinating is the fact that Waldron was the lead writer on the first season of Loki. Chavez, played on the big screen by Xochitl Gomez, has a history in the comics with a teenage version of Loki. She also has a unique role in the Secret Wars event that was teased by the Illuminati discussions of “Incursions.” Her solo outing could tie deeply into several other Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, as befits a character whose power is traveling the multiverse. As it stands, though, nothing has been announced regarding an America Chavez solo project.

For the time being, fans can see America in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, now playing in theaters.

Source: Vanity Fair.

May 13, 2022
Moon Knight Head Writer: Get Excited for X-Men ’97

Jeremy Slater, head writer for the recent Moon Knight Disney+ show, hyped the upcoming X-Men ’97 show in an interview with Comicbook.com’s Adam Barnhardt.

“Beau DeMayo, who’s doing X-Men ’97, is one of the best writers I have ever worked with in my life. He’s an absolute genius. And the other day, we had our writers’ dinner, and he was telling me some of the things they have planned for X-Men ’97. I can’t say a single thing, except you guys have no idea how excited you should be for that show.”
Jeremy Slater

DeMayo was a contributor in the writer’s room for Moon Knight under Slater, who went on to say it is “going to be f—ing awesome. That’s all I can say about it. But the stuff he was saying — every episode — it was blowing my mind of what he was sort of pitching. So you guys have no idea how excited you should be for that show.”

The show, which will be the first official X-Men content in the MCU, is rumored to pick up directly where the original series left off. Excitement for the project is growing following Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier returning in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As of now, there is not a known release date for X-Men ’97.

Source: Comicbook.com

May 12, 2022
Oscar Isaac Reflects on His Time in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’

The leading man of Disney+’s Moon Knight opened up recently to the New York Times about his first role in a superhero property, X-Men: Apocalypse. The third film in the second attempt for Fox to adapt the popular X-Men is generally considered one of Fox’s weakest efforts. Isaac played the title villain in a bulky costume that diverged from the presentation of the traditional comic. In the interview, he gave his thoughts on taking on the role and what it’s like looking back.

No, I don’t disown it. I know exactly what I went in there wanting to do and the reasons why. “There were these amazing actors involved that I really wanted to work with, [James] McAvoy and [Michael] Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. I collected X-Men growing up, and I loved Apocalypse, I just found him such a freaky, weird character. And then you get there and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got all these prosthetics on. I’ve got a suit on. I can’t move. I can’t see anybody. All these actors I wanted to work with — I can’t even see who they are.
Oscar Isaac

Following the first two entries of the Fox X-Men series, First Class and Days of Future Past, it seemed like Apocalypse was primed for success, as the trio of lead characters had successfully taken the mantle of Xavier, Magneto, and Mystique. While Apocalypse was ambitious in its scope, it introduces too many new characters to develop them in any meaningful way before the massive final battle. “I still think back to that time with fondness,” Isaac said. “I wish it would have been a better film and that they would have taken care of the character a little better, but those are the risks.”

Source: Variety

May 2, 2022
Key Questions for Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs

As a competitive Round One of the NBA Playoffs wraps up, we preview the Round Two matchups by asking one question about each team. These are all title-caliber defensive teams, which means there will be some tough, physical basketball to come, and scoring will be at a premium.

Eastern Conference

Miami Heat

Are the Heat Contenders or Overachievers? Despite earning the 1-seed in the East, people don’t seem to put a lot of respect on their name. Their infamous clipboard feud in the last week of the season made them look like a team in disarray. They had just enough daylight in the standings, and Brooklyn looming as a play-in obstacle, that the other East contenders rested down the stretch, proving they had little fear of coming to Miami in the Conference Finals. Before Game 1 of the playoffs many books gave them the fifth best odds in the East. But this is a team just two years removed from a Finals appearance. Butler and Lowry (when healthy) have been here before and play consistently, so their young support players (mostly Herro and Robinson) will determine if they can put up enough points to make it back.

Philadelphia 76ers

Is James Harden still a Top-10 player in the league? Sixers fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when they put away the Raptors in Game 6 and avoided conversations about losing a 3-0 lead. News broke late that when Embiid took an elbow to the face, he suffered a concussion and broke an orbital bone. Joel just wrapped a second season where he will finish Top-2 in the MVP voting, and there is no timetable set for his return. All eyes turn to Harden, who has gone long stretches where it feels like he lost a step and just can’t get to the basket at an elite level. Then he bounces back with 22 and 15 on 40% from 3. He wants one last contract where he is paid like an MVP-caliber player, and that is what this Philly team needs him to be. Miami has a stingy defense behind a good coach, and they will throw young wings at him much like Toronto did. They will hunt him on the other end to get easier points and wear him out. If he leaks points on one end or goes 2-11 again, the max contract he will demand this offseason is not going to look all that palatable.

Boston Celtics

Will the Boston defense hold up against Giannis and the Bucks? The book on Kevin Durant has been that he will get his, but you need players that make him work for it. Boston did the unthinkable and actually shut him down. Can the C’s defense have the same impact on Giannis? If Rob Williams can get back to full strength, it will bolster a frontcourt that has lots of switchable big men. Their backcourt has really clamped down, and I expect we will see them send defenders to double Giannis as a rule. Boston had historic advanced metrics after the calendar turned to the new year. Now it will be asked to shut down a second MVP-caliber player to prove it was not a fluke.

Milwaukee Bucks

Will the Bucks regret giving Boston the 2-seed? Everyone believes that as the playoff picture emerged, the Bucks took their foot off the gas to avoid a potential rematch with the Nets in the 2/7 matchup. Well the Nets fizzled out, and Milwaukee cruised past the flagging Bulls. Now the Bucks, who lost some role players that wanted to get paid after getting their ring, head to Boston to continue their title defense. They looked at times this year like they might be coasting a little bit, waiting for the playoffs to flip the switch. With Middleton looking more and more likely to miss this entire series, are the Bucks going to find themselves wishing they had home court advantage for crucial Games 5 and 7?

Western Conference

Phoenix Suns

Is Booker’s hamstring going to approach 100%? The Suns’ ceiling was title favorite, but the Booker injury, and dropping a few games to the feisty Pelicans, brought them back down to the pack. Booker was surprisingly able to play way ahead of schedule in a Game 6 return, and he had decent numbers while playing on a minutes restriction. But it seems like the hamstring is one of those injuries that gets setbacks very frequently. Dallas no doubt plans to make him work on the defensive end, behind the arc where they did the most damage to the Jazz in their matchup. At their best, the Mavs had a suffocating defense this year. Booker’s scoring will mean the difference between moving one step closer to another Finals appearance, or going home early and making some hard decisions about this roster.

Dallas Mavericks

Will Jalen Brunson come back down to Earth? When it looked like Luka Doncic was going to miss the series, everyone wondered if the rest of the team would step up. Brunson carved up the Utah defense, scoring about 28 ppg (he averaged 16 ppg during the regular season). But his percentages in the series are in line with his normal numbers; he managed to keep his same efficiency while getting a bigger usage. When Doncic returned, Brunson kept contributing, dishing out assists and keeping turnovers to a minimum. Because he was a second round draft pick, he is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He made himself quite a bit of money this season with his improvement, and shouldering the load against the Jazz definitely didn’t hurt. A strong series against the 1-seed Suns could propel him into a max contract this summer.

Memphis Grizzlies

Is this young team ready to make some playoff noise? It is not lost on me that this Memphis team is going up against the Warriors, who found themselves in a similar position in 2014. One year after making the second round, they went up against a veteran Clippers team and lost in 7. Conventional wisdom is that young teams have to take their lumps in the playoffs to elevate to that elite level and join the real contenders. These Grizzlies are not afraid of anyone, as Ja Morant’s monster jams and their 20-point comebacks have proved. Going up against the second coming of the Golden State dynasty, they have an opportunity to stake their claim as a serious contender, but even if they lose they are getting the kind of playoff experience that can prepare young teams for greatness.

Golden State Warriors

Should the Warriors be considered the title favorites? When Steph Curry went down with a lower leg injury late in the season, it seemed like this team was never going to get everyone on the court at the same time. Draymond missed an extended period after the new year, and their Big Three did not get much time together this year. As they dropped out of the second place in the West and were even threatened by Dallas for the 3 seed, speculation started about who could be moved to bolster their stars. But this is a team that has so much experience, they returned to top form immediately. Jordan Poole’s emergence is a great story, and it gives Steve Kerr the flexibility to bring Curry off the bench as maybe the best sixth man ever. They dispatched a Denver squad that was very thin outside of Jokic. Memphis has so many more weapons, and will provide a much tougher test of Golden State.

April 30, 2022
‘What If…?’ Head Writer Hints at Tony Stark Episode Pushed Into Season 2

At one point, What If…? was initially announced to consist of 10 episodes with the second season already in development. Yet, as time went on, that number seemed to fluctuate especially when the pandemic hit. It wasn’t until last month that we learned that one of those episodes had been pushed to next year’s second season. After weeks of speculation, head writer A.C. Bradley has finally given us our first clue which episode got postponed. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she states that:

“Our 10th episode was a more light, upbeat Tony Stark episode.”
A.C. Bradley

After some light deduction, we can figure out that Bradley is referring to an episode that was leaked during the summer. There’s a Lego set with the title “Tony Stark’s Saakarian Iron Man.” It included a Thor: Ragnarok-inspired Hulk Buster suit. It also came with Tony Stark and Valkyrie, which would hint at him taking the place of Hulk in his journey to Sakaar.

In the same interview, they confirm that the upcoming eight-episode will lead into the finale, which seems to focus primarily on Ultron and the Guardians of the Multiverse. There was also the tease of a Gamora-centric episode, which featured her hunting down Stark. It also seems absent and might even connect to the one above. It also fits with the joke, where Bradley highlights that

I noticed on Twitter we’re getting a lot of crap for killing Tony a lot. He has become the Kenny of the What If…? universe by accident.
A.C. Bradley

So, the comment adds more credence to the connection, as we have seen Iron Man bite the bullet quite frequently throughout the first season. Gamora was hinted at as part of the multiversal guardians in one of the earlier trailers. So, if they postponed the episode into the second season, it’ll be interesting to see if she still has a role in the upcoming crossover.

Source: EW

September 28, 2021
Improvisation in Marvel Films: ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’s Yaro Root Scene

Improvisation is a common feature on most movie sets. Actors taking creative liberties with their dialogue and behavior has led to some of the most iconic lines and moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It includes the likes of the “I am Iron Man” bombshell from Iron Man and allegedly 80% of Taika Waititi‘s Thor: Ragnarok. Karen Gillan is no stranger to improvisation on sets, such as Avengers: Endgame‘s opening paper football scene with Iron Man and Nebula, but it seems her improvisation skills may have actually left their imprint all the way back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Speaking to BBC’s Radio 1 this week, the Guardians of the Galaxy actress revealed that another iconic Nebula moment was the product of improvisation. When asked about her favorite lines from her career, she surprisingly said one of them was the “It’s not ripe” line from the Guardians sequel.

One that I noticed that people want me to always write on pictures is that improvised line actually from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is “It’s not ripe.” It was improv-ed at the time, and that has stuck beyond anything else.
Karen Gillan

The Yaro root is a fruit Nebula spends most of the film chasing in vain. The Guardians repeatedly warn her that it’s not ripe and actively prevent her from taking a bite. Finally at the end of the film, Nebula sneaks her way into trying the fruit and inevitably spitting it out followed by the above-mentioned line.

How a Single Line Can Add More to the Story

Although it might seem like a small side joke, the Yaro root also doubles as a well-written piece of characterization for Nebula. Despite her being an antagonistic, bitter character, the Guardians are still looking out for her best interests, even with something as simple as eating fruit when it’s ready. When the head-strong Nebula rushes to get what she wants on her own terms, it ends up being premature and not what she wanted. The Yaro root is a reminder of how Nebula can benefit from learning to trust others instead of struggling to get by on her own and achieving less.

So even though it’s a small line from a silly gag, I think this line is actually rather important to her character arc. The meaning of the line makes it all the more impressive that it was an improvisation, especially when you consider that its director James Gunn has previously stated that about 99% of the final dialogue in his films are straight from the script. It’ll be interesting to see if her tendency for improvisation might come to the forefront with director Taika Watiti in Thor: Love and Thunder. As mentioned previously, he’s a fan of improvisation and perhaps he’ll get more of these character-developing scenes through improvisation.

If you are interested, you can check out the interview with Karen Gillan right here:

Source: Deadline, MTV, Yahoo, Twitter , The Hollywood Reporter , BBC Radio 1, Twitter

September 17, 2021
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’s Dance Off to Save the Galaxy

Editor’s note: This was written by our good friend, Pierre Chanliau.

Years ago, there was a brief and odd time when people derided Peter Quill’s dance-off with Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy. Claiming it devalued the tension of the scene by reducing it to a joke. On the whole, the scene in question is one of the best in James Gunn’s debut MCU film. So, before he begins work on the threequel, let’s talk about that dance-off.

After the Dark Aster crashes into Xandar, Peter Quill and the rest of the Guardians emerge from the rubble unscathed thanks to Groot’s sacrifice. A sacrifice that Rocket mourns, holding several twigs of what remains of his friend. Ronan suddenly rises from the crash, equality unscathed, to the horror of everyone. After repelling a futile attack from a furious Rocket, Ronan begins to give an overtly verbose and hammy speech to the citizens of Xandar about enacting his vengeance. He raises his hammer to destroy the planet but before he can, he’s interrupted by singing from none other than Peter Quill. That song that’s actually playing in this scene is from The Five Stairsteps’ “O-o-h Child.” An uplifting song about how “things are gonna get easier” in times of strife.

It isn’t a mistake that this song is the last one from Peter Quill’s first mixtape. Meredith Quill likely included this last song specifically for her son when she was first diagnosed with brain cancer. One way to look at this scene, is that she inadvertently helped her son save the galaxy since it was this song playing that prompted Peter to improvise his distraction. So even in death, Meredith was there for her son.

What also isn’t talked about enough is how this desperate ploy by Quill actually made Ronan a tad more interesting as a character with one single delivery from Lee Pace. As if breaking character, Ronan looks on, confused, at Quill’s display, asking him in an uncharismatically quiet voice, “What are you doing?” Not only is it one of the funniest line reads in the entire film, but it showcases the “real” Ronan. Thanos was right when he called the Accuser a “boy” with the demeanor of “a pouty child.”

Looking at every one of Ronan’s actions in retrospect, he was always putting on an act. He’s so desperate to be taken seriously, that he literally bathes in the blood of his enemies with no sense of irony. Not to mention his desperate need to be taken seriously, such as when he killed The Other, the voice of Thanos. This interpretation of Ronan is reaffirmed when he asks the question again, but with Pace returning to the Accuser’s typical cadence. It’s as if Ronan is trying to save face and regain control of the scene after his (obviously prepared) speech was rudely interrupted.

Regardless of the massive difference compared to his comic book counterpart, this one moment gives this adaptation of Ronan a bit more character than other low-tier villains in the MCU, like Christopher Eccleston’s abysmal Malekith. After Quill’s distraction succeeds, the rest of the scene is far more self-explanatory. It blatantly symbolizes Peter accepting his mother’s passing as he finally grabs her hand. Something he didn’t do as a child years ago because it meant acknowledging her impending death. Despite what one might think of Gunn, he nails the emotional beats in his films when they matter most, and he’ll hopefully be able to match this in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

August 15, 2021
REVIEW: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ 409: Progress

Episode 9 is a delightful romp through the hellscape that is the psyche of every character associated with Gilead. There are no guns, no bombs, no blood of any sort. But everyone’s a casualty.

Jeanine is back at the red house with Aunt Lydia, being her good girl self, but oh what pain she hides beneath the surface. Esther, the young brutalized wife who the handmaids met at the farm/hideout, is now there, but refusing to eat. Jeanine’s goodness insists she tries her best to make Esther realize the lengths the Aunts will go in teaching obedience, and it works. One more obedient-on-the-surface handmaid to add to the fold.

Fred and Serena are now coming to realize the mistakes they made in trusting to their continuing influence in Gilead. They may have admirers in Canada, but they certainly don’t in the upper echelons of Gilead. They have visitors from Gilead, Commander Warren, and his lovely wife Naomi, who were the primary torturers of Janine. Naomi suggests that if Serena were to find herself still in prison when the child is born, she should give it to Naomi to raise. You can almost hear the slap Serena aches to deliver to Naomi’s sweet, stupid face. Warren visits Fred, who demands more help from the other commanders in Gilead. What are the plans? Who is coming to help him? Nobody, Warren lets him know. But don’t worry. You’re in our thoughts and prayers. Fred does not seem comforted.

Let’s move on to June, who is now strong enough to tell Luke the truth: that their daughter Hannah doesn’t remember them, cringes in fear when spoken to by June, and is too far gone for there ever to be a happy family scenario that Luke is so desperate for. “I’m sorry,” says June, and she is deeply splintered by her ability to survive anything, and her inability to rescue her daughter. But she’s had to do all of her fighting alone, and here is a time for Luke to shine. He shows her all of the work he’s done already in finding Hannah, placing a bulging folder in front of her, filled with documents and photos. So finally June can count on someone helping her in the fight for her daughter.

Their first idea is to contact someone from inside Gilead. June calls Lawrence, who struggles with his own guilt at going along with the Gilead manifesto in the early days. He tells June to simply be satisfied, raise the daughter she has. June entreats him to help them because they love Hannah so much. Lawrence sets her straight.

“Your love fucks people up.”

Cue the close-up of Luke. The implication is obvious.

Luke has gone through his own hell while being forced to wait for news of his wife and daughter. He has arrived at the airport expecting to greet his wife, only to find himself the caretaker of her infant daughter, conceived through the convoluted madness of Gilead. When he finally is reunited with his wife, she tells him the child was conceived in love. What the hell does that mean, he must be asking himself. This woman he has loved is fundamentally different, and he has to find a way to fit back into her life. But we can see Luke weaken through each scene. He sees the life he imagined with June disappearing. He faces the possibility that they may never see their Hannah again, and the daughter he’s raising isn’t truly his. Despondence chips away at him, until he finally suggests that June set up a meeting with Nick, and make sure to bring baby Nichole to sway his judgment. And then we watch his heartbreak into tiny little pieces.

When June and Nick meet, we know what Luke already knows deep in his soul; they are in love and will be forever. A bond forged in hell can’t be broken by the survivors.

If June’s love really does fuck people up, I don’t hold out much hope for Nick surviving the season.
Someone else who may not survive: Mark, their liaison from the state department. He casually tells June and Luke that they have flipped Fred, and he will now be their primary source for intel on Gilead. June is enraged that her rapist will be set free, and threatens (promises?) that she will kill Mark for this betrayal.
What will the season finale hold? It’s called Wilderness and not Gilead Armageddon, so I’m sure I’ll be disappointed at some level.

June 10, 2021
Review: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ 408: Testimony

Episode 7’s ending, with June bending down into the face of a kneeling Serena, who is outwardly repentant but silently superior—God loves her best, after all—was just what we needed to see. “Do you understand me?” she asks, a tight lid on the rage that boils always beneath the surface. We want to see violence and bloodshed directed towards anyone from Gilead, but June has other things on her agenda.

Episode 8 begins with a scene which is banal in any other context: woman who is now super serious cuts hair in an attempt to show she is serious. We’ve seen it before, but with June, it’s different. It’s a reminder not to us, but to the character: remember why you’re here. Focus.

The only concern I have with the way the season is going is that Fred, male representative of all that is Gilead, has taken a step back and has been replaced by Serena as the absolute guiltiest and most disgusting character on the show. Why is this happening? Throughout the episode, Fred is emasculated, clearly manipulated by Serena, and presented as a delusional defendant in court. Fred, if not the supreme dum-dum who started Gilead, was at least in the clown car with them. Why do I see hints of him becoming a background character? We want to see our pound of flesh taken out of him, literally.

We may be screaming for blood, but June knows what’s needed. We are reactionary; she is incendiary. And she’s there to wake people up. Group therapy in the library ends with June asking Moira why the others aren’t more angry. “How do you know they’re not?” replies Moira, whose quiet but clear-sighted take on events throughout the series has saved more than one psyche.

June, in an attempt to force her friends to deal with the trauma of being a handmaid, brings one of the former Aunts to the next group session. June encourages Emily to confront the woman who ratted her out to the authorities, resulting in Emily’s mutilation, but she turns on June instead. “We’re not all like you,” she says. So June becomes a stand-in for her friend. As the Aunt asks for forgiveness, June confronts her.

“Why the fuck do you think you deserve forgiveness?”

“We are all God’s children,” she sobs.

“Bullshit,” responds June. “You people hide behind God every time it serves you.”

It’s an echo of her conversation with Serena in prison. Serena insists God brought June to her, but June corrects her. “I brought myself here.” There is no reliance on the supernatural. When you get rid of God, there is no place for these people to hide.

Emily leaves the therapy session without confrontation. At first, it seems June has lost the battle, but she has lit a spark. It turns out Emily went to the woman’s house, but was too late – she had already hanged herself.

When the women meet again, Emily admits she felt happy to see the former Aunt dead. Women start to open up about the violent acts of retribution they would like to deliver to their former captors. Has June commandeered the therapy session to include what she feels is most important? Of course, she has. Moira steps in to remind the women that anger is great, but isn’t everything. June presses her. “Why does healing have to be the only goal? Why can’t we BE as furious as we FEEL? Do we have that right?”

And here the scene bleeds into our present-day experiences, as women have been demanding the world allow truth and rage and justice to have their day. And this is why you can’t just pick up a few episodes of this series before dashing off to a lighthearted romp in the park. It gets into your psyche and reminds you that the battles these women are fighting are not unheard of in our own world, as much as that repulses us. June lights a tiny fire in all of us, every week.

The episode ends with Fred and Serena traveling to the courthouse while we hear a loud crowd outside. Protesters, obviously. They step outside to be greeted by cheers from supporters, those who have gathered to shower the golden couple with blessings. WTF. Fred is smug; of course, they are supporting him, it was only a matter of time before they realized how great and wise he is. Serena, however, is troubled. She’s smarter than Fred, and she knows once you create blind and adoring followers, you can’t always lead them where you want them to go.

June 3, 2021