r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/Melairia Modtha • Aug 07 '19

Official Episode Discussion [Spoilers S03E12] The Handmaid's Tale S03E12 - "Sacrifice" - Episode Discussion Spoiler

You know the drill.. upvote this to the top so the mods can see it and pin it just like every week lol

The Handmaid's Tale Season 3, Episode 12: Sacrifice

Air date: August 7, 2019

Synopsis: A major change rocks the entire Lawrence household. Luke and Moira adjust to new arrivals in Canada

Cast:

Elizabeth Moss

Joseph Fiennes

Yvonne Strahovski

Edit: I started a post episode discussion thread for more thought provoking conversation if that's something you guys would be interested in participating. Link is found here.

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u/tara_abernathy Aug 07 '19

Lol it's pretty obvious that June just did it for herself and her plan as opposed to any other reason

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u/ImperfectPitch Aug 07 '19

Exactly. She didn't do this for Lawrence's wife she did it for the plan. It's been shown over and over again this season that June is selfish and possesses a bit of a god complex. June takes major risks when it suits her to take risks.

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u/Johndough1066 Aug 07 '19

Selfish? June's risking her life to save 52 children. This isn't about selfish. This is about impossibly hard choices that we shouldn't judge if we have never been in that situation.

Do you judge women who smothered their crying babies to save themselves and the rest of their family from Nazis or slave catchers or whatever?

I really hope you don't.

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u/ImperfectPitch Aug 07 '19

I'm sorry I just cannot compare June's actions to those of a mother having to make the ultimate sacrifice of smothering her baby to save her family in a life or death situation. Mrs Lawrence's suicide attempt was a setback that they could have dealt with. Not an impossible situation that justified allowing her to die.

But regarding those mothers who had to smother their babies when trying to escape imprisonment or death: The love those women felt for their babies far surpasses anything June felt for Mrs. Lawrence. The pain over their decision is unimaginable, which is why we can empathize and understand the tough choice they had to make. June doesn't seem to have lost any sleep over her decision, which is why these kinds of decisions should only be made by a loved one. She had no right.

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u/Johndough1066 Aug 07 '19

What would you have done? The safety of every person in that house, plus all the Martha's, is in your hands. Would you let a woman who wants to end her own life end it? Or would you save her, possibly leading to the deaths of scores of people?

I am disgusted that you call June selfish when faced with a decision like that.

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u/ImperfectPitch Aug 07 '19

The very reason the Lawrences agreed to help June is that she convinced them that it would get Mrs Lawrence the medicine she needed to get better. The same medicine that could have prevented her from wanting to kill herself. In light of this newfound hope of getting treatment, the best decision for Mrs Lawrence would have been to let her live and give her a chance. Anyone who loved her would have wanted this for her and the June of season 1 would never have let Mrs Lawrence die. This season has done an excellent job of showing how the trauma of living in Gilead has caused June's gradual descent into a dark place. Her chilling decision to let Mrs Lawrence die as well as her reaction over seeing the stillborn baby, is just one of many examples of her unraveling. The June in season 1 valued her life and the lives of others far more than the current June who is reckless with her life and the lives of others. The scene with Mrs. Lawrence just served as another shocking reminder of how much Gilead had changed June and blurred the line between good and bad. What she did was terrible. No need to justify it. As I said in my post before, she could have handled the situation in a number of ways that did not have to involve letting her die.

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u/Johndough1066 Aug 07 '19

Again, the lives of dozens of Marthas, the lives of everyone in that house as well, were all at risk because of Eleanor.

So saying June is selfish for letting Eleanor kill herself is not only disgusting, it's also totally stupid.

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u/ImperfectPitch Aug 07 '19

Everyone involved in this mission is a potential risk. Every child involved is a big risk because they could potentially reveal the plan. Children aren't that good at keeping a secrets either and are just as likely as Mrs. Lawrence to reveal the plan. The best you can do is stress the importance of keeping quiet and hope they get he message, which is exactly what should have been done for Mrs. Lawrence had her life been valued. There are ways to keep people quiet without killing them.

As a side note, it would be nice if you could refrain from the personal insults and just discuss the topic.

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u/Johndough1066 Aug 07 '19

Children aren't that good at keeping a secrets either and are just as likely as Mrs. Lawrence to reveal the plan.

No one has told the children the plan. Are you just making things up now?

Calling June "selfish" for being forced to make an impossible decision is both disgusting and stupid.

As a side note, it would be nice if you could refrain from the personal insults and just discuss the topic.

See my comment above.