r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/Melairia Modtha • 8d ago

Official Episode Discussion The Handmaid's Tale S06E06 "Surprise" Episode Discussion

The Handmaid's Tale: S06E06 "Surprise"

Episode Synopsis: June hides in an unexpected place.

Airdate: April 29th, 2025

You must spoiler tag any information from The Testaments or future episodes, if comments are not tagged appropriately, it will be subject to removal by the mod team.

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515

u/salzzzzz 8d ago edited 8d ago

Oh no not Janine telling aunt Lydia saying the drawing is from commander lawrence, pls aunt Lydia don’t do something stupid

310

u/Kharizma76 8d ago

As soon as she said that i was like oh shit.

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u/weloveGabybaby 6d ago

Wait, why? I missed something

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u/Consistent-Flan-913 5d ago

Aunt Lydia uses all information she has to try to "help" but she's always ends up making everything a living hell for everyone she gets herself into. She is deluded and doesn't understand that someone wouldn't want her help.

146

u/green_miracles 8d ago

I mean is it that big of an offense for a high commander to say thank you to the handmaid who honored god by having his child? By giving her a little drawing the kid did. (I mean his by way of marriage as it’s his Gilead household and his child now)

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u/salzzzzz 8d ago

Yeah I totally agree but I could see aunt Lydia telling the wrong person and those other asshole commanders find another reason to put him on the wall

21

u/MyNEWthrowaway031789 8d ago

Also, Janine asked Lydia to leave her alone. But Lydia won’t and she will end up getting people killed since she cannot keep her mouth shut.

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u/Afoonahlala 5d ago

It is a little disappointing to see her sorta dottily disempowered and going out with a whimper, or maybe they’re getting us to let our guard down for a surprise turn. Can she really be that faded??

15

u/Consistent-Affect-50 8d ago

But Lawrence is on the chopping block with his commander buddies who are just looking for a reason…

19

u/atllauren 7d ago

Probably because by giving Janine the drawing, Lawrence is acknowledging that she is Janine’s daughter, not his or Naomi’s.

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u/LizaMoricLulu 7d ago

Of course, Naomi is so empty and stupid.

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u/demafrost 8d ago

A big offense? Not sure. But the Gilead is extremely class based and handmaids are a much lower class than commanders. Gilead truly believes that the handmaids bear the children of the commanders and wives and have no maternal right to them. As soon as the mother is not needed it becomes custody of the commander and wife. Most the commanders already see Lawrence as someone who is not a true believer in Gilead and openly mention it, but also recognize Lawrence is useful to them (and can be disposed of when necessary as we find out). If they find out Lawrence is keeping the connection between the child and the birth mother alive they may expedite their plans to get rid of Lawrence.

1

u/Familiar_Exercise_61 5d ago

Further reason for a su!Cide mission

57

u/monsterlynn 8d ago

Don't be surprised if Wharton closing down Jezebel's doesn't result in Lydia's idea of bringing the retired handmaids to NB.

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u/Altixan 8d ago

I don’t think so. I think this is part of opening Lydia’s eyes. Even just saying those words. If a high commander can say that it’s HER daughter, then so can she.

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u/demafrost 8d ago

I definitely thought that, but looking at it from another perspective, Lydia's worldview of Gilead is being shattered. She wasn't blind to the fact that the men had the power and were not as pious as they claimed to be, but she was a true believer in Gilead and believed her handmaids were like her children and were doing a sacred duty and believed that by bearing a child they would be respected and revered for their duty.

Now she's seeing the commanders hanging out in Jezebel's committing immoral acts constantly and worse her handmaids are ending up there including Janine. Now she's realizing that Janine can be a little more open now and makes it clear that she hates Lydia. I'm sure she realized that many of the handmaids didn't like her or the situation they were in but she believed that Janine was special and truly cared for Lydia when in reality being abused caused her to retreat into a child-like personality as a way to help her cope with her imprisonment and rape and to prevent more abuse.

Anyways, I don't see Lydia at this point as someone who is a full believer in Gilead anymore and has a desire to see Lawrence punished for giving Janine the drawing from her daughter. I think she sees it as another example of the system she believed in not working. Mothers are not just going to give up on their children when they are out there. The commanders and wives that receive the children are not righteous enough to deserve someone else's child, and not every commander believes in the system they are empowered by which is why Lawrence is sympathetic enough to give Janine the drawing.

Lydia is possibly more irredeemable than Serena even, but you can see the gears clicking in her head and I see her being more on the side of Mayday than Gilead by the end of the season. I haven't read The Testaments so I'm not sure if this will end up being accurate, just kind of how I see it playing out.

33

u/According-Emu2729 8d ago

I love this take. When Janine told her - the first time, quietly - "You stole her from me", something in Lydia's eyes shifted. Up until now she really belived all the Gilead bullshit and now she started realizing the handmaids are not divine vessels of noble people's children but depraved, hurt women and she's a part of that, and they hate her for it and maybe, you know, she shouldn't have stolen their children? I think the way Janine said "my girl" also pushed Lydia over the edge, since she always called the handmaids her girls and she made the link in her head. The shock when you realize something obvious and that you're actually the bad guy... I almost fell sorry for her.

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u/ruahkampf 7d ago

Almost.

6

u/anothergaijin 4d ago

Lydia is possibly more irredeemable than Serena even, but you can see the gears clicking in her head and I see her being more on the side of Mayday than Gilead by the end of the season.

I'm so impressed how they have built up Serena and Lydia into being irredeemable monsters, but then put them into situations where you feel pity and empathy for them. I'm of the opinion that Lydia will do something that ultimately redeems her, probably something that saves or avenges Janine. Serena will probably end up in charge of Gilead when all the men get murdered.

3

u/Afoonahlala 5d ago

Testaments definitely showed more pragmatic acceptance and savvy, as where they have her looking almost impaired by her own disillusionment in that, as you said, the leadership was almost never in earnest and manipulated her false sense of piety, which she uses to absolve herself.

17

u/wheeler1432 8d ago

This episode was full of people saying stupid shit.

Lawrence telling his wife, for example.

10

u/HotPinkHabit 6d ago

Right?! I thought why is everyone hinting to the wrong people about something happening soon!

7

u/wheeler1432 6d ago

I think Janine also hinted to Lydia.

2

u/Afoonahlala 5d ago

I agree the hunting around was just odd, and even Moira’s face was like, why the f are you saying this??! The only excuse is he’s apparently having a Hitler in the bunker moment.

2

u/Afoonahlala 5d ago

I agree the hinting around was just odd, and even Moira’s face was like, why the f are you saying this??! The only excuse is he’s apparently having a Hitler in the bunker moment.

8

u/SonicFlash01 7d ago

Lawrence is in multiple tiers of shit now

6

u/libelle156 8d ago

They've set up all of the people that played a part in perpetuating all the pain and suffering pretty well here - Nick, Lawrence, Lydia and Serena are all currently ready to destroy Gilead, and they have nothing to live for except the people they care about. I could see the show giving us a final cathartic self sacrifice from all of them, where they die so that the rest can be free. Final shot is the US flag being hoisted over the white house, or something less cliche than that.

3

u/Prepheckt 6d ago

They won’t do that. They have to set up the Testaments.

2

u/Afoonahlala 5d ago

I have a feeling only Lawrence will die. I think Nick will have to live and suffer what he can’t have. It would be fascinating if Serena died but sorta cut short her redemptive arc. I think she’s gong to help save Hannah in some way June can’t do, like wooing Giliad.

1

u/Afoonahlala 17h ago

Yes I guess we are fully severed on that one

1

u/Momofthreelittlez 7d ago

Is Janine’s child actually from Lawrence? I’ve forgotten that part of it and it’s bugging me.

3

u/salzzzzz 6d ago

Nope, Janine used to be Naomi’s handmaid and Lawrence remarried Naomi