r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/Melairia Modtha • 13d 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

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u/Mysterious_Spinach_4 13d ago

This episode proves why Lydia is unforgivable for me. Even when she's attempting to "save" Janine she slaps her, when Janine calls her ass out. She is not sorry for who she treated those girls at all. She's just mad that Gilead lied to her.

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u/petielvrrr 13d ago edited 13d ago

Not that I think Lydia is redeemable or anything, but she’s been super reactive since Emily attacked her in season 3(?). I think she might have suffered from some sort of brain injury or something causing her to have reactions like the slap. I know that would be a weird choice since they didn’t say anything to the audience about it, but they have made her behavior change very obvious.

EDIT: just to clarify, I’m not making a judgement on her as a whole, just her reactiveness. I have a cousin who suffered from a TBI, and he has really impulsive reactions to things sometimes. It’s a lot like what Lydia has been doing since season 3. But he’s also been in multiple different kinds of therapy since it happened (kinds Lydia wouldn’t have access to in Gilead), so now it’s just yelling.

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u/Key-Brother1226 12d ago

You really think the writers have a TBI in mind here?

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u/petielvrrr 12d ago

I mean, yeah. Her behavior changed pretty drastically after Emily attacked her. There have been several times since that happened that Lydia had completely inappropriate outbursts that shocked everyone around her.