The Handmaid’s Tale: Highlights from season 3, episode 12 “Sacrifice”

Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale surpassed expectations and then some with the penultimate episode of season three. Check out our highlight reel of “Sacrifice” below.

The Handmaid’s Tale hasn’t failed to keep fans glued to their seats with every episode in season three. And with each passing episode, we’re getting closer to a major turning point in the story.

Warning! Spoilers for the latest episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale follow. Read on at your own discretion.

In “Sacrifice”, the episode focuses centrally on Serena Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski). She and Fred (Joseph Fiennes) were taken captive in last week’s episode after they were seemingly lured over the Canadian border. The truth, however, is that Serena brokered a deal to see Nicole again in exchange for Commander Waterford’s arrest.

Once the truth is out in the open, Fred becomes furious with his wife. He goes from being caring and wanting to protect Serena to almost strangling her. Nothing dramatic happens but this is clearly a defining point in their relationship.

Following their breakup, Serena finally gets a chance to see Nicole again. She’s accompanied by a social worker and their mediator but it’s a joyous occasion nonetheless, that is until Moira (Samira Wiley) shows up with baby Nicole.

The reason their meeting doesn’t go well is that Moira has some choice words for Mrs. Waterford. Moira goes into a rant, pointing out how Serena stood idly by while her husband raped and plundered his way across the country. She also recalls how Mrs. Waterford held June down while the Commander sexually assaulted her. Moira is escorted out shortly after but Serena has to sit with those painful memories while she tries to enjoy her limited visit with Nicole.

As for Commander Waterford, he receives a visitor of his own: Luke (O.T. Fagbenle). He has questions for Fred and the former Commander seems more than happy to cooperate. Of course, it turns out that he still feels like he’s in charge. Fred even goads Luke into attacking him. There don’t seem to be any repercussions for Luke’s outburst but that doesn’t mean he won’t be charged with a crime — he was in a designated protected space during the altercation after all.

Lastly, Eleanor Lawrence (Julie Dretzin) finally succumbs to her illness. She tried so hard to keep her mental illness a secret but the weight was too much for Mrs. Lawrence to bear. That factor became readily apparent after June had to physically slap some sense into her. She goes off to bed as though nothing happened but it would be the last time anyone sees her alive.

In the evening, June goes up to Eleanor’s room to check on her. She finds Mrs. Lawrence in a deep sleep and there’s a pile of crushed up pills on the nightstand nearby. This indicates that Eleanor decided to end her own life.

What’s most striking is June has the opportunity to save Eleanor’s life by getting her some medical attention. But rather than informing Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) of the situation, she allows Eleanor to slip peacefully into death’s embrace. Some will argue the ethics of her decision, though it seems like the best thing that could’ve been done for Eleanor at that point.

What did you think of The Handmaid’s Tale latest episode? Let us know in the comments section below.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 Finale airs August 14, 2019. All episodes are currently streaming on Hulu. For more on this Hulu Original, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Account @HuluWatcherFS or on the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.

(Source: Variety)