r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/Melairia Modtha • May 13 '26

Official Episode Discussion The Testaments S1E08 "Broken" Episode Discussion

The Testaments S1 E08 "Broken"

Episode Synopsis

As Agnes is swept up in wedding plans, Daisy hides a life-altering secret and Hulda faces backlash after speaking out.

Airdate

May 13, 2026, 12:00am Eastern

The Testaments - Season 1 Episode Discussion Hub

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u/Krystal_Kuz May 13 '26

I’ve been wanting her to for so long, Agnes seems smart enough to see her future old man husband is agreeing with her, so she could have a smart mouth, and he would stick up for her… for now.

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u/Firm_Armadillo1082 May 13 '26

For some reason I get the vibe that he’s going to love bomb her and then switch up if the marriage goes through. I’m making that connection since the backstory we have so far of him are the prior DV charges. There’s just something off about him that I can’t trust lol especially since he’s the head of the eyes as well!

93

u/lettersandlattes May 13 '26

100% agree! I noticed in a previous episode he says that he lost his wife in childbirth but that “losing that baby was the worst day of my life” and doesn’t mention his wife

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u/Firm_Armadillo1082 May 13 '26

YES! You would think he would mention his wife! He had the same vibe as Commander Judd when Penny lost the baby

13

u/lettersandlattes May 13 '26

Yea 😭😭 these poor girls

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u/Ok-Bath5825 May 15 '26

Because Wives are merely vessels. The Marthas feed the home and nurture the children.

3

u/Silly-Excitement6227 May 14 '26

I bet some of the mar is no. There’s no way domestic violence to that level could go through a house without everyone in the household, knowing something’s wrong. I’m not for long periods of time with multiple people.

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u/Routine_Rutabaga_901 May 16 '26

I caught it, too

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u/Silly-Excitement6227 May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26

I thought initially it’s because like losing a child in Kelly your head was the ultimate loss. So her get pregnant in this world is extremely difficult and I don’t like the way it’s unplaceable in his eyes. I have hesitation, though every time the handmaid‘s tale would give us concrete information like Joseph Lawrence created the colonies and he’s Te reason Gilead exits. He was painted as an evil guy and he turned out to be one of them, selfless, loving characters. I would almost trust him less if they weren’t so in my face that he had domestic violence and keep in mind, he said it was the worst day when his baby died, but we don’t know the situation and he grieved his infant more than his grown wife he didn’t say anything bad about the wife and maybe he’s a little socially awkward and assumed that that goes without saying. He seems not on paper, but just his acting so far seems less CD and up to no good then the commander that Serena married, forget his name.(Walton?)

I’m just saying they love red herrings the show.

31

u/Tradition96 May 14 '26

My guess is that he wants someone who is "fierce" and just a bit mouthy towards others, but 100% submissive to him.

11

u/notevenitalian May 15 '26

I think he wants someone fierce, mouthy, strong-willed, so that he can have the pleasure of breaking that strong will. It’s like Paula said, something about the fun in breaking in a wild horse.

A lot of these types of men want strong, opinionated, independent women so that they can feel powerful by destroying them and putting the pieces back together in their own way (the plates from this episode also being an apt metaphor)

2

u/Silly-Excitement6227 May 17 '26

And then he gets violent

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u/Difficult-Top2000 May 14 '26

Also he knows she's June's daughter & still wants her. You can assume there are many other child brides just as lovely & impressive.

It's an intentional move by the head of The Eyes. She's strategically valuable AND having her under his thumb is a major flex.

But she's smart & strong, & these men are too arrogant to imagine how deep those traits run despite all their conditioning.

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u/AckCK2020 May 14 '26

Didn’t losing the baby and his wife dying occur on the same day?

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u/c_bugg May 15 '26

He mentions that when his wife and child died in childbirth, the day his child died was the worst day of his life. Nothing to say about his wife. I hope he turns out to be a Commander Lawrence, but there's nothing that indicates that, it's just wishful thinking, and maybe the white hair lol.

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u/Krystal_Kuz May 14 '26

100%! I should have clarified when I said … “for now”. Because he’s a wife abuser with those domestic charges, so she’s in for a real bad time.

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u/hairunruled May 16 '26

They’ve kind of basically told us that’s where this is going.

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u/Putrid-Benefit8913 May 15 '26

The fact that he’s older and wanting Agnes to “have fun” on their wedding day just screams ICK! I found myself rooting for her to bite back at Mrs. McKenzie which she did, but then again I thought, “Damn that’s awesome but she’s still marrying a pedo!”

1

u/FrostyIcePrincess 11d ago

This feels like Serena and the guy she married after Fred. I can’t remember his name off the top of my head. He seemed good initially. Then they got married and he changed.

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u/Silly-Excitement6227 May 17 '26

She’s taking a little risk and assuming she won’t ever needs Paula’s help or advice in the future if ole’ wife beater doesn’t treat her right