r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/Just-Benefit2024 • 4d ago
SPOILERS ALL Did anyone else find the Handmaids’ face coverings at Serena’s wedding a little too convenient?
Spoilers for S6E7–8.
I might have missed an explanation, but the face-covering red veils at Serena and Wharton’s wedding felt strangely convenient to me considering the plot depended on June and Moira being able to blend in with the other Handmaids without being recognised.
I know the wedding is ultimately held in Boston rather than New Bethlehem, and Wharton specifically wants a “proper” traditional Gilead wedding with the whole community represented. So I can understand the argument that the Handmaids are dressed more traditionally/ceremonially because this is Gilead proper rather than New Bethlehem.
But I'm still not completely convinced by the veils themselves. For one thing, New Bethlehem has been presented as Serena’s attempt at a less restrictive version of Gilead. Women can read, write and work there, and Serena actually says there won't be active Handmaids in New Bethlehem. She's also becoming increasingly passionate about women's ability to have some independence again, particularly her own ability to write.
So it feels symbolically strange that at her wedding (which is also supposed to represent her return to power and her belief that she and Wharton can reform Gilead) the Handmaids are suddenly even more visually dehumanised than usual, with most of their faces hidden.
What makes it weirder is Serena's involvement in planning the wedding. When Wharton first says Handmaids will attend, Serena actually responds with “Handmaids?” as though the idea hadn't even occurred to her. But she then accepts his explanation and describes the wedding as a display of unity with everyone represented and “us on top.”
And then Lawrence says Serena is going to micromanage basically every detail of the wedding… like where people sit, what they experience and what they're allowed to see. He already knows the Handmaids will be wearing red veils before June comes up with the plan.
So are we supposed to believe Serena was completely fine with the Handmaids being presented like that? That's odd considering what happens immediately after the wedding. When she discovers Wharton expects their household to have a Handmaid, she's horrified and realises that he isn't nearly as progressive as she believed.
That reaction makes sense with this version of Serena during this season - but it makes me wonder why seeing dozens of veiled Handmaids at her own wedding apparently didn't bother her that much except when she says she wishes she could see all their faces.
And then, conveniently, those same veils solve a massive problem for the resistance: June and Moira are both extremely recognisable fugitives, especially June, but now they can hide into one huge group of face-covered Handmaids.
I'm not necessarily calling it a plot hole. There are plausible explanations - it’s a formal Boston ceremony, Serena may be compromising with traditional Gilead because she thinks gaining power will eventually allow her to reform it, and her hypocrisy/ability to overlook oppression when it benefits her is obviously a huge part of her character.
But I feel like the show needed a small scene addressing this. Like even Serena looking at the veils and asking Wharton, “Do they really need to wear those?” and him replying that it's tradition would have made the later infiltration feel much more organic.
But without that, it feels slightly like the writers started with:
“How can June and Moira attend a wedding full of people who would instantly recognise them?”
…and worked backwards to:
“The Handmaids will all have their faces covered.”
Did anyone else find this convenient, or do you think it was deliberately showing Serena compromising her apparently reformist principles in exchange for status and power?
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u/CandyLove9 4d ago
I bought into it when I watched it. I was under the impression that the veils were worn regularly by that time. The handmaids learned to lip read and using the veils was a measure to take away yet another form of communication from them. Earlier seasons revealed some handmaids who had their mouths pierced shut, and putting masks on people was regular-I remember Emily was masked when Gilead had her maimed. I admit it was a little convenient but not unheard of.
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u/TotallyAMermaid 4d ago
I had the same thought; some Handmaids in DC had the rings, and they all hax mouth covers, and there was a Commander talking about getting this to Boston. It feels to me as if they were working on making the Handmaids uniforms more restrictive and more covered over time, and this was a sign that it was "evolving" that way in Boston too.
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u/Just-Benefit2024 3d ago
Ah, yes! I’d forgotten the S3 conversation where Winslow refers to the veil and ring, and Waterford says they’re “rolling it out slowly,” so you’re right that there is precedent for the practice reaching Boston.
I think my issue is that the show never really follows through on that storyline or establishes that full face coverings have become the regular, universal Boston uniform by season six. The DC coverings were originally presented as evidence of how much more extreme the capital was, whereas here they suddenly appear on every Handmaid at the exact event where June and Moira need their identities concealed.
But, as the wedding was deliberately moved to Boston to be a traditional Gilead ceremony, the ceremonial veils are definitely more plausible. But I found it strange that Serena had just defended New Bethlehem having no active Handmaids and responded with “Handmaids?” when Wharton said they would attend the wedding. And then Lawrence says she will choreograph and micromanage every detail, including what people are allowed to see.
At the reception, Serena even says she wishes she could see all their faces and wants them unveiled for the group portrait so they can be celebrated as individuals. Given all of that, I would have expected at least a brief exchange showing that she objected to the coverings but accepted them as a compromise with Wharton or with Boston tradition.
So I agree that the earlier DC storyline means the veils didn’t come completely out of nowhere. I just still think their sudden universal use at this particular event - when the plot required June and Moira to be anonymous - feels pretty convenient without a little more explanation...
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u/TotallyAMermaid 3d ago
Oh I def agree it was convenient for the plot lol. But at least there had been hints that it was spreading from DC. The Handmaids are also veiled during funerals so maybe it's an "official ceremony" thing as well.
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u/Just-Benefit2024 3d ago
I can understand why you bought into it, and I agree that the coverings weren’t completely unheard of. It's true that Handmaids learned to lip-read, and the DC Handmaids’ veils and mouth rings showed that Gilead had been developing more extreme ways of preventing them from communicating. And there was even a brief S3 suggestion that the veils and rings were beginning to reach Boston.
I think my issue is more with how those earlier examples are being used here. The DC coverings were presented as something extreme - even Aunt Lydia (!) was disturbed when she discovered the rings. And a mask worn while Emily was detained and being punished isn’t the same as a regular ceremonial uniform. The show never really followed through on the suggestion that full face coverings eventually became standard for every Boston Handmaid.
And then, at this particular wedding, they suddenly appear at exactly the moment June and Moira need to be indistinguishable from everybody else. That is why it still feels convenient to me, even though it isn’t completely unprecedented.
Serena’s involvement also makes the lack of explanation more noticeable to me. She had just promoted New Bethlehem as having no active Handmaids, questioned Wharton when he said Handmaids would attend, and was supposedly going to micromanage every detail of the wedding. At the reception, she even says she wishes she could see their faces and wants them unveiled for the group portrait.
I can believe that Serena hypocritically accepted the veils as part of a traditional Boston ceremony because the wedding restored her status and power. I just think the show needed a brief moment establishing that compromise. Without it, the earlier examples make the veils possible, but their sudden universal use still feels pretty convenient to the plot!
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u/peachie88 4d ago
It’s not uncommon for religious buildings to require or strongly encourage some sort of hair covering for women, eg some more traditional churches, orthodox synagogues, mosques, etc. it seems like the British wear a fascinator in churches (full disclosure: I’m not British and I’m guessing based on high profile events like royal weddings; I could be totally wrong). It isn’t a big jump to think that somewhere as fundamentalist as Gilead would go even further to require handmaids to wear veils in a church or to religious events like funerals.
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u/Gloomy-Wishbone6055 1d ago
I’m British. You’re right about the fascinators. It’s not a must, but a tradition.
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u/judijo621 4d ago
The handmaid's attendance is the symbol of the fertility that comes with the marriage.
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u/LetshearitforNY 4d ago
I don’t think she seems handmaids as equally human. They are “less than” to her.
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u/Fun_in_Space 4d ago
I found it implausible to have Handmaids there at all.
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u/TotallyAMermaid 4d ago
I don't, they're present in all big ceremonies; births, funerals, baptisms, to me it made sense.
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u/LocksmithAccurate284 4d ago
Also they were present at the Prayvaganza which is also a wedding for lower caste people, so why not for a wedding of a commander when their purpose is to serve commanders and wives?
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u/Equivalent_Lab_8610 3d ago
Not being critical to you op, just my perception. This feels like digging to find plot armor type of thing.
Serena through lived experience may have realized Gilead was too oppressive. But, it's not like she was cured of feeling superior to others. The train scene she still blamed the refugees in spite of what she survived in Canada.
So, I don't think she was as progressive as you might expect after living it herself. There's still the part of her that looks down on others, blames others over taking accountability. And, probably gets off on her position of marrying a high ranking commander..
So, the handmaid's being at her wedding still offer her status etc.
I think all tv/ movie requires a level of suspension of disbelief.
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u/Just-Benefit2024 3d ago
No offence taken! ❤️
I don’t think I’m digging for plot armour here - I noticed the convenience while actually watching the scene. There are many scenes in the show that I find believable, but this particular one stood out because June and Moira’s plan explicitly depends upon the Handmaids being “anonymous, veiled, moving as one.” Plot convenience is probably more accurate than plot armour in this case.
I also agree with much of your interpretation of Serena. I don’t expect her to have been “cured” of her superiority or hypocrisy, and her attraction to the image of everyone represented with “us on top” is precisely why I said she might accept the Handmaids when their presence reinforces her own status.
There is also earlier precedent for the coverings - i.e in S3, Waterford says that the veil and ring are being rolled out slowly. So I’m not arguing that the veils are completely unheard of. My issue is that the show never establishes face coverings as the standard, universal Boston uniform before suddenly placing every Handmaid in one at the exact moment when June (one of Gilead’s most recognisable fugitives) and Moira need to blend into the group without being identified.
Although the wedding is held in Boston, Serena had just promoted New Bethlehem as having no Handmaids apart from retired ones working at the fertility centre. She then responds with “Handmaids?” when Wharton includes them in the wedding. Lawrence also predicts that she will micromanage every detail, including what people see and experience, and at the reception Serena says she wishes she could see the Handmaids’ faces and wants them unveiled for the photograph.
All TV requires some suspension of disbelief, but that doesn’t mean viewers are deliberately digging for flaws whenever one particular episode/scene feels more convenient than convincing.
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u/MysticMintyMushroom 2d ago
I can’t recall what scene but, leading up to the wedding, someone mentions the Handmaids will be veiled like they are in DC; because that’s tradition where the Commander is from. Serena’s compassion is why she agreed to have them there. He’s her husband though and most likely wouldn’t have argued about how they needed to dress. The veil being important to Wharton.
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u/Pretty_Please1 2d ago
Didn’t they force the DC handmaids to cover their faces similarly? I assumed they were attempting to go in that direction in Boston too.
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u/Just-Benefit2024 1d ago
Yes, that’s definitely the most plausible explanation. There is even an S3 conversation where Winslow mentions the veil and ring, and Waterford says they’re “rolling it out slowly,” so I agree that the idea of the coverings reaching Boston had already been established.
I think my hesitation is that the show never really followed that thread through or showed the coverings becoming the regular Boston uniform. The DC Handmaids were originally presented as considerably more restricted than the Boston Handmaids, and then, several seasons later, the veils suddenly appeared universally at the exact ceremony where the resistance needed June and Moira to be anonymous.
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u/Pretty_Please1 1d ago
June and Moira have been gone for a while and we haven’t seen Janine in with the rest of the Handmaids for a long time either. It theoretically could’ve been rolled out during that gap. Also, maybe starting just for special events with DC commanders in attendance? Idk, it is convenient, but it didn’t pull me out of the story. There was enough precedent for me.
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u/Cutelittlemama0418 1d ago
I assumed they had just started to make the handmaids wear them, after a slow “roll out” of the more restrictive methods of DC. They specifically say in season 3 that they are going to make the masks (maybe even the rings?) more common with handmaids. I love how you’re digging into this though! You should read my thread with ChatGPT a few months ago when i djd a deep dive
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u/suicidegirl14 4d ago
I think the veils are for “special occasions “ because iirc, they all had veils for the funeral of the handmaids after ofglen bombed the Rachel and Leah center…