The Handmaid's Tale: Ann Dowd says Lydia has love for June
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Hulu’s hit dystopian show follows the lives of women separated from their loved ones and forced to become Handmaids. After the successful escape of June Osborne (played by Elisabeth Moss), Esther Keyes (McKenna Grace) could be inspired to set up Resistance the Red Centre in the upcoming season of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Esther was introduced to fans in season four as the underage wife of the elderly Commander Keyes (Bill Macdonald).
Despite having the privilege of being a wife in Gilead, Esther was going through hardships similar to the Handmaids.
On June’s journey to freedom in Canada, she was able to find refuge at the Keyes residence.
Esther agreed to hide June and other runaway Handmaids at her farm after she was contacted by the secret resistance group Mayday and The Martha’s Network.
On arrival, June collapsed due to septic shock from a gun wound.
Once she had rested and got better, June was visibly concerned that, at 14 years old, Esther was such a young wife.
This is where fans were shocked to learn that Commander Keyes had been sending other Commanders, Eyes and Guardians to rape her in hopes that she would get pregnant.
As an act of retribution, Esther had been slowly poisoning the Commander using Nightshade.
This led to him becoming senile and ensured she had control of the household.
In the episode titled Night Shade, Esther makes it clear that she’s running away with June and killed one of her rapists when he arrived at the house.
But before they make their escape, the house is raided by Guardians – and it’s later revealed Esther had been arrested and was sent to the Red Center to become a Handmaid.
In an interview with Variety, showrunner Bruce Miller revealed a hint that could suggest the former Commander wife could set up a resistance group in the Red Center.
When he was asked about former runaway Handmaid Janine Lindo’s (Madeline Brewer) return to Gilead, he said: “When Janine says, ‘Don’t put me back into service, I’d rather die,’ that was the same exact physical position, in the same spot, that June was in.”
He also revealed that evil disciplinarian Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) was finally getting the message: “I think that’s a wakeup call for Lydia in realizing that every single handmaid she comes across would rather die than be a handmaid, which is making her think about how to make handmaids sustainable.”
He added: “Gilead has changed, Janine has changed, and Esther has changed.
“It’s like June pulled the pin out of that poor girl and left, and now they’re in the Red Center; God knows what they could do.”
Speaking on Esther, he said: She’s amazingly volatile and dangerous, so June’s legacy is living on in Gilead in a big way.”
Viewers have already seen Esther’s rebellion play out at the Red Center, in episode nine she had refused to eat and was being punished for it.
Janine knows too well where rebellion can lead, as she had her eye removed for swearing in the first season.
She stepped up and asked Aunt Lydia if she could persuade Esther to comply.
Despite initially resisting, she eventually gives in when Janine reminds her they need to stay strong for when June returns for them.
With Janine and Esther’s rebellion and desire to escape Gilead combined they could create the biggest revolution Gilead has ever seen.
All episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale is available to stream on Hulu
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