“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”— Nick welcomes Eden, quoting 1 Corinthians 13:6 (Scripture)
Seeds is the fifth episode of the second season of The Handmaid's Tale.
Synopsis[]
Offred spirals as a Gilead ceremony disrupts her relationship with Nick. Janine tries to adjust to life in the colonies, jeopardizing her friendship with Emily.
Plot[]
At night, Offred starts burning the letters from Rachel's package in the kitchen sink and is interrupted by Nick, who takes the remaining letters once Offred leaves.
Aunt Lydia is still regularly monitoring Offred’s pregnancy at the Waterford's. She weighs her, measures the size of the baby, and takes note of her mental state. She takes notes with a pencil, in a case of "special dispensation" for aunts, as she explains to an astonished Serena, who encourages Aunt Lydia to leave and takes clear offense when Lydia says one of her jobs is to observe the "mood" of the home in which Offred is carrying the baby.
In The Colonies, Emily guides Janine through the inhuman and brutal reality, where Janine still seems to find reasons to smile.
While on the toilet, Offred sees she’s bleeding. She maintains her routine after, however, carrying on like nothing’s wrong. Rita tells her that Serena is waiting.
Serena takes Offred out for a walk where they run into Grace, Naomi, and Janine's already teething baby Angela. Naomi thinks that teething is a way for God to "test" her. Serena privately tells Offred that Naomi always complains about her baby. She becomes unhappy with Offred's brief replies and asks what's wrong with her.
Nick tells Serena that he's worried about Offred's mental state and suggests that she take her to see a doctor who would care for her mental health. She asks if Offred asked him to talk to her, and he says no. She replies, "the handmaid is not your concern." After she gets back, she sits with Fred who ignores her attempts at a conversation.
At the local Gileadean headquarters, Fred Waterford suggests to Commander Pryce that Nick be rewarded for his loyal service with a promotion, such as a transfer to a new position in Washington. Pryce replies he should "find a way to keep him around."
Offred lies in her bath, the water discoloured by blood. She creates a makeshift menstrual pad using toilet paper to hide the bleeding before going down to the kitchen where she obediently drinks her shakes and talks to Serena in an unusually respectful but distant and stilted manner. Rita asks if Offred is okay; she says she's fine.
The Waterfords head to a Prayvaganza chaired by Commander Pryce in which the handmaids and wives sit in rows while a ceremony takes place down below. A number of Guardians including Nick are escorted out to the main floor. Young brides, their faces covered by veils, then march onto the floor and stand opposite the men being “honored”. As Nick lifts his bride's veil, he sees a girl, Eden, who is clearly very much younger than him.
As they work, Janine blows on dandelion. When Emily asks what she wished for, she refuses to answer. A woman collapses and she isn't allowed to stand by her. Seeing this, Janine wants to change her wish.
The Waterfords with Offred, Nick, and Eden return from the Prayvaganza. They welcome her and Nick reads Corinthians 13:4-7. Only wives and husbands are allowed, and Offred is sent to her room. Rita stops her and asks if she can get her anything. Offred declines and continues to her room. In her closet, she finds that she is now bleeding heavily.
Back in the Colonies, Emily's tooth falls out and she notices the other women holding a wedding ceremony. Janine says that she thought of it for Fiona and Kit, the latter of whom is dying. Emily drags her away and angrily points out they are just "cows being worked to death", and Janine is "dressing up the slaughterhouse for them", to which a rather crestfallen Janine protests, "cows don't get married!"
Serena leads Eden into Nick's apartment and she politely thanks her. She asks if her mother told her what to expect when she lies with him. She recites a passage of the Song of Solomon, stating that it is not sin for a married couple to enjoy sex after Eden worries about the sin of lust.
Nick and the Commander share a “celebratory” drink to close out the night, toasting “to good women.” When heading back to his quarters in the pouring rain, Nick finds Offred outside, passed out and covered in blood. He screams for help.
The next morning in the Colonies, Kit’s body is carried out for burial on the graveyard. Emily compliments the wedding before they carry corpses out. They are buried among dozens of others.
Offred wakes up in a hospital bed, Serena sleeping in a chair opposite her, and appears stunned by her and the baby’s survival. She goes to get the doctor. Left alone, June makes a promise to her unborn child.
Notes[]
- The episode, though June-centric, has no voiceovers.
- Nick quotes 1 Corinthians 13:8 by "Love never fails". Some translations say "Love never ends".
Quotes[]
June'a vow
“You’re tough, aren’t you? You listen to me, okay? I will not let you grow up in this place. I won’t do it. Do you hear me? They.. they do not own you. And they do not own what you will become. You hear me? I’m gonna to get you out of here. I’m going to get us out of here. I promise you. I promise.” — June to her unborn baby
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love delights not in evil but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” — Nick quotes from 1 Corinthians 13
Cast[]
Starring
- Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne
- Joseph Fiennes as Fred Waterford
- Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Waterford
- Alexis Bledel as Emily Malek
- Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo
- Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue
- Ann Dowd as Lydia Clements
- Max Minghella as Nick Blaine
Guest Starring
- Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam
- Robert Curtis Brown as Andrew Pryce
- Sydney Sweeney as Eden Spencer
Additional Cast
- Deb Filler as Sally
- Tanya Faraday as Dee
- Shahi Teruko as Gwendolyn
- Soo Garay as Fiona
- Novie Edwards as Kit
- Nicky Guadagni as Aunt Sarah
- Perrie Voss as Ofzachary
- Marissa Kate Wilson as Ofzachary's Partner
- Paula Boudreau as Grace Williams
- Angela Vint as Leah
Gallery[]
Music[]
- "Heading Home" — Julianna Barwick, end credits.
References[]
| Season 1 | Offred | Birth Day | Late | Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum | Faithful | A Woman's Place The Other Side | Jezebels | The Bridge | Night |
| June | Unwomen | Baggage | Other Women | Seeds | First Blood | After | Women's Work Smart Power | The Last Ceremony | Holly | Postpartum | The Word | |
| Night | Mary and Martha | Useful | God Bless the Child | Unknown Caller Household | Under His Eye | Unfit | Heroic | Witness | Liars | Sacrifice | Mayday | |
| Pigs | Nightshade | The Crossing | Milk | Chicago | Vows | Home | Testimony Progress | The Wilderness | |
| Morning | Ballet | Border | Dear Offred | Fairytale | Together | No Man's Land | Motherland | Allegiance | Safe | |