Season One Episode Five – Ball
Gilead’s wedding season begins, and all the Green girls are attending, with the Aunts making sure everything goes according to plan. The girls have been looking forward to this moment for as long as they can remember. From a young age, they have been taught that marriage is their purpose, so this season feels like the moment they have been preparing for their entire lives. But as the night unfolds, it becomes clear that not all of the girls are as excited about their future as they are expected to be.
The Green girls seem excited about what I’m assuming is a party. Most of the Green girls have been looking forward to this night, but for Agnes and Becka, things feel very different. Agnes immediately notices Becka but avoids her, while Becka makes an effort to speak to Agnes and is met with silence. Okay, Agnes. This is not Becka’s fault her father is a pervert.
The Green girls are taken to a ballroom, where they perform a dance while the available Commanders watch from the balcony. And look at all those old men watching them! How unnatural. They need to be looking for a wife their own age. After the performance, the Green girls take part in a father-daughter dance. Agnes spots Becka with Dr. Grove, and she panics. She can’t shake the feeling that Dr. Grove did something to her when she was in his office. Commander Mackenzie notices that something is wrong and asks if she’s okay. Agnes says yes, but it’s obvious that she is anything but okay.
After the father-daughter dance, in come the future Commanders. The Green girls are paired up and expected to dance with these men, who are noticeably younger than the older Commanders watching from the balcony. I’m assuming these men are being groomed to become Commanders one day. As the Green girls dance with them, the whole thing feels awkward and uncomfortable, but at least these younger men were nice to look at!
Two of the Plum girls, Shunammite and Hulda, are in the dressing room drinking something Shunammite made that they believe will help them come of age. But why are they so desperate to rush the process? Maybe they feel left behind because their friends have already crossed over and they’re still waiting. But what exactly are they drinking, and will it work?
Having small talk with the future Commanders, Becka and Agnes do their best to stay pleasant and carry on a conversation with the young men they are dancing with. But seriously, what in the world are they supposed to talk. Really! It has to be very awkward trying to make small talk with those men.
Meanwhile, Daisy is in the hallway holding a tray. One of the older Commanders stops and starts touching her. Daisy goes off on him, and he knocks the tray out of her hand. Garth sees what is happening and walks over to save her telling the older Commander that he will take care of it. After the old Commander leaves, Garth also says to Daisy that the chocolate she took from Commander McKenzie’s office helped a lot. Now Garth wants Daisy to find out more. All Daisy wants to do is get out of Gilead. I think Daisy is feeling scared and does not want to know what could happen to her.
Finally, the Green girls get to return to the dressing room to freshen up. Becka once again tries to talk to Agnes, but Agnes still refuses to respond. Shunammite and Hulda notice the tension and begin wondering what is going on between the two girls. Soon, the Green girls are sent back to the ballroom. I call it more like torture than a celebration. It’s sad to think that this is all these girls have ever known and that they have been raised to believe this is what their lives are supposed to be.
The Green girls will switch dance partners as they wait for the older Commanders to come in. Agnes and Becka both look disappointed with their new partners. Luckily for Agnes, the Commander she is dancing with gets called away for an emergency and asks Garth to step in and finish the dance with her. Agnes is thrilled, but of course, she has to keep those feelings hidden. She can’t let anyone see how excited she is to be dancing with Garth.
Meanwhile, Becka is at the refreshment table drinking liquor with her Commander and getting drunk. Honestly, I can understand why she feels the need to numb herself. She is trapped in a life she didn’t choose, and drinking may be the only way she knows how to cope with the pain.
Aunt Lydia watches everything going on and tells Commander Judd not to let the Commanders influence her girls to drink. Once Aunt Lydia leaves, Commander Judd tells Aunt Vidala that it is past time for some new blood. Aunt Vidala just smiles and then excuses herself. Hmm…that smile makes me think she knows exactly what he means. And Aunt Vidala looks so familiar to me! I recognize her from somewhere, but I just can’t put my finger on it yet. I guess we’ll see if it comes to me!
Becka is drunk and stumbling down the hallway when Shunammite, Hulda, and Daisy help get her out of sight. Daisy takes Becka into the bathroom, where Becka admits that she doesn’t want to go back to the ballroom. She doesn’t want those men touching her anymore. Daisy tries to calm her down, but then Becka asks her what it feels like to be a runaway. When Daisy tries to talk to her again, Becka suddenly confesses that she is in love with Agnes.
Well, now Daisy has some serious information! Daisy quickly changes the subject and tries to get Becka out of the bathroom, but Becka walks out on her own. Now I’m wondering what Daisy is going to do with that information. Hopefully, she doesn’t tell anyone because being in love with another girl is definitely not something Gilead is going to accept.
Agnes is taken to a room to be interviewed by the available Commanders. When she walks in, she sees a television screen in front of her that looks like a Zoom meeting. Agnes sits down, and Commander Judd begins asking her questions, but she freezes up. Commander Judd can tell she is nervous, so he pulls her aside and encourages her, telling her she is going to do a good job. Commander Judd explains that all she has to do is answer their questions so the Commanders can get to know her better. After the interview, Agnes leaves the room feeling like she did a good job. She seems relieved, but I have a feeling there may be more to this interview than she realizes. And why an interview at all!!
Agnes goes to check on Becka and reassures her that everything is going to be okay. Becka admits that all she wants to do is run away and asks Agnes if she would go with her. Agnes agrees, but I think she is only saying yes to keep Becka calm. Agnes knows how sad Becka is feeling, and she doesn’t want to make things worse. But now I’m wondering if Becka actually believes Agnes will go through with it.
Aunt Vidala tells Aunt Lydia that the party is going well, but Aunt Lydia quickly shuts that down. She tells Aunt Vidala that things are definitely not going well and that she needs to do better. Aunt Vidala looks completely shocked by the criticism. You can tell she wasn’t expecting Aunt Lydia to be so blunt with her. What is going on between them two. It really feels personal.
Finally, the party is coming to an end, and the Green girls stand around waiting to find out who they will be matched with. Aunt Vidala comes in and scolds the girls, telling them that things did not go well that night. Then suddenly, the bell rings. Everyone stops and looks around, wondering who it could be.
Hulda walks in with a huge smile on her face, gets down on her knees, and recites the poem announcing that she has come of age. Everyone gathers around her and celebrates, hugging her and congratulating her. Shunammite watches from the side, clearly disappointed that it wasn’t her turn. Eventually, though, she puts her feelings aside, gives Hulda a hug, and congratulates her. I know Shunammite has to be happy for her friend, but I can’t help wondering how she is really feeling inside. Shunammite thought that drink was going to help her come of age first. Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you plan!
After such an eventful night, Agnes rides home with Commander McKenzie, while Garth sits in the front seat. Commander McKenzie congratulates Garth on becoming a Commander soon, and Commander McKenzie looks at Agnes with a smile. Agnes stays quiet, but you can tell she is secretly excited. Maybe there is a chance she will be matched with Garth after all. If that happens, she wouldn’t have to marry one of those old Commanders she was dancing with that night! Miracles can happen but I’m afraid not in Gilead.
This episode was really sad because of the life these girls are being forced to live. The saddest part is that they genuinely want to please their parents and believe they are supposed to marry these men. They have been raised from such a young age to think this is normal and that this is simply what girls their age are supposed to do. They don’t know any different. It’s hard to watch them accept a life that was chosen for them before they were even old enough to understand what they were giving up. What a sick country.
I did like the episode, but it was definitely uncomfortable and sad to watch. What stood out to me most was how normal Gilead has made all of this seem to the girls. They aren’t simply being forced into marriage but raised to believe that marriage to a Commander is their purpose, so many of them actually want to please their families and do what is expected of them.
And now it’s getting very serious because the girls are about to find out who they will be married to. Agnes seems especially hopeful that she could end up with Garth, which would obviously be very different from being paired with one of those older Commanders. But knowing Gilead, I’m not convinced she is going to get what she wants.
I also think Becka is becoming one of the most interesting characters. Her confession that she is in love with Agnes changes things completely. Now Daisy knows her secret, and in Gilead, that is dangerous information to have. I’m really curious whether Daisy will protect Becka or whether circumstances will force her to reveal the secret. Time will tell.
And then there’s Daisy, who just wants to escape. She keeps getting pulled deeper into Gilead’s secrets even though she wants nothing to do with them. Between what Garth wants her to discover and Becka’s confession, she is carrying a lot more information than she probably wants.
Overall, I thought this episode did a great job of showing just how disturbing Gilead is without always having to be violent. The girls smiling, dancing, getting excited about marriage, and trying to please their parents. This somehow makes it even more disturbing because they have been taught to accept this life as normal. And now that the marriages are coming, I think things are about to get much darker.
How are you feeling about the episode? Are you enjoying the show as much as I am? Starting on the next episode.
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