Gilead’s history is being re-written, and the resistance is wearing school green. In this jam-packed season finale breakdown, Paul and Caroline dive deep into “Secateurs,” an episode that changes the game for every major player.

From high-stakes smuggling operations to heartbreaking sacrifices, we analyze a finale that feels less like an ending and more like the birth of an army.

#TheTestaments #HandmaidsTale #Podcast #TVReview #Gilead #JuneOsborne #AuntLydia

The Testaments

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Caroline | Paul

This podcast was recorded, edited, and produced by Paul and Caroline Daley at Pod Clubhouse Studios and is a Pod Clubhouse Original Production.

The shortest episode of the season, but maybe the most layered. Right off the bat, Caroline and Paul dissect this episode’s name and what its use may imply. Some hints: it’s actually a derivation of a much longer name – The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade, and it involves the French Revolution, an asylum, the Marquis de Sade, and the murder of a revolutionary. Go check out the Wikipedia entry for the movie based on the play here or about the play itself here.

This is our favorite kind of episode to take apart and discuss all of the different parts that make it stand out. The deep title, the visual motifs, the foreshadowing – this episode had a LOT for the viewers to chew on and in one of the longest podcasts of this series so far, Paul and Caroline certainly have full… mouths? I’m not sure that metaphor works. We would never physically chew into the microphone during a podcast. I just mean to say that the podcast is dense this week.

The Testaments

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Caroline | Paul

This podcast was recorded, edited, and produced by Paul and Caroline Daley at Pod Clubhouse Studios and is a Pod Clubhouse Original Production.

In “Broken”, viewers got one of the shortest episodes of the first season – BUT that didn’t hold it back from delivering a substantial emotional punch. Soul-crushing dream sequences? Check. Secrets kept between uneasy alliances? Heart-breaking abuse? Check. Imagination sparking cliffhanger? Check.

What else do you need from an episode of television?

THE TESTAMENTS – “Broken” – As Agnes is swept up in wedding plans, Daisy hides a life-altering secret, and Hulda faces backlash after speaking out. (Disney/Russ Martin)

The Testaments

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Caroline | Paul

This podcast was recorded, edited, and produced by Paul and Caroline Daley at Pod Clubhouse Studios and is a Pod Clubhouse Original Production.

Daisy’s backstory continues in “Commitment” while we find out the results of last week’s matching process.

Back in Toronto of Daisy’s past, we learn that Rita, the martha from the Waterford home in The Handmaid’s Tale, has taken control of her life and lends a hand with Mayday. Her job is to train up Daisy and get her into Gilead to become a “sponge”.

Meanwhile, in Agnes’ present, the new greens, Agnes, Hulda, and Becka, learn about their matches with varying levels of excitement. Though Aunt Lydia took Agnes’ recommendation to add Garth, a Commander-to-be, to the pool of eligible suitors, she did not decide to match Agnes with him. Instead, Garth met with Becka’s family, doing very well in his interview.

Paul and Caroline run through the story, adding commentary and analysis on all of the major plot points!

The Testaments

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Caroline | Paul

This podcast was recorded, edited, and produced by Paul and Caroline Daley at Pod Clubhouse Studios and is a Pod Clubhouse Original Production.

What an episode! In “Stadium”, we finally looked into Lydia’s backstory. We’d gotten a peek only once during the entire run of The Handmaid’s Tale, but now we know where Lydia’s journey to becoming Aunt Lydia truly began. No one was more surprised than your hosts to see that Commander Judd had been there since the beginning. For better or worse, Aunt Lydia became what she needed to become as her drive to live her life according to her “resolve” fell to survival mode. We think Aunt Lydia has secretly switched back to “resolve” mode, but time will tell.

Meanwhile, during the current timeline, the Aunts converged and created matches between the new greens and the eligible commanders. Think of how much harder the process must have been, given their lack of access to technology! By hand, the Aunts must manage not only the political impacts of their decisions, but the limited gene pool in Gilead’s reproducing population. I wonder how close the relations can get before they nix a match.

The Testaments

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Caroline | Paul

This podcast was recorded, edited, and produced by Paul and Caroline Daley at Pod Clubhouse Studios and is a Pod Clubhouse Original Production.

Agnes’ season 1 journey has led up to this point, the ball (or the prom as some call it) is her chance to make an impression on eligible commanders. The prospect of it all scares and excites her. The chances that she’s ever touched a man for an extended time are low – and that’s all she’s expected to do at the ball! For her, it’s overwhelming and exhilarating – for the viewers, it’s just sad and pretty uncomfortable watching the older men with the young women.

Meanwhile, our supporting characters endured a much less exciting time. One of Becka’s dance partners offered to spike her drink – which she could not refuse. Shu and Daisy rally behind the scenes to try and help Becka minimize the damage her drunken stumbling could cause her chances to find a good match (little as she wants a match). Daisy learns that she doesn’t have an easy path out of Gilead through her Mayday connections from Garth. Now that we mention Garth, Mr. Perfect gets a chance to dance with Agnes, leaving her breathless and riddled with desire.

And upon learning that Garth’s promotion to Commander is only a couple weeks away, her fantasies may indeed become reality. Paul and Caroline really doubt it, but it’s nice for her to have had that moment of romantic dreaming.

The Testaments

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Caroline | Paul

This podcast was recorded, edited, and produced by Paul and Caroline Daley at Pod Clubhouse Studios and is a Pod Clubhouse Original Production.

This week’s episode of The Testaments, “Green Tea”, takes us further into Gilead’s arcane traditions with the plums hosting high tea as an expression of thanks to the Aunts. BUT there are also subtleties with lasting consequences for even the slightest misstep. Needless to say, the girls are on edge.

Meanwhile, Daisy has no official role in the tea. She attends and observes the behind-the-scenes activities… and snoops around and speaks with Garth, the young Mayday agent masquerading as a Mackenzie family guardian. She’s getting nervous that Gilead’s forces are tightening the noose around her as she sees her Mayday comrades swinging from the gallows. Needless to day, she is also on edge.

You know who’s not on edge? Aunt Lydia. She’s just here for the cake.

THE TESTAMENTS – “Green Tea” – As the Green girls gather for a tea party, Daisy struggles to keep on task, while Agnes begins to understand what being a woman in Gilead means. (Disney/Russ Martin)

THE TESTAMENTS – “Green Tea” – As the Green girls gather for a tea party, Daisy struggles to keep on task, while Agnes begins to understand what being a woman in Gilead means. (Disney/Steve Wilkie)

THE TESTAMENTS – “Green Tea” – As the Green girls gather for a tea party, Daisy struggles to keep on task, while Agnes begins to understand what being a woman in Gilead means. (Disney/Steve Wilkie)

The Testaments

1 | 2 | 3

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Caroline | Paul

This podcast was recorded, edited, and produced by Paul and Caroline Daley at Pod Clubhouse Studios and is a Pod Clubhouse Original Production.

In the third episode, “Daisy”, we shift POV to Daisy, Pearl Girl in Agnes’ charge – and some kind of Mayday spy? We don’t have all the details yet, but we at least know that she’s in cahoots with Mayday and is in touch with other Mayday agents in the area. What is she there to do? We don’t know yet. Caroline and Paul discuss what they think about her mission, at least so far and more in this podcast.

Look HERE for more Pod Clubhouse coverage of The Handmaid’s Tale.

The Testaments

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Caroline | Paul

This podcast was recorded, edited, and produced by Paul and Caroline Daley at Pod Clubhouse Studios and is a Pod Clubhouse Original Production.

Big changes are coming in Agnes’ life, and they start right here in “Perfect Teeth”. As she enters the next phase of her life, she will undoubtedly get a much closer look at Gilead society than she ever wanted, warts and all.

Look HERE for more Pod Clubhouse coverage of The Handmaid’s Tale.

The Testaments

1

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Caroline | Paul

This podcast was recorded, edited, and produced by Paul and Caroline Daley at Pod Clubhouse Studios and is a Pod Clubhouse Original Production.

Welcome back to Gilead? Well, we’re back, ready or not, and here to discuss the latest adventures of the latest generation making their way through Gilead’s oppressive society. In this first podcast, Paul and Caroline discuss the pilot episode, describe the new slate of characters, and compare what we’ve seen to the pages from Margaret Atwood’s novel.

Look HERE for more Pod Clubhouse coverage of The Handmaid’s Tale.

On Hulu | Facebook | Our Facebook Group | X

Caroline | Paul

This podcast was recorded, edited, and produced by Paul and Caroline Daley at Pod Clubhouse Studios and is a Pod Clubhouse Original Production.