WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 2!
The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 2, "Ballet" ends on an interesting note, cutting between a dancer performing in Canada and Serena Joy Waterford attending the funeral of her husband, Commander Fred Waterford, in Gilead. While the scenes of Serena at Fred's funeral make sense, some viewers were left scratching their heads, wondering what the significance of the dancer was. Although it may seem confusing at first, the dancer in The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 2 has a much deeper true meaning that highlights the direction the show may go.
Although the theocratic state of Gilead is the force that drives the plot forward, The Handmaid's Tale puts Fred Waterford in the role of the show's main antagonist, with him acting as the personification of Gilead's oppressive systems. June Osborne is Fred's Handmaid, with Fred and his wife Serena abusing and hunting down June throughout most of the show. June and the other Handmaids kill Commander Waterford in the season 4 finale, and with the show's acting antagonist out of the way, many viewers have wondered what direction the show will take next.
Serena's role in The Handmaid's Tale has been a complex one, with her allegiance to Gilead's ideology swaying throughout the series. However, now that June has killed Fred, it seems that Serena is primed to use her influence to expand Gilead and go after June. Episode 2's dancer signifies Serena's arc, with the dancer in Canada representing the graceful facade that is swaying Canadians towards Gilead sympathies, while Serena militaristicly marching down the street, leading Commanders and Guardians, shows the true power she is capable of. Earlier in the episode, Commander Lawrence compares Serena to hockey, saying that it is "elegant yet brutal." The scene with the dancer reinforces this theme, juxtaposing the elegant ballerina with the brutal theocrat that has immense sway over Gilead's powerful army.
What Is Serena's Plan In The Handmaid's Tale Season 5?
Serena Joy Waterford clearly has a plan, one that will most likely consume the plot of The Handmaid's Tale season 5. While Serena will most likely not become a Gileadean leader, she will probably use her influence to crush the Handmaid rebellion, and most importantly, get revenge on June. Serena is also winning over the minds of some Canadians, with her influence possibly leading to the creation of Canadian insurgents. Episode 2 shows just how obsessed June and Serena are with seeing the downfall of the other, and while June has gotten lucky so far, Serena has her eyes set on June.
Serena is still technically a prisoner in Canada, yet this has proven to have no impact on her influence. While Canada is still far from freeing Serena, her Canadian base is shown to be growing. June's murder of Fred may even be a moment of radicalization for Serena's ers, giving Serena the perfect opportunity to strike. Much like the dancer scene in The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 2, Serena's plan is to use her situation to get a sympathetic hold on Canada before using her ers to expand Gilead even further.
New episodes of The Handmaid's Tale season 5 release Wednesdays on Hulu.