Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Handmaid's Tale season 6, episode 8!

Serena Joy and Commander Wharton's wedding. After a few episodes of planning, the attack has finally come to fruition in The Handmaid's Tale season 6, episode 8, with it ending on some shocking notes that will carry into the final two episodes.

The Handmaid's Tale season 6, episode 7 saw June deal with the fallout of Nick's betrayal, with her realizing that Mayday's original Jezebel's attack plan won't work. However, June and Commander Lawrence discovered another target: Serena Joy's wedding. Now, this plan is being executed in episode 8, with June and Moira wearing Handmaid disguises and sneaking in with the other Handmaids. They drug the wedding cake and take to the streets after the wedding, with them slaughtering Commanders as Mayday deals with the various roadblocks caused by Gilead.

June's Army Of Handmaids Explained

They Are Essential To The Attack

June and Mayday's new plan is a bit more complicated than their original Jezebel's scheme, as it involves an entire army of Handmaids. Serena Joy and Commander Wharton plan a traditional Gilead wedding, which means that all of the local Handmaids are to be in attendance. June realizes that this is their way to get into the wedding and pull off the attack. Their long robes and bonnets make the Handmaids the perfect anonymous weapons, leading June and Moira to head back into Gilead disguised as Handmaids.

Upon their arrival, June and Moira file in with the rest of the wedding's Handmaids. Once they sit down, June pulls out some knives that she had hidden under her robe, secretly distributing them among the Handmaids. She then instructs the Handmaids to hide their wedding cake under their seats, as it has been drugged. After the wedding, Aunt Phoebe allows the Handmaids to take to the streets. They go into the houses of the Commanders and kill them as they sleep, with them nearly getting away with it. However, they are caught when Aunt Lydia becomes suspicious.

How The Handmaid's Tale Changes The Meaning Of The Red Dress

"Tonight Those Robes Will Be Our Weapons"

The red dresses have always been a symbol of oppression throughout the six seasons of The Handmaid's Tale. However, The Handmaid's Tale season 6, episode 8 completely changes this. The episode opens with a narration from June where she talks about the importance of clothes in Gilead. She explains that Gilead used clothes to get rid of the Handmaids' identities, with the red robes and bonnets designed to make each Handmaid indistinguishable from the others.

June's plan turned Gilead's symbol of oppression into the Handmaids' biggest weapon

However, June's plan turned Gilead's symbol of oppression into the Handmaids' biggest weapon. The anonymity created by the red dresses allowed the Handmaids to get away with murdering Commanders and blend back into the crowd. When Aunt Lydia spots June, it is impossible for her to point June out, as all the Handmaids look the same. The long, flowing dresses also allow the Handmaids to conceal knives, which are later used to kill the Commanders. The dresses acted like a soldier's uniform during the attack, reminding the Handmaids that they were part of a team.

Aunt Lydia's "God Help Me" Reaction & What It Sets Up

Her Transformation Has Finally Been Completed

Aunt Lydia has been suspicious for the last few episodes, but Aunt Phoebe has always managed to keep her away from June and the attack. In episode 8, however, she forces Phoebe to let her into the Handmaid's room. She realizes what the Handmaids have been doing, with her threatening to kill Moira and any other traitors. However, June and Janine appear, with them telling Lydia that she is the one who handed them over to abuse. Lydia then lets the Handmaids grow, with her falling to the ground and repeating "God help me" once she is alone.

This scene forces Aunt Lydia to realize that she is just as guilty as anyone else in Gilead. Aunt Lydia has been going through a redemption arc, and after witnessing the slaughter of the women at Jezebel's, this scene finally proves she is ready to change. This sets up her role in the sequel series The Testaments, in which Lydia is an anti-Gilead activist and an agent for Mayday. Lydia still has a ways to go before working for Mayday, but this scene has finally shown that she is headed there.

Why Serena Joy Refuses To Have A Handmaid

Wharton is No Better Than Fred Waterford

After Serena Joy and Commander Wharton's wedding, she heads back home with Wharton. Upon their arrival, however, she sees that there is a new Handmaid. Serena Joy is shocked, and questions why Wharton has a Handmaid. She had always believed that Wharton was a better man than Fred Waterford, but the sight of a Handmaid proves that this isn't the case. Wharton is simply following Gileadean protocol, but Serena Joy won't put up with this.

Serena Joy has become a better person throughout The Handmaid's Tale, and while she has taken a few steps back by marrying Wharton, having a Handmaid is a step too far. Serena has spent most of season 6 working to better the lives of Handmaids through Commander Wharton's New Bethlehem project. She is now fully against the concept of Handmaids, with her asking the Handmaid what her real name is. On top of that, Serena Joy can have children, making it even stranger that Wharton insists on having a Handmaid.

Why Did Wharton Allow Serena To Leave & What Will Happen Next?

Does He Have A Bigger Plan?

After Commander Wharton and Serena Joy's fight, Wharton surprisingly allows her to leave. This is a shocking decision, but it does show that he may be slightly better than Fred Waterford. However, it is also possible that Wharton could have a bigger plan. Wharton has been shown to be conniving throughout season 6, and letting Serena go seems like too big of a blow to his public image.

"Although The Handmaid's Tale season 6 gets off to a rough start, it does start to get better in its latter half. I found the series to be a lot more engaging when June began to take a more active role in the story." - Robert Pitman, Screen Rant's The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 Review

After leaving Wharton, Serena Joy will probably find a way to end the marriage, although it is doubtful that Gilead would allow women to use this. She could turn to June for help, as the duo has had a much more positive relationship in season 6. This moment with Wharton may have completed Serena Joy's redemption arc, allowing her to help the protagonists in the final few episodes of The Handmaid's Tale season 6.