Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Handmaid's Tale season 6, episode 8!Serena Joy's (Yvonne Strahovski) wedding in The Handmaid's Tale season 6, episode 8 should have been devastating, but the show narrowly avoided making a serious mistake. Much of the show's final season has been dedicated to June (Elisabeth Moss) planning a violent rebellion against Gilead's Commanders. After multiple seasons of smaller-scale revolts and breaks from patriarchal order, the moment represents a significant leap forward for the Handmaids, who have not been able to rebel en masse.

While still trapped under Gilead's oppressive rule, Serena Joy establishes herself as an influential figure in the struggling nation. After suffering High Commander Wharton (Josh Charles) manipulates her into accepting his proposal, however, Serena quickly agrees to take part in the wedding. June, having discovered the engagement, plans a violent insurgency against the Commanders, who will be in attendance. The show appears to be setting up a Game of Thrones-style massacre, but it brilliantly subverts expectations.

Serena Joy's Wedding Seemed Like It Was Going To Be A Bloodbath

The Commanders Could Have Been Slaughtered

June readily expresses that she has a plan for the Commanders, but it takes time before it is truly revealed to the audience. The wedding proceeds as planned, and given the set-up for violence, the lack of any immediate resolution makes for a tense evening. Every ing minute makes June's plan more enthralling, which only raises the stakes when it is revealed that the Handmaids put sedatives in the cake. As soon as the Commanders fall, the Handmaids carve a bloody path of vengeance.

The twist was a brilliant stroke that only made the actual attack more rewarding. After all, when Serena Joy announced her wedding, it appeared that the event would be similar to Game of Thrones' Red Wedding, where the Freys butcher King Robb Stark's men during his uncle's wedding. When that does not come, viewers are forced to reckon with their own expectations, which is what makes the scene so engaging.

The Red Wedding occurs in Game of Thrones season 3, episode 9, "The Rains of Castamere".

The Handmaids seem poised to butcher many of the Commanders, potentially by poisoning the wedding cake, but it never comes to be. It would be a major step forward in their revolution against Gilead, and it would also make for a tense and exciting scene. It also would have been even more literal in this show, as the Handmaids' dresses would allow it to become a very literal red wedding, especially when combined with the inevitable bloodshed.

The Handmaid's Tale's Wedding Approach Was The Right Choice

There Was No Need To Mimic Game Of Thrones

In Game of Thrones, the Red Wedding involves thousands of deaths, leading to the destruction of the entire Northern host and the fall of House Stark. It is a devastating circumstance, made worse by the fact that Robb is a noble and relatively innocent ruler. In The Handmaid's Tale, Gilead is far from innocent, so ruining Serena Joy's wedding would be a fitting twist on the Red Wedding.

It would, however, fail to have the same impact as the original bloody reception. If the show attempted to mimic Game of Thrones' greatest plot twist, it would only be a pale imitation. It would be a heroic and action-packed scene, not the emotional and tragic failure that plagued Robb and his army. The two scenes would also be forever compared, and The Handmaid's Tale could struggle to match such a definitive and memorable TV episode.

Commanders being killed in their sleep means that they can never trust Handmaids in their own homes again.

Avoiding that direct comparison allowed for greater subtlety, which also made for a better story. There is still suspense, but killing the Commanders after the wedding setting makes the revolution more realistic. June's revenge in recent seasons has become mildly cartoonish, as she spends much of her time oscillating between capture and constant, very lucky escapes. By forcing a more grounded resolution, the episode plays to the show's strengths.

The sedative and the subsequent quiet killings represent a quiet rebellion, which is exactly what an army of Handmaid assassins needs. Violent murder and poisoning are undoubtedly worrying for the entire nation of Gilead, but Commanders being killed in their sleep means that they can never trust Handmaids in their own homes again. This single act completely damns Gilead's patriarchal system, which relies on the Handmaids for reproduction.

This Approach Was Better For The Handmaids, Too

Any Assassination Would Have Endangered Them

The Handmaids also benefit from the quieter revolution — and not just because they prove that Commanders can never trust Handmaids. It is simply a cleaner assassination technique and removes the otherwise substantial risk of collateral damage. Innocent people could have eaten a poisoned cake, so the sedative allowed them to hand-pick their targets. A violent rebellion also would have led to more innocent deaths, as the Handmaids would not have known exactly who to target among the retinue.

There was also considerable risk to the Handmaids if they rebelled outright. If there were a moment of extreme violence, then many of the Handmaids would be put in a dangerous position. They would likely have been hurt or killed by the Commanders, and these women have given enough without needing to endure more risk. The more grounded display of violence guaranteed their safety, while also ensuring that they would select the perfect targets. While The Handmaid's Tale may not have repeated the Red Wedding, it told a unique and clever story, which is why it works so well.