The Testaments Recap: Prom Night

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Girls usually start their periods between ages 10 and 15, though some begin as young as 8. In the world of Gilead, many people struggle with infertility and birth rates are declining. The Plums, a group of young women, are clearly worried about starting their periods, suggesting that many of them haven’t started yet, or their periods are late. Assuming they are around 15, 16, or even 17 years old when the important cotillion ball takes place seems reasonable.

This week’s episode really drove home how important the casting is in The Handmaid’s Tale. Seeing actresses like Chase Infiniti (Agnes, 25) and Lucy Halliday (Daisy, 22) portray these young girls… it’s a stark reminder of just how young they are supposed to be. The show asks us to believe these girls are destined to marry these older Commanders, and frankly, it’s unsettling. Trying to picture Agnes or Daisy as actual teenagers – awkward, with braces, dealing with typical teen issues – makes the ‘Ball’ scene almost unbearable. As it is, it’s incredibly difficult to watch, and the age dynamic feels…off. It’s a tough watch, and the casting choices highlight that tension.

The story returns to Agnes’s perspective, and it’s impressive to see the author tackle her confused state right after a stressful trip to the dentist. Agnes wakes up feeling deeply ashamed and struggling to understand a hazy, unsettling experience. This lack of understanding isn’t helpful; it’s a problem that will shape how she interacts with men going forward.

Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments truly shines when it highlights how close Gilead feels to our own world. The novel beautifully captures everyday moments – like mothers fussing over their daughters getting ready for prom – and subtly reveals the unsettling parallels. We see Paula and Rosa admiring Agnes in her dress, mirroring the author’s own memories, and Paula giving Agnes advice about handling unwanted advances, advice that feels chillingly familiar. The novel emphasizes that the girls raised in Gilead are taught to be innocent, but the men in power come from a world with different rules. Agnes is instructed to appear modestly hesitant before accepting a drink, a tactic suggesting that even in Gilead, navigating male attention requires a certain performance. Ultimately, the book implies that Gilead isn’t so different from our own society, and the Commanders aren’t seeking genuine connection, but rather control.

Few moments feel as real as watching the girls get ready for the dance, carefully applying makeup while their excitement mixes with a little bit of jealousy and cattiness. Agnes won’t even smile at Becka’s attempts at humor, and Shu openly wishes she had what her friends do. Their aunt, Estée, playfully reminds them that all the boys are nearby, painting a picture of a perfect, almost magical night – a room full of potential husbands.

Agnes understands how things work in Gilead. Speaking as if talking to a friend – possibly Daisy, or the mother she briefly mentioned earlier – she explains she never anticipated falling in love. That’s not how relationships are supposed to happen there. You marry a man first, and then, if at all, you learn to love him because he’s your husband. She sadly reflects that Gilead effectively stole their youth, suppressing natural curiosity and desire by destroying even the possibility of imagining genuine love.

Okay, so the whole thing starts with this ridiculously elaborate dance – think Bridgerton, but with three teams swirling around like a human kaleidoscope for the Commanders watching from above. Then they do this father-daughter dance, and honestly, it’s awkward. Agnes just can’t stand seeing Dr. Grove dance with Becka, it makes her cringe. I really wanted to get inside Commander MacKenzie’s head during that part, though – I was dying to know what those fathers were actually thinking about this whole bizarre spectacle.

The young women, known as Greens, have a two-part evening planned for dancing. First, they’ll dance with younger Commanders, men they have no chance of marrying. These men have to wait their turn. Later, the older, more powerful Commanders – those with higher rank and wealth – will choose their second or third wives. Despite the situation, Agnes’s first dance partner seems pleasant enough. If he weren’t a Commander in this strict society, she thinks he’d be the type to open a café and bike shop, maybe in a place like Eugene. He even quotes the movie Jaws, though Agnes hasn’t seen any movies at all. Becka isn’t doing much better; she tells her date she enjoys playing traditional English folk songs on an instrument called a hammered dulcimer, which even the narrator had to look up. Aunt Lydia hasn’t prepared these girls for casual conversation.

As older, influential men began to dance, a sense of dread settled over the young women. While they knew they’d likely be paired with powerful Commanders, each secretly wished for a different fate, hoping to be as lucky as their friend Penny. Penny had remarkably been matched with Commander Judd, despite a significant age gap. Agnes hadn’t even begun to enjoy her dance with her elderly partner when he was urgently called away to work. Sensing her disappointment, Garth quickly offered to dance with her. “This is how it should feel,” Agnes sadly remarked.

Okay, so even though Garth feels like a better match for Agnes, it doesn’t suddenly make her a character I can really connect with. There’s this incredibly awkward moment where she just asks her crush what it feels like to shoot someone! He tries to play it cool, joking about how all the other guards must be envious of him, but honestly, it’s cringeworthy. The rest of the night, they keep glancing at each other, but you just know this little fantasy is over. Their special time is done, and it hits you how quickly that feeling of youthful possibility fades – faster than a slow dance ending.

A strange part of the ball is that each girl is interviewed by potential husbands individually, over Microsoft Teams. It seems like this is exactly when Paula should have been helping her daughter. Agnes finds herself in a dimly lit room, being questioned by Commander Judd while a wall of men watches on a large screen – it’s like a creepy version of Hollywood Squares. You can’t help but wonder if these men will signal their disapproval of her answers.

The initial question was easy. Judd, who appears to be a kind man, asked Agnes how she would fulfill the traditional roles of a wife. When Agnes struggled with the question, Judd kindly stopped the recording to give her a moment to collect herself. I found myself hoping he was one of the good guys, working with Mayday. Later, Judd suggested Aunt Vidala replace Lydia, and I wondered if Vidala might also be helping Mayday. We don’t see the rest of Agnes’s interview, but it’s clear she eventually recovered. By the end of the night, she was even able to apologize to Becka for being rude earlier. She had snapped at her friend, asking why Becka was even paying attention to her, after Becka simply asked if Agnes enjoyed dancing with the first boy.

Becka already felt pressure being the daughter of a dentist, but the night ended with her becoming a prime example of how not to act at a debutante ball. She was so anxious in the days before the event that she barely ate, and quickly became intoxicated from a potent drink. Luckily, Shu found her stumbling down the hallway and pleaded with Daisy for help. Daisy, experienced with these kinds of situations, knew exactly what to do – she’d seen girls fall apart on prom night before.

She quickly leads Becka to the bathroom, and Becka, after drinking, starts revealing a lot. She shockingly tells Daisy she’d rather see the world end than get married, and even asks what it’s like to leave your entire life behind – a situation Daisy knows all too well, as her own life was taken from her. Daisy tries to steer Becka towards focusing on positive things, like their friendship. However, this brings Becka pain, as she finally admits something that’s been hinted at throughout the series: she’s in love with Agnes. It seems she’s never even voiced this feeling to herself before.

The one good thing in Becka’s terrible situation is that she trusted the right person – Daisy. “It’s okay to feel how you’re feeling,” Daisy tells her. I wish she could have explained more, that what Becka is experiencing has names and isn’t unusual in most of the world, and knowing that can be a comfort. Gilead has left these girls with huge gaps in their understanding of themselves and others, and as they grow older, those gaps are only getting wider, filled with fear.

A mix of tension, rumors, and possibly too much fermented nettle tea fuels the drama. Shu, a little tipsy from the tea (which someone claimed would induce menstruation or even multiple births), impulsively slaps Jehosheba after she gleefully shares news of Becka’s mistake. (Who would have predicted a physical fight?) The tea might also be giving Huldah a newfound confidence. When Shu suggests God disqualified Huldah from consideration because she needs to mature, Huldah cleverly responds by turning the question back on Shu: “Do you think God disqualified you for the same reason?” Honestly, considering the dangerous environment—a building filled with predators and incredibly vulnerable people—I almost prefer watching these girls when they’re tipsy. It’s when they seem most genuine.

Aunt Lydia wasn’t pleased with the party. She pointed out that everyone’s glasses were constantly refilled, and criticized Vidala for not being more controlling. Honestly though, who cares what she thinks? She’s planning to marry these girls off to elderly men, so let them enjoy this one bit of youthful fun. Let them have their silly, carefree time and maybe even a little bit of a mess.

Even someone as favored as Daisy isn’t secure here. When she bravely asks a forward Commander to keep his hands off, Garth intervenes to protect her from his angry reaction. I know Daisy wants to escape, but I wish she’d prioritize staying safe and keeping a low profile. Garth tells her she’s doing a good job, and her investigating has revealed that Commander MacKenzie is negotiating an artillery sale with the Japanese – it’s valuable information.

Honestly, prom night here in Gilead – our version of le Bal – is a total mess, just like everywhere else. There’s always someone happy and someone heartbroken, and way more arguing than actual dancing. I was watching Vidala scold the girls for trying to enjoy their few moments of freedom when the school bell suddenly rang. It was a really sad sound after the night they’d had. I was secretly hoping Shu would be the one chosen, but it was Huldah. Poor, sweet Huldah. It feels… like maybe God thinks she’s suffered enough already.

Finally, Agnes was reunited with her father, and Garth drove them both home. During the ride, the men discussed work-related matters. MacKenzie mentioned that fighting had started, though Agnes wasn’t sure what he meant exactly. He also casually revealed that Garth would be promoted to Commander in just a few weeks. It wasn’t common for a young girl to hear military news, but the word “Commander” was what really stood out to Agnes. She knew Commanders, like officers, were allowed to marry, and she understood a respectable woman was expected to marry someone of higher rank than Garth. Still, she couldn’t help but feel hopeful that maybe, just maybe, an exception could be made.

As Agnes explains earlier, Gilead stole their childhoods. But after watching the episode, it seems like you can’t truly erase that part of life. They may have lost their innocence, but the natural desire to feel special and experience a kind of real-life fairytale still remained.

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2026-04-22 19:56