Despite the color scheme of the cake (and, indeed, the Handmaids), Serena’s nuptials weren’t The Handmaid’s Tale season 6’s version of Game of Thrones‘ Red Wedding. It had been speculated, and even expected, that there’d be a lot of deaths at the wedding, and the cake had been poised to be the key to that. Perhaps Rita would poison it, killing everyone instantly, leading to them vomiting, or other chaotic scenes. The show took a more subtle approach, but the cake was still absolutely vital to The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, episode 8’s ending.
What Serena’s Wedding Cake Was Laced With In The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6, Episode 8
Rita Made The Cake For Serena’s Wedding To Commander Wharton
The wedding cake may not have been so drastically poisoned that it killed the Commanders, but it was still laced with something. Rita put a form of sedative in the cake – and a strong one at that, which had been smuggled to her in the vials seen in the previous episode – which has the intended effect of ensuring the Commanders and their Wives fall asleep after a few hours, as evidenced with the sleeping Commander at the very end.
The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 is the last one. It will be followed by sequel show The Testaments, also set to release on Hulu, though no date has been announced.
Ultimately, this was a smarter plan from the Handmaids and Rita. Poisoning the cake could have backfired, as there’d have been greater difficulty in containing who ate it and a risk of innocent people being hurt (or violence breaking out), whereas the sedative allows for their plans to take place, without any great danger at the wedding itself.
The Wedding Cake Was Key To June’s Plan
June Has Turned The Handmaids Into An Army
Image via Hulu
Image via Hulu
June’s plan may not have been impossible without the wedding cake being laced with a sedative, but it would be close to it, putting the Handmaids in a far weaker position. Thanks to Rita, who fittingly gets to play a key role in helping to bring down the Boston area of Gilead, the Handmaids are really able to enact their vengeance.
June now has an army of Handmaids, who are turning to the light… after the small matter of killing any Commander they can find. With each handmaid looking set to kill their own commander (or at least, that would be the logical approach), it’s going to be pretty easy pickings for them. Again, the one sleeping at the end, with a Handmaid approaching them from behind while they’re out cold, is a clear example of just how effective the cake really was.
The Deeper Meaning Of The Handmaids Not Eating The Cake
It Connects All The Way Back To Season 1
It’s quite appropriate that cake should play such a big part in the Handmaids taking down Gilead. As per its rules, Handmaids are not permitted to eat sweet things. Because their purpose to the Commanders is for reproduction, they have strict diets to adhere to. Serena allowing them cake at the wedding was part of her extending an olive branch, trying to show how things will be different in New Bethlehem, but by adhering to not eating the dessert, the Handmaids were truly able to enact their plan for vengeance.
To me, this also calls back to The Handmaid’s Tale season 1, episode 2, “Birth Day.” There, we see the Handmaids coveting an assortment of pastries and cookies that the Wives are eating, with one saying: “They pig out while we do all the work.” June is given a macaron by Serena, as a faux-benevolence that’s really just mockery; while she pretends to eat it, she spits it out once out of sight, rejecting the offering because she understands its intent.
That all comes back to play in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, episode 8 with the wedding cake, which is once again offered by Serena. By refusing it, and by letting the others “pig out” while they do the work of planning, the Handmaids get something far sweeter: revenge.
