‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 2 Spoilers: Offred’s Confidence Won’t Last Long

“The Handmaid’s Tale” ended on a hopeful, empowered note, but that kind of feeling doesn’t last long in Gilead. Offred’s decision to push boundaries will have consequences.

Director Jeremy Podeswa helmed episodes 9 and 10 of the Hulu drama. The former, which was released Wednesday, ended with Offred learning Moira (Samira Wiley) was safe with Luke (O.T. Fagbenle) in Canada. She smiled to herself and decided that she just wouldn’t accept that her baby is going to be born into this cruel regime. Podeswa told the Hollywood Reporter that Offred’s (Elisabeth Moss) bold new attitude will not go unnoticed.

“She doesn’t really know how [to change her circumstances], but she’s feeling fairly confident, and also, being pregnant in this world gives her a certain amount of power, because they can’t do anything to her while she’s pregnant. And so, at the top of the episode, she is kinda feeling that power, and it makes her a little bit cheeky,” Podeswa teased.

In the promo video for “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 2, episode 10, Offred is seen asking the Commander (Joseph Fiennes) for a favor. He later says that he’s “been too lenient” with his handmaid and “spoiled” her. Obviously, Offred isn’t just asking to play a game of Scrabble. She wants something big, and she ends up overstepping.

“What ends up happening with her through the course of the episode is that she realizes that this was a completely false illusion that she was living under, and that in the end, things are even much, much worse than she ever thought they were,” the director warned. “In her lowest moments, she never thought it could get this bad, but it gets that bad, and without giving it entirely away, it’s a kind of devastating two punches in the gut type of episode for her.”

The episode, which has been made available to the press, has a couple of surprising, heartbreaking moments. The director expects the audience to feel just as shocked as Offred.

“It leaves her incredibly bereft at the end, and it’s an incredibly emotional ride for her. So, the shows are very, very different in terms of her arc. It comes as quite a shock: a very powerful shock,” he said.

“The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 2, episode 10 will be released Wednesday, June 20.