The Handmaid’s Story Simply Dove Into Aunt Lydia’s Backstory, and It is Fairly Twisted

Did you ever assume you’d see the day Aunt Lydia would sing “Islands within the Stream” and get it on with an elementary faculty principal on The Handmaid’s Story? In season three, the dystopian Hulu collection lastly provides us a glimpse into Aunt Lydia’s previous as a fourth-grade instructor named Ms. Clements. Incomes her an Emmy, Ann Dowd’s efficiency as Gilead’s draconian rule enforcer can solely be described with a chef’s kiss. Now, Lydia, positively not lifeless after her heated encounter with Emily, lastly has a backstory, and it is simply as twisted as you’d count on. Here is your honest warning that there are spoilers forward!

Within the episode “Unfit,” Lydia contemplates her previous as she punishes June for her newest brawl with Ofmatthew. In her flashback, we first see Lydia inside a classroom along with her scholar Ryan as she calls his mom, Noelle, a waitress. She plans to take him residence, quoting a Hebrew verse about hospitality to strangers to her boss, Principal Jim Thorpe, who’s surprisingly chill with the proposal. Lengthy story brief, Ryan and Noelle find yourself at Lydia’s consuming chili, and Lydia strikes a rapport with their household despite the fact that she quietly disapproves of Noelle’s life-style.

After they change presents on Christmas, Lydia receives make-up from Noelle that she later makes use of when she goes on a date with Jim. They hit up a ritzy restaurant and bar, the place they sing karaoke to “Islands within the Stream” and ultimately share a kiss to ring within the New Yr. Throughout their date, we be taught that educating is definitely Lydia’s second profession — she practiced household legislation earlier than the schooling system turned privatized. Lydia and Jim ultimately get it on at her place, however simply as they’re about to take issues to the following step, Jim says he isn’t prepared to maneuver on after his spouse’s passing. His rejection sends Lydia right into a tearful rage.

The following day in school, Lydia talks to some brokers about Ryan’s household scenario, citing his malnutrition and his mom’s unstable relationships. Whereas Jim is skeptical of getting Ryan faraway from his residence, the brokers guarantee her that Ryan will probably be put in a foster residence. Noelle storms in, calling Lydia just a few alternative phrases. Actually, we do not blame her.

It is debatable that Lydia’s backstory as a lonely, rejected lady justifies her swap into being a merciless, prod-wielding punisher in Gilead. The Handmaid’s Story has tried to do that earlier than with Serena Pleasure, pushing viewers to uneasily empathize with one of many collection’s worst abusers. We do know that this expertise with Ryan has led Lydia to persuade herself that the setting shapes a person, as she conjectures that June’s habits has been corrupted by the Waterfords and Lawrences. If we go off of how typically the present has explored Moira’s and Emily’s pasts, this won’t be the final time we see Lydia as Ms. Clements.