The Handmaid's Tale S01E08 "Jezebels" Recap

Offred wakes in Nick's bed and ponders her affair and her conflicted emotions. She misses Luke but she also enjoys being with Nick and how it's the one good thing she has to enjoy when the rest of her life is hellish.

Flashbacks show Luke struggling to find work. A work counselor invites him out for coffee and tells him he isn't alone, inviting him to join a group called Sons of Jacob, with the promise of potential work. He was the driver and overheard the conversations that developed the idea for handmaids, the ceremony, etc. He was also the one that cut down the previous Offred from the ceiling after she killed herself. When her body was taken away by authorities, Serena says to her husband, "What do you think was going to happen?" Nick is eventually promoted to being an Eye when he reports a Commander for breaking protocol with his handmaids.

Commander Waterford brings Offred a dress and some makeup, also taking time to shave her legs in preparation for a night out together. Offred thinks to herself that this isn't the first time he's done this. Nick drives them out to Boston where they have dinner at an underground brothel prostitutes known as "Jezebels" work. Offred is shocked to find Moira working there but is overjoyed to have a brief reunion in the bathroom.

Nick gets alcohol from one of the brothel's Marthas by trading some drugs and pregnancy tests. The Commander brings Offred up to a room where the two seemingly have sex. She sneaks out of the room after he falls asleep and goes to search for Moira. When Offred finds Moira, she learns that Moira got the train and was working with some Quakers that were trying to help her escape but she ended up caught once again. Since she was deemed a corrupting influence, she wasn't brought back to where the other handmaids were held. She was given the choice to either be sent to the colonies or one of the brothels. She chose to stay at a brothel believing it to be a better, more free way of living than the colonies. Moira tells Offred to forget about escaping and that no one gets out of Gilead. Offred shares the revelation that Luke is alive and gives Moira her love, assuring her that they will get out.

Nick drives the Commander and Offred home. The Commander is reunited with Serena and Nick ends his affair with Offred, devastating her further. She asks why he's ending things and Nick says it's too dangerous to carry on or else they may end up on a wall. Offred says that being remembered by someone that cares is something meaningful. Nick tells her his name is Nick Blaine and he's from Michigan but Offred leaves, still angry. She begins to head upstairs but is stopped by Serena who presents her with a gift: a music box with a key she had as a child growing up. Offred thanks her and brings it upstairs to her room, where she scratches a message of her own into the wall: You are not alone.

The Handmaid's Tale is available for streaming on Hulu.