What Did Waterford Do To The First Handmaid
Okay, so, you know that show, right? The one that's, like, super intense and makes you want to hide under a blanket and never come out? Yep, The Handmaid's Tale. We've all been there, probably. And it always gets me thinking, you know? About all the messed-up stuff that happens. But there's this one tiny, weird detail that pops into my head sometimes. Like, seriously, what was the deal with Waterford and the very first Handmaid? It's a question that deserves a good coffee-fueled rant, don't you think?
Because, let's be real, the whole premise of Gilead is… well, it's a nightmare wrapped in a prudish bow. They take women, strip them of their identities, and basically turn them into walking incubators. Rough stuff, right? And Fred Waterford, oh boy, that guy. He's like the poster child for smarmy, entitled villainy. Always with that self-righteous smirk, like he's doing God's work. Uh-huh. Sure.
But when you think about it, the very first Handmaid. Before Offred, before Janine, before Emily. There must have been someone. Someone who was, like, the guinea pig for this whole twisted system. And it's Waterford's baby, in a way, isn't it? He was instrumental, right? A founding father of this whole patriarchy gone wild.
So, the question lingers: what exactly did Waterford do to that first, unfortunate soul? Did he, like, personally hand her the crimson uniform? Did he give her the motivational speech about her sacred duty? I can just picture it, can't you? Him, probably in some ill-fitting suit, explaining to this poor woman that her life, as she knew it, was over. For the greater good, of course.
Think about the sheer audacity! To create a system where women are reduced to their reproductive organs, and to be the one initiating that. It's like inventing a new, terrible flavor of ice cream, and then forcing everyone to eat it. And then, to top it all off, you act surprised when people don't love it. Ugh.
I mean, we see glimpses, don't we? Of the early days of Gilead. The paranoia, the fear. The way they slowly, insidiously, took away everything. But that very first Handmaid. She’s like a ghost in the narrative, isn't she? A shadowy figure in the footnotes of this horrifying history.
Did he lure her in with promises? "Oh, darling, this is for your own good. You'll be so useful." Because, let's face it, these Commanders, they’re masters of manipulation. They spin it all so prettily, don’t they? "A new beginning," "restoring order," "traditional values." Blah, blah, blah. It’s enough to make your eyes roll out of your head.
And Waterford, bless his twisted little heart, was probably right there, holding the pen as they drafted the rules. The rules that would dictate every breath these women took. Every thought they were allowed to have. Every desire they had to suppress.
Was she confused? Terrified? Did she try to fight back? I imagine her, a young woman, maybe just trying to survive, and suddenly, BAM! Her life is turned upside down. And Waterford, the architect of her misery, is standing there, probably adjusting his tie, feeling incredibly important.
It’s the idea of it that gets me. The concept of someone so fundamentally believing in the righteousness of such cruelty. And for Waterford, that belief was probably as strong as his ego. Which is saying something, let me tell you.
Did he even see her as a person? Or was she just… the first Handmaid? A number, a function, a biological necessity? It’s chilling to think about. That dehumanization. It's the bedrock of Gilead, really. And Waterford was a key figure in laying that foundation. Brick by agonizing brick.
And the emptiness of it. The sheer, soul-crushing emptiness of the Handmaid role. To be told your sole purpose is to bear children for someone else. To have your body treated as a vessel, a tool. And Waterford, he was there at the inception of that emptiness. He helped to hollow out lives.
Did he ever have a flicker of doubt? A moment of "Wait, is this really okay?" I highly doubt it. He seemed to thrive on it, didn't he? On the power, the control. On being at the top of this messed-up hierarchy.
Think about the stories that must have circulated before Gilead was fully established. Whispers. Rumors. The fear of what was to come. And Waterford, probably smirking in the background, orchestrating it all. He wasn't just a passive participant. He was an active, eager participant. A leader in the descent into madness.
And then, when Offred arrives, and we start seeing her story, we're already in the thick of it. The established order. The routine of terror. But that first Handmaid… she’s the origin story. The genesis of the suffering. And Waterford is the one holding the matches.
Did he dress her? Like, literally? Hand her the veil, the white bonnet? I can almost hear him saying, "Now, remember, dear, this is a privilege. A sacred trust." Oh, the layers of gaslighting! It’s enough to make you want to scream into a pillow.
And what happened to her? We never really know, do we? Did she survive? Did she become one of the Marthas? Did she… disappear? The unknown is almost worse, in a way. Because it allows our imaginations to run wild with the horrors that she might have endured.
It's like the butterfly effect, but with misery. One woman's experience, twisted and corrupted by Waterford's ambition, sets the stage for thousands more. And he just… kept going. Never looking back, never questioning. Too busy enjoying his newfound power.
And the irony, right? He craved a family, he craved control, and he ended up creating a system that denied that very thing to so many. He wanted legitimacy, and he created a regime of pure, unadulterated shame. What a way to go about it!
So, when I watch the show, and I see Waterford doing his typical smug, self-important routine, I can't help but think about that first Handmaid. The one who bore the brunt of his vision. The one who was the first to truly understand the horror of what he was building.
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Did he offer her any kind of comfort? Any sort of understanding? Or was it just a cold, clinical process? "You are here for reproduction. That is your only purpose." It’s so brutal, it’s almost like he was trying to be as cruel as possible.
And the world he created! A world where women are property. A world where their voices are silenced. A world where their bodies are not their own. And Waterford was, like, the original architect of that nightmare.
It’s a testament to the show's writing, I guess, that it leaves us with these lingering questions. These little dark corners of history that we can’t quite fill in. But that first Handmaid… she’s the one I keep coming back to. The unknown pioneer of pain.
And Waterford, with his polished shoes and his condescending lectures, he’s the one who put her there. He’s the one who signed off on that first descent into the abyss. He's the guy who probably thought he was doing a good thing. Shudder.
So, yeah. What did Waterford do to the first Handmaid? He probably did everything. He initiated the system, he enforced the rules, and he likely treated her as less than human. And for that, he'll always be one of the most detestable characters in television history. And the poor woman? Well, she’s the symbol of everything that Gilead stands for. A sad, silenced testament to the damage one man’s twisted vision can inflict. Makes you want another coffee, doesn't it? A strong one.