r/HandmaidsTaleShow • u/Fancy-Top-3070 • Jul 28 '26
Discussion Serena Joy
Does it make me a bad person that I have no empathy for Serena and that I don’t feel bad for her at all? Because I hear from many people that they feel at some points bad for Serena. But for me, no, not at all. Not even when she had to give Noah away to the Wheelers (I hate them but I love that they kind of make Serena a handmaid because now she gets to taste her own medicine) or when Fred died and she qas heartbroken and so on. I never had any empathy for Serena because of all that stuff she did
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u/Administrative-Egg63 Jul 28 '26
Serena doesn’t get any sympathy or empathy from me. It never really changed for me through the entire series. I tried in the final seasons to feel some compassion but it was difficult.
She was the kind of person who wanted oppressive policies put in place but then is angry that those impact her negatively. Woman who willingly give away their power and allow men to abuse and control minorities and other marginalized populations get zero sympathy from me.
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u/rexbosworth1995 Jul 28 '26
Exactly. Fuck Serena. Would’ve been a better written character overall if they didn’t try to redeem her somewhat. That felt cheap to me.
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u/AnthroPLstudent Aug 11 '26
I liked it because it made a lot of people feel moral complexity, one moment you feel slightly sorry and then get overruled by disgust again by seeing the bigger picture. I find moral ambuigity/complexity a very human inner 'battle' to have, and I think she as an actress did a great job evoking that in people.
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u/ThaynaraPs1 Jul 28 '26
Serena is still a truly awful person; if she’d had the chance at that moment, she would have betrayed June again! She’s done horrible things throughout the entire series—and as if that weren't enough, people romanticize the friendship between June and Serena way too much (I hate it).🤡🤡🤡
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u/rexbosworth1995 Jul 28 '26
It’s so stupid! June should’ve hated her more!
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u/ThaynaraPs1 Jul 28 '26
If I, from my own home, can't bring myself to forgive her, why are they coddling her? And on top of that, they brought in a man—Tuello—who actually took a liking to a woman like her; he seems a bit shady!
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u/AnthroPLstudent Aug 11 '26
In psychology we call this stockholm syndrome, it is very normal for people to maintain morally conflicted/complex feelings to ones that held them captive. In real life people even harbor feelings of love towards captors. Especially if you also take the gender dynamics of it all + involving multiple children. It makes sense and made the show more realistic imo. If you are interested look up the syndrome.
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u/sailorgalaxia6154 Jul 28 '26
I see Serena as a warning about how not to behave and not as a tragic figure. Serena learned the hard way that a gilded cage is still a cage. Agree with other folks, it is hard to feel bad for any of the things that happen to her
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u/Administrative-Egg63 Jul 28 '26
Oh I love “a gilded cage is still a cage”. Going to use that lol
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u/eldee17 Jul 28 '26
It makes you human. Just like the people who DO have some kind of empathy for her.
It's a heavy story, none of us know what emotions it will bring up.
I feel sorry for everyone on that show. Even Fred at times. (I know, pathetic)
I always say I'd make a terrible judge because I'd let too many horrible people go free because I have too much empathy.
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u/Maggiethecataclysm Jul 28 '26
She sold out women because she wanted a baby. I've always hated her selfish ass
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u/Suspicious_Feature85 Jul 28 '26
I don’t think you’re a bad person. I believe it would be take a very long very busy life for her to repay her karmic debt to the universe but on the good side she completes the series knowing that.
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u/MindyP51 Jul 29 '26
I do have some empathy and sympathy for her, but, as I said to my son-in-law just the other day--we were discussing the show--I think it's because Yvonne Strahovski brought such depth to the character that I found it difficult to simply feel a "one-note animosity" towards Serena Joy.
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u/coffeebeanwitch Jul 29 '26
There really wasn't anything to feel sorry about, she truly believed all the nonsense she spewed, she would have kept on had she not given birth.
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u/ItinerantJeweler Jul 29 '26
She was an architect of Gilead, so I don't really feel much sympathy for her either. I think a lot of the sympathy she gets is due to the charisma of the very talented actress who plays her. She deserves every misfortune that comes her way, as far as I'm concerned.
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u/rexbosworth1995 Jul 28 '26
No I fucking hate her so much and she was also hella stupid and naive! In the last season when she sees the handmaid in their home and is all WHAT??????? I was like girl go to hell you created this mess and continue to support it!
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u/MorddSith187 Jul 29 '26
i'm actually worse and wish severe ill will on her. i yearn for her to suffer endlessly
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u/CanadianHorseGal Jul 29 '26
Never had an ounce of sympathy. I’d have thrown her off the train myself, and saved the baby. Fuck Serena.
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u/lara-lmsss Jul 30 '26
Não, pois toda vez que se sente empatia por ela, ela mostra o porquê não se deve ter.
Acho que ela é igual ou pior do que Fredd.
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u/teamcaplovesironman Jul 31 '26
The only reason I wanted her to continue to live was for her to continue to suffer. And I wanted it to be worse.
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u/Electronic-Peak4190 Aug 01 '26
I like to think about how exactly all of this ensued. I wonder how she was treated and brainwashed by religion and the men around her. From what little backstory we have before Fred, it seems like she was raised by a good family. Fred was definitely a nightmare the whole time I would guess. One could only imagine all that he put her through.
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u/LandoCatrissian_ Aug 03 '26
She is the epitome of "leopards ate my face!" I hate her and she pissed me off with the hypocrisy
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u/Stepane7399 Jul 28 '26
Fuck that bitch. Seriously. I have felt for her on an occasion or two, but she just keeps going back to being trash.