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The Handmaid’s Tale: What could have happened to Aunt Lydia’s husband?

By Alexandria Ingham

The Handmaid's Tale -- "Unfit" - Episode 308 -- June and the rest of the Handmaids shun Ofmatthew, and both are pushed to their limit at the hands of Aunt Lydia. Aunt Lydia reflects on her life and relationships before the rise of Gilead. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), shown. (Photo by: Sophie Giraud/Hulu)
The Handmaid's Tale -- "Unfit" - Episode 308 -- June and the rest of the Handmaids shun Ofmatthew, and both are pushed to their limit at the hands of Aunt Lydia. Aunt Lydia reflects on her life and relationships before the rise of Gilead. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), shown. (Photo by: Sophie Giraud/Hulu) /
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In The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3, Episode 8, we got a look at Lydia’s life before Gilead. She mentioned a husband, but what exactly happened to him?

Caution: There are spoilers from The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3, Episode 8.

The Handmaid’s Tale fans finally got some answers about Aunt Lydia and who she was before Gilead. As many suspected, she was a teacher before becoming an aunt. However, there was a reveal that has been overlooked by many.

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Aunt Lydia had been married before. She didn’t offer much information — although God help anyone who would assume she’s a lesbian with the death glare she gave at that suggestion — but did share that it didn’t work out. It wasn’t the right fit. And that got me thinking.

What exactly happened to this husband? I don’t really need to know who he is, but I would love to know more about Lydia’s backstory revolving around him.

The easiest suggestion is that they divorced, but that would certainly make Lydia a hypocrite. After all, divorce is wrong, right? Even before Gilead, Lydia was a God-fearing woman, and I doubt she would have done anything against the book. So, divorce has to be out of the question unless it happened before she found faith.

They could just be separated, her husband in some unknown place. However, Lydia wouldn’t then pursue a relationship with someone else. She’d still be married and it would be a sin to be an adulterer.

The Handmaid’s Tale — “Unfit” – Episode 308 — June and the rest of the Handmaids shun Ofmatthew, and both are pushed to their limit at the hands of Aunt Lydia. Aunt Lydia reflects on her life and relationships before the rise of Gilead. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Jim Thorpe (John Ortiz), shown. (Photo by: Sophie Giraud/Hulu)
The Handmaid’s Tale — “Unfit” – Episode 308 — June and the rest of the Handmaids shun Ofmatthew, and both are pushed to their limit at the hands of Aunt Lydia. Aunt Lydia reflects on her life and relationships before the rise of Gilead. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Jim Thorpe (John Ortiz), shown. (Photo by: Sophie Giraud/Hulu) /

So, that leaves one last option. Her husband died. Of course, then we’re looking at ways he died, and from the way she said it wasn’t the right fit, it almost sounds like she murdered him and got away with it. I doubt that’s the case, though. It also doesn’t make sense that she’d say it wasn’t the right fit if she was a widow. Why not just tell people she’s a widow?

There’s clearly some sort of backstory around the husband, and a backstory that would likely make Aunt Lydia a hypocrite. Could we possibly get that backstory in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 (presuming there is one) since I doubt we’ll get another Lydia-focused episode this season with so little time left?

Next. The Handmaid's Tale: Is there hope for June's redemption?. dark

What did you pick on in Lydia’s backstory? What do you think happened to her husband? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 continues on Wednesdays on Hulu.

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