NOTE: This page is about the television series version of the character. For the novel and film versions, see The Commander.
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| “ | The mouth of a woman is a deep pit. He that falls therein will suffer. You are the misery of all men. All of you. | „ |
| ~ Fred Waterford |
Fred R. Waterford, also known as Commander Waterford, is the main antagonist of the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale, based on the 1985 novel of the same name.
He is a Commander of Gilead, a far-right Christian theocracy in which women are stripped of all their rights, while the few who are able to bear children are forced to work as sex slaves. He and his wife, Serena, are the "masters" of the main protagonist, June Osborne, whom they call "Offred". With Serena's assistance, he rapes June when she is ovulating in hopes of getting her pregnant.
He was portrayed by Joseph Fiennes, who also played King Eurystheus in Hercules and Timothy Howard in American Horror Story: Asylum.
Appearance[]
Waterford is tall, has brown hair and a brown beard, and soft brown eyes. He is in his early 40s and is usually seen wearing a suit.
Personality[]
Waterford is a misogynistic religious zealot who believes that "a woman's place" is to serve her husband and bear children; that women who have their own careers and who have premarital sex are "Jezebels"; and that the plague of infertility that affects most of the women in the country, including his wife Serena, is divine retribution for women disobeying God's word. Waterford likes for others to believe that he is a kind, just man. He has "forgiven" Serena and June many times in the series, although that is merely another way of controlling them. He has a weakness for June and breaks several of Gilead's rules for her. However, he also uses Gilead's laws to take revenge on people he feels have wronged or slighted him. After he and Serena have an argument in which she insults him, he has her flogged, ostensibly as punishment for her reading a book. A weak, socially inept man, Waterford rationalizes his passionless marriage to the equally pious Serena by preaching that love is merely "lust with a good marketing campaign".
When they bring June into their house, however, he develops the closest he can manage to genuine feelings for her and forces her to become his secret mistress. Despite everything, Fred is proven to care about his wife even though he mistreats her, as he eventually admits that he is infertile and wishes he could give Serena a child. His loyalties are unclear compared to the other Commanders, as he was shown to be uncomfortable with the Sons of Jacob murdering the American government and broke the rules of Gilead multiple times. While he never acknowledges that his actions as a serial rapist are wrong, after being abandoned by Gilead's government and learning that he did get Serena pregnant, he apologizes to June for the fact that she had her daughter taken from her, showing he did feel some remorse. This actually makes June despise him even more, because it proves to her that he is not a psychopath oblivious to how wrong his actions are, but knew it was wrong and did it anyways.
Quotes[]
| “ | You miss this? Lists of made-up problems. No woman was ever rich enough, young enough, pretty enough, good enough. | „ |
| ~ Fred's distain for American society. |
| “ | Love isn't real, it was never anything more than lust, with a good marketing campaign! | „ |
| ~ Fred confessing his twisted view of relationships. |
| “ | We only wanted to make the world better. Better never means better for everyone. It always means worse for some. | „ |
| ~ Fred Waterford revealing his contempt for "sinners". |
| “ | The correct image can sway opinion. | „ |
| ~ Fred's manipulation of the truth. |
| “ | You must have experienced such terrible longing for your daughter. And, for that, I’m sorry. Truly, deeply sorry. | „ |
| ~ Fred's apology to June, proving he isn't a psychopath oblivious to his actions. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Similar to his wife Serena, the character is significantly younger in the television series than he was in the novel.
- Fred Waterford's name in the television series is stated to be the unnamed version of the character's real name in the novel.
- Fred is alleged to have been a member of the United States CIA at one point, but this is not further elaborated on and is possible not true.
External Links[]
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 Villains
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Republic of Gilead Wives Aunts Other | ||