It's also worth noting that the Commander isn't the only character who's been beautified. Serena Joy, described in the book as a former televangelist with a club foot, is now portrayed as an apocalyptic Betty Draper, whose icy expression would stop January Jones in her tracks. This also muddles the waters — it's harder to feel bad for the Serena Joy, who's just playing with Offred out of spite. But one look at Strahovski's expression when Serena is watching her husband with Offred, and your heart kind of breaks for her. This is a woman who should be in her prime. She loves her husband, and wants a child. And yet she can't conceive one. It's a differently nuanced narrative than the one put forward by Atwood, especially if you add in the fact that as a wife, Serena also enjoys a powerful status that she uses to control others. (For more details on the female hierarchy in this brave new world, click here .)