The Handmaid's Tale | Chapter 36: If Anyone Asks, Say You're a Rental
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RSS Feed The Commander summons the Handmaid to his study for what starts as an awkward round of Scrabble and turns into something much stranger: a smuggled costume covered in feathers and sequins, a stolen cloak, and a car ride into the dark. By the end of the night she's wearing a purple wristband, and it's not a fashion statement. Jennifer and Dan react to one of the most quietly brutal images this season has produced, and find the real-world hypocrisy hiding underneath it.
This episode includes AI-voiced content, including our trusty fact-checking robot, Robot.
Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter — we don't read ahead, so you're discovering the story with us.
Things To Listen For:
- The Commander produces a "surprise" that turns out to be a costume covered in feathers and purple sequins, and Jennifer and Dan spend a solid few minutes guessing what it could be before the reveal lands
- A real-talk tangent about political hypocrisy, including a fact-checked detour into Lauren Boebert's very public "outwardly disgusted, inwardly thrilled" moment
- Nick, the driver, gets a closer look as Jennifer and Dan debate whether he's a victim of the same system or something creepier
- Beowulf brings news of a country literally paying its citizens to read books instead of doom-scrolling
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter's costume-and-checkpoint scene is exactly the kind of content challengers flag as "sexually explicit," but the chapter's real target is the ruling class's hypocrisy: a government that outlawed lingerie and nightclubs still needs a smuggled disguise and a fake pass to enjoy both. That's the part banners don't like to talk about.
If this is your first episode, you're fine starting here. Our fact-checking Robot catches you up fast, then we read the next chapter (spoilers).
Banworthy to Bingeworthy
Beowulf Rochlen from Good News for Lefties joins for the news segment this episode:
- Good News for Lefties — Beowulf's news segment on this episode covers Singapore's new program paying citizens small rewards to read physical books instead of doom-scrolling, plus a look back at Florida's Moms for Liberty losing ground in school board races.
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Disclaimer
Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines.
The material used from the book The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is shared under these principles, with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues. The original work remains fully owned by its copyright holders, and we strongly encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety.
https://bookshop.org/a/20953/9780385490818
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Margaret Atwood, her estate, or the publishers of The Handmaid's Tale. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
The Handmaid's Tale has been challenged or banned in American schools and libraries every single year since its publication in 1985. It was the most challenged book in the United States in 2023. It has been targeted for profanity, sexually explicit content, and content deemed "offensive to Christians." But the deeper reason is that Margaret Atwood showed what happens when a government uses religion, tradition, and "protecting families" as justification for stripping women of their rights, their names, and their autonomy. That's the part that actually scares book banners, because it looks a lot like Tuesday.
Is there a podcast that discusses The Handmaid's Tale chapter by chapter?
Yes. Banned Camp breaks down a different banned book every season, one chapter at a time, through comedy, commentary, and discussion. Neither host has read ahead, so you're discovering the story together in real time. Season 11 covers The Handmaid's Tale. Every episode mixes a short reading with reactions, a fact-checking Robot, and a look at why the book gets banned. We always encourage listeners to read along with their own copy.
Do I need to start Banned Camp from the beginning?
No. Every episode opens with Robot's recap of the previous chapter, so you can jump in anywhere. Most listeners tell us they started mid-season and went back to the beginning after they were hooked.
What does the "evening rental" line mean in The Handmaid's Tale?
Before taking his Handmaid to an underground club, the Commander tags her wrist with a purple luggage-style band and tells her that if anyone asks, she's "an evening rental." Banned Camp's Season 11 reading of Chapter 36 digs into this moment as the clearest image yet of how completely Gilead has reduced a person to trackable property.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 36, Offred, the Commander, Serena Joy, Nick, Luke, Moira, Lauren Boebert, dehumanization, objectification, hypocrisy of the ruling class, government control disguised as courtship, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
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