Gilead’s justice follows retributivism, using an “eye for an eye” model where punishment matches offenses and guilty people are punished by the Aunts on earth before burning in hell for eternity. Daisy returns to a central role in “Marat Sade,” having come to Gilead vengeful and becoming exposed to a system that indulges heroic fantasies. After Lydia fails to protect the Greens from Dr. Grove’s predation, the Pearl Girl throws herself into danger, rings the bell, and reveals herself in the schoolyard. During a prayer recitation, Daisy blurts “I got my period,” disrupting the Aunts’ expectations. The next morning, Estee invites existing Plums to give Daisy a purple makeover, and Becka pins Daisy to mark her eligibility for marriage, followed by a dental checkup announcement.
"Gileadean justice - forgive the oxymoron - operates on an Old Testament commitment to retributivism. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The guilty will be punished in proportion to their offences by the Aunts here on earth and then go on to burn in hell for the rest of eternity, God willing. It's Draconian and reactionary, but it operates on simple playground logic, which is why young Plums find it so intoxicating. Bad people who do bad things get bad outcomes. Good people make sure that happens."
"Consequently, after Lydia fails to protect the Greens from Dr. Grove's predation, the Pearl Girl throws herself - righteously and recklessly - into his dangerous path. She rings the big bell that she's been avoiding for weeks and marches proudly into the schoolyard to reveal herself. Daisy doesn't quite have the whole "Rebecca and Leah" prayer memorized, and midway through the recitation, she gives up: "I got my period," she blurts in the faces of the elated Aunts. It's almost cute."
"Daisy returns to the driver's seat in "Marat Sade." All season long, I've questioned whether she's too grief-stricken and impressionable to be undercover, and this week she proves it beyond a doubt. She came to Gilead vengeful, and in Gilead, she's been exposed to a justice system that indulges her heroic fantasies. Her mother, Mel, warned that "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind"; Gilead has left Daisy questioning why that's even a problem."
"The next morning at school, Estee invites the existing Plums to give Daisy a purple makeover. Becka, more fearful than ever that Daisy will permanently steal Agnes from her, intentionally sticks Daisy with a pin - the emblem of Daisy's eligibility for marriage (not to mention Becka's first taste of blood). Now that she's in the right clothes, it's time for a dental checkup, Estee announces. I don't mean to be a spoilsport, but the very short line between getting one's period and getting one's teeth"
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