Before she rose to prominence playing Cassie Howard in Euphoria, Sydney Sweeney had a darker role in The Handmaid’s Tale — a series set in the dystopian world of Gilead, where women have their autonomy taken away from them. Introduced in season 2, episode 5, “Seeds,” Sweeney played Eden Spencer, who is forced to marry Nick Blaine (Max Minghella) when she’s only 15 years old. Sadly, Eden is executed and thrown off a diving board into a pool for kissing Issac (Rohan Mead) because she committed infidelity, which for the oppressed woman in Gilead is a heinous crime.
While the series focuses on June Osborne (Elizabeth Moss), Sydney Sweeney played an important character in season 2, and her role allows the intense series to dive deeper into gender politics and women’s rights. Known for portraying strong, brave, and independent young adult characters, the actress was ideally suited for The Handmaid’s Tale. Sydney Sweeney’s role in season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale is underrated and sheds light on the darkness of Gilead early on in the show, and Eden’s death remains one of the The Handmaid’s Tale‘s most shocking moments.
Who Does Sydney Sweeney Play In The Handmaid’s Tale?
Sydney Sweeney Plays Eden, One Of The Show’s Most Tragic Characters
Introduced in season 2, episode 5, “Seeds,” Sydney Sweeney’s character, Eden Spencer is forced to marry Nick Blaine, though later, Nick gets a new wife in The Handmaid’s Tale. Appearing in 7 episodes, Sweeney plays Eden with small, subtle hints of feeling, as it’s clear that Eden is trapped. Her arc soon begins to play out like a horror story as “Seeds” sees Eden begin sleeping in Nick’s room before she dies. Her death is a result of her getting betrayed by her father while trying to flee the country with her lover, Isaac (episode 12, “Postpartum”).
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Sydney Sweeney’s Eden shows that she is stronger than she seems when she agrees to die rather than admit any guilt. The aftermath of her death is just as dark as the rest of the series, and Eden’s decisions show how risky the pursuit of romance is for the women of Gilead. It also serves as a heartbreaking lesson for June specifically, who asks Emily (Alexis Bledel) to take her baby, Nichole, to Canada since she doesn’t want her child growing up in a place where she has no freedom.
The Dark Ending Of Eden’s Handmaid’s Tale Character Arc
Eden Is Publicly Executed
Eden dies in the episode “Postpartum” when she and Isaac are forced to stand on a diving board above a pool with weights and chains on their bodies. If Eden admits that she sinned, she will be let go. Each female character’s survival hinges on two decisions: either they attempt to escape or they find a way to cope with the dark reality of each day. Nick can’t save Eden, and he understands that breaking the rules can equal death.
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Nick can’t save June in The Handmaid’s Tale either, because Gilead has conditioned too many people to think that this is the way that things have to be and that they will never change. Sydney Sweeney’s Handmaid’s Tale character agrees to die because she feels hopeless, but her death is also an act of rebellion. It’s also the way that she’s able to find some peace for herself.
Eden realizes the important role that men play in Gilead and that women have no autonomy. She knows Nick doesn’t love her, and she fears what could happen if she stays. In the background of Nick and Eden’s miserable marriage is June and Nick’s Handmaid’s Tale romance. Another man plays a part, too. It becomes clear in season 2, episode 13, “The Word,” that Eden’s father is the one who shares the news about Eden and Isaac’s affair, which is a devastating reveal.
What Is Eden’s Impact On The Handmaid’s Tale Story?
The Death Of Sydney Sweeney’s Eden Is A Huge Catalyst For The Narrative
Sydney Sweeney’s The Handmaid’s Tale character is significant because she changes the arcs for the rest of the major characters. Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski) tells Eden to sleep with Nick. She encourages the marriage and has to live with the pain and guilt of Eden dying as a result. Serena becomes more vulnerable and lets June feed her infant when she would never have done that before. Eden also changes June, who makes sure that the baby she has with Nick, Nichole Osborne, makes it safely to Canada, so she isn’t in danger.
Eden is tied to June and Nick’s relationship and proves that although June loves Nick, she is trapped by him too. Eden can’t help her feelings for Isaac, just like June can’t stop herself from feeling drawn to Nick, despite all the obstacles in their way. But while Eden’s desire for love and affection gets her killed, Nick protects June throughout the story, knowing that in the dangerous world of Gilead, any woman could suffer the same fate as Eden.
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Eden serves as a crucial contrast to June, as Eden thinks being a wife is the only path, something June doesn’t accept. June deals with a lot of pain, from Nick hiding his wife to wondering where her daughter Hannah Bankole (Jordana Blake) is. Yet June’s hope is unconquerable. She continues on her mission to run away from Gilead and attempt to find happiness. Sydney Sweeney’s The Handmaid’s Tale role is also important because Eden changes Nick’s perspective on the Gilead regime, his role in society, and how it could affect June and their unborn child in the future.
Sydney Sweeney’s Handmaid’s Tale Character Is An Econoperson – Here’s What That Means
Eden Represent’s One Of Gilead’s Most Dystopian Features
While the titular handmaids of the series are the main focus, Sydney Sweeney’s Handmaid’s Tale role is not one of them. When she’s arranged to be Nick’s wife as a teenager, she doesn’t have a choice to be anything else because she’s an econoperson. That particular class within the socioeconomic system of The Handmaid’s Tale is considered a lower-class citizen. It’s hard to imagine anyone can “win” in The Handmaid’s Tale’s society, and econopeople are an example of that impossibility.
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Econopeople differ from handmaidens because handmaidens are specifically used to have children. The goal for handmaidens is to increase the population, and they’re typically placed in wealthier households or alongside those with power. Econopeople don’t just have one function in the society of The Handmaid’s Tale.
An econowife, for example, is expected to fill all the roles the other women fill. They perform wifely duties, are expected to bare children, and are also expected to act as housekeepers. Young and attractive people can be taken from their families and placed in more wealthy settings for training. That may be why Sydney Sweeney’s Eden ends up as Nick’s wife in the first place.
Of course, one of the larger problems among the class of econopeople is the network of spies among their own. In order to improve their own stations in life, econopeople are more than willing to spy on one another and report their peers for sins. It doesn’t matter if they’re reporting on strangers or their own families. Eden’s father is the one that gets her into trouble with the law with no thought for protecting his daughter, but his proving loyalty to the system could help him.
How Does Sweeney’s Handmaid’s Tale Role Compare To Her Euphoria Part?
Sydney Sweeney’s Characters Share Many Common Traits
Euphoria‘s Cassie, Nate and Maddie storyline sees Cassie dating her friend, Maddie Perez’s (Alexa Demie), boyfriend, Nate Jacobs, (Jacob Elordi), who is abusive. Sydney Sweeney’s The Handmaid’s Tale character has a few things in common with the teenager she plays on the HBO series that she is known for. Although Cassie and Eden live in different worlds, they’re both looking for love and compassion.
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Cassie and Eden are both involved with two love interests, and both of their relationships end poorly. Cassie’s journey may look different from the end of Eden’s character arc, but Sweeney plays both young adult characters with the emotional intensity that they deserve.
What Sydney Sweeney Said About Her Handmaid’s Tale Role
Sweeney Had No Idea What Her Character’s Fate Was Going To Be
Sydney Sweeney has taken on some very tough roles over her young career. Seeing her going from The Handmaid’s Tale to Euphoria shows that she isn’t afraid to tackle some of Hollywood’s darkest themes. However, one interesting thing to note about her character in The Handmaid’s Tale is that Sweeney had no idea what fate was in store for her character. That this fate involved the murder of a teenage girl “for the greater good” was horrifying to the young actress (via Refinery 29).
“I knew she was going to have an ending. I wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to end. There was [the idea of], ‘Oh, she could end up running away.’ They weren’t quite sure what direction they were going in. I just knew there was going to be an ending. When I read episode 12 I was completely shocked… I was screaming at the page [while] reading.”
However, while she was shocked at the sad brutality of her ending, Sweeney said she liked that they didn’t try to sugarcoat the moment and instead showed the horrors of this entire community. “I was glad that it went so dark for an ending. Because it’s going to hit a lot of people and have a huge impact,” Sweeney said, adding that her death would carry the story through the next season. She also said she loved working on women-led shows with such important themes.
“I’ve looked up to Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson, and Elisabeth Moss for years and years … Being able to work with all of them in one year has been phenomenal. Also, being able to be a part of shows that mean so much and are changing Hollywood has been really cool, too.”