Commander Judd
Commander Judd is the most feared man in Gilead, the commander of the Eyes who has survived three waves of purges by eliminating rivals and accumulating secrets. He is a master of political survival, a man who has risen from the early days of the Sons of Jacob to become a power broker whose word can mean life or death. Yet for all his authority, he is entangled with Aunt Lydia in a relationship of mutual dependence and mutual threat, each holding evidence that could destroy the other.
Identity and Rise to Power
Judd was one of the original Sons of Jacob who masterminded the attack on the U.S. Congress, and he has changed his name multiple times during the secret planning stages of Gilead, making his true origins nearly impossible to trace. He initially oversaw the women's sphere but found it offered "little real scope for his ego and garnered insufficient respect." He then took command of the Eyes, the intelligence agency that enforces ideological purity and roots out dissent. His office is located in a former grand library, its murals altered to replace the U.S. flag with Gilead's, and his door bears a large Eye with a real crystal in the pupil so he can see who is about to knock. He is described as having a white beard, rosy cheeks, and a cherry nose, resembling Santa Claus, but this avuncular appearance masks a man who has personally overseen executions and torture.
Relationship with Aunt Lydia
Judd and Aunt Lydia have a long and complex history. He was the one who interrogated her after her arrest, offering her a choice between cooperation and death. He subjected her to the Thank Tank, a period of solitary confinement and physical abuse, and then forced her to participate in a stadium execution as a test of loyalty. He later told her that her rifle had contained a blank, a revelation she received with a fixed smile. Despite this brutal beginning, they have become "two old comrades" who have survived purges together. Judd relies on Aunt Lydia to manage the women's sphere and to provide intelligence gathered by the Pearl Girls, while she in turn knows enough of his secrets to keep herself safe. He has sought to propitiate her, asking for forgiveness, but she has never fully granted it. Their relationship is one of chess players, each aware that the other could be a liability.
Marriages and Disposal of Wives
Judd has had a succession of wives, all of whom have died under suspicious circumstances. His first wife was pushed down the stairs, her neck broken, and the death was ruled an accident. Two others died in childbirth or shortly after, with the babies being Unbabies; the deaths involved deliberately induced septicemia or shock. In one case, Judd refused permission to operate when an Unbaby with two heads lodged in the birth canal, claiming a fetal heartbeat. A fourth wife took up flower-painting at his suggestion, using paints he purchased, and died of stomach cancer from cadmium poisoning. His current wife, Shunammite, is ailing, and he has hinted that he is in the market for another child bride. Aunt Lydia has intervened to have Shunammite sent to the Calm and Balm Clinic, recognizing that Judd is likely poisoning her. He has a known preference for barely nubile young women, and his study contains a painting of a naked girl with dragonfly wings, as well as a collection of vintage pornography.
Role in the Regime and the Plot
Judd is the driving force behind the search for the Mayday mole inside Gilead. He recovers a microdot camera from the burglary of The Clothes Hound and deduces that information has been exchanged through the Pearl Girls' brochures. He raids the Ardua Hall print shop in search of evidence, arresting Aunt Wendy, but finds nothing incriminating. When he learns that the new convert Jade is actually Baby Nicole, he immediately plans to marry her to shore up his own prestige, announcing the betrothal on Gilead television. He orders that the fugitives be shot to kill, reasoning that a dead Baby Nicole is more useful than a living one who could be made to talk. Aunt Lydia ultimately outmaneuvers him, sending Nicole and Agnes out of Gilead with the microdot cache that will trigger the Ba'al Purge and the regime's collapse. Judd's final appearance in the narrative is in his study, where he and Aunt Lydia share a tense meeting, each aware that the other is playing a double game.
