The Handmaids tale

[DumbledoresArmy]

Anyone else planning on watching this at 9pm on channel 4?

I'm just pleased it got picked up by a channel in the U.K. to be honest, if ads are needed to pay for it then I can get over them

I am fully planning on reading the book again once the TV series is finished

Interesting about black actors in the show because in the book ethnic minorities are ejected from Gilead or sent to the colonies. White supremacy is the name of the game in Gilead. It's set near Harvard, btw.

Shocking about Janine's eye BT a bit much, I thought. The whole thing is harrowing enough and Janine's downward spiral happens even with her being compliant and submissive, which is partly what makes it so difficult.

A second series has already been optioned which makes me wonder if they're going to 'sequel' the book? Could be brilliant or terrible. They covered a lot of the book in that first episode alone.

And yes, Commander and Serena Joy should be older. He was played by Robert Duvall in the film. Perfect casting. I know someone who fancies Joseph Fiennes as the Commander

I'm further ahead with it, the later episodes do include some scenes people have asked about. However, the plot also includes a couple of storylines that did not happen in the book, and I'm not sure if I like them. On the whole it's a good adaptation though, certainly better than the film.

I think that people are too hung up on 'The Book'. This is a TV adaptation, therefore, needed to be, er, adapted! It's ruining your enjoyment of it to be constantly comparing it to the novel. To those of you who haven't read the book (although most have as they keep telling us!), I would leave it until you've finished this series. Why spoil the plot for yourselves?

But why would you spoil the plot if you read the book? Surely you can enjoy the plot in the book?

Iirc, the book has an epilogue which could be a foundation for a second series.

The Historical Notes at the end, where they think they're so enlightened but are still sexist idiots.

So much to be picked up from those few pages.

Ha, sort of like now, then.

With the ceremony scene it would have been so much easier & less inhuman to just use a turkey Baster!

I thought it was brilliant and can live with the small differences from the book. My only real objection was telling us Offred's real name. In the book you don't ever know this and I get that they were showing her will to hold onto her old existence, but I prefer it without. But great acting, production, everything.

But rape is a powerful weapon of war. Turkey basters much less effective in that respect and doesn't echo the biblical story.

Excellent for me.

I really enjoyed it and have just started re-reading the book - it was one of my AS level set texts and I absolutely loved it, but haven't read it for about ten years. I'll be interested to see how the adaptation deviates from the novel: though like some PPs have said, I can accept their taking liberties with the plot as long as the tone remains true to the book.

The point of the rapes are that they are sanctioned by biblical scripture. The point of the whole book is that everything in it is sanctioned by scripture if you choose to interpret it that way.
If you want to really dehumanise a woman, systematic rape will do it.

Buttery they list the names at the end of the first chapter. They don't explicitly say which one is Offred, but it's the only name that's not mentioned again IIRC.

Flys ah! Never spotted that.

Do the men have sex with their sterile wives? Or is this forbidden in this strict religious environment?

My only real objection was telling us Offred's real name

Yes, I thought I knew Offred's real name was June from the book, but I didn't know how!

Good point about the use of rape as a weapon.

I watched this with MIL last night (gak, I know, she is staying with us!) and she said she didn't understand why they didn't just use artificial insemination. But I guess the use of rape in the 'Ceremony' is a huge part of keeping the Handmaid's oppressed.,

Names here. I got this copy when I did it for A-level.

So the handmaidens had to beat the rapist to death whilst, at home, they themselves were being raped?

Entirely possible I have made this up, it's been a good couple of years since I read it (I have a tendency to do this!) but did Offred say in the book that the rapist they all killed was perhaps not a rapist at all and the Handmaid in question had consented to sex but under Gilead legislation Handmaids are not permitted to consent to sex other than with their head man?

Also, could someone remind me what mayday is please?

The rape the guy had committed had caused the death of the woman's baby which was particularly enraging to the handmaids because that is their hope of some kind of escape or elevation. I think they say that if you produce a child you'll never be sent to the Colonies.

Plus of course he wasn't a government authorised rapist like the Commander. Though I think in the book Offred says something in the ceremony scene along the lines of 'nothing is going on here I hadn't been prepared for'. Going to see if I can find my copy now and check.

I thought he wasn't a rapist at all but a member of the resistance

Mayday is the signal that they are prepared to rebel, like the distress call. As in "m'aidez" = help me.