The Handmaid's Tale Vol 3

[CruCru]

Hi all

As the last thread has all but totally filled up, I've started this new one.

Bit shallow - but do you think the Wives are allowed cosmetics? I got the impression that make up is banned but they do all look very polished.

Finally up to date. Bloody hell. That was just so raw. Serena deserved every word June said and more. (I also think the pink signifies Hannah as a future Handmaid, as a product of an adulterous relationship)

Fred was no doubt scared by Warren's punishment, hence his apology.

I keep thinking back to the Mexican ambassador, challenging Serena in creating a society where she isn't even allowed to read. I can't imagine Serena knew that would be a consequence, and I bet it is s constant blow to her.

It's just such important viewing. It should have been compulsory.

So missed catching up on THT this morning, so I've just watched the last episode again. Interesting the things you see on a second view...

Fred was scared shitless both when Serena tackled him in the study, in the nursery, and when they took June away...when the eyes operated wholly without his knowledge. He was powerless. Be interesting to see how he and Serena react to being sidelined in their precious regime. Serena might well take over in their relationship and have her revenge on him.

Something I heard properly this time around was in the nursery scene, when Fred stated to lecture Serena in the whole biblical God's will BS - and Serena just shut him down, saying 'stop that'. Interesting language - she means 'that' in a derogatory way, about that controlling religious ritualistic language that is used throughout Gilead to control everyone from high to low. She'd had enough of it. Her! Serena. The great architect of the regime. The great believer.

The bit in the study with the Scrabble and Fred reminding Serena that she couldn't play as it was forbidden. As she knew. 'I know', she said, 'I helped write it'. 'You did' says Fred, the air thick with irony, blame and disgust.

The Martha with her hands around all those precious handmaid testimonies. What will she do? Can she get them safely somewhere? Does she have connections? Does she perhaps know about Nick? Maybe the house was actually thick with three rebels, each operating separately and feeling isolated at the beginning, then coming together slowly. Nick, June and the Martha. All now part of the resistance. Or perhaps not...we are encouraged to have our doubts.

It's people's humanity that is causing this slow disintegration of the regime. From Serena's desperately cruel use of Hannah, to Nick sticking his neck out and perhaps revealing his status as an eye to Fred and Serena in order to save June and their child, to Aunt Lydia stopping the guards from shooting June at the disastrous stoning of poor Janine, to Fred revealing his liberal views to the council and perhaps condemning himself....it's the fact that humans can't act like robots for long, even with a gun at their heads. The human spirit must come out eventually, desperate to be free.

Gilead is all an act. Under his bloody eye. And as all acts do, it must end one day...and the players will receive their reviews, good or bad, and suffer the consequences.

A year to wait! Holy smoke.

Fascinating analysis SophieCatScribbles.

YouTube has a panel discussion from this year's BookCon with Bruce Miller and Margaret Atwood (can't do links on phone) but can be Googled. Very interesting indeed - particularly in relation to the level of detail they went into when producing the series.

Also saw a report where Elizabeth Moss apparently said that viewers would never be able to guess what the first scene in the new series will be....

honey That's an interesting thought about Hannah wearing pink. I was also wondering about Janine's commander - now he is disgraced would their child be taken away and would he and his wife lose their big house and privileged life. There is no divorce so if your husband went down so would you (presumably) therefore it wouldn't be in your interest as a wife to dobb your husband in?

What direction do you think it will go in next season? I thought they would explore the "colonies" perhaps or that June would become a Mayday operative but since she is pregnant that is unlikely - will she be holed up in a halfway house? I'm sure the show runners would still want to make ample use of Elizabeth Moss. I was surprised they did not show the mass wedding of young teens to fighters - perhaps that will be explored, as will the Econowives. Do we think Moira and Luke will stage a rescue - or are they too traumatised to go back?

I hope it doesn't become like a "French Resistance" type series

I don't think Warren and wife will go down - she wouldn't have asked for his punishment if it would mean her losing everything. I imagine it'll be considered that now he has been punished, he is no longer a sinner. Atonement done, as it were.

@Elendon Alias Grace is also a cracking read. Is that going to be a series too? Parts of it are incredibly bleak.

Yes, Sarah Polley has written the adaptation.

www.imdb.com/title/tt1034007/

Sarah Polley is goooood. That's quite exciting, as IIRC she has also directed at least one really classy movie.

Interesting video about the birth rates in western countries reducing...and the worries those countries have about falling fertility rates, and how to tackle them...

www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/1017914681683372/

Watching what we have in THT, I found it quite chilling.

Totally blown away by the final episode. I believe Nick has arranged her escape perhaps through Mayday/the resistance.
The scene in the kitchen with Nick and June really touched me, and when Luke walks down the corridor to Moira. Gah, I balled my eyes out!
I loved every second of the book, and the series. Likely to re watch and read both! Cannot wait until series 2!

and when Luke walks down the corridor to Moira. Gah, I balled my eyes out!

And Moira's reaction when Luke refers to her as family.

I've been away so only just caught up tonight. Going back to the discussion about why Fred blamed Serena for his infidelity, I thought he meant that she was the one who wanted a child so she was the one bringing these young women into the house for him to rape & therefore it was her fault for putting him in that situation in the first place.

I was surprised that Moira didn't give Luke's name when asked about family. I know they're not related but June had told her that he'd got out so he was someone she knew who she could reasonably expect to be somewhere in Canada.

It took me ages to accept that Serena was being cruel when she took June to see Hannah. I desperately wanted to believe that she knew she couldn't let June out of the car but wanted to show her that Hannah was as safe as she could be in such a regime. I couldn't believe that she could be so heartless as to parade her other child in front of her only to add weight to her threat to harm her.

My heart sank when June explained the meaning of the bells - I knew it had to be Janine. Did I miss an explanation or was nothing said about what happened to her after the others refused to stone her? Presumably someone killed her?!

Can't wait for the next series, although I'm a little scared that the next "series" will be reality...!

I've just finished Alias Grace...brill that's that's going to be adapted for telly too!

I'm laying in bed wide awake because I can't remember that line that June said something about if you didn't want fighters you shouldn't have given us uniforms?! It's driving me crazy.

If you didn't want an army, you shouldn't have made us wear uniforms

I watched it again yesterday.
Dreamt about it last night (I blame this thread )
When nick told her to go with the soldiers he had his hand on her bump.

Thanks Lotis I was nearly right

AGnu, I thought by saying 'you brought lust and temptation into this house, on your knees and your back...' I thought Fred was referring to the time Serena offered to (cough) 'get him going' so to speak, when he couldn't participate in the ceremony (couldn't rape her), and the time they slept with each other on a rare occasion.
Typical of that type of man to blame the woman for 'tempting' him. What tosh.

I agree Sophie. That comment by Fred was a real low point in his behaviour - the others were his comment at the trial (revealing him to be shameless as well as a hypocrite - he's so arrogant about his views that he didn't even hold back for fear of arousing suspicions in the others) and of course taking June to Jezebels and revealing his hideous attitude to the women there.

I would love it if Fred had some kind of grisly end or punishment in the next season!

I was thinking about this today. Was Hannah about five when she was taken? If so, when / if June and Luke get her back, they will have to teach her to read from scratch.

I suppose they would. The child they used for Hannah looked quite old to me - more like 7 or 8 but I think June told OfGlen she was 5. She will certainly become indoctrinated by the regime and therefore be more compliant later on than June's cohort.

She was 5 when she was taken, but they're two or three years on from then. June was trained in the Red Centre, and the Waterfords are her third posting. So Hannah would probably be around 8 by this point.

So if the Waterfords are her third posting, how did the others end? She didn't have two babies in between that I don't know about?!

I think you get so long (6 monts? A year?) and if no pregnancy, you get moved on. Because this is Offred's third, if she doesn't get pregnant this time, she risks being sent to the Colonies.

It was a gripping and very addictive serious. I came late to the party with this and have just got caught up tonight watching it after the kids have gone to bed over about 4 nights and it's keeping me awake. Can't wait for the next series brilliant watch.