The Handmaids Tale

[eloisesparkle]

I know I'm a little late to the party but I didn't bother taping this when first on.
It's now being shown on an Irish channel and have taped it.
I watched the first episode - Season 1.
Gosh it's dark.
Depressing too- do I really want to spend another 5/6? hours watching the series ?
Your opinions please.

Great article, thanks GardenGeek

Dd and I loved it, but have both read the book.

Dd is studying it for A Level.

It's absolutely fantastic. Yes, it's dark. Yes it's horrifying. But it will - and should - really make people think. I think it should be required viewing for men, not just women.

I binge-watched the whole thing during a long haul flight, and can't wait for series 2.

Like PP have said, I keep thinking about it, and the issues it raises. Not many TV shows have that level of impact.

All that said, it's also genuinely entertaining television, especially once you get to know the characters and their stories.

Interestingly I was discussing it on a recent flight with a lady who had 2 sons (she noticed I was reading The Power so we discussed both). She said she had given The Handmaids Tale to both of her sons to read. One son she said is very pro feminism and it deeply affected him, her other son has no real views on these things and she said he was very blasé about the whole thing. My husband watched bits of it and didn’t get why I was so completely consumed by it.

So yes, I agree men should read it, but it definitely doesn’t speak to the majority of them in the same way it does to women sadly.

I suppose it’s much like many key topics in society. We can care about them on a superficial level but really they don’t impact us unless we are directly (or potentially directly) affected.

OP you should look for the thread that ran during the series. It made for fascinating reading.

I think every woman should watch/read it.

EveryONE should watch and read it.

I thought the TV show was excellent. Beautifully shot and designed and outstanding sound design. Career-best performances, too, particularly Elisabeth Moss and the actors playing Aunt Lydia and Serena Joy.

Do continue - it was one of the best things on TV last year.

But read the novel too.

This just floated up my timeline.

A 'gangsta' gives his audience his take on a variety of books. Funny, but pretty intelligent too.

Thug Notes dissects The Handmaid's Tale.

www.facebook.com/WisecrackEDU/posts/2001462616740371

Thanks Ginger- I haven't braved episode 2 yet.

You must watch it, OP. Totally opened my mind

Just seen this. I found the first episode confusing and not very interesting. Watch ep 2 and you'll get hooked. It gets much better and is gripping.

Best series I've seen in a long time.

I've just watched up to Episode 5.
I forced myself to watch it.
It's very dark.

Definitely worth watching. I watched on TV. I don't think I could have binge watched, it took me the week to get over each episode. Possibly because I had read the book.

The first episode is quite slow if I recall correctly, it shows the monotony and littleness of the handmaids daily lives. It is definitely worth sticking with imo. I absolutely loved it, can't wait for season 2.

Yes it's dark.
It's also excellent.

I’m glad you’ve stuck with it OP. My husband can’t believe I studied this book at school! I’m looking forward to season 2.

Me too. I was fascinated/horrified by the book and I thought series 1 did an excellent job of bringing it to life and expanding on the story. I was bereft after the book, emotionally wrung out and frustrated at never finding out what happened to Offred and not knowing how Gilead fell. I'm so excited about series 2!

Does the book go into what happens to Offred and Gilleads fall.

I don't really get how anyone could not be gripped from the start. The first episode is so powerful in depicting the oppression and fear of the handmaids' lives and, as a pp says, the monotony and small claustrophobic scale of their lives. So what if it's slow?

eloise, without spoiling the book (it's different from the end of the TV series), sort of...

You must read the thread on here from when it was airing on tv, it was really good.

Tv at its best.

eloisesparkle the book has a more ambiguous ending. Margaret Atwood isn't one to spell things out.

Thank you

I remember the TV series used the very same words as the novel as Offred gets into the van - I think the ambiguity suits them because they are going to do a 2nd series