Handmaids Tale, Season 2: SPOILERS / VIEWING AHEAD OF UK SREENING

[Aridane]

I'm starting a thread for those of us watching Season 2 and who want to discuss ahead of its screening in the UK.

So far I've watched the first 3 episodes.

God the 1st episode was grim.

TheBadgersMadeMeDoIt That’s Exactly how I see it. And in some ways I agree with her. If ferility rates are very low and that would end badly then in some way, yes, women should be more focused on having children as that is our different but equal role in society. Obviously if we are having babies to up the population then the men would need to work more than the women. I don’t belive she wanted it to come about how it has though. Fred is a sick fuck and I think even serena has lost any love she once had for him. To be so desperate for a baby that you would force a woman to be raped whilst pregnant to her pleading for it to stop is nasty though and I don’t know how she could ever look that baby in the eye, knowing it was inside someone she helped be raped. Also, all this stress cannot be good for the baby so they are warped in thinking they are doing good. She should have walked away when she could and had her own baby to live away from such a nasty man.

Quack that's something I've been thinking about too, if fertility rates dropped so drastically low, would there be some sort of limit on women's reproductive rights wrt to abortion and contraception? Would there have to be?

I wonder how black and white we'd view that issue in the light of impending doom.

Ooh that's good TheBadgers.

After last week, I have no hope for her conscience. However....I have said similar about 'evil' characters in Game of Thrones, people like Jamie and Theon who have committed despicable acts.
I just can't get over what they did to June last week - out of anger and power.

Serena was jealous and angry at June for appearing pleased that it was false labour.

The commander was humiliated by her parting words in his office the night before about his infertility.

Both of them felt like punishing her and showing her who's boss

The hardest episode to sit through so far imo.

OohMavis I like to think that if that was the case, women would think logically and would try for babies more. I would hope though that no one needed to be forced into having a baby they do not want. I would also hope that to increase the want of babies, wages would go up somehow as we can’t just expect women to get pregnant but we need all those who are rich to share the wealth somehow to keep everything going. It’s tricky isn’t it. Or do we just die out and go extinct like other animals? Couldn’t be a bad thing, not like we would remember once dead.

Yes something would have to give, wouldn't it. The impression from the book and the series is that nothing changed, as fertility declined the focus didn't shift onto strengthening and elevating women's rights to lessen the financial burden women face when becoming pregnant, and so they didn't.

And then the change was Gilead.

It's very chilling how plausible it all is.

That's what disturbs me most - how plausible it is. The fact such atrocities have and are happening to women.
Just this week I've heard of an horrific FGM case in a very wealthy suburb in my area. It's not far away, it's here.

Birth rates are dropping, you only have to look at the conception and infertility boards to get an idea that more and more couples need help becoming pregnant. What happens when that help stops working. We don’t know enough about how external factors effect fertility yet but the idea of most people eventually being unable to conceive isn’t so far fetched after all. And it wouldn’t take a huge leap to see people say we’ve done it to ourselves with our developed world and non religious ideas. Gilead as a reality is probably closer than it’s ever been.

I agree, it’s scary how plausible it is.

Good article with the actress who plays Serena in Huffpost

www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/yvonne-strahovski-handmaids-tale_us_5b2d1bace4b0321a01d0c786?utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=hp_fb_pages&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063&utm_source=main_fb&guccounter=1

I need to make a note of when episode 11 will be available, anyone know?

It's out tomorrow, isn't it??

It's interesting what the actress who plays Serena says in that Huffington Post article: "I’d be interested to see what would happen to her if the possibility of having a child in whatever way was completely taken away from her. Then what would she be personally invested in Gilead for?"
I think Serena and Fred are going to get their comeuppance at the end of season 2...perhaps they get blamed for Offred's disappearance, and Isaac and Eden's adultery in their house...
I really hope that Offred gets away with the baby. Or perhaps Hannah will be used as a bargaining chip by the Waterfords. Either way Offred's got to escape Gilead at the end of this season, otherwise I am going to lose interest...

Next US episode drop on Hulu is tomorrow (Wednesday) at midnight EDT.

I too am hoping that season 3 sees June, Moira and Luke instrumental in over throwing Gilead and rescuing everyone.

Still not out yet 😩

Just watched it using the link posted above. Poor June.

Just watched OMG what an episode!

Just watched it before heading to work.

If I’m honest, this episode didn’t blow me away like the others. Maybe because I watched the preview and plot wise that was pretty much it. Won’t post any more until others have caught up later today

I agree @Aridane

What happened ?
I need the spoilers otherwise it's too intense a watch

Are you sure you want to know?

That was a really frustrating episode.