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.

Gilead drowns children ...

I loved this episode. The birth was on the whole, believable. I was on edge the whole time.

So nick is still alive... alas, Eden and Isaac will not be for much longer

SPOILER alert

OMG so happy I found a handmaids tale book club.

I didn’t particularly like this episode. It was June running around like a headless chicken and then eventually having the baby.

I can’t bear that she didn’t escape and from the promo she appears to return to Gilead where her fate awaits her. I can’t see her being able to escape with the baby.

me too jinjkl more so than the Waterfords now.

I really hope that new Commander ends up to be a secret rebel against Gilead. We need some good news now, it’s been a pretty hopeless season overall.

Not going to watch that scene! Once will be enough for me!

I'm hoping Emily makes the Cmdr fall in love with her and 'turns' him. I know she's gay by nature but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Surely Eden knows that you can't get divorced in Gilead or have a second marriage?

(which is presumably why she is running a way)

Wonder if the wolf & June dichotomously represents freedom (the wild wolf) & confinement (handmaids in Gilead.) the saddening part of episode 11 being that June choses confinement to secure her daughter Holy’s safety.
Thought the same dichotomy was present when June was hiding out in the Boston printing house, her acts being truly godly/religious when collecting & worshipping victims possession as opposed to Gilead’s laws giving humans command over voiceless others.

I think that Emily and the new commander form an alliance in secret - and that they are the ones who start the destruction of Gilead from the inside. I think they figure each other out - he has misgivings about what he helped create, and she is a defiant and strong very clever woman - I think they find a common purpose and realise that they can support each other through what needs doing, protecting each other so that they look like the usual sick Gilead setup while working for Mayday.

And they rescue June, Nick, Holly and Hannah of course :)

I feel so sorry for Eden, but I don't think Nick is at fault so far. Given her age, of course he doesn't fancy her, and he found it difficult enough to force himself to have sex with her at all. By Gilead standards, he's treated her pretty well really, but he hasn't pretended more than gentle tolerance - why is that wrong? It's June that he loves, and he knows very well that Eden was forced on him as a punishment by the Waterfords - hard to even like a permanent punishment who is with you to make the woman you love suffer even more than she is already 😕, Maybe he felt it was cruel to pretend more than he felt?

I'm hoping it's not Nick that dobs them in. I suspect it was Isaac, being hotheaded and arrogant, who said something to the wrong person.

Is there a MRS new Cmdr? They've shown him w Emily but no wife. You'd think they'd only provide a handmaid to a married couple.

I'm skipping around trailers as I don't want to 'spoil' too much of the next episode.

I don't think he has a wife, for whatever reason...maybe she died?

@sophiecatscribbles are you talking about the next episode (12?). Where have you seen it?

Only the promo from after ep 11, and the spoiler links from further down the thread :)

Ah ok
Was hoping to get ep 12 early!

It shows his wife in the trailer saying something about poison while he drags her away from Emily

I am sorry for the rant, but I am really losing interest in this series. What has actually happened in terms of plot development? The first three episodes, though needlessly horrible to watch, can be ignored because at the end of it June was back to square one anyway. Nothing has really happened since then except she has had her baby, but oh look she's back at the Waterfords and Serena is being mean to her.
The only vaguely interesting development has been the growing resistance and international sanctions, but that has been so in the background that it's not really a plot thread.
Serena was interesting for a few episodes but after that rape scene she has now lost our sympathy forever and there's no going back from that. Apparently the rape scene was because the writer wanted the viewers to remember that 'rape is horrible'. Yes, well, I think most of us are fully aware of that.
Sorry for rant, I just am beginning to feel that my time is being wasted and that the producers etc are seeing Handmaids Tale as a money making matter (the writer wants ten series?!? Will June STILL be at the Waterfords series 9?) rather than telling a decent story.

Anyone else keep reading grilled chicken as Gilead chicken?

Blimey McDonalds is selling Gilead chicken!

The trailer for episode 12 is depressing. So June is yet again it seems going back to the Waterfords (which is confusing as I thought Serena didn't want her back after the birth anyway)?

The Eden and Issac scene is going to be a hard watch. I don't personally believe that Nick would have told on Eden. As was apparent when he saw her kissing Issac, he doesn't really care about her, but I don't think he means her any harm. In fact it's pretty clear he views her as a child, and I can't see him trying to get a child executed.

I think that as Nick is the "wronged party" it would do him damage to be seen to be upset during the execution.

I really feel for Nick's character. Imagine the revulsion and shame he'd have to live with after being essentially forced to have sex with a fifteen year old child. I don't think you could blame a man in his situation for not being able to pretend to love her.

I think they must get caught at a border and arrested. I don't think Nick will inform the authorities.

He doesn’t have to pretend to love her -just to show her some kindness

(sorry, not a Nick fan)

I agree Aridane. Nick could have just been her friend.

I agree Ariadne.
I don't think he played Eden well.
He could have kept her onside ( to ensure June was protected )
He took a lot of unnecessary risks.
As I said upthread one has to suspend disbelief sometimes re June and Nick and the risks they took in hospital corridors etc.
Is there no CCTV in Gilead ?