The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 (UK Pace) - thread 2

[CruCru]

Hi all

Here is the next thread for those who are watching The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 on Channel 4. Please don't put any spoilers on this - the other thread (for those in other countries who are watching ahead of the UK) is www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/3239228-Handmaids-Tale-Season-2-SPOILERS-VIEWING-AHEAD-OF-UK-SREENING.

It’s very clever, making no Nick get married. His new wife is young and pliant - she can be expected to report on him. Plus it stops him from mooning after the Handmaid. Does anyone remember the Martha (the one he’d been sleeping with) who said “That’s a dangerous game, my friend”? She was a pretty interesting character, I hope we see her again (although I have no idea whether we’ll go back to Jezebel’s).

I really liked this episode.

The children of commanders would surely be groomed for leadership posts.. To continue the Republic /regime.
The young girls married off to guardians etc. Are from econo families, they need to procreate to keep up supply of workers. I wonder where future handmaids will come from though

I think Emily and Janine will either try to escape or lead a colonies revolt. They have absolutely nothing to lose.
In my dreams Janine gets her baby back. It COULD go that way.

Is Nick a 'good guy'? I kind of hope it's not that black and white.

I would think Hannah would end up as a handmaid, as they would see her as having been born in sin. June and her father were deemed to have not been married, as his first marriage was the only valid one. Sins of the father and all that.

Nicks wife seemed very indoctrinated. It was shocking how young they were. I agree the commander will be sniffing around her, now he has had to move on from messing with June. So she will be 'spying' on Nick, Nick is spying on the commander and aunt Lydia is spying on Serena, June and the whole family in general.

Apologies if this has already been discussed. If you had to be (a woman) in Gilead, and (unlike them) had enough choice/control to choose which role to have, what would you choose?

Handmaiden. Martha. Wife. Aunt. Econowife. Unwoman: Colony worker. Sex worker.
Other: have I forgotten any?

From a purely selfish point of view, I would want to be an Aunt, because I think they have more power than the other female roles. However, the moral/ethical aspect of it would be difficult to live with.

The green wives seem to be a higher class in Gilead society so their children won't be taken off them for child brides. Nick's wife said she was from a farm so a lower class in that society. However Nick is a driver and could be potentially promoted but is still lower down than the Waterfords but higher than the farmers, delivery van drivers and normal people.

There's a whole section of society that we've not really seen- everyone that was dressed in grey, the normal people. The bread delivery man and his family and everyone in that town, on the train etc.

I don't think Hannah will be a child bride- she is too important as she is a child of a high ranking family and will be sold off to another high ranking family. Not as a prize for lower ranking individuals.

Its all very medieval and everyone is in their place.

I think I’d prefer to be an econowife. As long as you put on a front that you’re a believer, I think you’d be pretty much left alone.

I think it’s possible Hannah is a handmaid in training. Every time we’ve seen a child in Gilead they’ve been dressed in white but in the last episode of S1 when Serena took June to her, Hannah was in pink, like they’re foreshadowing her future.

Is Nick a 'good guy'? I kind of hope it's not that black and white.

I agree. I don’t think it can be. RL isn’t like that and it certainly wouldn’t be possible in nicks position to be totally virtuous. He has to survive just like everyone else so will have had to do things that he/we wouldn’t think were right. I don’t think MA would write him as just good.

Handmaiden. Martha. Wife. Aunt. Econowife. Unwoman: Colony worker. Sex worker.
Other: have I forgotten any?

Probably a Martha. Seems least likely to be raped/harmed/have to cause harm. Just silently go about my cooking and cleaning.

Yes what happens when they run out of handmaids? The new generation will be raised with gilead rules so there’s will be far fewer sinners to make into handmaids. The first handmaids and colonies women will die sooner than current life expectancy due to illness and childbirth related death/injuries/impact or suicide or put to death. So very soon there will be a shortage of handmaids. Add to that the already extremely low fertility rate. What will they do?

I think the only option for Emily and Janine is escape to avoid death. I can't see them being returned as handmaids. I do think there will at least be an escape attempt, I don't think they will just die in the colonies. I think there is more to come on that story.

I can see either Emily or janine snapping and killing a guard or two. Janine has snapped before and kidnapped her baby. Emily has sown a seed in her ear about not just accepting her situation.

Emily is ready to snap.

Martha or maybe work at jezebels.. I know a bit non mumsnet but I really like sex, and quite comfortable with fair amount of kink.. Would probably be happy living there, it looked nice environment, there were drinks etc. Bit like a luxury sex party every night

Zibbidoo, i agree Emily will snap, she seems like a ticking time bomb. The two sides of her are interesting to watch too. One minute she seems quite resigned and beaten down by everything but then there are moments of pure rage in her like when she killed the wife and her driving over the Guard in S1. The writers must have something big in store for her later on.

Oh I forgot She ran over the guard!! Yes, she has form for snapping.

No you’re right it’s not as straightforward as Nick being simply a ‘good guy.’ Everyone is just doing what they need to survive including Nick but he seemed shocked and uncomfortable with the whole child bride situation. He also helped June escape, although unsuccessful he has played a role in May Day and isn’t an awful character. In my opinion he’s doing his best in an awful situation.

I agree. He was definitely uncomfortable with the wedding/new wife situation. I suppose he is obliged to consummate the marriage? I guess his wife has a duty to report on him if he doesn’t?

The new wife seems to be in awe of Serena, so I imagine she will be the person who the wife confides in about Nick.

Serena is being kind to her and seems genuine, perhaps because she's starved of company and maybe Serena sees herself as a big sister figure, but also I think because the new wife is serving Serena's purpose. Let Nick have a new wife to take his mind of June. Let the new wife have a baby even, so he might not be so worried about Serena's (June's) baby.

I think the new wife is going to cause problems though. I think she's going to pick up on the situation between Nick and June and she's not going to like it, or stand quietly by and let it continue. I think June might have a new enemy here that she would be wrong to underestimate just because she's young and sweet and seemingly meek.

I think Nick probably came from a troubled background. In his S1 flashbacks we saw he was a bit temperamental, struggled to hold down a job, had an alcoholic brother etc. When he was recruited by Commander Pryce, he was taken under his wing and was probably treated well by him, compared to what he knew. He was almost brainwashed into thinking that this new regime was for everyone’s benefit at first. A world where everyone had a role and was valued for it, had security, was respected. I imagine when the war/takeover happened he was a passive observer and then when the awfulness of it all became clear he just did what he had to do to survive. So he accepted the position as an Eye because it gave him a level a safety.

Now he’s fallen for June and she’s carrying his baby. Their escape attempt failed so he’s back to square one of survival, perhaps biding his time until opportunity to get them out arises again. I do believe that his ultimate goal is to get June and his baby out and that he would sacrifice himself to do so if it came to it. I don’t think he’s comfortable with the marriage but has no choice in the matter. If he refused there’d be questions and he’s more use to June and the baby if he’s still at Waterford’s and keeping an eye on them.

Oh yes I can definitely see serena taking new wife under her wing and having her “confide” in her about any issues/concerns about her husband. New wife has probably been conditioned to believe its a rear privilege to be chosen to marry the driver of a commander and will be full of awe of serena.

Real privilege.

I wonder if they matched up the brides to the grooms, or if they just lined up and got whoever was in the same place in the opposite line.

I kind of liked Serena being critical of people in this episode. First of Naomi Putnam but then even of the Commander and his "Prayvaganza" which she thought was a terrible name (and she's right). I think she said it wasn't one of his better efforts. Signs of Serena cracking a bit and letting her resentments out a little.

I just looked up the name of Nick's wife, as I don't like calling her the new wife. Her name is Eden and she is meant to be fifteen years old.

Definitely think nick is a good guy- there are plenty of pure evil characters about ( the commander, Lydia ) so someone with a conscience and the ability to love doesn't reduce the script .

Clicked on the wrong thread - I’m a few episodes ahead of you guys. Hang on to your hats, it’s about to get very interesting!

I think the new wife could be the fly in the ointment for all of them. I think she is or has been indoctrinated to be a religious fundamentalist. Note how she told Serena that lust was a sin. I think she will be a 100% believer in Gilead and therefore could potentially dob anyone of them in as none of them in that household are really true believers.