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.

Plus the actors who play the Waterfords are really good (particularly Serena Joy).

Thankyou for the new thread. Finally got to listen to Margaret Atwood on Radio 4 last night. Found it quite insightful.

Part one of a two-part omnibus of a radio adaptation (from 1995!) available on Radio 4 Extra:

Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale - Omnibus 1/2 - @BBCRadio4Extra www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008f8jf

Plan to get to this at the weekend while performing quotidian econowife duties (not the fun one, obvs).

Yy, Cru, I think she will be back with the Waterfords. I can’t imagine them only having small, background roles for the rest of the series.

I definitely think she will be back at the Waterfords, because Serena Joy will move heaven and earth to get her there. If you were Serena Joy you would want her locked up where you could keep an eye on her rather than back with Aunt Lydia.

She worked so hard to contain her anger.

I didn't see it as her containing her anger. That bloke seemed to have been forced into what he was doing, he was gay himself, had seen his boyfriend strung up, and had escaped Gilead so obviously wasn't in agreement with what they were doing. I thought Moira felt sorry for him and it was also her seeing the effect the regime was having on other people, (the people who up to now she would have seen as evil oppressors) not just Handmaids and Jezebel workers.

The wife that Emily gave the pills to seemed to be quite happy to be complicit in the rape of the handmaids, and the regime of Gilead in general didn't she?

There are lots of ideas about why people under the Nazis carried out the atrocities they did, whether they believed in what they were doing, whether they were all happy with what was going on or just doing it because otherwise they would be murdered, whether any one of us is capable of that sort of thing under the right conditions etc etc.

Just placemarking

Absolutely loved series 1, and I’m really enjoying season 2 as well!

There are so many superb actors in this its such good drama, (I’m enjoying the exploration of backstories)

I’m a bit conflicted about the torture and killings - (I fast forward through torture scenes) but it’s very important that we do see how these regimes gain power and control- the parallels between the Sons of Jacob and the Nazis, the Taliban, and Daesh are chilling. (I can only comment on those particular regimes as those are the ones I am most familiar with, I appreciate that they are not the only ones)

It’s devastating to think that people have lived their lives, and that many are still living their lives, under regimes like this.

I know this is a no spoiler thread, so I assume we aren't discussing the trailer for next Sunday's episode that was shown at the end of this week's?

Oh Thankyou pp I had been wondering who the mute woman was.

Blessed Day.

For me, this is nowhere near as good as series 1. Something to do with being freed from the plot constraints of the book maybe. It's not as tightly structured. Hmm.

Marking my place for the next episode. I'm enjoying the discussion!

I'm really enjoying it. I actually find each episode hard to watch - I do have to tell myself to calm down at times during it, but it is so very tense. The slow bits are good I think. It all adds to the sense of impending doom. I think June will have to end up back with the Waterfords. As much as I would like it to be an elaborate Mayday plot I don't think it will be. Surely as she is pregnant Aunt Lydia won't punish her??

It would be interesting to see how Serena Joy is with her. After all it is the women who (really with no real choice) keep all the other women in place for the patriarchy. And they are all essentially trapped.

Loving hearing everyone's ideas about the story!

I am enjoying it being freed from the book.

And I think the soundtrack is fabulous.

The ridiculous think is Serena Joy trapped herself. She fought for this regime to happen. I wonder how she's enjoying it now.

Pretty sure it's not Mayday. I was expecting something like it. If June made it to Canada or spends most of the season in hiding, we no longer have one of the main 'good' protagonists in Gilead who can be in conflict with the Gileadeans(?).
I think from a story point of view they'll keep her in Gilead for a while.
It was utterly heartbreaking to see her actively choose to leave Hannah behind and try make for Canada.
I think we all knew it would be impossible for her to try a rescue attempt and that it would be more sensible to try campaign or try get support to get her back from Canada but I couldn't help imagine myself in that situation and having to leave my child behind. I really struggled with that bit.

I agree Stars, but Hannah's best hope is an alive mum & dad. June thinks Luke is dead, so she's Hannah's only hope & there is no chance of her helping from within Gilead.

I believe this to be true & imagine June as a parent trying to convince herself of that, but really she'd be eaten up inside.

Didn't the Mexican ambassador in the last series get the message to her that Luke was alive?

(And who else thinks Luke is going to get together with the quiet blonde former handmaid?)

June no longer thinks Luke is dead, the Mexican consul knew who she was, which suggests escapees in New America have given substantive interviews to international news media.

America COLLAPSING? And becoming a Totalitarian Theocracy?

It would be the only thing on the news for YEARS

The way I view it as well is that America would break up into different groups.

Gilead looks to be the New England countries as far up as Maine - we don't know if California is independent, wasn't there a lot of amazement over an orange??!

Or what's happening in Alaska, Texas, Hawaii. New Confedaracy maybe, or a few states joining forces.

I thought it was interesting seeing the econowives as it’s not really been mentioned before. But a sad episode...is June ever going to escape

MrStark, 2 states (Alaska & Hawaii) remains under US control, in one episode was saw the US flag with all but two stars hollow to represent that. What’s left of the government is in exile in Anchorage.

I guess this means that everywhere else
Is Under Gileadean control? Although war rages in some states (lots of references to it) and large areas perhaps are toxic? (colonies)

I didn't notice the flag thing!

I can't see California bending to Gilead without a fight though

I loved the first series and I'm loving this one.

I really liked seeing Emily's back story and her revenge on the Wife who got sent to the Colonies. She's lashed out before with the car but that seemed to be more impulse than plan, but the killing of the Wife and the positioning of the body was calculated and I liked seeing that side of her. I don't know what might happen to her but I hope she gets the opportunity for some serious revenge, and I hope it's her that gets Aunt Lydia.

Seeing the homes the Econo Families live in was interesting too. They were more modern and stylish than I'd imagined, especially compared to the Waterford's horrible house that looks so dark and empty and dated.

There was a line in the book along the lines of how furious Serena Joy must be now she has exactly what she wanted, and I think that really sums up how it must be for a lot of people in Gilead who supported its rise.

And we know about June's tapes from the book, made when she was in a safe house but still trapped in Gilead waiting for the next stage of her escape.

We don't know if she succeeded in that next stage, but the bit in the book about her recordings having a song at the start and the end so they seemed to just be old music tapes makes me think that the songs at the start and end of each episode are the songs on her tapes, and I like that.

It's very weird seeing Luke and Moira just there in Canada, Luke not seeming to be doing all that much to get his wife or daughter back. I want him to do something to actually help them, or at least try.