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.

Oh no, they broke her

Such a contrast to the start of the episode.

We've been sent good weather...

10 more to go, so there's always hope. I've seen adverts on ch4 showing the Waterfords in a car and Moira in a shouting crowd holding a sign that says"My Name Is Moira". I presume the Waterfords go to Canada and perhaps Gilead aren't as well received as their egos would have them think.

Wow Lydia is a master manipulator

It’s genius isn’t it? You can’t even tell if she means it or is just very bloody good at her job.

I think the cigarettes will feature again medicinal! They’ve appeared too many times not to be important.

They mustn’t realise nick is part of mayday.

How is Nick still alive?

I can't believe there are 13 episodes this series plus another series planned...

So what number episode was this?

Cracking Episode.

How did Aunt Lydia get away with being such an obvious "gender traitor"

Offred is now unlikely to have any allies with her fellow handmaids.

1. They all got burnt and she didn't
2. Of glen had her tongue cut
3. They were probably all interrogated when she left
4. Envy when they thought she got away
5. Envy that she's now pregnant and all the "privilege" that entails

I don't think they've broken her.

They've ground her down and being caught must be part of it, and she's seeing the repercussions of standing up to Aunt Lydia and running away.

Nobody seeing their friend with their tongue cut out or a man who helped them hanged would be at their best, and now another woman is going to be raped every month and any child she has taken away, and a boy who reminded her of Hannah has now been taken like Hannah was.

But she's not going to stay down or broken for long. Something will happen that will bring her back to herself, and this may well be that she's having to play the role better than ever now to make them think she's broken.

The scenes with Luke's first wife were hard, she must have felt desperate to go to talk to June, and then to see her with a baby when it's likely she is infertile, that must have hurt. I felt bad for her.

I can't feel bad for Serena right now (although I did once in the last series) and I want something bad to happen to Fred.

I'm surprised they didn't interrogate June more about her escape. She seems to be getting off very lightly compared to some of the mutilations. Nick must have been/still must be shitting himself.

And I loved the song at the end, it went perfectly.

They played the Icelandic hymn again from the last series and that's beautiful too.

Was just about to comment as I was desperate to talk about what I’ve just seen, but realised I’m an episode ahead - gah!

She isn’t broken, she’s surviving. She’s in self preservation mode, she needs to bide her time until the next opportunity presents itself. She has around 3ish months? Before the baby is born. She needs time to think. If she is compliant they will leave her alone so she can think.

If I was her I'd be "nice weather" to Nick as well, wanker.

A massive fuck you for sending me to a mock mass hanging followed by two months alone in an abandoned slaughterhouse with plenty of time to get out NINETY TWO DAYS and he fucked it up. Wanker. Nice weather is a fuck you.,

I do wonder how people must feel when people who have helped them are caught and executed. One of the Great Escapers, Roger Bushell, had previously escaped from a camp during WW2. He was sheltered by a family - but they were betrayed, he was sent back to camp and the family executed. That must affect you - even though you know it's not your fault.

I think they’ve broken her for now. There’s only so much a person can take, the fact the they used flashbacks of Annie was very telling. June has finally accepted her role as ‘bad, fallen woman.’

She’s only around 18 weeks pg at this point, Zibbidoo. She says she’s 5 weeks on the day she escaped and then Serena said this episode she was missing for 92 days.

YY Nick shouting her name was silly with the guards just outside the gate and anyone listening. Also June making faces at Nick in the kitchen was ridiculous.

The baby shower ritual was horrific. Was June supposed to say something? Then even worse when Serena took out her anger at June by hitting Rita.

I'm frustrated that there was nothing on the side stories today - colonies or canada, or even baby angela (not mentioned at the baby shower). I'd also love more on Serena's background, her childhood and upbringing.

Ah ok so 22ish weeks to go. Is that about 5 months? I thought she looked further along.

That was episode 4. So 9 to go.

The repetition of 'nice weather' reminded me of the end of The Stepford Wives movie. ' I thought you were my friend. I thought you were my friend.'

Elisabeth Moss is an incredible actor.

When serena snuck in to feel June’s belly it reminded me of a documentary I watched about surrogates in India. They were all laid on beds like a dorm looking bored senseless. Just vessels for other people’s precious cargo.

Just watched it on Channel 4 +1. Jeez. Another excellent episode. There’s no way June is broken though. Aunt Lydia told her that June was to blame but the Offred didn’t have to take on the guilt. When she was lying on the floor in the wardrobe she was repeating “my fault” - trying to hold on to who she is. She’s playing the game. She knows now that she has to rescue herself - not be rescued. At least, that’s how I’m seeing it.

I hope you're right Evil as to me she just seemed broken & realises that once the baby is here, she'll be executed (or worse).

I found myself thinking ‘just get on with it’ a lot in this episode, it was slow paced. But I suppose it could get messy if they hurried the plot up or started introducing more side plots now.

I think June is accepting her fate, tbh. She’s accepted the blame for whats happened to the other handmaids and to the econofamily. I think she is also now accepting that technically it’s her own fault that she’s a handmaid (obviously not but according to their rules, she’s a sinner). When she said she wished she was shameless, I think she meant she wished she’d have never broken up a marriage, as she wouldn’t be where she is now.

I initially thought it would be Nick hanging, especially after Serena caught June gazing at him like a puppy! But now I think he has some protection. He would have the power to dob a lot of people in and save himself, as he has the top commander’s ear (I think it was the top guy anyway in the scene when he told Nick he’d have to report on Fred from time to time).

I have a feeling something will happen to Fred soon. The top guy doesn’t seem to like him much, he made a snide comment in this episode and they clashed a little when they were sentencing Janine’s ex-commander.

I wish we could see more on the rest of the world now and how Gilead is portrayed in the media. Canada is obviously accepting refugees but it’s been years now. Is anyone planning on rescuing? Surely the refugees telling their stories would counteract any positive spins that the media put on it.