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.

Serena is absolutely furious that the regime she helped to create and saw as her salvation (giving her a child) hasn’t worked for her. She is seeing other wives welcoming babies. she should have her baby. That was why she was so in favour of the regime, that was why she worked towards creating it. And now she is seeing it working for others with their docile, obedient handmaids but hers is being nothing but trouble and humiliation.

And after all, being tricked and cuckolded by the women of your household is never a good look. He knows better than anyone that Gilead is about appearances - he goes to Jezebels, after all.

Witch I don't think Fred will call into question the paternity of the baby. He was pointedly asked if everything was ok in his family by the big cheese at the clay pigeon shoot. If Fred questions paternity, he has to admit that he lost control of what was going on in his house - again! Fred is weak and it is only be the skin of his teeth that he is holding on to his commander's job - IMO!

Aridane - How so?

Didn't the doctor say in series one that usually the fertility problems come from the male anyway (which is why he suggested impregnating June himself). So possibly Serena may be ok in that department but couldn't ever conceive due to Fred. She isn't allowed contact with other fertile men really. How very annoying for her! She has to watch June carry her baby and hope. She is feeling isolated. I found the creeping into June's room very odd. Like she didn't even think of June as a person or acknowledge her. It could go either way but I think things may change with Serena and June.

The Waterford's position is precarious as are all other powerful people as you have no idea who is watching or reporting on you. (Much like life under the Stasi in East Germany). Fred is weak and I can imagine things coming to a head and Serena taking over to ensure they stay safe. Fred would just retreat into his study and listen to music probably.

Re Aunt Lydia - the fact that she has an understanding of how the handmaids may feel, yet she continues to subdue and force them into their role is very indicative of her true devotion to the regime. She really does appear to hold more
power than anyone else (even the commanders) because if she doesn't provide the handmaids Gilead will collapse - no?

To the person who said June has realised she needs to rescue herself, I agree. Although she isn't in the right state of mind at the moment to do this. Nick was useless (poor guy).

"I haven't found it a slog. Except when I can't see or hear what's going on."

That's been my struggle. I've been able to hear it but a lot of scenes are filmed with so little light it's unwatchable.

I would not mind them sacrificing a little bit of accuracy or atmosphere or whatever they are going for by filming in the dark, just so I could actually see what was happening.

"did anyone else start to find them 'liking' aunt lydia ? Ann Dowd was just amazing, what and actress.
Last night seeing the intuition Aunt Lydia showed towards June's feelings was gripping.
I wonder if we will see more of how Aunt Lydia really feels?"

Not exactly liking her but it was interesting to see her in action so much.

I found her very manipulative throughout the episode so I didn't like her, and every time you thought perhaps she was just doing something to be kind she got worse.

Like when June spoke of her last baby shower, so Serena slapped Rita. Aunt Lydia took June away and for a second you might think she was just calming the situation down, but she took her to the wall and showed her the body, just to break her down and punish her for speaking.

But she was also claiming to be doing it for Offred. June might be executed but Offred might live. June was guilty, Offred was not. June ran away, Offred was kidnapped.

The manipulation was fascinating, but it made me like her less, not more. It's Janine all over again, take a troublesome character and break it, and it was horrible and fascinating to watch.

I think that Serena doesn’t want June to be a person. Calling her Offred takes some of her personhood away. Having June announce that she felt the baby move / had her own baby shower would have made her angry - June is meant to be the outer layer of a Russian doll, not an actual person.

Yy, the commander wouldn’t allow the baby not being his to be public knowledge. I completely understand his need to portray that he has the perfect family and a happy house to the outside world.

I meant privately. Serena knowing that the baby isn’t actually his and blatantly telling him so suggests that her & June collided at some point because they didn’t have any faith in the commander and his fertility. I would think that that would’ve got his back up somewhat and he’d be pretty pissed off.

*colluded

Good summary in the Guardian, picked up on a few bits I missed like the power cut and the Latin words being sandpapered off the inside of the wardrobe!

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jun/10/the-handmaids-tale-recap-season-2-episode-4-the-regime-strikes-back

I found the pace of this episode quite slow but it really showcased the acting talents of the actresses playing June, Serena and Aunt Lydia. I thought all 3 of them were amazing! The future looks bleak for June at the moment but I think she is hitting rock bottom now but will recover her strength soon.

Thanks Destinysdaughter for the Guardian link - that was an excellent recap! Roll on next week! I could probably find it online but I might just stick with one episode a week - it's not an easy watch!

Just watched an interview with Ann Dowd; she went to a Catholic school and was taught by nuns. She said that she used her experience of women who are 'all in' to an ideology for Lydia's motivation, that Lydia cares passionately about her 'girls' and that, for example, Janine's blinding would be seen by Lydia almost as a compassionate act to save her. Ann imagined that Lydia would have been a teacher pre-Gilead.

What did Offred repeat 3 times in the closing scene, outside the gates? I'm struggling to catch all the dialogue!

@TheOriginalChatelaine she repeated what she said to nick "we've been sent good weather" I have to watch it with subtitles turned on!

Haven't been posting as I'm a day behind (watching on iTunes in different timezone), but as the discussion is still going on today thought I'd join in.

I'm in awe of how true to the spirit of the book this second series is looking. I know Margaret Atwood is a producer, but I think it's pretty impressive that this sequel is creating a Gilead every bit as bleak as series one.

This particular episode was such a difficult watch when June appeared so broken - I think worse than the more explicit horrors of others.

I am fascinated/horrified by Aunt Lydia's manipulation but wonder how she really feels about the Handmaids? I was sure that she felt some genuine warmth towards Janine in the episode last series on the bridge, and that there must be some huge cognitive dissonance going on between her sadism and care. Presumably on some level she does feel something towards her charges? Or is it Ann Dowd's superlative acting that's prompting my ambivalence towards a character I should just hate?

Would love to see that interview with Ann Dowd, is it on YouTube?

Sorry - meant to ask @MrsFring about where to find the Ann Dowd interview?

Also I loved the symbolism of the commanders shooting red clays and them exploding in a shower of red across they sky

puddinggalore - Thank you! What a relief to know I'm not the only one!....

Regarding the question of what happened in Gilead to make June and Luke try to escape, it probably wasnt one event. It's a good question you could also have asked of Jews leaving Germany in the pre-war 1930s or refugees leaving Syria now: how long do you leave it, how bad does it have to get before you abandon everything and flee.

I can’t work Lydia out.
I’m not sure if she’s playing her role at being the stern Aunt controlling her handmaidens, (to keep herself safe and helping the girls to stay alive) or if she’s really drinking the Gilead Koolaid and buying into it all? Anyone have an opinion on this?

Who was it who said that it seems to be women are portrayed as bad whereas men seem to be "good"?

Cos since then, that's all I see

but Soubriquet Gilead is run by men?????? They're clearly all fuckers putting that regime in place. What men in it do you think are 'good'?

I'm not sure I've seen a single character who could be entirely described as "good". I think that is Margaret Atwood's point. We are all so complex and have varying degrees of good & bad inside of us.

I'm torn on it as well papaya.

There are little hints such as when she said to June "I'm trying to give you the best chance you can have", and when she said it's hard for her too.

You get the feeling she doesn't really like the wives, particularly Serena.

It could equally be that she genuinely believes in what she's doing.

It's mainly things like the wives are bitchy towards their handmaids and then the econowife was whereas the husbands are all nicey nice