The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 (UK Pace) - thread 4

[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

Someone on the last thread asked for a link to the previous threads:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/3216737-The-Handmaid-s-Tale-Season-2

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/3269725-The-Handmaids-Tale-Season-2-UK-Pace-thread-2

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/3290403-The-Handmaids-Tale-Season-2-UK-Pace-thread-3?pg=38

I honestly don’t think Fred gives a shit about the baby or whether it lives or dies other than how it improves his career. Now he knows it isn’t his he wants it gone and he wants June to suffer. Because she stood up to him. That’s what the rape was about too. His payback for her being defiant.

So that's what Fred meant by "You deserve this."

I thought it was odd that he was being so kind suddenly. This is June's chance to escape but I don't think she's in any condition to take it .

I thought Fred knew, he wouldn't want his nose rubbed in it (as June did) but I just thought it was the elephant in the room

I agree Frazzled I would be straight on to the next episode if I could! When I watched 'making a murderer' on netflix, I had square eyes as I watched the whole lot in about 3 days!

How many more episodes are there?

The guards were clearly expected by the guard who brought Hannah because he was suddenly very keen to get away. He knew the second car was coming. It was all planned.

I felt that because the women are raped every week and we see it every week we saw Emily at the top of the episode they felt they needed to up the ante and maximise the violence to show that THIS rape was worse than the Ceremony Rape, and that some rape is worse than others, a distasteful notion, and that's why I felt it was gratuitous

Oh god that was awful. I agree I think the rape scene was necessary not gratuitous but that was hard to watch it felt so real.
The scenes with Hannah 😭😭 I cannot imagine that pain.

So that's what Fred meant by "You deserve this."

Yep.

What was the scene with the commander and his pregnant wife? I must have missed that bit.

Does no body else remember Serena telling Fred it wasn't his?.

the-handmaids-tale.wikia.com/wiki/Serena_Joy

Serena discovers that Offred went to the Jezebel's club with her husband and strikes Offred down on the ground to punish her. She then forces Offred to take a pregnancy test, which is positive. Serena reveals the good news to her husband and tells him the baby isn't even his because he is weak. She then takes Offred on a surprise trip, several hours away. Serena meets with Hannah, Offred's daughter, to show Offred that if she harms herself or the baby then Hannah will be in danger. Offred screams in misery and calls Serena an evil monster

That was the most interesting scene in the episode outside of the set pieces.

A man had been promoted from the lower ranks to Commander because he got his wife pregnant

Fred was livid

A meritocracy based on virility?

Guess who would be demoted and who promoted if the truth got out?

I remember but then June told him it was and he wrote it off as spite

I wonder if fred arranged it for Nick to be killed and for June to be left in the middle of no where to die. He does not want the baby cos it's nicks. He prob does not care that Serena will be devastated. Wonder if Serena will find out and it will be a turning point for her. She will be furious that Fred had betrayed her so badly and she will want her revenge.

Yes I remember her saying it.

The scene with June and Nick walking up the steps was so well shot. They looked every inch the happy prospective parents.

Omg what an episode!

Slow predictive start I think with the contractions etc (we have all been waiting on it!). The rape scene left me feeling sick and and any way i swithered over serena having some relatable qualities has vanished. An evil pair. So hard to watch I did question why am I watching this?? The scene with Hannah had me proper sobbing into my cushion. That pain in your heart! Omg it would crush you from the inside. I am still in shock from that whole episode.

I did feel that the camera shot showing the car garage was deliberate. Please god let her drive the fuck out of this hell.

The scene with the young commander was at the house while they thought June was in labour.. The older commanders were making salicious comments about handmaids and the young commander makes some comments about in the future God giving babies to couples. Can't recall his words but I thought he was implying that the old ways would become obsolete and he definitely did not join in their 'gang'

I don't think we will know Fred's motives until next week - I mean it does look very bad when you don't have a baby. It looks bad when you "can't control your household"....... in gilead I mean.....

I really wanted to Serena to redeem herself and swap sides - when she and June were working together that was brilliant. But I don't think i can think anything positive about her after holding June down in the rape. I dont see how she could redeem herself now.
Poor Eden as well, I wondered besides the natural instinct to always obey her husband she had come from quite a physical punishment based upbringing - you don't cry as that can wind them up and they might hit you some more. Clearly a very religious family but I feel quite a harsh environment too

I'm exhausted from watching that. Talk about an emotional roller-coaster. I was actually surprised that Hannah recognised June and remembered clearly what had happened. I had presumed that there would have been continual indoctrination to make the children forget.

How gutting that June was able to push herself physically when MayDay let her down, but she's now not in a fit state to attempt to head cross country towards the Canadian border.

I hadn't thought about it being a set up until I read some of these posts. Of course it must be.

I don't see how June can drive out. There will be check points and guards all along the roads

Fred doesn't need the baby though, he has demonstrated his fertility (to the rest of Gilead at least) with no pesky cuckoo to deal with.

I wonder if they will think nick and June ran away, Eden may blame herself and tell Serena about her kiss. Serena would go mad

Oh and I don't think they were showing different levels if rape, but an illustration of how corrupt Fred and Serena are. Emily's rape is state sanctioned, June's goes against everything Gilead was built to achieve, ie healthy babies. Both horrific but with potentially very different outcomes for the perpetrators

Do you think Eden will realise that everything she had been taught was a lie now she realises Nick does not love her and will want out. Perhaps with whats his name?

Eden has been a bit of a bore to watch with her yes sir no sir I baked a pie sir.... but tonight I cried when she did. I saw her as someone's daughter alone and scared and knowing the wrong decisions can lead to death.