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

Been thinking about last nights episode all day, it’s been really playing on my mind.

Part of me wants to watch it again but I don’t know if I could manage it.

Thanks Soubriquet, I was so tempted to google but will try to stay away!

I'm not googling anything! My DD1 has seen right the way through and she loves asking my opinion on what I think is going on, because she knows !
She did say next week is a brilliant episode but she's said that every week so I'm not giving anything away

There is some discussion that nobody was shot.

One of the other men had the gun and it did go off, but some people with better eyes than mine are saying the shot missed Nick but he was overpowered, knocked out, and taken away by the men.

I suppose we will have to wait for next week to find out.

I think that's what has happened too Hygge.

I also don't think Waterford set them up as he has nothing to gain & everything to lose if he's not able to control his household. To my mind, it'll be more that they weren't permitted to be in that district (or something along those lines) & so were picked up.

I doubt it'll be June's opportunity to get away either as she's too heavily pregnant to make a run for it.

The commander wanted rid of Nick a few episodes back. The death of his commander in the bombing gives CW the leeway to now remove Nick from his staff.

He doesn't have a bond to the baby so he's not so fussed what happens to him/her.

Besides which, I think he's quite possessive about June - her losing the baby means he could wangle it to keep her in the household.

So I'd say he did orchestrate their discovery - after all, the resident soldiers were very specific about "just ten minutes" but the commander had stated "back in three hours" to Nick/June. If he intended June & Nick to escape, he'd have been clearer with his instructions, removing June before Agnes, for example.

My theory anyway.

That said I'm usually wrong

Didn't Nick say... when the other guards turned up... I was just checking out the Commander's house... or words to that effect?

I wondered if Nick's comment about it being 'suicide' to get involved with a Handmaid was prophetic. Perhaps he will end up sacrificing himself for June or her children.

I suppose June doesn't have her wings or scarf because she was kind of bundled out straight from sleeping in her clothes? She did seem to have her fingerless gloves on. But the lack of outdoor clothing is probably significant.

I think the shot of the garage is significant too. I hope there's a car in there. Hopefully an armed one and a conveniently large guards uniform for a disguise 😂

Like previous posters the scene with Hannah made me weep. I have a 7 year old daughter, imagining what I would say to her if I just had 10 minutes broke me. Elisabeth Moss is a superb actor.

The rape scene was brutal and so, so upsetting. I felt like I had to bear witness.

This series has made me think so much. Women all over the world are experiencing marital rape, FGM, child marriage, enforced pregnancy right now. They are not white American women so no one is outraged. We are very privileged to only be experiencing these horrors through s TV screen.

Finally, totally agree with the poster who said Joseph Fienne is now dead to her! (Also fancied him in Shakespeare In love)

Women all over the world are experiencing marital rape, FGM, child marriage, enforced pregnancy right now. They are not white American women so no one is outraged.

What difference do you think outrage makes, who is helped by it? Do you believe Americans, who seem to have plenty of problems at home, god love them, ought to be charged with enforcing change globally. That’ll end well

(I’m sure plenty of white American women are experiencing marital rape, actually.)

That ending was very confusing. I assumed whatever happened, the Commander would want the baby born safely, for his own prestige, even if he knew it wasn't his.

I think it's the take on her rape is interesting. Aunt Lydia wouldn't care less they would argue sex is the most natural way to bring on labour. That's their reason and excuse. It's all about the baby they couldn't care less about offered.

I think aunt Lydia would care. She’s all about protecting the babies, I think she might see such a violent rape as harmful to the baby, the mothers stress alone at such a late stage could be bad. I’d hope she would think that way.

I don't think I can take much more of watching this. I really want the handmaids to get a break and I want to see Aunt Lydia, Serena and her husband some sort of comeuppance. Hopefully a slow, painful comeuppance.
Praise be.

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.

The way she was complicit in holding June down in order for her husband to rape her is beyond disgusting and she can never redeem herself.
In some ways what Serena did is as band, if not worse than what Fred did.

I read spoilers and it has made me so excited to see how it all plays out. I cannot wait

Ok, can we stop with even mentioning spoilers? It's making me nervous...

Most of the Handmaids tale is not easy viewing at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if, once the series draws to a close, June and/or Nick dies.

Yes please, please stop any spoiler chat or even “ooo it is exciting” my nerves cannot take it!

In a way, I would be pleased if Nick has been killed or taken up. Realistically, his days are numbered - Fred will work out that Nick passed on the letters. Nick will know this - may explain his detached reaction when Eden kissed Isaac. He knows he’s not going to be around much longer - so he isn’t angry and he doesn’t comfort her.

It also isn’t realistic that all these characters keep being rebellious in a totalitarian regime and keep getting away with it. Someone has to end up on the Wall.

I was under the impression that Nick had planned to escape with June once the visit was over and was expecting the men in the cars, which is why he told her to hide. I thought he was hoping he could persuade them that there's 'nothing to see here' and they'd be in their merry way. He seemed desperate to get her back in the house after she said goodbye to Hannah outside!

I've though about this episode all day today and those poor immigrant children being separated from their parents. Apparently the show heavily involved the UN in the reunion scene and it's a very authentic account of how reunified children behave

Yes please, please stop any spoiler chat or even “ooo it is exciting” my nerves cannot take it!

This! It's like when people from the US thread were plopping in saying "Oooooh EPISODE SIX!!!!"

Apparently, there have been studies done that show that we actually enjoy a film/show more if we know what's coming (ie have seen it before or get spoilers) It explains why we watch things more than once.

Even so, no spoilers, please!

Yeah, I don't want to know that the next episode is exciting. Now I'm making assumptions about what that might mean, when I didn't want to know.