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

Yes, I think something is going to happen with that Isaac character.

It's a TV rule that when an apparantly insignficant character is given a lot of attention, he or she turns out to be not so signficant after all!

Just marking my place.

I think Eden and Issac will do something. It would make a great story line. Would be interesting to see a flash back to eden life on her family farm.

^^

I just love it, I a weird kind of way! And as others have said, these threads are enhancing my enjoyment, thank you all.

Been following this thread every week but not posted but I thought you’d all enjoy this.

It’s a podcast my husband told me about and I listened to the episode 9 one today and it’s quite good.

It is American though so make sure you listen to the right episode!

Enjoy

itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/eyes-on-gilead-a-handmaids-tale-podcast/id1376350257?mt=2&i=1000413746804

”I think Eden was probably raised in a very conservative family - you do get those types, even in real-life America!”

That is a very good point, @IcedPurple - I am actually watching one of the series of programmes about the Duggar family (19 kids and Counting, Counting On etc), and I can see a family like them being fully on the side of Gilead, and 100% on board with their policies, even if it meant their daughter being married off to a guardian as some sort of perverted reward!

Eden is a biblical name.

I assumed Eden was her Gilead-given name, rather than her actual Christian name - no idea why I think that though!

Just placemarking, love these threads, really good to see different interpretations of characters etc.

The last episode ended with June getting her fighting spirit back, and in Canada with hope that Gilead will soon fall- this makes me worried for the next episode !

What really struck me in the last episode was the way the Canadian official said "We believe the women". I realised that this is so rarely said, it was a shock to hear, and that made me feel sad

I agree gunpowder. Said so bluntly and with out any further qualification. Fred was obviously shocked by this and of course his first reaction was to question it because believing or trusting women would never occur to him. I liked the fact that Canada's reaction was to throw them out of the country. In real life i presume it would be done a lot more diplomatically than that.

Hoping that we do see something between Eden and Isaac! Will be interesting to see if something does develop.

Eden is my favourite character!

place marking

I’m getting quite worried for Eden as it seems hard to see any good outcomes for her.

1. She stays trapped in a loveless marriage and never knows happiness.
2. She begins an affair with Isaac and Gilead puts her on the wall for infidelity.
3. She has an affair with Isaac and they somehow miraculously don’t get caught, but then he seems like a complete dick so she’s trapped with an abusive twat.

Why do we think something will happen with Eden and Isaac? I kept being interrupted when I was watching so think I missed that bit.

I wonder if Aunt Lydia will find a way to prevent the Waterfords keeping the baby.
Fred might ramp up the violence and Serena's mental state is increasingly precarious.

I think when Serena breaks it's going to be pretty dramatic.

Tom, Isaac & Eden were flirting. She was making jam, he stopped to comment & she fed him a strawberry.

What about 4. She and Isaac make their feelings clear but stay safely within the bounds of propriety until Nick is on the wall and Isaac arranges to marry her.
It wouldn't be a good outcome in the sense that Isaac is vile, but it might be one she would be happy with. With Isaac to protect her it's not clear she would be blamed for Nick's treachery, especially if she shops him re the letters.

I think when Serena breaks it's going to be pretty dramatic

Me too! It’s going to be spectacular !
If June and Serena worked together they could bring it down.

It’s interesting how Fred had to subjugate Serena when he realised that she and June were becoming close- that beating had nothing to do with breaking the rules (he breaks the rules all the time - Jezebel’s etc) and everything to do with putting both those women under his boot.

After the beating June spoke to Serena, and I believe she was sincere when she asked ‘are you ok’ ‘can I get you anything’

I agree that Eden and her family were more than likely of a Gilead mindset even before Gilead was established.

People won't have become Gilead believers overnight. The discontent in modern, liberal America will have been there for people like Eden's family for years before Gilead was established, they will have been a religious, possibly pious, conservative family well before the coup which saw Gilead established.

They probably welcomed this because they will have been living a similar way anyway even before. Not as extremely as now, but with similar values.

UnderHerEye - If June and Serena worked together they could bring it down

This is where I can see the series going in season 3. Ideally I'd like it just to be 3 series, with a definite end, not strung out.

As much as Serena doesn't deserve redemption because she was one of the key creators of Gilead (and clearly believed that the subjugation of woman was absolutely fine, she just didn't believe it would fully apply to her) I think it will actually be Serena who creates the opportunity for them to escape, or even bring the regime down somehow.

I can still imagine Serena trying to escape with the baby but then she'd be very limited in where she could go.

Canada or America might give her asylum for the right price but they'd know she'd stolen June's baby & she'd be vilified as a kidnapper. She'd be better off somewhere she could be anonymous.

Eden = Garden of Eden = Eve tempted Adam with an apple = Eden tempted Isaac with a strawberry

Little that means Eden will be banished from gilead lucky cow