The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 (UK Pace) - thread 5 - SPOILER ALERT

[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

My first thoughts about C Lawrence was that maybe he was gay himself and that's why he wanted Emily

Oooh yes, I'm buying into this. Could well be.

I think Commander Lawrence is going to turn out to be "good". I think he's a bit eccentric & had heard all about Emily & was trying to see how far she'd allow herself to be pushed before she snapped. I think he's trying to assess how loyal she really is to Gilead & how helpful she could be to the resistance.

Why did I not come in here sooner. I find this so hard too watch and I'm always left feeling so numb after each episode. I can never predict what is going to happen which is quite unusual for me.

I was so relieved Nick was ok but I'm not so sure he is going to last he looks so broken.

There seems like no possible way June can escape with holly and Hannah and I don't think she would leave either of them behind so what does she do? Probably end up murdering Fred and Serena.

Commander Lawerence now I'm not sure what is going on there. I was intrigued when he pulled Emily up for reading and asked her if she thought the penalty of losing a finger was fair, I got the sense that he doesn't but which way would he prefer? Was he saying how terrible it was when it was a hand and that a finger seems better or that there is a penalty at all for reading 🤷🏻‍♀️. Think the next series just got set up with him.

Not sure I agree that he is gay obviously gay men do occasionally have a wife but it looks like they have been together a long time and the way he held her when she was saying she hated him for what he did was tender, the shove into the room not so much lol like she was a minor annoyance. His exchange with the Martha seemed that of friends or a type of friendship.

Does anybody else dread the next episode each week?

badteacher I agree I don’t see her as mad myself. But I do think she has lost something living somewhere where she doesn’t agree and could be killed for it. Not sure why I asked why someone else didn’t see her as mad lol

I do sometimes dread and have to work myself up a bit to watch t but, I don’t really feel this way for the next episode. I’m more intrigued buy Emily’s new placement than anything else to be honest.

I also thought it was interesting how June and nick were talking about going to Hawaii with Holly. I had always assumed she would want to go to Canada where Luke and Moira are and within easier reach of Gilead to be able to hopefully get Hannah back. It's like she's compartmentalized her life. The old June would go to Canada with Luke and Hannah but the Gilead June dreams of Hawaii with nick. I can't see her being able to escape with both children, I guess she knows she may have to choose. Maybe she knows there's no way back to her old life with Luke and she's said her goodbyes to Hannah and is looking for a new future now with Holly (and maybe nick).

I think June was probably a mumsnetter in her previous life as she said she wanted to go to Maui when her and Nick were fantasising about running away.

I think nick and June’s Hawaii plan was nothing more than that thing people do when they’re both having a little “if you could go anywhere in the world” dream. I don’t think there was any intention at all that they would actually be able to go so considering Luke wasn’t necessary as it was never going to come to fruition.

Commander L might be like ex gang members/Isis who see the error of their ways and work to prevent others going that way. He might be the key to the 'underground railway' . He could be testing her before taking her into his confidence.

I think the talk about Hawaii was pure fantasising .
Eden turned out to be a fascinating character . She refused to step down from what she believed in and refused to betray Isaac .

@SisterNotCisTerf I think it's interesting it was Hawaii (Maui), though - it wasn't a dream to get away as far as they could (e.g. Fiji, Australia etc), it was to get away to what is still America rather than to any foreign country like Canada. They still hanker after the broken American dream (as well as the sunshine )

Yes that’s true! Good point.

I am both dreading and BURSTING for the new episode. It is the last one though isn't it, and I really don't want it to be over!

I really want Commander L to be good. Interesting that maybe he is gay and hiding his sexuality....I do love me a bit of Bradley Whitford though

I saw it as Mrs Lawrence having dementia, but probably because I was recently working with people without and just jumped to that conclusion.

I think the wife knows how shit Gilead is and can't help giving her opinion. Com L knows it will get her killed so is desperate to keep her away from people until he knows their beliefs. I think he's good. But the shoving the wife into a room roughly was a bit odd after being kind to her in front of Emily.

Not sure if the use of the word 'mad' to describe the wife is appropriate, really. In terms of what is going on in Gilead, her reaction is anything but 'mad'. And in terms of Mental Health, it isn't appropriate to call people suffering with ill mental health 'mad' or 'crazy'.

@brokenshoes I think June was probably a mumsnetter in her previous life as she said she wanted to go to Maui when her and Nick were fantasising about running away I instantly thought mumsnet too

I noticed the Maui too, I did smile at that

If anything the other wives with their pretend labours and baby-snatching are weird . Commander Ls wife asking Emily for her real name was fabulous .

Yes the Maui reference made me smile, despite the horror.

Did anyone else spot the religious imagery in the final scene of Eden and Isaac in the pool? The lane markings looked like a row of crosses and the way their hands were chained made it look like they were praying. With the other balls at the bottom of the pool, it was a very powerful and poignant image.

Ive decided C.lawrence is “good”. (As good as a person can be in gilead). His wife is clearly very sane and holds no truck with Gilead bullshit. He protects her by keeping her locked away. If he was a hardline Gilead supporter/sadist he wouldn’t protect her- she is too risky to have in the house as she keeps talking to the girls. He knows she is right, he probably agrees with her, he just knows it isnt safe to be open about it like she is. He has to appear to toe the party line. I also think he helped his driver escape. His Martha is perhaps quite happy to live in his relatively safe home with him where she can read, chat freely, have a bit of banter with him. Perhaps she has no-one in Canada who is missing her.

Interesting about c Lawrence but why the suck in of breath when asking about her clit

Unless he wants to use her as collateral damage.. Carry a bomb...

I though Lawrence's wife came off as a bit mad. No sane person in a totalitarian regime like Gilead would be shouting about its atrocities - that's hanging on the wall kind of talk.

Lawrence must be trying to protect her in some way - otherwise she'd be long gone by now.

I suspect there will be some kind of fucked up dynamic though, rather than a clear goodie / badie scenario. He'll allow Emily some freedom as long as she keeps the secrets about the wife or something along those lines.

Emperess.. Good point about June and nick being older but they have had a chance.. In the car, on the way to see hannah.. Nick had a gun and official car.. They could have tried...