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

I didn't find C Lawrence creepy - except the bit when he acted like hannibal lecter asking about her healing and the way he threw his wife into her room. The rest of it seemed eccentric, hint of desperation and despair and, brilliance. The Quirky Genius. The way his Martha spoke back to him was my favourite part - they were friends, good friends. The kind you can be rude to
I didn't feel their friendship had gone any further though. And the wife just seemed to be despair at all they had created and lost, that it had twisted her up so she couldn't think or act straight.

I did wonder as Pp said, maybe he was creepy with his questioning to test Emily, to see how she would respond under pressure

I said before Google had done a big stinky spoiler for me - that was about Eden so at least that's out the way. Unfortunately it hinted at another spoiler. I'm just going to avoid the Internet for rest of week 🙄

I (used to) follow THT on insta, but it kept spoiling it for me! I saw a pic of someone at the bottom of a pool. Closed the screen before I could see who it was though. It’s so difficult to avoid spoilers! I often have to watch episodes on catchup and the synopsis pops up on screen too.

I think C Lawrence will turn out to be Gilead's equivalent of Oscar Schindler. Rescuing those he can when he can. Also, he was v tender with his wife. He wryly said she used to be an Art professor and just wanted everything to be beautiful. Perhaps at one time they thought that Gilead would be beautiful. But now they see it for what it is.

Serena, until now, has been driven by her desperate yearning for a child. She pushed the doubts she's been having about Gilead to the back of her mind. Now she has a child, and I do believe she truly loves Nichole. But she is realising what sort of a world she has brought her into.

Serena and June, somehow, will work together to bring down Gilead. I think it will end badly for Serena some time in S3 and she will end up in the Colonies. Or Maui.

Why does everyone think Nick is still an eye? Was it said somewhere and I missed it because as far as we know, he was hired as an Eye by Cmdr Pryce due to him being suspicious of Fred. Since Pryce is now dead and we have no reason to think anyone knew about Nicks position (I can’t imagine Pryce wanting the fact that he gets Eyes to spy on Commanders to be public knowledge) therefore, Nick is just an ordinary driver.

I’ve wondered about that too Witch.

This may be a stupid question, but was his position as an Eye secret? Or did everyone know? In the novel I’m sure the whole pursue of being an Eye was that no one knew, but in the TV series I got the impression that his elevated position was known.

purpose

Yes, Bore, I agree that Lawrence could have assumed Gilead would be beautiful. It does have its upsides, organic food, little pollution, very little man made products.

He could have thought, given the fertility crisis, women would want to reproduce to help. And going back to freedom to/freedom from, Aunt Lydia did have a point, it must be sort of freeing as a woman to not have that pressure to look a certain way, wear make up, dress a certain way.

I’m not saying I agree with any of that, just playing devils advocate, but you can see how a person might focus on all that before the true horrors come to light.

I thought it was secret in the show too, Maz, we as an audience found out there was an Eye in the Waterford house when Emily (who had heard it from MayDay) whispered it to June. June deduced it must be Nick and then asked him straight out if he was later, when they were closer.

Delinking (avid follower of these threads - you guys get me through the ad breaks in each episode!)

I may be remembering wrongly but wasn’t Emily part of Mayday in S1?

I assume she wouldn’t have known Cr Lawrence was also (potentially) involved, but I wonder if that’s why he’s picked her.

Mayday is probably made up of cells, like terrorists, who don't know each other so they can't inform.

I don't think we'll find out if C. Lawrence is good or bad (or most likely both) this series. We'll leave it thinking it could go either way and they'll explore him in the next series. For now, I think he finds non-conformists interesting and they stimulate his brain and that is why they are welcome in his home.

I think I love these threads as much as the series its self. I will be devastated when its over, what am I going to do on a,sunday evening?? Such a good series but there will be no neat ending, I hope they don't ruin it in series 3 and give it a conclusion. I hate it when a good series loses its power and limps to an end.

I am a long time lurker joining in for the first time.

I think it if June ever sees Hannah again she will be able to tell her that she gave birth to her sister in Hannah’s living room. It is a link between her children who may never meet.

I found the glass of wine with CLawrence and Emily quite symbolic, did anyone else.....

I think he was testing her. Being a handmaiden and if a Commander pushes it with anything, you would not know whether to toe the Gilead line or not. Emily started to say all the right things to him but he wanted to talk about her past, say her proper name etc so I think her eventually grabbing the glass and drinking some of the wine meant some sort of understanding between them. He was almost saying... 'it's different in this house'

Nick raped Eden. She is under 16. He is a rapist, just like the Commanders.

How do we know what the age of consent is, cat?

She wanted to have sex with him and if she was over the age of consent, it may be horrible, but not actually rape. He seems to find it repugnant.

Yes, Worrisome, Emily was in MayDay but they wanted nothing more to do with her after the Martha incident as she was too ‘dangerous’ so then June went to Alma to become part of MayDay herself which is how the whole package thing came about.

I do agree that Eden was coerced into sex with Nick, Catstring, she’s too young and too indoctrinated to give informed consent. But, Nick was also coerced too. If he hadn’t have slept with her, he would’ve been labelled a gender traitor and hung. I’m not saying it’s right, but I don’t think we can view it in such a black and white way. I think we’d all compromise our morals if our life depended on it.

I think we’d all compromise our morals if our life depended on it.

And that's what stood out about Eden & Isaac. When it came down to their lives depending on it, they weren't willing to compromise.

Whereas, every single other character has compromised their principles. Good point.

I'm not sure about the Eden and Isaacs true love thing. We don't see everything but all that was shown was him being quite horrible at the start, then the strawberry and the kiss. Not sure how old he's supposed to be but perhaps more of a teen thing of thinking you are in love after a really short time. I can't see they would have had chance to talk and get to know one another. Perhaps the point is that teens will be teens even with all the Gilead controls.

I have no idea about the new commander but love how the show keeps me guessing. I think with the amount they showed of him and his household he must have a major plot line though.
I also think it'd be completely possible to be sold on the idea of Gilead before seeing the reality. Can't remember what's book or tv show but there's no homelessness, everyone has a job or a role, there's little crime - obviously the state sanctioned rape is a huge crime but there's virtually no muggings or stranger crime. Of course the reality is hideous but I could see people buying into the idea of it.

Were we told Eden's actual age though, or have we just assumed she was 15 because she looked young?

In the US the age of consent varies by state, and it's very possible that in Gilead it has been reduced. Historically it has been much lower than 16 - in Hawaii it was 14 as recently as 2001.

I thought Nick said "You're 15" or "She's 15" at some point but I'm not positive.

She wanted to have sex with him and if she was over the age of consent, it may be horrible, but not actually rape.

Eden was groomed by the state to believe her role in life was to bear a child . She was groomed to believe the right thing was to be on the receiving end of sex with a pre selected partner who would fuck her through a hole in a sheet for the sole purpose of procreation. Having sex with a minor who has never been brainwashed into believing this is the only way is not consensual .