The handmaids tale-thread 6

[SisterNotCisTerf]

Let’s get June out of there!

CLawrence saying he's getting himself into all sorts of trouble sounded different to me. It sounded as if he's made a habit of smuggling out handmaidens or whatever and he's used to doing it. He just sounded blase about it.

Good point place & Rita seemed particularly upset by it. Love that Eden could be the start of something great, especially as we thought she'd be June & Nick's downfall.

Yes, I agree. Rita was so shocked by Eden's death and felt to blame in some way. I think it was one step too far for the Martha's. I've just watched it again. It was wonderful how they were all involved passing June along the chain to freedom. Even if she didn't take that freedom

Also, isn’t Emily CLs fourth handmaid? Is he getting them out one at a time?

Love this idea. It's a pity he has a wife, who talks too much, he hides away, but I think he does it for safety reasons; safety for the handmaids, the Martha, his wife and of course himself.

Digital spy will tell you who will and will not be back next season. Obviously I don't want to say in case others here don't want to know.

Yes, I wish I hadn't read Digital Spy

Why do posters feel the need to post that?

What is the purpose of the last two posts?

Not going anywhere near Digital Spy

Well, there are no spoilers in my post, nor in the previous post. But enough warning for anyone else not to read Digital Spy if they don't want to read spoilers! What's the problem with that?

BIWI

Why would you want to interrupt the flow of a perfectly good discussion?

And your post already had another post react to it. Just start your own thread.

I appreciate the Digital Spy warning as i might have looked otherwise thinking it's safe as the season has ended.

My DP thinks it was a poor ending designed to facilitate a 3rd season. I am not so sure. It is a long time since I read the book but I think it is pretty faithful from memory. I would like to see how the regime is brought down (season3) and I would like to see more about how it started. Some more flashbacks telling the story about the shift.

Sorry, not BIWI but Whydoesit.

Apologies BIWI.

However your angry emotion could be interrupted as something else.

interpreted not interrupted.

I have wondered about Rita's allegiances for some time. In the first series when she finds Serena looking for the whisky she mentions her son having died in the war. Serena assumed he fought on the side of Gilead and Rita doesn't correct her but I did wonder which side he was actually fighting for. I hope she's going to be alright.

I was so pleased about the Marthas and their resistance. They are taken for granted by almost everyone in Gilead. They don't even get to go out to the shops. They are shown to have more power in a way than the wives, who couldn't even get the men to allow women to read the bible.

I thought Emily was going to commit suicide with the knife. She was waiting for them all to come in for the ceremony and I thought she was going to do it in front of them. She just couldn't bear another rape.

I thought that too Susan re Emily & suicide although thought she'd kill the commander first before killing herself.

I also thought Emily was going to kill herself.

Eden left a legacy

Yes definitely. It's one thing to justify to yourself the murder of traitors or gay people for example. After all that would never be you. But a pious girl like Eden, studying the bible, doing her best to be the best Christian she can be. That could be you, or your daughter.

Did anyone else worry about Eden's sister, who is now to be taught the error of Eden's ways?

Why do posters feel the need to post that? What is the purpose of the last two posts?

I saw it as a helpful warning.

If the Commanders found out that it was Eden's bible Serena was reading from, I'd have thought that could put Eden's whole family in jeopardy. They'd never be able to prove that they hadn't known she had it & what she was doing with it.

We don’t really see much of the interactions and conversations between the wives apart from that that supports the rules of Gilead.

Hearing the interaction between 2 of the wives outside the council chamber, I think some literary references, mention of Goethe, I didn’t quite catch it. It made me wonder how often such conversations take place, was this the first time, as it obviously alludes to their education.

I didn’t have subtitles on so didn’t quite catch it. Just made me think.

Eden was a place of innocence in the Bible. Eden played the role of Eve, giving Isaac the fruit (strawberry) that caused them to realise Gilead was crap. Isaac in the Bible was the son of Abraham who was told by God to kill Isaac as a sacrifice. At the last minute, when Abraham was about to stab him, God says ‘well done for following instructions, sacrifice this ram instead’.

In Gilead, the parents do sacrifice their children and God does not intervene.

Given the religious significance of these character names, I cannot fathom why ultra-religious Serena called the baby Nichole. It has been bugging me.

CLawrence saying he's getting himself into all sorts of trouble - dunno if it was because I'd been watching the start of Pirates of the Caribbean but that seemed t me to be a bit Piratical. Like he was enjoying the danger

I thought Emily was going to kill CLawrence if he tried to 'Ceremony' her - and he said 'I wouldn't do that with you' - like he was either disgusted by her, or by the idea of sex with someone other than the Wife?

I hope June has gone back for Serena, for Nick, and for Hannah. And all the other handmaids. She would be a powerful force against Gilead, but it would be so dangerous.... On to S3!

And obviously Eden could read and write. The keeping of the Bible was her secret pleasure or one of her family's secret pleasure.

However, I think the Commanders are stupid and too full of male posturing, and conversely fearful of their own standing, to be thinking of such trivialities of a young econowife who committed adultery.

Perhaps Serena always wanted a baby, and if a girl, wanted to call her Nichole?

The relationship between her and Fred is turning toxic. I'm reminded of the book 'The Nineteenth Wife' when it comes to Fred and Serena.