The handmaids tale-thread 6

[SisterNotCisTerf]

Let’s get June out of there!

I thought the same about the screaming infant. Shudder!

I also have a feeling that Fred is not long for that world. I wonder if he will punish Rita and/or Serena for letting Offred and Nichole go and they'll end up killing him. Or Nick will. It would be easy enough to put down to insurgents.

I definitely feel the series needs a Game of Thrones big character death to shake things up. But I don't think that will be AL. I think she has hidden depths we are yet to see.

Years ago I met a man, an ordinary Scandinavian salesman visiting the company I worked for, who had escaped from occupied Norway in Ww2 on skis with his baby in his rucksack. Ordinary people can do amazing things if pushed.

So glad I missed the spoilers - so fucking rude!

June isn't going to leave Hannah to grow up in this mess, she has one daughter on the road to safety, she has enough info about the other one's whereabouts so now she has to find her. She better shed those blindingly obvious clothes sharpish though. I wondered if she could get some help from Eden's mother (not the father of he did turn her in, practically an 'honour' killing) and disguise herself as a Martha or Econo wife?

I also think Series 3 will take us forward quite a bit then back track with flashbacks.

I think A Lydia will make it as she would be hard to replace - both the character and the actress - a knife in the back isn't fatal.

Commander L is going to have some explaining to do - he said he was getting himself into shit - Fred is in a hole now, how is he going to explain a missing newborn daughter, Handmaid and maybe a new driver and Martha?!

Bloody loved this tv show (and the book - fuck you Cinderella) and have loved reading your thoughts too ladies...until next year! Xx

Finally managed to watch it and my immediate feeling upon the end credits is anger. I'm so raging mad at June for not escaping. My rational mind gets her reasons, and I know it would be an impossible decision to go or to stay, but my visceral reaction is that Hannah is in less immediate danger than Holly/Nichole, and after her previous thwarted escape attempt, how can June be sure this one would work?

I know it's not that simple, and getting back in once she had got the baby to safety would be more than tricky, but to abandon the baby - I can't get past that.

It's a good anger, I think. Most of this series has left me a bit morose and angry, which is better than not being affected at all, but I'm hoping for a few more victories next series. I really want next series to be the end (I'm sure it won't be) and for it to cover the downfall of Gilead. I need there to be more winning and less pain!

I'm sure I read that there are plans for ten seasons. Not sure how I feel about that.

Ten seasons will be a joke, it will just play itself out, like Lost, and Twin Peaks.

Ten would be ridiculous. I feel like it's got one good season left. Any more after that will see it limping to a conclusion.

I don't have much trouble believing that Eden's father did shop her straightaway, tbh- he would most likely have been terrified that reprisals would be instigated against his entire family if he'd harboured Eden and her lover. Perhaps he was hoping the authorities would show some mercy on account of her age?

Even the Commanders' wives were too scared to stick their neck out for Serena once she started reading aloud.

It is a regime based on terrorising the population: rule by fear. We always hope that we would be brave enough to join the resistance, but the reality is that most people will conform if put under pressure.

I do not think that the television creator's remark about ten seasons was said in all seriousness; he was just making the point that there are all sorts of elements to explore about the regime without straying too far from what's suggested by the novel.

I was thinking about the symbolism of June hiding in the rushes - Moses analogy mentioned by a PP. Maybe it's not June who will bring about the downfall of Gilead, but Holly/Nichole? That might explain the rumours of 10 seasons.

Eden could read and write! Of course! I hadn't picked up on that at all.

I can't believe they can have AL come back from the dead after Waterford. But she's too big a character to kill off - unless the storyline moves away from the Handmaids and focuses on the Martha's Army, in which case her character is no longer needed.

I wish in had gotten a better look at the map Fred was looking at.
Is the suggestion that ‘gilead’ isn’t all of America.
Why has no one stepped from the UN, especially when they visited Canada. How was Fred not arrested as a war criminal.

I think them returning Emily to be a handmaiden suggests to me like they are running out of women to use. It doesn’t seem sustainable.

I think AL’s character has so much more to give and I’m desperate to see her back story, so I’m hoping she lives. Agree that a stab wound to the back isn’t necessarily fatal.

Fred’s character is one dimensional and he has nothing left to offer. They’d be as well to bump him off.

CL will play an important part in Series 3, I think.

I’ve found some details of the map Fred was looking at...

^A map revealed during an event for the season 2 finale revealed the full extent of the Republic of Gilead. It has largely taken control of most of what was the United States with the eastern, northeastern, and mid-western parts of the country being in Gilead hands (as evident with these particular areas being in a shade of blue on the map), but anti Gilead/pro-US forces have retained control of the entire West Coast and the Gulf Coast including most of Texas and all of Florida. Rebel forces also control a large tract of territory along the Canadian border and northern Michigan along with an enclave in New England centering around Vermont, and parts of New Hampshire, Maine and New York state.

Offred mentions in her inner monologue in Episode 2 that "Guardians of the Faithful and American soldiers still fight with tanks in the remains of Chicago.",[5] confirming that the Second American Civil War is still ongoing.

In addition to this, the official United States governmment operating out of Anchorage has total control over Alaska and Hawaii. Their level of influence over the rebel held areas the former US such as California and Texas remains to be seen.^

I wondered if she could get some help from Eden's mother

From what I recall Eden’s family live far away from where June and co live. Also, there is no way Eden’s Mum would risk helping a handmaid. Not when she saw what happened to her daughter.

JuneOsbourne Yeah, you make some good points there. I think I just felt it was a simple car journey given all the distractions etc it almost sounded like it has been done before. A screaming baby wouldn’t be good either but may fall asleep soon given how late it is? My first fed from me a lot but my second was tube fed and had set feeding times, think I’ve gotten used to going a few hours between feeds lol

*Years ago I met a man, an ordinary Scandinavian salesman visiting the company I worked for, who had escaped from occupied Norway in Ww2 on skis with his baby in his rucksack. Ordinary people can do amazing things if pushed.
*
That sounds fascinating. I’ve so many questions popping into my head.

You know what I was thinking it's The Handmaids Tale. Chaucer esque. The show could carry on with various other Tales of Gilead. June's story could conclude and a new protagonist enter.

I still think that the Waterford's will try and get Nichole back from Canada. Serena will have to pretend she didn't let her go and she's legally Fred's

Would she have given Emily the baby if she knew she'd just tried to kill air Lydia??

Drivenmad80 A good question. I’m not sure if I would though.

I would. She's passionately opposed to the regime, and would protect June's baby at all costs. She's not just randomly unstable.

Would she have given Emily the baby if she knew she'd just tried to kill air Lydia??

I think yes. June would know that Emily would fight to the death to protect her baby. To me, Emily is no different to June... June is more measured about it all but the fire inside both of them to rebel, escape, bring down Gilead would be no different

Thinking rationally, it would have made more sense for June to jump in the car with Holly (to keep her quiet as much as anything - a screaming baby will bring the guards down on them really quickly!) but also to get Emily to go fight in the underground! She's already shown herself to be a killer (twice now) and would be more help, I think!

I think Emily is at the end of her tether and wouldn't be predictable or calm enough to be much help to the resistance. It's one thing for her to look after a baby for a few hours or possibly days, quite another to go back undercover in Gilead for which you would need nerves of steel.

I’m not up for 10 seasons but whoever said Chaucer has probably got it right which would be a bit of a shame to be honest.