Handmaid's Tale. EPISODE 3 (season 3). Channel 4. 9pm 23/6/19 UK pace. NO SPOILERS

[OriginofSpecies]

Welcome to the new thread to discuss Episode Three (season 3) of The Handmaid's Tale.

We are watching UK pace, Channel 4.

We have only seen episodes one & two so far.

Please NO SPOILERS.

I disagree with the Serena suicide scene...I thought it was quite clear that she meant to do it, and then seeing the sunset, she visibly showed her first frustration that she couldn't do it, and then determination to change, a removal of fear somehow. I did think it was very contrived that Fred happened to be there for her to stalk past, but I did think it was superbly acted.

I assume there's some sort of training centre, like for the handmaids. Also, there may be some sort of hierarchy - I think the Waterford only had one Martha, and CL has two.

I would really like to see a breakdown of the population. How many tiers, ( classes.) their function, and the number of people in each.

Yes, I know it's just fictional.

Bruce Miller pitched it to Hulu as 10 series, he said in an interview recently that he doesn't actually think 10 will get made.

I am really enjoying this series, even this season, and I admire most of very talented actors involved, but even I don't want ten seasons.

I find it very hard to have sympathy for Serena, her hatred and brutality towards June in the first series was deplorable, she wanted Gilead, she got Gilead and was as viscous as the men when she had to be, remember her bringing June to where Hannah was and locking her in the car so she could see her daughter but couldn't get near her, Serena revelled in that, so I don't feel to sorry for at all.

Sorry bit of a rant there

Wasn't the 5 Martha vacancies because there were 5 hanging in the square?

I thought that too @Navy123

It’s all just silly now, I’m disappointed with this series.

I couldn’t get past the whole Serena leaving Fred thing. Wives in Gilead surely can’t do that??

I'm definitely feeling more 'meh' about this series...I was so mad at June for not leaving at the end of season 2-surely she could help Hannah more if she was safe?

Really wanted to see more of Emily's reunion this week.

Sad to see Nick being a commander and being sent off to the frontline. Now wondering if June will be pregnant again.

I don't know...it just feels a bit like it's run out of steam and they're not quite sure where they're going with it now.

I watched it live but over the internet for the first time & didn't seem to have the option of subtitles.

Yy - this happened to me last week. This time I waited until this evening to have subtitles. And I also plugged earphones into the laptop to help with the dialogue.

Has anyone tried watching it on all 4? It is audio described and there doesn't seem to be a way of turning it off. Am desperate to watch it tonight!

I watched on all 4, and found the audio describing quite useful!

Slightly meh about this episode. I agree with previous posters about the facial expressions June was pulling!

I did like the conversation between June and Serena. When Serena asked "do you think about her?" and June replied "all the time", do you think June was talking about Hannah and not Nicole?

I think that June has totally mentally separated from Nicole. I'm wondering if June will do a deal with Serena that if she helps her to get Hannah out of Gilead then she'll let her have custody of Nicole in Canada.

Has anyone tried watching it on all 4? It is audio described and there doesn't seem to be a way of turning it off. Am desperate to watch it tonight!

Just watched on All4 but no problems with audio description.

I thought that too @OriginofSpecies - I think she was definitely thinking of Hannah.

I had the audio description but restarted and it was gone.

Serena's mother - does she live in a commander-less household?

Perhaps there is a dispensation for widows.

Musing on this some more last night. Is there some biblical reference to rebirth through fire and water? I was just thinking about Serena setting fire to the house and then walking out into the sea. I'm not religious enough to know - but it feels like there must be some symbolism that I am missing.

Just on the audio description. We re-registered with a different email address and it was fine but was still on audio description with the original account, in case that helps anyone with a similar problem.

Will read the full thread in a mo as I’m only halfway through this episode but did anyone else notice that Commander Lawrence’s Martha Beth is the same Martha from the Jezebel’s kitchen

I hadn't noticed but people pointed it out in the previous thread (for episode 2)

I guess there probably is symbolism in Serena's wading into the water. It brought to my mind Virginia Woolf's suicide, wading into a river, weighed down with rocks.

But another stretching of credulity is Serena leaving Fred. Surely she'd be straight on the wall for the crime of leaving the God-given sanctity of marriage or something.

I read that scene with the commanders and June picking out the book totally differently. The book he told her to get was called The Dissent of Man. She walked towards the bookshelf and waited for him to describe where it was, and he directed her to a book called Darwin. She duly picked up Darwin and didn't say it was the wrong one, because she knows she's not allowed to read. It obviously angered her, but hasn't he been talking about usefulness? That was a test to see if she can be trusted to obey when needed. And to then give her the task of saving 5 women, allowing her to read their files and hand pick which will be most useful. Not useful to Gilead, although that's what she's supposed to be choosing them for, but useful to the resistance. He knew full well she would pick Martha's with transferable skills. He's enabling the resistance, whilst trying to teach her to still act dutiful and compliant.

And yes Triple Beth is from Jezebels and was instrumental in getting out those letters, June is quite obviously part of the resistance and I'll bet money that Sienne, the new Martha has some kind of skill which will be useful to them. Lawrence is handpicking his staff, and they are all useful to the resistance in some way.

Oh that makes sense Myusernameis mud. And I also like the theory.
I think Serena was going to commit suicide but then thought of Nicole (being in the water as she liked it and also with the sunrise) and decided not to and I am hoping thought about what June said and will now play a big role in the resistance.....

Ugh not a book called Darwin, a book BY Darwin.