Handmaid's Tale. EPISODE 6 (season 3). Channel 4, 14/07/19. UK pace. NO SPOILERS!

[OriginofSpecies]

Thread for Episode 6 (season 3) of The Handmaid's Tale.

We are watching on Channel 4, UK pace and have only seen episodes 1 - 5 so far.

Please, NO SPOILERS.

I find it odd that the Swiss will not deal with him if he is a Gilead founder - surely that is the sort of HIgh-Ranking insider they'd need

But he's not that high-ranking. He's only just become a commander. Whatever he did in the service of Gilead can't be public knowledge, else June would know already. So it must be something like planting bombs, as someone mentioned upthread, that can't be celebrated publically.

Or, the Eye who knows most about everyone and has the most power is?

Commander Lawrence hasn't been explained yet. Is there a schism between Washington and wherever the Waterford's live? Are there a number of commanders who don't like the way things are going? There was discomfort when they saw Janine being assaulted by Aunt Lydia.

Perhaps they don't want to have the lives we saw in Washington.

Isn't Nick an Eye? At least he said to June that he was in series 1 I think when she asked.

Crinkle77 He was but the man who he reported to died when the handmaid blew herself up.

eyes don't know who other eyes are either.

Strawberrypancakes - yes, she went nuts at the baptism reception, when Janine asked if she could be the handmaid at the house again and provide her baby with a brother or sister. Started beating Janine with her cattle prod in front of everyone until June screamed at her to stop and flung herself on top of Janine.

I just had a thought about that. Way back, Aunt Lydia told June she was angry with her for saving Janine from being stoned because she thought Janine would be better off dying quickly among her friends than slowly in the colonies.

Maybe Aunt Lydia lost it because she was actually furious with Janine for putting herself in danger all over again & was terrified that Janine would end up getting sent to the colonies permanently this time?

She did hit her pretty viciously, though. It was horrible.

I think Aunt Lydia’s attack on Janine was more to do with her own anger about being attacked by Emily and being left so frail since. I think she was feeling vulnerable and trying to take back control (in her own mind) by asserting her power using the cattle prod. She had already used her cattle prod on June out of the blue when she was struggling with the stairs in Commander Lawrence’s house. She told June the other aunt was far too lenient on her. I think she had decided the handmaids has been allowed to get ideas they had a chance to get out and thats why Emily attacked her so they needed brought back into line and when she saw Janine being so bold it angered her. Tbh I think it scared her too. She was scared of losing control of the handmaids again so overreacted.

Just watched ep6. Who was the handmaid who looked up and stared at June at the end?

Brilliant episode but I am very confused about who is on whose side.

And June snogging Nick with all those lights....

I thought I recognised that Handmaid, but now I think she was just waiting until June 'led' the prayers by sinking to her knees. It was the signal for all of them (so many!) to do the same.

I think.

I want to love the show, but it’s really starting to irritate me. All the echoing shouting between June and Serena annoyed me most. How could that possibly happen with a full backdrop of Handmaids and associated security taking their positions.
I agree June does seem absolutely invincible now, she appears at complete ease wandering around and initiating conversation whenever she can. There just isn’t the same tension anymore. I will stick with it though, too invested to turn my back on it now.

Presumably Gilead could just as easily have got a mix of people out there praying, so it must have been a conscious decision to limit it to handmaids. I just don’t get the reasoning behind it.

Mexico insisted on going along with the fiction of the handmaids being willing & honoured volunteers, even knowing it wasn’t true. But Gilead know that Canada aren’t accepting that.

Wow just watching last Sunday's episode. The gags and sewing up of their mouths has really shaken me up. Such a humiliating and powerful message.

So I take it Nick was a willing solider in the crusades and was a instrumental in helping to create Gilehead.

• soldier

I thought the handmaid that looked at June at the prayer thing was the same one who she saw on the escalators when she’s arrived in DC. Maybe not though.

Yes it seems so. Wasn’t there an episode showing how he was recruited? And that he was disillusioned. But I don’t really get it. If Nick was a willing soldier and possibly bombed Washington how come he spent years as a driver moping around and helping the resistance? Helping his own baby to escape? And what did he do to become a commander?

I read an article with the actor and he said not to forget we see everything through June’s eyes. And it made me think, we don’t actually know what he said to the Canadians. Though him walking through that train of soldiers was quite chilling. And if he was brainwashed enough to be in the crusade surely he wouldn’t just change his mind easily.

I like the fact that there is ambiguity about Nick's true allegiance. I suspect (hope) he is a goodun, but he's possibly a double or even triple agent (I quite like spy novels, but they make my head hurt .

There is lots of ambiguity in this series - Commander Lawrence being the main one along with Nick, but also Aunt Lydia to an extent and I also noticed a slight softening of June's new walking partner a few weeks ago. Plus, we've no idea what's going on in Serena's head.

Not much actual action so far this series, but still plenty to think about.

If anyone is interested odeon are screening Atwood live in conversation in September

I think Nick with his little chubby cheeks does not look at all like the man who all the soldiers stood to attention for when he walked through the train. Let's hope he turns out to be on the right side.

If anyone is interested odeon are screening Atwood live in conversation in September

Thanks, stuff.

I have seen her live before (before this series came out) and she is really interesting, a major intellect obviously but funny too.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/3644298-Handmaids-Tale-EPISODE-7-season-3-Channel-4-21-07-19-UK-pace-NO-SPOILERS?watched=1

New thread for tonight.

I have seen her live before (before this series came out) and she is really interesting, a major intellect obviously but funny too.

Yes. I saw her at the Royal Festival Hall & she was fascinating.

Hi hrft yet! Been watching from the very beginning but I’ve just had a mind blank. The children hidden away, the girls in pink, they won’t become Handmaids will they as they’re commanders children? What will boys of commanders become? And am I right in thinking that the girls from ‘normal’ families will be chosen for Handmaids, Martha’s etc and boys will be army etc? Or I on totally the wrong plot lol. Tia