Handmaid's Tale. EPISODE 7 (season 3). Channel 4, 21/07/19. UK pace. NO SPOILERS!

[OriginofSpecies]

Thread for Episode 7 (season 3) of The Handmaid's Tale.

We are watching on Channel 4, UK pace and have only seen episodes 1 - 6 so far.

Please, NO SPOILERS.

I would love to answer some questions on here but I can’t do so without mentioning the book that Margaret Atwood wrote in 1985. It’s such a shame that mentioning a book that was written over 30 years ago is considered to be a spoiler on this thread.

To clarify:
Margaret Atwood wrote the Handmaid’s Tale in the 1980s, it was first published in 1985.
She said that she didn’t use anything that hadn’t happened in real life.
Series 1 finished at the end of the book.
There is an epilogue though.
Hulu have said that there will be 10 series.
We are assuming that series 10 will be the epilogue.
That means that Hulu have a lot of creative licence in series 2-9, as long as what they create leads to what we know is the epilogue.
Margaret Atwood is a consultant writer on the tv series.
The Testaments are being released in September 2019. Set 15 years in the future and will be the stories of 4 different narrators. Will not be June’s stories.

@mnhq
Can you check my above post for spoilers please? I mentioned the book, sorry about that!

@ricky44

Great post but I’m expecting it to be deleted, as several posters and mnhq consider mentioning the book that was written in 1985 to be a spoiler.

I record The Handmaids Tale on RTE2 - Irish state broadcasters second channel. I can use subtitles on the recording.

Does anyone fancy a thread where we can reference the book?

No spoilers from the American/Canadian/Israeli/Aussie series, as they are 2-3 episodes ahead of us in the UK.

But we can wildly speculate on what the tv writers have in store for us. Given that they have so much creative licence to get us from the end of series 1 (the book) to series 10 (the epilogue).

@Ricky44 I'm really looking forward to The Testaments as it is Margaret Atwood's sequel and so is completely separate to the tv adaptation. I'm hoping she talks about her input with the tv series when I see her in Manchester

@curbsideprophet

I’ll wave, as I’m seeing her in Manchester too!

10 series??

I know for a fact I won't be there for the duration of that. I sometimes think you can over egg the pudding. Look at Fawlty Towers

1 series, 12 episodes, goes down in history!

Series 1 and maybe 2 was shocking, gripping, thought provoking, edge of your chair stuff. Now it's getting diluted.

@Ivy40

I’m in!

Let’s see if we can get Kenny to join our thread too.

Ha, mumsnet HQ have just deleted my post as it refers to the book!

Warning to you all... Do NOT mention the book that was written in 1985 as mumsnet HQ consider doing so to be a spoiler!

God, mumsnet HQ have even deleted Ivy’s post asking if anyone would be interested in a different thread that links the book to the tv series.

Is mumsnet hq Gilead?

Why has my comment about Margaret Atwood's The Testaments and looking forward to seeing live in Manchester been deleted?

@curbsideprophet

You mentioned A BOOK.

Under his eye.

@mnhq

Why are you deleting some posts that mention the book (written in 1985 but considered by mnhq to be a spoiler) but not others?

Why are you deleting some posts that refer to Margaret Atwood’s upcoming tour, but not all?

Please be consistent.

@mnhq

Can you not see how you are confusing people?

I can still see all the posts?

Due to Ricky’s post asking mumsnet hq to be consistent, she has been banned from posting.

All Ricky did was ask mumsnet hq to delete all posts referring to the book or none.

Mumsnet hq are deleting some posts that refer to the book but not all. This policy is confusing. Ricky asked them for clarification and got banned from posting.

Which got me thinking.

Is mumsnet hq Serena Joy? Aided and abetted by the other women hating posters on here?

Oh my original post is back

Yes, mumsnet hq have clearly seen sense and worked out what a spoiler actually is.

We've always mentioned the book before, in earlier threads . (Does that count as mentioning the book?)

@motherofsoupdragons

Another poster got ganged up on and bullied for referring to the book. Apparently it is classed as being a spoiler on this thread. @mnhq are also deleting posts that refer to the book.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/3646574-The-Handmaid-s-Tale-UK-pace-so-no-spoilers-from-the-US-Israel-Aus-please?watched=1

New thread where those of us who want to can reference the book, epilogue and (when we know more), The Testaments.

There's always been discussion of the book on these threads but in a "that's not how they handled that scene in the book" or "the book expands on that topic a bit more" sort of way. I've never seen any discussion of the epilogue or people who've died by the time of the epilogue because that would spoil the story for those who haven't read the book. Some people want to be able to follow the story in "real-time" & discuss what they think might happen based on what's happened so far. Other people seem to want to discuss how they might get from what's happened so far to what they know will be the end. It's always been clearly stated which thread this is - nothing about what will happen in the future.

Can't we just go back to discussing what's happened & what we think might happen?!

It seems a pretty foregone conclusion that the Waterfords will be moving to Washington - the look on Serena's face when she walked into the ballroom was like she was thinking, "yes, this is the Gilead I had in mind." I'm wondering if the MacKenzies might also turn up there with Hannah. If Nichole gets sent back then both June's DDs could end up in Washington. No way would they send June there as a handmaid though - there doesn't seem to be much moving of handmaids between districts. I suppose one district isn't going to want to take on another district's difficult handmaid. I can't see many people being willing to help June smuggle her kids out when she's not even in the same city... Although the Washington-based resistance probably won't know about June's reputation that anyone who tries to help her ends up dead!

I'd be surprised if Canada sent Emily back if they recognise her marriage. Moira, OTOH, doesn't have any family in Canada as far as we know. They could quite easily deny her a permanent visa & send her back. Gilead must know she killed the commander at Jezebels. Emily could apply for citizenship because of her wife & child. I suppose they might still decide to extradite her to face trial for her crimes committed in Gilead but surely she'd have more rights as a Canadian citizen... I really hope her tagging along at the protest doesn't cause major problems for her. I guess it does happen though - people flee a country only to be turned away from a safe country because they're classed as criminals.