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.

"guessing what happens in the book may happen in the future episodes".

This isn't an actual spoiler though.

Phewee.

You are not coming across well Clarissa.

I'm with you Origin. A lot of the pleasure has gone out of this thread for me.

*spoil the program. That includes conspiring what happened in the book to what may happen in the program

That's not what a "spoiler" refers to in tv watching.

@MotherOfSoupDragons

You’re welcome to come over to the other thread. As long as you don’t mind us discussing the book, including the epilogue.

It surprised me that more wasn't made of the execution of two handmaids. They didn't even describe their crimes. I wonder if turning out to be infertile could be viewed as a crime
Must have been bad enough to not merit at least going to the colonies.

@percy

The Handmaid s get 3 x 2 year placements. If they don’t get pregnant then they have a choice between instant death or slow death (the colonies).

Oh wow - is that what you reckon then @Loells? I assumed it must have been an actual crime (in Gilead's twisted reality), but not simply that they hadn't gotten pregnant!

Ah, thanks for that info. Having spent some time formerly ttc and doing all the charting etc, the whole ceremony idea seems woefully inadequate to achieve what they actually want. I know they try to work out ovulation, but there's only one shot at conceiving each month. Not that I'd like to think the handmaids were being subjected to rape even more than once a month, but from a Gilead point of view..

@Loells, where is that thread? In chat?

And where does this leave June? She isn't going to get pregnant as she isn't going through the ritual/ceremony.

'the whole ceremony idea seems woefully inadequate to achieve what they actually want.'

I have thought this too. It seems very self defeating.
I think if Gilead was real the ceremony would be the public face of it all but in practice commanders would basically do what they wanted with the handmaids.

I think if Gilead was real the ceremony would be the public face of it all but in practice commanders would basically do what they wanted with the handmaids.

I expect most of them do - or at least, what they can get away with without the wives knowing. Janine's commander certainly did what he wanted with her.

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.

But she is a refugee, not just someone seeking a visa. If she is returned to her home country she faces death. They can’t just send her back because she has no family in Canada.

@Andylion

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

I mostly lurk on here but two things are bothering me...
Firstly the rings - Margaret Atwood has always said she didn't put anything in that hadn't happened somewhere but I haven't seen anything that suggests this is based on truth. I'd hate to see more 'fantasy' punishment. There's enough awfulness in the world.
Secondly re asylum seekers being returned - we do it all the time so sadly not so far fetched especially as Canada seems to be in a diplomatic relationship rather than at war with Gilead.

The commander who lost his arm - wasn't that for sex, was that with his handmaid? So it would always be a risk that she wasn't scared enough of you to stay quiet.

Margaret Atwood has always said she didn't put anything in that hadn't happened somewhere but I haven't seen anything that suggests this is based on truth.

This season isn’t based on the book so we can’t assume what we’re seeing is stuff that has actually happened.

we can’t assume what we’re seeing is stuff that has actually happened.

What have we seen that hasn't happened somewhere? The exact method may vary (e.g. just how ritualistic the particicutions are,) and the fact that it's all happening together in Gilead, but I don't think I have seen anything which I have thought impossible to happen.

(I was less cynical about humans before I did a history degree...)

What have we seen that hasn't happened somewhere?

I genuinely can’t answer that. I have no idea of the full list of cruelties humans have inflicted on each other throughout time. We could say “I’m sure that’s happened somewhere at some point in time” but without seeing any record of it we can’t be certain.

but I don't think I have seen anything which I have thought impossible to happen.

None of it’s impossible, that’s not the same as Margaret Atwood knowing of it having been done.

The rings are the equivalent of the scold's bridle.

None of it’s impossible, that’s not the same as Margaret Atwood knowing of it having been done.

Doesn't mean the writing team aren't applying the same principles.

Of course, they could be. do we know if they are?

I should have said, I think they are. The history is very interesting.

I dunno, the hangings just don't get to me anymore. In episode 1 of season 2 when they took June and the others to the stadium and pretended to hang them I was in bits. Now? Meh.