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

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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.

This is quite annoying. Aunt Lydia told June that if it were up to her, she’d be on the wall (for turning up at the MacKenzies’). It is now up to her and, despite evidence that June is still trying to get to Hannah, she isn’t on the wall.

Ha I thought the same to the colour green. Yes I really thought Lawrence was going to play out more. He let June pick 5 people to save and she picked them to help with the resistance....but where did that story line go?

If the school incident had been in season 1 or 2 June wouldn’t even have gotten round the side of the school. There were about 7 guardians patrolling including up on the walls as June and Mrs Lawrence approached. As soon as Mrs Lawrence went through the gate June would have had several guns trained on her and she would have no option but to remain perfectly still and silent until Mrs Lawrence returned.

Let’s say she did manage to sneak round the side unnoticed. The first minute they realised she was there she would have been clunked in the head with the butt of a gun and dragged off to the red centre to be punished. Probably a foot chopped off or something to stop her straying again.

She would also have been interrogated to find out how she knew about Hannah being at that school. Mrs Lawrence would also be massively at risk and C Lawrence would be fire fighting trying to prevent his wife being put in front of a row of commanders to answer for her crime. After June’s previous behaviour it would be considered an abduction attempt. There is no way they would be politely calling her miss to get her to come and deal with the raving wife she came with.

spudina Emily poisoned a wife in the colonies. Can’t remember the character name but the actor was Marissa Tomei. She was very ill anyway and there was ambiguity about whether Emily killed her to be kind or to get revenge for what had happened.

There was a handmaid in the supermarket with a mouth cover on. The others said something about how they should admire her piety or something. Are they implying that it’s done by choice?

I’m probably overreaching but I wonder whether putting June with a very devout Handmaid as shopping partners is an exquisite act of torture by Aunt Lydia? June is unravelling and I wonder if part of that is that she has no other Handmaid to vent to. Even the second Ofglen sort of saw her point (even though she said she was better off in Gilead).

Thanks EvilTwins, I remember that now. I agree with PP that this series isn't as good. I think it's the lack of peril. In the first series, the full horror of the place is explored, and you genuinely don't know who is going to make it. The centre where they were trained was hell on Earth. Whereas now, I expect that June will be ok. Once the threat is taken away, it's less gripping somehow.

Emily definitely killed her in a vengeful way.

Regarding how slow it is - look at Iran, it's decades on and women are still in the grip. When you look at how amazing the country was in the 70s (a true rival to America), I think the pace is correct. This sort of thing takes a long time and whilst we're now used to TV shows moving at lightning pace, I think the pacing is correct. This sort of thing doesn't happen quickly and people losing the plot is understandable. Survival is about all people can be expected to do - anything else is a bonus but not to be expected.

I feel like it's being directed as a pity party for Serena. I do not and never will feel sorry for her

I disagree @clarissa469, don't think it's showing Serena in a sympathetic light at all.

The slow pace doesn’t bother me, it’s characters getting away with things that would be punishable in series one that does

I see that as the strict society rules breaking down (but maybe that's my wishful thinking!)

I see that as the strict society rules breaking down (but maybe that's my wishful thinking!)

I see it more as the writers not wanting to kill off the main character. She seems invincible to everything now and it's just getting stupid.

You're probably right @Binforky but I prefer my view to keep the illusion going!

Plot armour to the fore once again this episode. Why is June not being punished at all despite breaking several rules.
Surely next week as she has now endangered a baby there will be trouble.
The wives would not be allowed to dress up like that in the book gillead. All wives wore the same.dress in the same blue.

Does anyone else hope that June ends up on the wall at the end of this series?

I see that as the strict society rules breaking down (but maybe that's my wishful thinking!)

I see it more as the writers not wanting to kill off the main character.

Yes, that is my take too. Her behaviour is going off the rails but we know she is safe. There is no threat to her anymore, like there was in the first series. Getting away with running around the school was just ridiculous. And I expected rage from Cdr Lawrence after finding out she had taken Mrs L out but June then had a pop at him instead. Totally unlikely.

Did anyone notice Serena's hands in the gloves while she was dancing? She seemed to have both little fingers intact.

It would be the most realistic ending.

@BrienneofTarthILoveYou do you not think? I thought the part where she met Luke and Nichole was supposed to show her in a heart wrenching - torn - mother - from child light. Maybe you're right maybe it's just how I may be seeing her

Were the wives not to be in blue rather than green? Is it my tv playing up?!
I think the dancing may well have happened in book Gilead in just the same way that Jezebel's happened. Shows it is more about power than piety even in Washington.
I was unsure about the hanged handmaids - but presumably at some point it becomes clear they aren't fertile any more at which point a misdemeanour might lead to hanging!
I really hope to see Emily cheer up a bit, poor thing.

Serena in Canada was really interesting. We've seen her as occasionally helpful to June, gave Nicole away, and can have some sympathy for her with Fred the arse, and then Luke sees her as the woman who assisted at the rape and imprisonment of his wife and obviously has no sympathy at all for her.

goddammitamy

Yes, I imagined serena stuffing cotton wool down the finger of her glove to try to look whole.

I wonder what happened to this Baptist children in the house she was shown around, maybe some of them are now living with the commander. Poor little Phoebe and her family, I wonder who theyoffended, or maybe their lovely original featured house was too tempting......

The hypocrisy of Gilead is becoming intolerable, the dancing, the appreciation of beautiful places and art, destroying families so they can make new families, living comfortably, eating well, dining in fine restaurants, while at the same time making sure the rest of the population lives simply, I.e. in poverty.no wonder there is rebellion in the provinces.

@clarissa469 I did have a little sympathy in Canada and then she hissed and was vile with Luke (although can't remember her I actual words) and I saw that as her true colours coming through.

I'd love to be wrong and for Serena to be part of saving the day and redeeming herself for creating Gilead in the first place but I don't think it will happen. She's too much of a psychopath (is that the right word?) to consider that she was wrong in her thinking. Only if Fred is horrible (& chops off more body parts) might she change!

.another one who thinks Emily will be deported back to Gilead, I don't think the Gilead commanders care two hoots about returning Nicholle, they want an extradition treaty to get the escaped Handmaids back. Nicholle is 'the leverage' to get the Canadian govt to agree to extradition. Starting with self confessed murderers and violent offenders. Watch out Moira!!