The Handmaid’s Tale (UK pace, so no spoilers from the US/Israel/Aus please)

[Ivy40]

This is a new thread where we can refer to the original book, published in 1985 (including the epilogue). Everyone is welcome to speculate on how the writers will get us from the book (end of series 1) to the epilogue (we’re assuming this will be series 10). Plus any other interesting plot developments that you have noticed.

No spoilers from the US/Israel/Aus etc please, as we in the UK are 2-3 episodes behind. We don’t want to KNOW what happens next, we just enjoy speculating and enjoy the plot development.

The basics:
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, written by Margaret Atwood. Set 15 years ahead of the ending in the original book and will be the stories of 4 different narrators, not June’s story. MA said that she based the Handmaid’s Tale on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, so we’re expecting “A Wife”s Tale”, “A Martha’s Tale” etc.

I think Naomi Putnam is in the resistance!

Did you see the look she gave the commander when he said smart girls are trouble.

She also got her husband’s arm chopped off for having an affair. So she’s either a true believer in Gilead ideology and thinks he deserved to have his arm chopped off for sinning, or she hates them and is in the resistance.

I love the theory about June’s mum leading the resistance. She was such a good, strong character that it would be a shame to waste her.

I’m another one who can’t wait to find out what turned Aunt Lydia into a monster.

I agree that she’s a true believer in the religious ideology of Gilead.

I’ve got some trivia too:
The actor that plays Commander Lawrence is married to the actor that plays Mrs Mackenzie, in real life.

Loving the trivia posts. I’ll see if I can think of anything.

Trivia - do we all know that Margaret Atwood made a cameo appearance in season 1 as an Aunt. She was in the red centre and slapped June.

Thanks for starting this thread @Ivy40.

I need to step away from the other thread (my thread, I make the rules 😁) otherwise I'll go crazy!

Hi @Kenny33. I didn't read your posts on my thread, but sorry you don't feel welcome there anymore . I haven't read this thread yet, but I can see that you've posted and I'm looking forward to reading some intelligent speculation, which are not spoilers

@originofspecies

You’re very welcome here!

I have the same opinion as you - no spoilers from episodes that haven’t aired in the UK yet. Although we have seen a quick preview of this Sunday’s episode and are speculating on that (again non of it is spoilers as we don’t definitely know what happens).

Series 1 was mostly based on the book and we’re assuming series 10 will be the epilogue (although we don’t know that for definite yet either). We’re using our knowledge of the book, including the epilogue, to wildly speculate on what the tv programme writers might do to get us from the main part of the novel to the epilogue.

We don’t actually know very much, it’s mostly speculation and guesses. But it’s fun.

Ooh I like the idea of Naomi Putnam being in the resistance.

We saw June's mum Holly in a video of the colonies while June was at the Red Centre. I'm pretty sure early on in series 1. That was taken from the book. I'm so hopeful she is still alive.

I love the Naomi Putnam theory! She has been kind and polite to both June and Janine, obviously putting aside the forced ceremonies. I'm sure she backed up Serena when she read from the bible in front of all the commanders?

I have another theory about Fred. In the epilogue it says he was killed in the early Gileadean period. There were some purges and Gilead got even stricter in the mid Gileadean period, Fred was deemed to be not enough if a true believer (which we know he isn’t).

We’ve seen that Washington is even stricter than Boston and we’ve seen one Handmaid wearing a mouth cover / gag in Boston since June returned from Washington. So maybe Gilead is getting stricter and something happens that makes them realise that Fred isn’t a true believer so he gets sent to the wall.

I’m wondering how the potential “gender traitor” scenario with commander Winslow will play out? Maybe Serena catches them out and reports them (I think she hates Fred that much).

The other thing is the films they made for international broadcast in Washington, with the 109s of handmaids kneeling in front of the big cross (that really creeped me out). I think that Fred and the Gileadean government think that they are broadcasting their holiness and piety to the world. I think that when the general public in Canada and the UK see it, it will be viewed as evidence of Gilead’s forced Alavert and human rights abuses. Gilead is actually a bit of an enigma to foreign countries, not much gets out - remember the response when Luke posted the handmaid’s letters on social media in series 2? Everyone (outside Gilead) was shocked at what was really happening to the handmaids. I think that that video in Washington might come back and bite him on the bum.

Forced Alavert means forced slavery! I don’t know why autocorrect changed it.

It was the Fred post above that incurred the wrath of Clarissa and friends on the other thread.

I like the idea of June’s mum coming back fighting! I liked her character.

Naomi Putnam in the resistance! Now that would be interesting.

I had wondered if Mrs Lawrence was in the resistance, as she cleaned up the blood on the walk when the commanders came round, but I don’t think she’s mentally stable enough. I think she hates Gilead and won’t partake in any of it, she will also help people out. She’s kind but damaged. I hope she escapes.

I like the idea of Fred getting his comeuppance. He is a sneaky, corrupt, power hungry weasel of a man. With a cruel and sadistic streak.

My piece of random trivia is that the wives wear blue as it symbolises the purity of the Virgin Mary, the virgin mother. The handmaids wear red as it symbolises the reformed white - Mary Magdalene.

*Reformed whore, not reformed white.

I like that theory about Fred, could be something in that.

I thought about the Epilogue when Fred was talking to Commander Winslow who told him that his place in history was secure (or words to that effect).

I'd love Fred to get his comeuppance too. Can't imagine that it will still be good after 10 series though, so not looking forward to that.

Fred is getting creepier too. Plus his ego is getting bigger due to the friendship with Commander Winslow. I have a feeling he is being set up for a fall.

I think the novel says he is executed because of contraband found in his office, during one of the religious purges.

I hope there’s a backstory on the Lawrences soon. We’ve got a rough idea how they got into that situation but it would be good to see it fleshed out.

@ivy

The commanders have to keep books in their offices, they aren’t supposed to have them in the rest of the house, in case the women see them.

He’s got that scrabble set in there too. Plus some alcohol - is alcohol contraband? I’ve never heard it mentioned but we’ve also never seen any pubs or bars.

Serena smokes, we’ve seen it a few times. I wonder if you can buy cigarettes normally or if you need to buy them on the black market?

Hopefully that link works. Map of the former USA.

Hi Kenny33

When I clicked on that link, it told me your real name (as in, you are opening a linked posted by {name}). You might want to take that post down if that will bother you.