Handmaid's Tale. EPISODE 8 (season 3). Channel 4, 28/07/19. UK pace. NO SPOILERS!

[OriginofSpecies]

This is the thread for Episode 8 (season 3) of The Handmaid's Tale.

We are watching on Channel 4, UK pace and have only seen episodes 1 - 7 so far.

Please, NO SPOILERS.

Last week's thread took a rather strange turn, so please, play nicely people.

And I shouldn't have to spell it out, but when it says "Please, NO SPOILERS", that means we don't want people who have watched ahead to come on here and deliberately or inadvertently reveal what is actually going to happen in future episodes.

Anything else is speculation, whether that is based on what has already taken place in the TV series or is based on events in the novel (including the Historical Notes epilogue).

Just because something happened in the book doesn't mean it's also guaranteed to take place in the TV series.

Blessed day.

Okay, I really don't think they would have done that to a pregnant handmaid. That's two babies they've lost in a short time now, and this was Ofmatthews second (or third?) child so she is obviously very fertile.

I really disliked June in this episode, she's become so cold and nasty. I understand that it would be hard not to be in her world, but she has it so easy. She doesn't have to do the ceremony, and in earlier seasons we saw much more kindness in her (taking care of Janine etc). She was really awful in this episode. I'm not sure where they're going with this season at all.

I don’t get why they don’t make more of the medical knowledge and resources. I know that God finds away but they can’t regressed so badly, that the prime reason for their society ,isn’t helped in any way possible.

Poor Janine. Again?! I’m surprised she’s still alive after all her body has suffered.

June has never been ‘nice’. She was quite happy to date a married man when she got together with Luke. But she seems to have completely lost all sense of empathy or compassion in the last few days. She’s definitely on a downward spiral. The look of curious glee on her face when OfMatthew was losing it was unnerving.

June saw ofmatthew watching her talk to AL and getting anxious. She knew OfMatthew thought she was telling AL more about her not wanting her baby so she turned her head More to AL and smirked to make ofmatthew even more upset. She was torturing her. Then when ofMathhew flipped and was pointing the gun at June, June knew she had the power to suggest she shoot AL instead.

Well, we've been complaining about the lack of action in the episodes.

So, they've fixed that.

I'm totally confused though.

She stitched the mum up because she was trying to make herself a worthwhile person ..saving the boy from his feckless mother.

No, that’s what she told herself she was doing. It’s not what she was doing. She was lashing out because she got hurt. She opened herself up, made herself vulnerable and got knocked back and she was embarrassed so she lashed out. Couldn’t lash out at the principal, he was her boss, so she went for the easy target.

I was shouting at the TV for them to unwrap the cord and give the baby a puff. They didn’t even try

I wish they’d just wrap it up with this season. It’s being strung out way too much.

this was Ofmatthews second (or third?) child so she is obviously very fertile.

4th I think.

Janine is everyone’s punchbag.

But isn’t June “on the turn” the whole point. At what point do you become a vindictive bitch? Aunt Lydia was obviously a great lover of children, June would risk life and limb for her children.
Where’s the red line?

RHTawney I wonder if there suffering as a consequence of sanctions. The shelves in the supermarket are sparse and it could be that there is also a shortage of medicines. It does beg the question that if babies are such a precious commodity then why aren't they born in hospitals. Perhaps they shun the modern way in favour of doing things more traditionally. When Janine gave birth in season 1 they used the old fashioned birthing stool.

Who played the young mum that Lydia stitched up? It was driving me mad the whole episode!

Joxer Yes absolutely. I worded it crudely. You could see she was all over him. It was the mum who had persuaded her to give it ago. Aunt Lydia had got her hopes up.
Shame. Had she played it cool they’d have been dating I reckon.
So Aunt Lydua stuck to what she knew “supporting” kids.

(The actress was in Orange is the new black - solved it!)

Apparently it's Emily Althaus. Not sure what she's been in but she did look familiar.

Oh sorry nothing! I read your post wrong!

Why did she go for Janine?

I think the lack of resuscitation is connected to "God's Will". He decides who lives and dies.

It's completely off topic but Aunt Lydia's flat / bathroom reminded me of Carrie Bradshaw's

Very dark, but I enjoyed it.

There's always a lot of talk about not liking June. I just see it as self-preservation. No one knows how they will act in extreme circumstances. Some will succumb to the Stockholm syndrome and others will do what they can to save themselves.

I'm so confused as to what made that handmaid completely lose it

My guess is Janine was getting on her nerves by being to solicitous.

I also thought that June was somehow controlling her, and she said she knew how the suicide bomber handmaid felt and how Emily felt before stabbing Aunt Lydia.

Janine was asking her what she wrong and kept touching her to get her attention. She just snapped and Janine was in the wrong place.

I think the sanctions must have hugely impacted their access to medical equipment/supplies. With Brexit not even complete we are already running short on some medicines. I could easily see that a country that has been cut off from the world stage medical manufacturers would massively struggle. It would be old school for sure.

I found this episode quite interesting. Once again there were inconsistencies but it showed how Aunt Lydia was always vengeful.

Not world stage. I meant world’s.

I thought June was pretending to be talking about OfJoseph and OfJoseph got so angry / frustrated / frightened that the past years of pretending to be pious just exploded out of her.