Handmaid's Tale. EPISODE 13 SEASON FINALE!!! (season 3). Channel 4, 01/09/19. UK pace. NO SPOILERS!

[OriginofSpecies]

This is the thread for the season finale Episode 13 (season 3) of The Handmaid's Tale.

We are watching on Channel 4, UK pace and have only seen episodes 1 - 12 so far.

Please, NO SPOILERS.

what's the difference, really, between what she did and the ceremony? Just some biblical window dressing.

The wives have little more agency than any other woman really. I can't see Gilead looking kindly on a wife who went behind her husbands back to get a child that's supposed to be his. She's acknowledging that her husband can't father a child behind his back which undermines the whole idea of the ceremony. Ultimately the women are supposed to sit quietly and do as they're told. Theyre not supposed to take independent action.

I wonder if Rita will meet Serena again now they are both in Canada?

Rita could testify against Serena? I don't know if she would though, she may feel she'd rather Waterford went down for it all.

I thought it was great! Was worried they wouldn't show the kids arriving in Canada until next season.

I know it's a little unlikely that everything would work out, but the kindertransport out of Germany managed to get huge numbers of children out and I think there was more than a little ode to that in there.

I loved that extra children arrived, just shows how much almost everyone but the commanders and wives aren't happy and think it's wrong.

I really hope Hannah gets out before she is 14.

I can also see next season being the start of a war between American/Canada and Gilead.

Exactly my feelings, Psuedo

I thought it was great. Slightly wilting at the idea of 10 series from Hulu though.

In some weird HMT Anonymous effort, I’d like to say that 1) I’m only just reading the book and 2) I started st season 2 and just read a brief synopsis of Series 1. I’ve broadly forgotten that though so I’m going to go and properly watch it instead.

THT not HMT

Rita knows that Hannah's "family" moved away - she knows it's not that Hannah is dead or anything (or refused to come), which would be something of a reassurance to Luke.

I doubt they'll get 10 seasons. Nobody does. Except Friends, maybe?

I reckon they'll get 6, 7 tops.

But since we've only had 3 that's still a long time for June to remain in Gilead!

My predictions for next year is that June gets deep into the Mayday network and Lawrence keeps helping her (cleaning up the mess).

She gets Hannah out at the s4 Finale but decides not to go with her (tears for days).

Meanwhile, she starts to realise who she is now, a soldier and a killer, and how far away she is from the rather sappy foolish Smug Married she was with Luke. I interpreted the Into Dust song as June being reborn into her new form, as a freedom fighter who's pretty terrifying, really.

So I think another theme of S4 may be "would Luke even understand me now?". And also Luke getting worried that she may not come back and it may not be all sunshine and rainbows if she does. I think Fred's telling Luke how June isn't the same person anymore was laying the groundwork for that.

Personally I think it's lazy to have June and Luke as endgame, as they're so different now. But I guess viewers will feel owed it.

Sorry if this is really obvious but how do people definitely know there’s a season 4?

I really thought that last episode was it? And although I really wanted June to get out, it could’ve been ‘wrapped up’ at the end there with no need for another?

I honestly don’t see how June could (feasibly) survive that gunshot wound or going back to Gilead!

I did enjoy the finale, (once I decided to ignore the gaping plot holes) but there’s certainly not enough in this season to bring me back for a 4th. Season 1+2 were outstanding. This season was woeful tbh.

Joxer I agree. And they are going to drag it out for series after series till we're all sick of it......

Lefields it has been announced
www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1159832/The-Handmaids-Tale-season-4-release-date-cast-trailer-plot-when-is-the-new-series-out-Hulu

So I think another theme of S4 may be "would Luke even understand me now?". And also Luke getting worried that she may not come back and it may not be all sunshine and rainbows if she does. I think Fred's telling Luke how June isn't the same person anymore was laying the groundwork for that.

Well, it's definitely not sunshine & rainbows for Emily & her partner & I think it's a lot more realistic that way.

I really like that they don't make June into some kind of perfect angel. Which episode was it, where they had a close up of her eyes as the last scene, and you could just see pure hatred? Amazing acting.

I don't really love Luke. He seems like a wet noodle with occasional emotional outbursts. Would actually prefer if he got together with someone else.

I also feel Luke's cheating ways were totally glossed over. He met June and they were hotel shagging and then he became this perfect dad Nice Guy figure, before turning into the "poor little Luke" he is now.

He was a cheating shit.

And his surname (Bankole) always make me think of Bumhole. But that's not his fault I suppose

Yes re. Emily. I remembered this morning that Emily had a love affair with that wife who was hanged, and Luke know June loved Nick. I can imagine for the people who didn’t go to Gilead they would have to be strong people to truly understand the types of pressure they were all under and how they managed to get through it and survive. They will all have changed.

I can’t get Luke’s face as he scanned the plane out of my head

He was a cheating shit.

Ah yes, I had forgotten that too

I always thought the point of that was partially to show that in the previous society people had flaws, and the ones who had flaws were targeted for oppression, eg kids stolen and singled out for the shit jobs (Handmaids etc), while the morally superior (went to church etc) became wives.

Yeah and the poor 1st wife didn't seem to do anything "wrong". Luke really just got pissed off with her for daring to be upset. And June was really not all that bothered. There was one scene where they were in a cafe with Hannah and the 1st Wife came in and saw them and flustered out the door again and June looked a bit conflicted but in general I think she was just a bit "Me + Luke R Twoo Soulmates 4 EVA"

I'd like that to be explored a bit. Cos I definitely don't think they're soulmates now.

I know the producer said somewhere that Emily's transition is meant to be telling the audience what it would be theoretically like for June, if she ever got back home. The scary interviews and the discomfort with your old partner and the guilt and the awkwardness and the anxiety.

This is what I love about the show and Margaret Attwood's books too. No one is perfect, everyone is flawed and therefore it is hard to have clear cut 'goodies' and 'baddies' like we do in disney films and so many films and TV programmes.

Very few people are pure evil and most of us make bad choices, bad mistakes, morally questionable decisions etc.

I say this as someone who was cheated on by my ex-H, so I'm not trying to justify Luke's choices in any way - but the fact he cheated doesn't make him a totally bad person, nor does the fact June is fighting against the oppression of Gilead make her an entirely good person.

They'd know to expect because the pilot would radio ahead.

'Toronto Airport this is Foxtrot Yankee Delta requesting safe passage and landing with unscheduled flight from Gilead containing child refugees. Please advise'.

I decided to ignore all the holes because filling them in would be too complicated for the plot.

re Drugging, they mentioned rohypnol at one point.

The kids would go with the Marthas because the Marthas are the ones that look after them. There were some boys, but maybe the Marthas saw the future lives of the boys as better so were less likely to want to take the risk of helping them escape?

Loved this episode (despite so much not being plausible as others have said)! Sobbed when the kids were getting off the plane. I’ve wondered whether they would do a series based in Canada’s POV...? I thought June was going to be dead with the music at the end. I think we could have another couple of seasons without her!

I see this poster on my way to work and it makes me think of June every time!

I'm not sure June could ever leave Gilead, knowing what she does. Leaving would be a bit "I'm all right jack"

I think Fred's telling Luke how June isn't the same person anymore was laying the groundwork for that.

I agree, but he was doing it out of spite and to claim superiority over Luke and ownership of June, not in a concerned way, "look, if she ever gets out, the abuse and trauma we've put her through, she's going to be really affected and changed by that, and you need to be prepared for that." That's just not the way Fred would ever think.