The Handmaid's Tale S4 at C4 pace (no spoilers from Hulu subscribers)

[Faircastle]

A thread for those watching Season 4 of the Handmaid's Tale on Channel 4 starting this evening. There's another thread for those who have already streamed it via Hulu, so it would be good if we could keep this one free of spoilers for episodes beyond those Channel 4 has broadcast.

Who is the father of Serena’s child?

And I agree about the music. Bloody fabulous.

@JayAlfredPrufrock Fred is the father of Serena's baby. She guilt-shagged him when staying with the econo-family en-route to Canada.

It might not be the most action packed of scenes, but another that really sticks with me is in S2 when June & Serena are working together in Fred's office set to 'Easy like Sunday Morning'. It was just refreshing I think to see the women with a little power and some mutual respect without violence. For some reason it's just always stuck with me, they're proving their worth, intelligence, capability, that they don't need Fred to run the show.

Good point about the Intel link to Canada!

Caught up last night. I didn’t enjoy at all. I was either flinching at the violence or cringing at the ridiculousness of it. It’s starting to get more holes than a slice of Leerdarmer.
No way would June have been in a mini bus with the other HMs and just AL guarding them.

So... is June not going to be punished for evacuating 80-odd children then? It seems the capture and torture was solely to get info on the handmaid's location. You'd think Gilead would chop off a hand or something. Serena lost a finger for reading!!

@BobGalaxy

So... is June not going to be punished for evacuating 80-odd children then? It seems the capture and torture was solely to get info on the handmaid's location. You'd think Gilead would chop off a hand or something. Serena lost a finger for reading!!

When they strapped her to the table I was expecting a foot amputation tbh. It seemed the most obvious punishment (from Gilead’s perspective) for someone who keeps escaping. It makes no sense at all that she wasn’t punished.

I wonder if Mrs Keyes has faired much worse, as I assume they tortured her for the hideout location too, and she's an expendable character. I hope not but would not be surprised if all the shocking body stuff is revealed on her :(

@EmpressWitchDoesntBurn

It was very kind of someone to make sure Janine always had a co-ordinating eyepatch.

I've noticed this too 😁

@MotionActivatedDog

I wonder if the rape colony is a newly created facility in response to the fact June and co are massive flight risks and also to punish them for it. Made specifically for them. We’ve never heard June or anyone else mention them before and the way aunt Lydia told June sounded like she knew she was telling her this new information.

Yes, I got that impression. I think Gilead is evolving and as Lawrence said, they realised that they had overlooked mental health and maternal love - so perhaps the new rape camps are a response to that realisation.

Mrs Keyes will presumably also be protected to some degree as a potentially fertile female? And can she use the "I'm just the woman; my husband deals with all the farm business" excuse?

@UserAtLarge

Mrs Keyes will presumably also be protected to some degree as a potentially fertile female? And can she use the "I'm just the woman; my husband deals with all the farm business" excuse?

I guess it depends whether or not she can blame others for what happened at the farm. Being made a handmaid would be a punishment as it's a drop in status from a wife.

Agree the fact that June hasn’t been punished for evacuating the refugees makes no sense.
I fear that as with most good (US) dramas they are taking it a series too far, and there will be too many holes in the plot.

I think we will see Mrs Keyes again. She was an interesting character and I got the feeling they were establishing a connection between her and June. If I were to guess what Gilead would do with her I suspect they’d make her a handmaid. She is young and hot headed and I think under interrogation she would be defiant and show her true loyalties so they wouldn’t let her remain a commanders wife. Also her youth would make her a valuable baby machine. But I can’t even begin to guess what these writers will do with her. None of what they’ve done so far is sticking with the rules of Gilead.

@BobGalaxy

So... is June not going to be punished for evacuating 80-odd children then? It seems the capture and torture was solely to get info on the handmaid's location. You'd think Gilead would chop off a hand or something. Serena lost a finger for reading!!

There is a quote in the book, referring to beating Handmaids on their feet I think - something like 'hands and feet we do not need for our purposes' - so I can't see that they'd have balked at cutting off June's hand, @BobGalaxy, so I agree with you that this seems odd.

I mean Janine got her eye plucked out, new Ofglen got her tongue cut out for much less than what June did.

I completely agree it makes no sense capturing June and not punishing her in the usual Gilead way.
Either it will all be explained or this will be the series that jumps the shark. Such a pity if the latter when the previous 3 managed to build the story without too many massive plot holes.

Mrs Keyes was repeatedly raped, but did she ever get pregnant? Was that mentioned? Would they consider her to be a fertile handmaid?

My interpretation was that Aunt Lydia and the Commanders presumed that June was broken by the threat of Hannah being tortured (June said something like "I'm ready Aunt Lydia") and that the other Handmaids would shun her for turning them in. Therefore none of them would be a flight risk.

I do think Nick deliberately had them transported in a Birth-Mobile (I think that's what they were called) with only a driver. I saw the kiss as a goodbye, as he wanted her to escape properly this time.

They can't chop feet / hands off the Handmaids, as once they've fulfilled breeding capacity they will be needed to work in the colonies. The lifespan of those in the colonies is short and they need to be replaced on a regular basis.

I'm unsure who is updating Canada. There must be double agents in Gilead risking themselves to provide Intel. I can't decide if Canada are now choosing to work with Nick or not.

I think Esther stayed behind at the farm to try and pretend everything was normal, but unfortunately failed. I agree with previous posters that we will surely see her again. She was very angry and ready to fight, so I don't think it's the end of her.

I hope that's the end of the torture porn. I've really had enough of seeing June beaten / psychologically tormented.

@Clawdy

Do the high command know she was repeating raped?

We'll be needing a new thread soon.....!

@MotionActivatedDog

I think we will see Mrs Keyes again. She was an interesting character and I got the feeling they were establishing a connection between her and June. If I were to guess what Gilead would do with her I suspect they’d make her a handmaid. She is young and hot headed and I think under interrogation she would be defiant and show her true loyalties so they wouldn’t let her remain a commanders wife. Also her youth would make her a valuable baby machine. But I can’t even begin to guess what these writers will do with her. None of what they’ve done so far is sticking with the rules of Gilead.

I agree. My guess is handmaid (they aren't to know that she was repeatedly raped by many men at the farm and didn't get pregnant, well not officially anyway) and then she will probably crop back up later in the resistance.

whilst driving home work, Cloudbusting by kate Bush came on, I've always liked the song, but found I was really emotional listening to no, all I could think of was the ending to that episode after June killed the commander and then unbeknown to June the Marthas 'clean up'

it must be one of the best scenes in TV.
so good I watchedit again, and cried.

@OverByYer

Caught up last night. I didn’t enjoy at all. I was either flinching at the violence or cringing at the ridiculousness of it. It’s starting to get more holes than a slice of Leerdarmer. No way would June have been in a mini bus with the other HMs and just AL guarding them.

These are my thoughts too and I’m so disappointed!

Mrs Keyes problem is that the Commander's health will suddenly improve now that he's not being poisoned every day.

If some bright spark links that to the Jezebel deaths then she's in trouble.