The Handmaid's Tale S4 at C4 pace (no spoilers from Hulu subscribers) Thread 2

[OverByYer]

Under his eye

@TheMoth

Not buying Nick telling all and sundry how much he loves June. For some women, defintely not me gossip is like oxygen. Someone tells me them. Something and they're already working out who to tell.

Exactly! They’re already angry with June. They probably consider her a liability. Information that could stop her in her tracks is very valuable currency for a Martha in Gilead.

Aunt Lydia wanted her dead.

No aunt Lydia wants her back in her control so she can punish her personally. She’s repeated that several times. She definitely doesn’t want her possibly dead/possibly not dead by a bomb strike in areas she doesn’t even know for sure where June is.

Moira can tell June that the Waterford's are in jail. June can testify against them.

If she went to canada, though.

Maybe the stuff about the world fearing their military is just how they like to look at it. After all, if other countries were that scared would they still impose sanctions?

@OnTheBoardwalk

I can handle the suspense but not the rubbish plot hole stories this time round

I’m very annoyed by it

I’m going for iPlayer USA for the episodes now. See you on the other side

How do you do that - are you in the UK?

@MotionActivatedDog

Was it not very risky for nick to tell the angry (with June) Martha’s that he is basically in love with her?

I thought the Martha's were part of the Mayday network?

Disappointed not to have had any scenes in Canada this episode

@MotionActivatedDog

Aunt Lydia wanted her dead.

No aunt Lydia wants her back in her control so she can punish her personally. She’s repeated that several times. She definitely doesn’t want her possibly dead/possibly not dead by a bomb strike in areas she doesn’t even know for sure where June is.

Maybe then Commander Lawrence ordered the bombing to show June mercy? She would rather be dead than back in Aunt Lydia's control

I think the other commanders ordered the bombing.

June will go to Canada as she knows she had 'lost' Hannah and couldn't save her - which was her only reason for staying in Gilead.

I hope she does go to Canada. They’ve stretched our limits of suspending disbelief as far as they can go with regards to how much June can survive and how often she can escape. It would be good for them to move the story along now to her trying to reunite with Luke and nichole and all the issues that will bring.

She would reunite with her baby (not sure about Luke!) but she would not stop her fight against Gilead.

Yes, I would like to see June going to Canada as well, at least for a couple episodes. But for some reason I think she will refuse again! I'd like to see more of the storylines in Canada as well, I was missing that in the episode tonight.

Indeed this would be the issue. She would want to keep on fighting and possibly go back!

The ceasefire is only for a few hours isn't it?
I don't think they would be allowed to actually take people back over the border with them. Giving medical aid basically.

I think they said 24 hours for the ceasefire? No doubt they will smuggle June out somehow. Magic secret compartment in the aid truck.

I see Im not the only poster getting really irritated with this series. They seem to have completely run out of ideas.

It's all getting a bit dramatic for dramatic's sake, isn't it?
I hope Janine is alive.
I hope June goes to Canada finally
They need to start reigning it in.

I thought it was Luke for a moment. I'm mostly just concerned about Janine!

I think Lawrence is only out for himself. He'll do/say whatever it takes. He knows Nick's weakness is June so he pretended to be all caring & as if he wanted to help June to get him onside. He used Lydia to get info on the other commanders by pretending he wanted to help her rebuild Gilead. He likes to be the big man. He doesn't believe in Gilead at all, hence his less than strict attitude in his house previously & he enjoyed flouting the rules to help Emily, Nicole & the children escape. The rules don't apply to him - he makes the rules & is determined to stay on top. As much as I'd love him to be Mayday, Nick can't trust him.

Yy to Aunt Lydia telling the girls they can talk to her as a way of getting information on commanders. She needs her leverage if she's going to keep her position. It's all about manipulation & power.

I quite liked the slower pace of this episode - I think it's a good representation of what life on the run might be like. Sometimes it'll be all action-packed trying to avoid the baddies, sometimes it'll be just keeping your head down, getting on with things like figuring out where your next meal's coming from.

I really hope that was Janine being helped. I spent the whole scene not breathing & just thinking "they'd better not have killed Janine." Even when Moira appeared I was like, yeah, great... But where's Janine! She's probably my favourite character now, although I'm not seeing how the character they're portraying her as both now & in flashbacks would be the same one being mouthy to Aunt Lydia in the Red Centre. She seemed so bolshy & sure of herself then but I don't think the current portrayal matches that at all.

@OverByYer

I’ve read the book several times but will have to re read. Will probably go back and watch the series again as there are probably subtle nods to the book that I’ve missed as it’s been a few years. I did laugh at the Eyes of Gilead podcast when they talked about June changing out if her Handmaid’s outfit, that she had remarkably cleanly shaved armpits for a woman that had been on the run for a few days and imprisoned before that

Slightly off course here, but it is possible. I shave my armpits probably maximum of three times a year - they just ain’t hairy! Hmm, maybe this means I need to channel my inner-June more.

@MotionActivatedDog

Was that a retirement home for aunts? Or do they all live together like in a nunnery? I’ve never seen so many aunts before.

Is it ok to say that the testaments answers that? They do live together in a colony!

I can't see the script writers sending June to Canada somehow, at least, not just yet. We've only just been introduced to what is going on in Chicago and I think they'll keep her there for a while.

I think June will find Mayday (presumably Moira has Mayday contacts in Chicago, or knows how to find them) and June will stay in Chicago to help the fight against Gilead. But she'll be able to communicate with those in Canada. And Luke will get all mopey again about June choosing to stay in a warzone rather than running back to him.

June better go back to Canada, I'll be fed up if she doesn't...

I don't get June and Nick at all... I know they've got history, but he is a Commander instrumental in wreaking havoc and killing people... how can June still be in love/lust with him?

Thank you @CloseYourEyesAndSee. I’m not sure why I was so surprised tbh. It makes sense that the aunts all live together- presumably at or near the red centre very much like a convent orphanage from years gone by.

@MotionActivatedDog

Thank you *@CloseYourEyesAndSee*. I’m not sure why I was so surprised tbh. It makes sense that the aunts all live together- presumably at or near the red centre very much like a convent orphanage from years gone by.

Exactly - it's run just like a convent. Baby aunts are supplicants and they have to to training and missionary work before they become full aunts. This is down the line though when gilead has been going for a while.