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

[OverByYer]

Under his eye

@Faircastle

Fred and Serena seem to think that Rita cares about them and will support them out of the kindness of her heart. How presumptuous.

They think they still “own” her.

@adrianmolesmole

Jeanine's so pretty! Wonder if they gave her an eye patch so that she wouldn't outshine June?

?? Yes let's rank them by prettiness!

Janine had an eye removed in the Red Centre, can't remember what it was a punishment for exactly.

I loved all of the Rita scenes.

I thought during the meeting with serena, Rita was a little conflicted, and I wondered whether she’d feel herself pulled into her old role of supporting Serena. I thought the following two scenes with Fred and her lunch were just perfect.

It must be hard to switch out of role when back seeing those two again. She did very well. I'm sure there were worse "masters" but they'd no right to be her owners at all! You can imagine nazis saying after the war "but I was one of the better ones!"

Does anyone else think that Fred might not be the father of Serena's baby?

I thought the same @DrunkenUnicorn.. but I guess it's understandable, Rita lived with the Waterford's for 5 years and, despite how vile she often was, she formed some kind of bond with Serena, she saw her oppressed and her vulnerability, Fred cheating with June and how much that hurt her, her longing for a baby and how she did seem to love and care for Nicole. I think anyone would feel some empathy after witnessing all of that.

@DrunkenUnicorn

I loved all of the Rita scenes.

I thought during the meeting with serena, Rita was a little conflicted, and I wondered whether she’d feel herself pulled into her old role of supporting Serena. I thought the following two scenes with Fred and her lunch were just perfect.

I think she realised that she was being used when the spy / CIA person , can’t remember his name, turned up with all the documentation she was going to be questioned on and she realised she was being exploited , again. That was when she came out with the property remark.

didn't Serena say something like "my lovely Rita" too. Which I think would have been quite a trigging sentence for Rita.

I will watch it tomorrow, and hope not to cry my eyes out again like last week.

I keep thinking how revolting! They will stink of sour milk!

They did look remarkably clean and neat and dry and freshly ironed as they came out of the tanker, even though both had been totally submerged.

Watched it late, but not because of football!

Rita was amazing. I thought at first she was going to turn to defend Fred as a big "FU, don't underestimate me" to Serena, but Rita is a lot more dignified than me.

June has underestimated Janine too. Janine did something June couldn't, and now they have bread and a chance to rest.

Thought in the tank that June was going to tell Janine the truth about Caleb - I really hope that never comes out. Janine needs to know that her little boy is living by a beach.

I think they should have kept their handmaid's caps. Those are small enough to fit in a pocket and are clear evidence that they are who they say they are, for when they eventually meet up with May Day.

I thought that them meeting a bunch of renegades who are not much better than anyone else they have met was great. Frying pan fire is a good story line, we don't know what has been going on in Chicago (I assume they made it to Chicago!)

Lydia has another week of answering for the 2 dead, 2 probably dead, 2 missing issue. Bladder Gard is dead on the wall - though, we left them with bodies and missing handmaids and one gun with no witnesses, which could lead to a break for some characters who aren't dead?

Serena is conflicted, Fred is not. If he has a fruit of the womb he wants to wave his willy power all over Gilead. I think Serena wants her son to grow up free in Canada.

June is tired and needs a wee bit of time tending tomatoes or something useful but not life threatening. Please. Could these train wrecking privateers have a nice wee allotment somewhere?

Interested to see when Esther comes back into it, her husband must have had a sudden recovery. And Luke seems to have forgotten Hannah. And Emily and Moira need to have wee snog.

I feel a little over invested.

So much better than footie.

Agree about the stink.

It would have been evidence to corroborate their story, I guess?

Though, I couldn't think of much other than Punt and Dennis' Milky Milky. This is a sign of age.

I thought it was quite interesting that the meeting with Serena was all about Serena and yet at least Fred asked Rita about herself (though she obvs didn't answer). All Serena wanted was to show off about her own self. No consideration that maybe Rita might have wanted a partner or a child or at least some control over her own life.

Agree, Elephant. Fred is much smarter than Serena, he knew Rita was not now at his beck and call.

I thought that Serena was going to ask Rita to be her nanny when she said something about "you can help me with this baby boy". Rita was so moved by an actual miracle, she is so pleased about an infant, but, when she said to Fred to sort his own family out - boom!

Dignity. With heels and a handbag, neither of which would have been allowed for a Martha.

Go, Rita!

(I hope she finds her sister and nephew, but I don't feel confident)

I think Serena is starting to believe her own press and that she was just a poor innocent victim... just like Rita and that Rita was her friend not her property.

Yes, good point. She did that with her book tour and trying to recruit people to Gilead's cause, and then found she was as powerless as a wife as any other woman, which is why she's a finger short and has invisible wounds on her back.

Whereas now she's got the Holy Grail for Gilead - a pregnancy. Which isn't necessarily a pass to Sainthood while on remand in Toronto.

I had to watch THT after the football. I couldn’t just go to bed.

I loved the scenes with Rita. I was wondering if Serena is going to prison and, if so, will she lose her baby? That would be the ultimate irony.

what really happenend to caleb?

@whatsthestory123

what really happenend to caleb?

June found his file in the basement. He had died. She told Janine he had moved to California and painted a picture of him living near the beach, in the sun......

I found the whole episode sinister and depressing.

Jeanine with her visits to the “abortion” clinic and the way information was given to her.

Both Serena and her husband trying to get Rita on side - she was never their friend ffs, the language used to try to reel her in was just awful.

With regards to the way it was filmed, very clever in the scene where June has just changed her clothes. That shot, through the pile of pipes, at very first glance looked like a pyramid of handmaid’s caps.

Marking place to come back to when I've finished

I wonder how clearly AL and the driver could have seen that two handmaids got to the other side. There might be a chance they think (or could claim) that four were hit by the train.
I hope Janine doesn't decide to go and search for her son, in the same way June won't leave without Hannah..

Oh, goodness, you are right, Iggi. Janine is in the same position as June.

Plus, Baby Angela.

Serena is delusional. Almost seemed detached from reality now that she is pregnant.

No concept that Rita may not feel like they were best friend. I wonder if she's going to go mad with it all? Living in some perfect dream that she was doing the right thing all along and anything untoward wasn't her doing. Poor little wife. And of course now she's pregnant life is just perfect.

She seemed too happy. No concept that, although she's pregnant which as someone said is the holy grail of Gilead, her situation is not exactly the most conducive to a happy life of motherhood. She may go to jail convicted of horrific crimes as will her husband/the father of her baby.

Maybe she will have her baby taken away from her. How ironic. Then she will understand how it was for June and the handmaids.
I don't think she will equate it though as she is so lost in her world.

She really does not see herself as the same as others who she deems as lower than her. How she thought of Rita, just a Martha therefore no understanding of how awful Rita's life was as property.
And certainly no understanding of June and what it was like to be raped while she watched then took her baby away.
Her sense of entitlement that she is different to other women in Gilead is off the scale.

At least Waterford seemed to get that he had done wrong. Not remorseful or sorry but he had a better hold on reality about the situation.

And, I found the abortion clinic scenes hard as they seemed like they could be now. These groups in the US that talk in the same way about abortion. Some of the things that go on in Gilead are horrific but there's a sense of them being so far from reality that they wouldn't happen. But these scenes of just before Gilead coming to power feel a little too close to the bone sometimes. Boiling a frog analogy is all too close sometimes.

And, the fucking rapey man in the place they are in now. For fucks sake. That really pissed me off. Are there any men in Gilead who don't want to rape women? I found it really sad that as handmaids they were seen like that. "You must be used to this" . You're main role in life is to satisfy men. They had a weird status in gilead, treated horrifically, raped at home regularly but they were seen as protected in some ways. Remember men went to the wall if they raped a handmaid, a terrible crime. (Apart from her commander of course - only the non sanctioned rapists were put on the wall). But outside they were just seen as sex slaves, nothing to be protected or admired or even given some level of pity and care. Every level in Gilead is fucked up. And no wonder.