The Handmaid's Tale Series 4 - finale coming up, no spoilers please.

[Clawdy]

New thread, looking forward to finale, but wishing it really was the last episode, with all storylines and characters ending satisfactorily.

Couldn't agree more! Why didn't she just wipe or wash the blood off. Implausible that she didn't!

And it wouldn't be wet enough to transfer onto Nichole either. Smeared blood like that would dry (and flake/rub off) pretty quickly.

Is the blood on Nicole's face symbolic of the infant's own role in the killing of Fred, and so, even though the child wasn't there, she has been "blooded" by his death?

The victimisation of the children by Gilead provides fuel and focus for the women's fury?

Well it's obviously just a bit of dramatic licence about the blood. In real life she would have probably washed her face, certainly before holding the baby. But it's filmed like that so that Luke instantly knows what's happened and gives him a chance to be horrified and slide down the wall in shock. Without explanatory dialogue. I thought it worked well.

I think it's also supposed to make us think of war paint - because, after all, June is at war. With Fred and Gilead.

For anyone else who is totally over-invested in this series interested, there's also a Facebook page here which you can join.

I must be weird because I never hate an ongoing tv series, I accept it for what it is. I think I would find it less enjoyable if things happened that I had expected. I first read THT 20 years ago but my enjoyment of the novel is separate to my enjoyment of the tv series.

I loved that the 22 women exchanged for Fred were the ones June had saved with Lawrence last season.

Nick specifically said he and the Eyes control the borders, which meant to me that it doesn't matter if the Commanders aren't happy with Fred's fate. They're all at risk from upsetting the Eyes.

I'm not sure Fred could have ever been more afraid than being chained up in that van and running through a dark forest, knowing he was running for his life. A trial would have been all pomp and drama and self important speeches. He didn't deserve that.

The writers have already said Tuello is not the father of Serena's baby and Fred is not the father of Nicole. I'm pretty sure they have also said that THT tv series will not follow The Testaments, as they are planning for this to be a separate programme.

Poor Luke wanted him and June to be a partnership again - keep fighting for Hannah, but at the same time be a family and do normal things. It was obvious June can't settle for that.

Emily is such an enigma and I absolutely love it. She was a quiet and unassuming university lecturer pre Gilead, but she found that inner strength and ability to do whatever it takes.

I love how Serena gets them arrested in Canada to be with Nicole when she is already pregnant with her own baby by Fred.

If she had stayed put in Gilead she would have had her own family and no longer cared about Nicole. As it is her husband is dead and she'll be a single parent provided she is released

Also I've skinhead the complete and utter shite that was the testaments. It bears no relation to the way the series is going and I was sorely disappointed by it.

Skinhead?! Skim read!

I was listening to the Eyes on Gilead podcast today, and the showrunner, Bruce Miller, said that they haven't ruled out linking series 5 with The Testaments, but as it's already been picked up by Hulu for its own series, they need to work out just how they might do that.

Personally I hope they don't. I thought that The Testaments was actually a very weak story. The writing of THT beyond the original book has been much stronger, and I think they deserve to be able to create their own story arc.

Personally I hope they don't. I thought that The Testaments was actually a very weak story. The writing of THT beyond the original book has been much stronger, and I think they deserve to be able to create their own story arc.

Agree.

If Serena had stayed in Gilead she wouldn't have had her own baby because she wouldn't have had sex with Fred.

And (I may be a bit over-invested here ), The Testaments isn't about June any more, and series 5 surely has to be about June, and what she does next?

@BIWI I've not listened to the interview with Bruce yet. I'll put that on my list for this week. I agree about The Testaments. I had been waiting so long to find out what happened after THT and was disappointed with the stories.
I would be happy if series 5 was the final series and wound up the story.

@CurbsideProphet as well as the interview with Bruce, there's one with the woman who directed the series finale (sorry - can't remember her name - Liz something?). It's interesting because one of the things she talks about is how Covid affected filming. So there was originally more planned with Oona (Zawe Ashton), but because of quarantine restrictions they were restricted to only a short filming period.

@AuntLydiasNewHairdo

If Serena had stayed in Gilead she wouldn't have had her own baby because she wouldn't have had sex with Fred.

She had sex in gilead with Fred before they left. At that house they spent the night in on the way to the Canadian border.

You think they had sex in custody in different cells?

It seems to me they only had sex because she was taking him to Canada to betray him.

Bit snarky there ActionSquirrels?

[quote BIWI]@CurbsideProphet as well as the interview with Bruce, there's one with the woman who directed the series finale (sorry - can't remember her name - Liz something?). It's interesting because one of the things she talks about is how Covid affected filming. So there was originally more planned with Oona (Zawe Ashton), but because of quarantine restrictions they were restricted to only a short filming period.[/quote]
Liz Garbus. That was my favourite one of the podcasts so far.

I’ve been browsing the web & reading interviews with various cast members too which is really interesting.

@AuntLydiasNewHairdo

Bit snarky there ActionSquirrels?

God what the hell is wrong with people here. Every thread people assume the fucking worst of everyone and take swipes at people. Are you like this in real life.

I can't be arsed with this.

I definitely saw Moira coming out of the woods in the end scenes in the daylight...
But will have to go back and re watch to be sure

No, she wasn't there

@Theredjellybean

I definitely saw Moira coming out of the woods in the end scenes in the daylight... But will have to go back and re watch to be sure

Oh, do tell us if you see her.

The series will and won't follow the testaments. I watched an interview with Elizabeth Moss and the show runners where they talked about knowing because of the testaments what happens to June. However without giving away any spoilers the testaments doesn't follow the same timeline as the TV show, even if some characters are the same or similar.
I reckon they will use the testaments as an approximate end point but will get there through a somewhat different route. Hopefully better written.

@Theredjellybean I thought I saw Moira walking out of the woods too, but it's so dark it's difficult to tell.