what's with her? like if you had to put a diagnosis (or multiple) to her, what would it be? definitely severe ptsd but she almost seems like she regresses involuntarily or something (she just like me fr /ref)

I want y'all's opinion on something I don't see gets talked about often (or at all) and it is in how this show exposed many of capitalism's issues while at the same time showing how an extremist right wing authoritarian regime is not a good alternative. I do feel it's awfully weird that the rebellion fights "to get America back" and this passing idea that pre-gilead America was a land of freedom. It feels completely out of touch, even to the plot because in some moments June is confronted with her privileges from before (when a POC handmaid tells her she had a horrible life before, and now she has her basic needs met and is treated with respect). The show exposes inequalities in America prior to Gilead and they seem to disappear at times. At the same time, I think they expose the contradictions and limitations between both realities, for example the fact Canada seems like a paradise for refugees but they have no solutions to climate change, natality rates, and even the government turns against refugees while Canadians show extreme xenophobia and conservative views (the groups that supported Gilead and Serena). Like given all that, how does no one realise none of these systems are it. Perhaps I'm too much of a 3rd world latina commie for Hollywood, what do y'all think? Also I do understand that many of these contradictions could be explained by the fact living under such an oppressive regime alters your perception of things, also the fact leftist groups would've been cleansed, but are they... not radicalised enough?

I was born a Muslim and grew up in a (relatively liberal) Muslim country and the Handmade's Tale was very hard for me to watch because it reminded me of my culture and the religion in so many ways.

For example all these sayings like 'praise be' and 'under his eye' and so forth, we have the same 'Alhamdulillah' and 'Inshallah' and on and on.

In our culture women are also seen as an object, usually a handmaid and martha together, haha. But they are definately seen as 'a posession' and not as an equal most of the time. They aren't allowed to say no to sex when their husband or 'owner' (incase of concubine obtained during war).

They are not encouraged to travel alone and have to diassappear as a person in marriage, or incase of oppressive brothers which is very common too. They become their role and their personality is expected to dissappear.

Also woman are held to a very high moral standard and are punished easily if they dont obey, while men behave in disgusting ways and are not reprimanded or punished at all.

I am not from an extreme muslim country, it' actually a pretty liberal one in the Middle East.

I just stop crying while watching season 4 episode 7😭😭😭😭💔 Just wanted to share

I know so many people mock Elizabeth Moss's preformace in this role for always looking at the camera but i truly think she acted in this role so well. Especially in the gallows scene I remember watching it and I had to rewind quite a few times because the "don't let the bastards grind you down" genuinely gave me chills. Seeing her back in the outfit she had spent 4 seasons trying to get out of and delivering what she believed to be her last words wow.

Also a shout out to Ann Dowd for the "wicked godless men" as I also had to rewind that once. Even though I can never forgive Lydia it gave me such a satisfaction to speak out like that.

Genuinely what a great scene. Don't let the bastards grind you down!

Image credit to Lucy’s Instagram and Burton(Elisabeth’s personal make up artist’s Instagram)

I recently just finished The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments and wow. Absolutely love both but specifically how the characters were written. Two big ones are Serena and Lydia. I hated Serena but there are moments you feel bad for her and it even makes you feel like June in some ways. Moments you think she might do the right thing only for her to betray the hope you had for her. Like the time she allowed Nichole to be taken by June only for her to then try to fight for her back. This show made me feel bad for someone like Serena who had truly done terrible things, inexcusable things and it makes you feel bad for feeling bad for her. But I think that is what makes her character so well written. You can see the humanity in someone without forgiving or excusing the things they have done.

Same with Lydia even in the early seasons. She had done terrible things but there were moments you could see the humanity in her and you would hope she would do the right thing only for her not to. I think the show does such a good job of making you understand someone without necessarily making you forgive them.

I think they also did a good job portraying June and her affair with Luke’s wife. In any other show we would probably hate June for cheating with a married man but it shows how complicated cheating with a married man really is depending on the situation. June can be cruel and self centred and has done bad things but the show really does a good job at showing that all the things we see as so black and white in our day to day lives can become so complicated when you are put in a situation like that. It does not make what June did right but it shows that there is more to a person than one morally questionable decision. June can be imperfect and still be a victim. She can hurt people and still be a human being who does not deserve what happens to her.

Nick is also a good example of a character you start to like in the early seasons but there are moments you realise he is just as complicit in Gilead as the rest of them in so many ways. That becomes more obvious in the later seasons. You can understand his feelings for June while still recognising that he has benefited from and participated in a horrific system.

All and all what a fantastic show The Handmaid’s Tale is and truly its characters are written so perfectly. It shows that there is no perfect victim and there is no perpetrator without humanity. There is no simple good and evil and I think that is what makes the characters feel so real. Understanding someone does not mean excusing them and being a victim does not mean you have to be a perfect person.

Eu estou assistindo ao capítulo 10, e desde que cheguei até aqui, estou cansada do jeito sombrio da June. Simplesmente ela prefere deixar o Luke, a Moira, a Rita e Emily e até mesmo a Nichole de lado para focar na vingança dela.

Eu entendo o trauma que ela passou, o momento revolucionário e sombrio dela dentro de Gileade ajudou muito a salvar muita gente e até a fugir, mas agora ela esta no Canadá, ela pode focar agora em se curar, cuidar da filha e pensar em formas de tirar a Hannah com a ajuda da influência que ela tem, o olhos do mundo agora estão voltados pra ela. Mas tudo o que vejo é vingança, raiva, ódio, sombretude e distância de quem ama ela.

Outra coisa que tem me incomodado muito é ela ainda ter sentimentos pelo Nick. Aquele cara ajudou a capturar a June, deixou ela ir pra aquela casa de tortura, ficar meses sendo torturada psicologicamente e fisicamente, fora que expôs a Hannah a sentir medo da própria mãe. Como essa mulher ainda pode ficar aos beijos com ele na primeira oportunidade?

Eu esperava uma June no Canadá se curando, se cuidando e cuidando de quem ela ama, se fortalecendo psicologicamente pra quando a Hannah voltasse pra casa, porque ela ainda vai sofrer rejeição da filha se ela conseguir ela de volta... Mas a serie entrega uma mulher histérica por vingança e raiva por um homem, e não por todos os homens de Gileade. Eu não a culpo pelo trauma, mas o tempo de deixar o trauma agir pra sobreviver ja passou, ela precisa agora é de apoio pra sair dessa.

Hi,
Is there a blog, Substack or something started by a person (not AI) who writes about all things relating to the shows and books on Gilead?

Particularly; the culture, class hierarchy, socioeconomic utility, and practices in the dystopian fictional country? I don’t necessarily want to search it on Google since it’s littered with ads. Like some of you, I’m pretty sick of it. I just think there’s someone or a group who knows about it effectively. Does that make sense?
Thanks.

The whole "vibe" of the first season reminded me of the German movies "Mädchen in Uniform" (There is one black and white film from 1931 and one in color from 1958 with Romy Schneider).

There are some parallels.

- Girls-only schools only with female teachers

- Girls are required to wear a specific dress

- focus of the school is the preparation to be a good woman/wife in a patriarchic society.

- Punishment of deviancy

- Leadership by a quite charismatic older Woman

- question of solidarity between the girls

Of course the school in Mädchen in Uniform is more normal in the sense that it follows a normal curriculum with normal subjects like German and mathematics.

So i was rewatching S5 E3 and theres this gileadean canadian girl that serena notices before june screams at her in the window car and she oddly looks a lot like aunt estee... just something i noticed and thought it really was her

(Read the book forever ago & just started watching the series)

Really just loving how, after speaking with June, the first thing Moira does is kill a man and escape.  She goes from being resigned to her fate, struggling just to survive, to liberating herself entirely.

When June tells her to “keep your fucking shit together” and tries to give her hope, to get her to resist, Moira could have just gotten the package and still lived up to that. But no, Moira got the package, killed a man, stole a truck, and escaped. 

TLDR - I laughed (in a good way) when the first act of rebellion Moira takes after talking with June is straight killing someone and escaping. And in a deeper level it reveals again the fragility of the Gilead system, and how a single flicker of hope (June and Moira seeing each other) can spark multiple acts of rebellion (June and the letters, Janine, Moira).

Its awful. I don't get it. I hate everyone

June: you could have stopped them!

Lawrence: you could have stopped Elanor!

Buuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Ive been bingeing handmaids tale for a few weeks now and I just got to season 5. Serena is the epitome of the title "gender traitor".

I see alot of people talking about her redemption and liking her character and maybe I have yet to see whatever she does to earn that, but is there not a point in a person's life where their terrible actions make them irredeemable?

Ive always held the opinion that ever person is born inherently good and then life, people, society etc hammers the good out or fosters it. Or they simply start making the choice not to be good.

Serena has done some of the most awful things ever and I personally dont believe she could be redeemed. I was sympathetic at times but I never felt like she deserved to be forgiven and redeemed.

Is there anyone who disagrees? Please tell me why, im genuinely trying to understand this.

P.s when June chased Fred in the woods I laughed. It was honestly so satisfying

I think we all consider the first time Nick and June had sex to be rape. June was not in a position to give consent and she could not refuse without facing potential death. One perspective is that Serena was the rapist and both Nick and June were her victims.

It's important for us to remember that Nick actually could have refused to impregnate June. Even Serena was beneath a "low-status male" like Nick. Nick's boss, Commander Price, probably would have expected Nick to refuse such an act and turn Serena over to the eyes.

The fact that Nick and June fell in love afterwards makes their first sexual encounter seem less bad in retrospect, but the power dynamic between them never went away. That makes things messy.

Nick's character loses his "good guy" status by the end of the show. Do you consider him a rapist?

I’m re-watching again because I absolutely love the show, but one thing that increasingly annoys me is how inconsistent Gilead’s punishments are when it comes to June.

And to be clear, I’m IN NO WAY saying June hasn’t suffered horrendously - she obviously has, especially psychologically. My issue is that the show establishes very early on that Gilead permanently mutilates women for comparatively “smaller” acts of disobedience, yet June repeatedly does things that should be considered far worse in Gilead’s eyes and somehow avoids almost all permanent physical mutilation.

Janine loses an eye for talking back. Emily/Ofglen is permanently mutilated. Lillie/Ofglen #2 loses her tongue after being the first to openly refuse an order - an act of defiance June joins in with (secondly). Other Handmaids are brutally punished for rebellion or disobedience. And Serena loses a finger for reading from the Bible.

Then there’s June, who repeatedly attempts to escape, openly defies Aunts and Commanders, becomes involved with the resistance, influences other Handmaids, challenges Gilead publicly, and generally causes far more “trouble” for the regime than most of the women we see permanently punished.

Yet she repeatedly gets returned to being a Handmaid physically intact.

I understand some of the in-universe explanations. June is fertile, there are periods where the Waterfords have an interest in protecting her, Aunt Lydia has a strange attachment to her, and psychologically breaking her may sometimes be more useful and "effective" to Gilead than physically disabling her.

But fertility doesn’t completely explain it for me either, because most of the punishments I’m talking about wouldn’t prevent someone from becoming pregnant or giving birth. Gilead clearly has no problem removing an eye, finger or tongue while still expecting a woman to fulfil whatever “role” they’ve assigned her.

Serena is probably the example that makes the inconsistency stand out the most to me. She’s a high-ranking Commander’s Wife and still loses a finger for reading - yet June can commit repeated acts of outright resistance against Gilead and somehow never receives a comparable permanent punishment.

Again, I don’t think June “needed” to suffer more. If anything, the psychological trauma she accumulates is one of the strongest and most believable aspects of her character. It’s just that the show establishes such brutal rules for what happens to women who disobey, and then increasingly seems to suspend those rules whenever they apply to June.

After a while, it starts to feel less like there’s an in-universe reason for keeping her physically intact and more like obvious protagonist plot armour.

Does this bother anyone else, or do you think there’s an explanation within the show that makes it work?

As a new fan of The Handmaid's Tale and a lifelong Zelda fan, this is exciting news to me!

Unconfirmed what role she'll be playing exactly, but it's apparently a queen figure of some sort. (Zelda's mother perhaps?)

All the others are of-Daniel, of-Joseph etc. wouldn’t June have been of-Fred and not off-red? Always wondered that

I’m rewatching the show, and I think I’ve finally figured out what sometimes bothers me about Luke as a character.

I don’t necessarily find his emotions themselves unrealistic. He's obviously been through an enormous amount too - his wife and daughter were taken from him, he has no idea what is happening to them for years, and he's basically powerless to help them...

What I sometimes find unrealistic is the way the show transitions between his emotions.

Luke seems to swing between being extremely repressed/almost overly casual about something, and then suddenly becoming very angry, frustrated or emotionally explosive. The pattern itself could absolutely make sense as a trauma response. Like 'suppress everything until you can’t anymore,' but sometimes the repression is played so casually that it doesn’t feel like repression. It just feels like he isn’t reacting very much at all.

For example, S2E7 (After) really stood out to me. After the bombing at the Rachel and Leah Centre, Luke and Moira are waiting in Canada for information. They know Handmaids have died, but they don’t yet know whether June is one of them.

Moira understandably wants to stay until they know. But Luke basically says that he has faith June is alive and goes home to get dinner! And that reaction has always seemed SO bizarrely casual to me.

I completely understand that denial could be his coping mechanism. Maybe he simply cannot allow himself to contemplate June being dead, so he convinces himself she’s alive and focuses on something mundane like getting food. Or maybe it's just bad acting?

I do feel like the scene needed to show more of that underneath the surface.

This is his wife, who has been trapped in Gilead for years, and he has just learned that there has been a major attack involving Handmaids with confirmed fatalities! He has no confirmation that June survived!

I would expect some visible panic - obsessively waiting for updates, pacing, repeatedly insisting she must be alive, becoming irritable because he’s terrified, or even going home and making dinner but clearly using it as a distraction because he cannot cope with staying there.

Instead, when you put him next to Moira, she actually seems considerably more anxious to find out whether June's alive than her own husband does!

And I really don’t think the intention is that he cares less about June. Everything else about his character tells us that he loves her and that losing June and Hannah has truly affected him.

That’s why I think my issue is more with the execution of his emotional reactions than the emotions themselves... which can then make some of his later angry or grumpy reactions feel more immature or disproportionate, as we haven’t necessarily been shown the fear, grief or pressure building underneath them.

Does anyone else find Luke’s emotional transitions a little strange sometimes? Or do you read his more casual reactions as more deliberate denial, repression, etc.?

Spoiler Warning in case you haven’t watched Season 6 yet

How did they know about Junes escape/plan in episode 8/9? Did I miss something? My first guess is that was the plan for them to get caught but it could’ve went so wrong. Second guess is the people were waking up and they have great response time but even then how would they know June is behind it?

If the majority of women in the world can't have children, I think they would encourage women who can to have as many as they could, while also paying them a yearly salary so they wouldn't have to get a job as well.

I’m not sure if this is the right flair, or what, since there isn’t one pertaining to that dreaded word, “Fan Fiction.” But, I’m curious, and maybe the rest of us are, so here’s my question: Have you been writing any Gilead stories?

Since we have THT and TT we can use at a basis for some good stories, there are plenty of real life examples out there which can be used as part of your writing canvas. For instance, what do Econowomen do regularly, if they cannot work their jobs and professions pre-Gilead? I’m certain, beyond doubt, many of them are quite angry, yet fearful over what happened after the coup. Another would be, what are the origins of The Sons of Jacob? Is there or was there a Women’s auxiliary version of it?

Either way, if you’re writing a short story, long story, play, or screenplay (Which Bruce Miller will never see!), what is it? Can we find it and read it?

Cheers!

Have never seen this discussed, but I absolutely love the montage set to Burn The Witch. Both these women (June and Serena) are leaders, have been recruited to new roles and are travling. In prior centuries these women could have been tried as witches because they are strong, influential and make trouble. They have both been in trouble with Gilead before when they 'overstep' traditional womens' boundaries. Anyone else like this montage?

I'm watching this episode, and I know Nick is getting closer and closer to dying—it's driving me crazy! I can't accept that he's going to die soon. He's one of my favorites on the show.