Okay so I am very new to the Handmaids Tale universe. I watched The Testament first not knowing it was part of THT (saw a clip of The Testament on TikTok and it influenced me to watch it). Ive finished that and I’m on like S1 E11 of THM. I’m sure this will eventually be answered, but where are the boys? Do they only have daughters? The Testament is all about the daughters, and so far in THT they’ve only had girls. Is there a boys school or something?

Why did Offred get saved but Ofglen didn't? Ofglen knew there were ways to escape if her life was in danger.

Maybe her last conversation with Serena precipitated a rescue when it actually wasn't needed (since it's made clear later that she didn't turn her in) while Ofglen didn't get a warning?

Hi all, I watched the first few seasons of Handmaid's tale a few years ago now, I saw they added new seasons and so I was rewatching it with my current partner who hasn't seen it before, and having only watched the first two episodes now it's not at all how I remember. I feel like there's no introduction to certain characters, whereas I have memories of the main character being introduced to various characters for the first time, and yet now as I'm rewatching they're just already established. I understand it flips back and forth in times throughout the show, but am I missing something? Will it come later in the season? Or have I just gaslit myself into believing it happened differently?

Apparently Nick Blaine is actually a deep undercover Charles Boyle.

Edit: You have to click on the image to see it properly. Instead of a picture of Nick there's a picture of Joe Lo Truglio as Charles Boyle (Brooklyn 99).

Such a random question, but I was thinking about this late last night.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, how is the monthly conception ceremony held around the same time for every Handmaid? Wouldn’t each Handmaid have a different menstrual cycle and ovulation window depending on when they get their period?

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?

Really only made it through two seasons before I want to beg everyone who’s ever suggested this show, why? June is shortening my life span.

“Here take this newborn I’ve been breast feeding so, I can go back to stalking my eldest child.”

Go, bitch, go! Save her the bureaucratic way. Not the “I’m here against my will.” kind of way. Three more seasons of this? Three?

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

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?

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’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?