Joana

TBH, the idea that a big shot commander is secretly smuggling handmaids to Canada is another thing that requires a lot of suspension of disbelief, which I'm seriously running out of for this show.

Under ideal circumstances, yes, and those are hardly guaranteed in Gilead. We've seen how June's multiple escape attempts went. Not to mention that June herself knows how they went and what they could expect. There's a good chance they won't be able to drive straight to the border and will have to walk some distance, or go into hiding some place. And if you have to hide, having a hungry baby screaming its lungs out is not going to help you. I can understand not wanting to leave Hannah behind. But letting her baby go on a very unsafe and potentially long trip with no food is madness.

This is such a grotesque oversight that I cannot fathom how that scene ever got approved and made it to screen. June has absolutely NO way of knowing where they're going, how long they're going to travel and if they'll have to stop and hide somewhere along the way. What is the baby going to eat in the meantime? They're going to stop by at the local grocery store to get some formula? How could she not think about it?!

Honestly, I hope she's dead. Not that I don't enjoy Ann Dowd in this role, I do, a lot, but I'm so over this show destroying all logic so it could keep certain characters around. Aunt Lydia has been stabbed, pushed down the stairs and savagely beaten. She should be dead, or at the very least, severely handicapped and unable to continue her work. But then again, a whole bunch of other characters should have by all accounts been dead by now and they're not, so I have no doubt our Auntie will be alive and kicking (literally) come next season as well.

I agree with all of this, but at this point we really need to 1) know more about what her role exactly was in the foundation of Gilead and 2) learn more about the backstory of Sons of Jacob and how they came to power. As I see it, she alligned with the Sons of Jacob movement not necessarily because she agreed with all their ideas, but because they came closest to what she stood for and what mattered to her the most (i.e. "the biological destiny"). Also, I believe that Sons of Jacob hid their most extremist views from the public until the very end (and as Margaret Atwood's book is largely based on the Iranian revolution, it makes sense as the same kind of "slow frog boiling" also happened in Iran) and probably even used Serena for PR purposes as she was someone people were already familiar and whose views must have resonated with many in times of fertility crisis, only to discard her when they got what they wanted and could make the rules themselves. But, until we're actually shown all this, it's just speculation.

SO many ridiculous things happened in this episode that I don't even know where to begin. Let's start with this - this is a regime that's brutally and mercilessly killed thousands upon thousands of people. That pool in the last episode was full of chains from previous executions. We see people hanging on the wall the whole time. We've seen a Wife sent to the colonies for doing the same thing Eden did. So, why is her execution so special that it should shake the foundations of the society? I understand very well why those who knew her would be upset. But THIS is the thing that opens the other Wives' eyes? Nothing like this has happened before? Nobody was executed for adultery? Give me a break. Serena's redemption arc or whatever this mess is has been played out hideously wrong. What in the world has made her think those men would listen to what she had to say? How did she think she was going to get away unpunished? She's smarter than that. Also, how did all those women casually walk in on the Commanders' meeting like that? June's concern for Serena is bizarre. I can buy that June feels somewhat uncomfortable with what's happened to her, but having *a moment* (while is trying to escape and is running out of time, no less!) and acting like gal-pals? Seriously. And no, I don't think Serena would willingly give the baby away. Had Aunt Lydia been killed like this at the end of the last season, I would have been doing a happy dance all over the room. Now, I'm just kinda "meh" about it. Her character hasn't had much to contribute lately. I don't see what direction the show can take now and how they're going to write themselves out of this nonsense, other than replacing more than half of the cast with new characters, which I don't think will happen. Also, I've realized that I actually... don't really care what happens to June now.

I agree. Remember, the day she moved into the Waterford household, Serena talked to her and quoted what I think was The Song of Songs - and Eden had absolutely no idea what it was. So, I doubt she's really familiar with the pre-Gilead Bible and it does look out of character and like an error in continuity. But then again, having an insta-relationship with someone she just met is also out of character for a person like her. It's such a waste of a storyline, really.

My theory is that it's because she hasn't proven that she's fertile, unlike the handmaids who have all had children previously. Granted, Eden didn't even have much time to get pregnant, but I guess they don't want to take their chances with a woman who might as well be "barren". But in reality, it's probably because the show needed a dramatic scene.

Lawrence obviously knew Emily's entire backstory and he made sure she relived every single horrid detail of her life in Gilead in front of him - being separated from her wife, losing her child, having her lover executed, her "surgery" and so on. But, I didn't sense an ounce of compassion or understanding from him; instead, I picked up a pretty clear sadistic vibe, like he enjoyed making her go through all those awful events in her mind all over again. Sure, from what we've seen in his house, it's clear he's not a true believer. But it doesn't have to mean he doesn't have an agenda of his own in Gilead's regime or that he's, quite simply, a good human being.

Serena's epiphany at the end was RIDICULOUS. Ridiculous. I believe she liked Eden and is genuinely upset over her horrible fate. I don't think she ever personally argued for death penalty for the adulterers. I'm also sure that on some level, she's fully aware that it's not her baby, no matter how hard she tries to convince herself otherwise. I can see how all of those things happening at the same time can leave her shaken. But to go from not allowing June to be in the same room with the baby to letting her breastfeed, just like that... That's just not believable. And it does reek of a last minute, half-assed attempt to redeem Serena. That character deserved better writing here. Eden's and Isaac's tragic love story would have had a way bigger impact had we actually got to see any of it. Aunt Lydia's reaction to all the craziness in Emily's new household was priceless. Her facial expressions were hilarious. However, I get a feeling that for most of the season she's been used as a comic relief, basically. That's not how I wanted her character to develop. Speaking of Emily's new commander, I didn't get a feeling he was one of the good guys at all. Their conversation and his questions came across to me as more sadistic than anything even Serena would pull off. And why is Fred being increasingly written as some infatuated idiot? I fear some major retconning is underway for a lot characters/situations.

I really can't think of another show with promos that give everything away. It's so weird.

I think that was a bit of revisionist history on Serena's part. I don't think she actually willingly gave up everything she had. She obviously had much different expectations about Gilead, but by the time she realized what it was really going to look like and what her role in the society would be, it was already too late. However, in order to keep her mind she managed to convince herself that if she got a baby, it would all be worth it - and now, if she would be denied even that, she's literally left with nothing.

If I had to guess what happens in the finale, I'd say something goes down with Fred (perhaps instigated by Nick) that causes him to lose his power. The baby is taken away from them and Serena has a mental breakdown. Of course, the season ends with a close-up shot of June saying "Fuck this".

That June's mother's name was Holly, that Luke's taste in music is lame and that Oprah is still alive. All essential information!

The only half-way reasonable explanation I can come up with is that she hasn't proven to be fertile, unlike the handmaids. She never got pregnant, so in the eyes of Gilead she might as well be one of those barren women who contribute nothing to the society. But in all honesty, I think it's just a desperate attempt to find some logic where there's none. Because realistically, Emily should have by all accounts been executed like half a dozen times already, fertile or not. And yet, here she is. It wouldn't even surprise me if she killed her new commander and his wife in their sleep and burned the house down, only to have Aunt Lydia tell her she's a bad girl and assign her to a new posting.

I don't think she straight up told him, but it didn't take much for him to figure it out and it was always an unspoken truth between them.

He'll probably react by making out with June in the middle of a hallway or sneaking into her room late at night. Like he always does. Sooooooo, they're bringing June back to the Waterfords. AGAIN. And Nick is there, like nothing happened. I just... can't.

Relentless misery throughout. They even threw in a wolf there just for good measure, FFS. Watching June do all that Sisyphus work lost most of its impact rather quickly as it could not have been more obvious how it's all going to end. At least she had the baby and they're both healthy, so... yay? I don't think the flashbacks contributed to anything this time. And of course none of the questions from last week were answered. This show really is becoming This Is Us - a collection of random scenes that are supposed to have a gut-wrenching effect on viewers with no attempt whatsoever to make a logical connection between those scenes and create a truly coherent narrative.

I absolutely agree. As horrible as this particular religious doctrine is, I don't think it actually requires a husband to treat his wife like garbage. I mean, it would certainly make it very easy to do so and let him get away with it, but if a man wanted to help around the house or hold his wife's hand or tell her nice things, I don't think he'd forbidden from doing so. I think this is another problem coming from not seeing enough the world of Gilead outside the Waterford household. Fred and Serena obviously have a very strained relationship, but 1) they belong to another class, with an additional set of extra strict values to adhere to (on the surface, anyway), 2) she's deemed "barren", so they're not allowed to have any sexual relations, which is obviously going to take its toll on a relationship and 3) there are number of other things, mostly unfulfilled expectations and difference in status compared to the pre-Gilead days that have caused frustration and resentment between them. So, I really don't think we should look at them as a model for every single marriage in Gilead's society.

I don't think she grew up in an average American household and had an average American childhood of watching Disney movies and Hannah Montana and what not. We know that Gilead has been in power for a few years now. But it didn't come into existence overnight. The Sons of Jacob movement and their idelogy must have long preceded it, picking up steam and gaining followers in years, if not decades before the government was overthrown. A number of people must have embraced their beliefs even before they took over, and I guess Eden's parents were among them. After all, it would make sense to choose the future wives for guardians from the families of tried and true loyalists to the regime. So, while Eden technically hasn't lived in Gilead all of her life, it's completely possible that her childhood was very sheltered and the ideals of Gilead are all she's ever known.

Yes, but that's because (most of) their wives are thought to be infertile. Fred also said to the new commander "So, no handmaid for you then", which would imply that since his wife has "proven" that she is fertile, they would be still allowed to have sex, withing the scope of what Gilead finds acceptable, of course. Like I said a bunch of times before, I wish they would show us current commanders and their wives who have children of their own. It's simply logically impossible that there aren't any.

That's a good point. It's possible they're not aware of what's happened to Nick. Even so, I find the lack of urgency to find her surprising. If they think June and Nick are escaping together, they have to report it, or they'll be in even bigger trouble than they already are. They could have the roads blocked and the area thoroughly searched, and in situations like that, every minute counts. Instead, the promos make it seem like they've basically resigned themselves that they're never going to see her again, and it's strange. I wonder if something else happened in the meantime that we're not being shown.

I don't understand why they're wasting their time arguing whose fault it is that she's disappeared and acting like it's a done deal and she's gone for good instead of trying to find her as she realistically couldn't go too far. Also, how did they NOT find her? Where did she go? It's very confusing. But I guess the whole point of a promo is to make you wonder.

This was all really beautifully put. :) And it sums up my thoughts as well. I too think people's reaction to Eden is mostly based on that conversation with June and June's assumption that Eden would report Nick for being "a gender traitor". It was a perfectly reasonable assumption (I mean, this is Gilead, expect the worst and you'll usually be right), but still it came solely from one character's speculations about the motives of another character, and most people took it at face value and ran along with it. I certainly did, and now I even feel slightly annoyed with myself for not seeing through it immediately. In general, I think Eden's storyline is such a wasted chance for the show. It was a unique opportunity to show a character that has been exclusively shaped by Gilead. Even hardcore believers like Aunt Lydia remember a world that had different values, but for Eden, Gilead and its ideals are all she's ever known. It would have been so interesting to show how a mind like that works, and yes, that even being brainwashed into a religious belief doesn't strip you of the nearly universal human need for affection and attention. And instead of developing a real person, we've got a blank slate for people to fill with their own assumptions and expectations. It's disappointing.

To be fair, I don't think anyone was demanding that Serena be redeemed. People were just speculating whether she could be - and IMO, before this episode, it was a theoretical possibility. It doesn't mean it would have been a good solution plotwise or something I or anyone else would personally be happy about, it was just a path the show could have taken. Not anymore.