mamadrama

Yeah, I'm nervous about that. It reminds me of LOST. They opened up so many mysteries that there was no way they could ever tie up all the loose ends. With this one I'm afraid they'll either try to shove everything in at once or they'll leave some things ambiguous. I think there's a good chance Annabelle is a gun, maybe the one Martin's dad died from. Martin said he didn't like guns, didn't like to shoot, but there are literally shooting trophies in his school office... IMO I think one of the "well, shit" moments will be when Kate learns that it was her new BFF who saw her at Martin's (through the window) and NOT Jeanette (though I still think Jeanette broke in and stole the snow globe) but that there was no real animosity there, just mistakes. I'm hoping that it will end with everyone coming to grips with the idea that they didn't really need a bad guy after all. Kate realizes that Jeanette didn't see her, Mallory feels bad for treating Jeanette the way she did, Ben realizes that the accident was NOT Jeanette's fault, Cindy understanding that it wasn't really Jeanette's situation and Greg that made her want to leave, etc.

Right, that's what I meant by the "traditional sense" and how it all falls together. We know the big answer, the "who", we're just still trying to learn all the "hows." For some who are still expecting time travel, all of this to be a dream, etc the ending might be a letdown. I personally enjoy it. I like watching all the pieces slide into place.

Yes! This has been my fundamental issue with the whole system from the beginning, and what I was thinking when they opened the new red center. It's fine when you have unholy women left over from the previous world, but what happens when those people age out? I don't think there are going to be enough women committing enough infarcations to supply the need. They can keep changing the rules, but eventually people are going to figure out ways to hide shit. IMO the only way this will continue to work is if Gilead trades women/supplies with other countries and/or if they turn it into a nun-type deal where women choose to enter the "service." Likewise, if Gilead offers financial or other incentives then some families might tag their daughters for service upon birth and raise them to be Handmaids. I just don't think the current system, as is, is going to work long term. Commanders, Guardians, etc are going to need wives and it appears that not many of the Handmaids are reproducing right now, and if they do there's no guarantee they'll have boys. They're going to eventually run out of women.

I'm afraid that many people are going to be disappointed in the ending. Marketing this show as a mystery has people actively trying to solve it, and I've seen theories ranging from time travel to multiple personalities. I don't think there IS a mystery to it, though. At least not in the traditional sense. We know who the bad guy is-the rest is just seeing how it all falls together. In the end I think everything will have a simple, rational explanation. For instance, there were people who thought that Jeanette knew about Kate before anyone else because SHE was the one who kidnapped her when, in actuality, she simply overheard the conversation. The only villain is Martin. Everything else seemed to just happen by chance-one little event after another after another, much like the Rube Goldberg machine. Jeanette, Mallory, Jamie...all these people seem to be average, normal folk. Some more troubled than others, some in need of intense therapy, but no criminal masterminds and nothing evil.

If you're interested in this alter ego Annabelle theory then it's actually been addressed by one of the series' main stars: I tried to hide this under a spoilers thingy. Not really sure if it counts as one since it's not exactly giving anything big away, but you never know.

I think she meant pre-Gilead.

They showed Kate being led from the house with police in the daylight. Edited: sorry @peachmangosteen I just saw your post!

I watched Angel of Mine with Yvonne and went in with the same expectations that I would go in for a Lifetime or Sunday night movie. I was pleasantly surprised, though. It was cheesy, but remarkably more enjoyable than I expected. I still love STILL with Madeline Brewer. As an Appalachian I generally go into those films with gritted teeth. My kids and I made up an Appalachian BINGO game to play when watching them. Surprisingly, none of us won watching STILL. It was a good movie. Kind of a mystery/mountain fable.

Didn't know there was one! I hated how they adapted I Know What You Did Last Summer and fucked it up by turning it into a slasher film with a hook and fisherman. The OG story was great. I loved the look on Serena's face when Fred was yammering on his bullshit during the testimony. She had this "this is so embarassing, this fuck face is going to get us both executed" look. Hated seeing the supportive crowd but not surprised. Terrible people almost always have at least some supporters. Her questioning him about whether he believed what he was saying made me laugh. To me it came across as are you REALLY dumb enough to believe that shit you said? Then, later, walking through the crowd, Well, my husband IS a dumbass after all but to my benefit at least his weak mind is going to work to my advantage! A coupe? Civil war? Stripping of women's rights? Kidnapping? Treachery? Mass murder? Sexual slavery? Physical, emotional, and religious abuse? This selfish bitch sure put in a lot of effort to get a baby. If anyone can understand the lengths that June has gone through to get HER baby then it should be this heifer...

I recommend her memoir, Who Killed My Daughter, if you haven't read it. Totally different from her paranormal books (Daughters of Eve isn't paranormal either) but it's very good. I'm starting to feel like there's something wrong with me. On a scale of 1-10 I liked this episode around a 6, but I haven't been higher than that since the 2nd season. I'm completely whelmed by the whole thing. I think I've become Handmaid weary and am just burned out. Having to wait a year between seasons, and 2 years for this last one (which I know isn't their fault), is just killing my interest. The cinematography that I used to find beautiful and interesting just falls flat to me now. I don't like June, but I like Lizzie's acting even less. I can't care about her character anymore. I'm much more interested in Emily, Lydia, and Serena Joy. The latter two might be villains but I still find them more interesting to watch. If I start a series then I'll stick with it until the bitter end, but I miss actually looking forward to midnight.

To butt dial Jamie's number would have to be pre-programmed into Martin's phone. However, I do agree with the gist of your post. Martin has a cordless phone, we've seen it. Kate could've sneaked it into a closet or someplace and dialed Jamie's number but was then unable to speak because Martin walked back into the room. I do think the snow globe went off by accident.

It would be interesting if, with all this animosity, it was Mallory who actually saw Kate in Martin's house (through the window) and not Jeanette.

You're the first person I've ever met who also loved Duncan. Daughter's of Eve is dead on in this situation.

I haven't heard Sidian use that word, only Dimitri, but it doesn't surprise me. I'd respect Tosha's excitement more if she were getting action from another wife. Because her excitement over Sidian is a head scratcher.

It sucks that the only plot they seem to be able to come up with for Sutton is fucking with her marriage. I guess the actor couldn't commit. They'll probably bring him back for one last jiggy jiggy in the final episode. Jane's got more plot armor than June Osborne. I'd like to see The Devil Wears Prada staff get a hold of her.

That's just it-his experience is with survivors of Gilead, not so much with Gilead itself. Especially not with Gilead as a woman. While he experienced losing his wife and family, getting shot, and escaping to Canada those are vastly different experiences than what a female trapped and imprisoned there for several years went through.

Lawrence's character is puzzling to me. It's hard to figure him out and it's less of a "complicated character" issue and more of a poor character development one. He seems to fit whatever the plot needs to move forward with at each moment.

I'll add Roots, Anne with an E, The Haunting of Hill House (considered one of the best horror novels of all time AND award winning), Bones, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Call the Midwife & Orange is the New Black (both true memoirs that highly deviate from the true story), Little House on the Prairie, The Queen's Gambit...Even Atwood's other book, Alias Grace, had changes for the series. What's considered good, and even a classic, is highly subjective. At the end of the day this is a dystopian science fiction novel. A good one, but still fiction. This is a television show, not an audio book. It's a completely different form of storytelling. They can change whatever the hell they want, and if they think they have an idea that will keep people watching and subscribing then they will. Once you sign that contract it's no longer just your book; it also belongs to the network executives, the showrunners, the producers, the directors, the actors... Millions of books have been optioned and have never seen the light of day again. I've had 3 and they've sat in developmental hell for years. All optioned means is that nobody else can touch them. With other streaming apps gaining popularity it's no wonder they'd want a head start.

In court June said that she was placed with the Waterfords in 2017.

New theory: Mallory saw Kate in the window but didn't tell anyone because, at the time, she wasn't sure what she was looking at. Once Kate was rescued Mallory realized what she'd seen and, and how Kate could've been saved earlier if she'd spoken up, and it tore her up. That's why she's in therapy and why she is being so nice to Kate- penance.

Yeah, I think shes definitely a surrogate for that student's mother. I think part of her feels betrayed (she blames her for a variety of things, like falling for a man and loosening her "morals" by getting her to wear makeup) but maybe even guilty for what happened, too, so she wants to "save" Janine from becoming the disappointment the mother was for Lydia.

Lawrence saying that the new Handmaids have known it for "half their lives." So, what, they're all 10 (at most)? I think part of the makeup choices for Alexis Bledel is a psychological, 4th wall nod to her stint on The Gilmore Girls. Many of us remember a young, fresh, beautiful Rory. You didn't get more All American Independent, Intelligent Girl than that. Seeing her beaten down by Gilead...😥 Aunt Lydia's love for Janine (which, IMO, is probably real for her) makes it one of the most interesting and fucked up relationships on TV. I'm fascinated by it. Janine is Lydia's humanity-whatever of it is left.

So. Much. This. Jeanette's a good example of how a person doesn't have to be likable to be a victim.

In the real world the media would be been courting Jeanette to get her side as hard as they were going after Kate. If there's one thing they love more than a victim it's a villain. Sally Jesse, Montel, Ricki Lake...all those '90's shows I watched at the time. They'd have loved Jeanette.

"Your actions have consequences, Jeanette." I think that sums up the entire show. Everyone's actions led to something else happening. Sometimes the actions were good, sometimes poor, and sometimes well-intentioned but lousy, but they were choices mostly made by young people who were in the moment and acted accordingly. I don't believe any of the teens are bad or evil or immoral, sometimes they just make questionable decisions. I don't think there's some grand plan here. A crazy person abducted a popular teen and the small town reacted. That's basically the story. In the aftermath everyone is able to trace the lines that led to the things that happened, but that's basically life. Mallory (videotape), Jamie (interaction with Martin the night Kate disappeared), and Jeanette (she probably saw something in his house but didn't understand what she was seeing) ALL had pieces of the puzzle regarding Kate's disappearance but, unfortunately, they didn't know what they had.