mamadrama

As a chronic television watcher, I'm angry and bored by how this season undolded. As an author, I take the bad writing personally. The theories and fan fiction we come up with on here are much better than the actual show material.

Except this story is NOT just the handmaid's tale. That was the book-a GOOD book, but a completely different story. (Literally a different story. The majority of the things that have happened after S1 were never in the book...) This is a television show that has also shown Emily's tale, Moira's tale, and even a bit of Aunt Lydia's tale. In this television show, stories happen outside of June. I see no real comparison between Eleanor and Serena... Serena was actively involved in a plan to murder Congress and overthrow the US govt. Serena was instrumental in implementing a rule that made it illegal for a woman to read. Serena held down women once a month while her husband raped them. Serena had her husband literally attack a pregnant woman. Serena stole a baby that did not belong to her. Eleanor was a mentally ill woman with no known history in the planning of Gilead. She appeared to dislike the rules, tried to kill her husband after the ONLY ceremony he "participated" in, and most likely would've been hung on the wall had her feelings about the rules or the true extent of her mental illness been revealed.

Nah, I don't buy it. In a show with good writing, that's the game he'd be playing. In THIS show I'd bet money on a future romance and redemption arc.

For real. I live in a tiny Appalachian town that only has one grocery store in the entire county, but I can still cook seafood and other ethnic foods. I mean, we DO have Krogers in the next county over. And Amazon. FWIW, we have a house on St Simon's Island and I have never been able to buy fresh seafood there. Different state, same grocery choices (albeit with a few notable differences like ham stocks and hog balls up here and aloe plants down thete).

I legit had secondhand embarassment for Rita/Amanda Bruegal at that moment.

Yeah, really. Serena's voice isn't going to change things in Gilead. Her voice will never be heard, for one thing, cause she's a woman. She couldn't change things for Gilead when she was IN Gilead...And as far as the rest of the world goes, the victims' voices would be a LOT more instrumental in raising awareness. Who the hell cares what Serena has to say? If the former handmaids and Marthas don't garner sympathy... Moira and Emily are the ones who need to go on a book tour. What would Serena add to it? The only reason she could possibly be useful, other than offering Fred as a sacrifice, is if she had intel on weapons, battle plans, etc. Or was able to produce documents of some kind that implicate him in war crimes, terrorism, or future attacks. They already know the awful things he's done and have witnesses to some of his atrocities.

I just read that Elisabeth Moss now even has input on camera angles and scene setting, making her basically a cinematographer/director. Color me shocked. I didn't mind this episode for the entertsinment factor. In fact, each episode as a standalone might be okay. With zero character development, no consistency, ignorance of basic sense, and very little plot advancement for most of the season, it just hasn't worked for me as an anthonology. The cumulative sense of story is gone. It's almost become meta, though it would be by accident since I'm confident that none of the decision makers possess that kind of awareness. For television entertainment it's fine. Boring at times, but fine. Cringeworthy at times, but fine. Ludicrous, but fine. Not the best show out there, but not the worst. It's just a TV show. What makes me mad is that it didn't have to be JUST a TV show. It could've been a real allegory, a real commentary on the past and present (and maybe a cautionary tale for the future). But it's not. I see no reason to keep comparing it to the book because they left the source material when June became a super hero and jumped over a couple of sharks. And Miller & Co are now so far up their own asses and so busy patting their own backs that they'll remain incredibly blind to what the show could've been.

That was a social worker assigned to be in the room for supervised visitation. The awesome part is that she probably wasn't even trying to throw shade, just speaking truth, and that was one of the best burns we've seen.

I saw nothing on June's face other than one of the exact same looks she always sports-a pained little smirk that wouldn't be out of place in a laxative commercial or the Joey Tribiani "I smell a fart" faraway gaze. While I might see the bigger picture in allowing my rapist's wife access to my child, even a few minutes would qualify as a "biggie."

Fred: it's always been about YOU... Further proof that Fred has probably secretly enjoyed seeing his wife, someone smarter and more charismatic than him, stripped of many of her simple rights. He is jealous of her. I know she had a hand in planning Gilead, but it wouldn't surprise me to learn that he came up with, or at least pushed, the "no reading" rule because he knew it would hurt her the most. Serena still sucks, I just hated him more in this epi.

Maci: I don't want to go on birth control because it affects my body and I shouldn't have to make a decision that could bring me potential complications.. Also Maci: You need surgery and have to make the decision right now.

I don't think that word means what she thinks it means... (God, I love THE PRINCESS BRIDE)

Chris Meloni has things to say about THAT scene. And also... You know what the writers were saying to me? They said he stole many of his children from other commanders that he killed https://www.vulture.com/2019/07/the-handmaids-tale-christopher-meloni-winslow-interview-liars.html I can no longer guess what's going on in the writers' heads... Serena Joy and Aunt Lydia may be my 2 favorite characters. At this point, June is my least. SJ may be diabolical and unhinged, but at least she is interesting to watch.

The world? Mexico and their problems were introduced in S1 and we've heard nary a peep since...Canada seems to pop up when one of the writers suddenly remembers that there used to be other characters, but it's far and in between. We've been "introduced" to America, but only through the eyes of Spy Guy. And then there was the sorry council who came to talk about Hollichole...and then immediately dropped away like they never existed. Point being, there have been MANY opportunities for the show to give us the "world" and they have squandered those. I have zero hope that this will prove to be any different.

Yeah, really. Also, if we're going to use the argument that they are relying on something written "decades ago", then allow me to point out that this is NOT the book. We left that territory 2 years ago. Since then it's gone off to Millerland. The book was very good, but this is not the book, this is a TV show whose source material ran out.

Hey, it's cool, we get it. Shit happens, blood leaks. We don't judge! (Each other, that is. The show we judge 10 ways from Sunday.) 😎

I was loving the beating she was taking from the Martha at first. Wish it had continued.

Yeah, snippets here and there but no actual meat. Since it became June's Tale, they have only existed to further her "plot."

FWIW, my 12 yo son is on Accutane right now and his only side effects have been dry skin and chapped lips. I was on it years ago. I am just now watching this episode (I watched backwards) and Jed's fsmily being over this shit was hilarious.

Thank you! That bugged me as well. So how was he going to explain Holly's arrival in Gilead? And after all his ass kissing he was just going to meet with a CIA op and have a clandestine chat?

Yeah, that comment about why he wanted her on her stomach was bit of a stretch for me. He could be gay or bi, or he could just hate women so much that he doesn't want to look them in the eye during sex. FWIW, straight people often enjoy anal sex as well. While I do think he had a hard on for Fred, the review's simplifed commentary just rubbed me the wrong way.

Sure is a good thing that the community has someone to explain everything to them, set them straight, and take charge of it all. Whatever would the rest of them do without her? All she needs now is to have some kind of new, super hero name. It's probably coming. I think the number of eyerolls I had this time around was down a few notches, though, so that's something anyway. Snark like yours is literally the reason I keep hanging out here and keep watching. The sarcasm and joking around makes this flustercuck bearable. 'I'm not a stupid person, I know what the show is TRYING to do-it just almost always falls short and that's disappointing. And the day I can no longer snark about it is the day I give up on it for good.

Why do they need a plane? Apparently there's a direct road to Canada without any checkpoints. Problem solved! June's not even wearing plot armour anymore-she's progressed to being downright invisble. That's the only ecplanation for her walking out covered in blood without a care in the world, right? With all the eye-rolling dialogue on this show, for once it could've been utilized to really give NotStabler an earful right before his brain leaked out of it. But nope. Fred's household is filled with more drama than my old college's theatre dept and yet he can apparently go willy nilly at will. Even before he started flirting with Commander Stabler he was able to pass all the checkpoints just fine. And yet the architect of the damn economy, he whose bright idea was to form the Colonies, can't even get across town? Sure, Jan.

Am I the only person who learned about this from Danny Zuko?

There are spots on the head that, when struck in the right way, can definitely kill someone even if the object is small. Even a slight hit can cause internal bleeding. Without having seen the scene, though, it's hard to say if that was one of them.