mamadrama

Ha ha, all good ideas! My 6-year-old said, "Just get on it and ride it to Canada like Mary and the donkey!" She was pretty pissed that they threw away a perfectly good wolf-centric storyline idea.

Went to 4-H camp with my daughter over the weekend. She's 6 so I can go as an adult leader and stay in the cabin with her. We went last year and had a ball. This time was no so great, though. The other kids were either bullying her or completely ignoring her and I just about lost my shit. (Okay, I DID lose it a few times.) God, I am still so angry. It went on in front of multiple adults, too, and I was the only one trying to stop it so, of course, I got labeled and "mean" and "difficult." It angered me to hear them calling her names but it absolutely broke my heart to see her eating at a table alone, walking 20 feet behind the rest of her group, or playing by herself because none of the other kids wanted to be near her. If I hadn't been there, she'd have been completely by herself. I might have actually killed someone. Ugh, and the worst part was that sometimes she couldn't tell when they were being mean to her so she thought they were her friends. They were bullying her because she dresses in "boys' clothes". That's basically it. Her hair is down to her waist and she has a very "feminine" looking face but, for some reason, they were making fun of her for being "ugly" and for "being a boy." (I mean, at age 6, shorts are shorts.) She gets this a lot, and we don't understand it. Her cabin mates were taunting her and saying, "You shouldn't be in here, you're a boy! Go sleep outside by yourself" and shit. God, it's STILL making me mad. And I know she's my kid and all, but my daughter is beautiful. She really is. She is crazy creative and has a gentle spirit and a wicked sense of humor. She just doesn't like the color pink, thinks all wolves are superior to people, and occasionally forms a crucifix with her fingers when we pass the Barbie aisle. If you've seen my Stubby page then you probably already know who I am anyway, so I'll share her picture. She's mine, but she's gorgeous. I love this little face.

I know I've said this before, but I will repeat it again, ha ha. It PAINS me that Joseph Fiennes is playing such a good asshat on this show. I am a huge, huge fan of his. Back around 20 years ago when I was a travel writer, I got to go to London and review the play "The Woman in Black*" (one of the most amazing stage productions I've ever seen-and with NO sets and no props) and he was one of the leads. Well, there were only 2 people in the play to begin with so... :-) I've seen him in a few other productions since then and have met him on several occasions. (I was once his tour guide when he visited my small university in Wales.) I've been saying for years that I wish he could get a part on a good TV show that would actually last (AHS was only one season with him) and now here we are and I can't stand him... *The movie with Daniel Radcliffe wasn't BAD, but the play is oh-so-much better. Even without many actors, props, and background it's truly spooky. I jumped at one point. If anyone around you ever puts it on, you should try to watch it. I'm pretty sure Joe originated the part that Daniel played.

I'm finding it kind of sad that not even the mystical wolf dog helped. It's like they really are throwing everything and the kitchen sink on the screen and watching for what sticks.

There ya go. Fixed that for you. ;-)

So much of what is happening just seems to be so cliched and due to poor writing. When you watch the interviews with the cast/producers/writing I swear they're talking about a totally different show. Do they really not know how the show is coming across or are they punking us? Exhibit A: Serena Joy gets shot in a part of the body that *could* be the ovary or the tip of the reproductive system. For 3 weeks viewers speculate on this causing her infertility and theorize on how this "act of terrorism" against her strengthened her craziness and made her even more desperate to have a baby. Later, in an interview, Miller explains that the shot was in the hip and seems shocked as hell that people didn't realize that. (If he'd wanted her shot in a place that would injure her but not kill her, why not the shoulder or arm or leg-someplace away from the very body parts that can be used in the reproductive system-you know, the part of the body that is tied into the foundation of Gilead?) Exhibit B: Fred creepily kisses June, tells her that he is giving her a surprise and, in a creepy half uncle kind of way, assures her that she "deserves this." Moments later, her lover is attacked and taken away right in front of her. Many people were under the impression that Fred, not only one of the leaders of Gilead but someone who's been shown to be vindictive and manipulated, set up the whole attack. Nope. Apparently the dumbass really thought that he was doing something good. (Miller and others say that Fred felt guilt and wanted to do something nice for June.) So many other things I could add... And sometimes I think they feel like we're stupid. You know, like we couldn't understand that the ceremony was a type of rape so they had to show us a "real" one for us to see how awful Gilead and the Waterfucks are. Yes show, we know. @VagueDisclaimer, I believe it was, talked about Gimple and TWD. So many viewers have left, including myself, because of how the show has continued to unfold. I'm not saying that the showrunners should dictate all the plots and overreaching arcs but it many people continue complaining about the same things then they really should pay attention. As crazy and frustrating as LOST could be, those guys kept a good finger on their audience's pulse and they tried. (Unfortunately, by then the show was so convoluted that they'd never be able to "fix" it. Later, when asked, they couldn't even remember some of the storylines that were dropped.)

I've heard a lot of people talking about how "realistic" the birthing scene was. Yeah, it was pretty realistic but I've given birth 3 times. I know what it's like, I don't really need to see it played out on my screen again for further proof of what a good actress their lead actor is. To be honest, I'd have rather watched more of the ridiculous "birthing ceremony" from the fake mothers. As cringe-worthy and ridiculous as those are, they entertain the hell out of me. (Though I am conflicted because I am also enjoying the fact that Serena Joy got to miss out on it. So there's that.) For pregnancy realism, the comedy movie KNOCKED UP is still #1 in my book. We watched it right after the birth of our first son and my husband and I have never laughed so hard in our lives. (And we're not even big on comedies.) They got so much of that right. Now we're more in line with THIS IS 40.

I agree. This feels like another case of a character acting out of character for no other reason than to carry the plot forward. So many of these people have done things that don't make sense for their character. In the beginning I shrugged it off as , "Eh, real life is messy and you can't always predict what people are going to say or feel" but now I just feel like it's sloppy writing. It's more of a "We need the pot to go from A to B so let's bring ____ character in and have them do something to transition us there. What? That character would never do or say something like that? No matter, we'll just rewrite their characterization and nobody will remember the difference." Episode 02.13 is called "The Word". Synopsis: Serena and the other Wives strive to make change. Emily learns more about her new Commander. Offred faces a difficult decision.

I would've enjoyed that so much more than what I watched...

My kids and I have a podcast and a You Tube channel in which we watch and discuss things that some people don't think are appropriate for children. (Low budget horror flicks, Handmaid's Tale, etc.) While watching this episode, here's what my 6 year old daughter had to say: - Maybe she can just ride that wolf out the way that Mary rode the donkey. - Oh, a depressing part. Good, we hadn't seen one in almost 3 minutes. - If you are 6 or 11 then this is totally inappropriate for you and you shouldn't be watching. You might just want to turn to our kitten videos now, they're fun for all ages! - Now go hide your baby so those idiots don't come back and take it from you! - I get it, people had babies, but does that mean that we have to sit through 3 births in one episode? Boring! - Shoot Serena Joy! But don't shoot Fred. Now that we've learned that he's kind of stupid, it doesn't seem fair. - Does Gilead never see the other 3 seasons? - I love that house! Can we have more of that and less of the closeups on her face? - I feel bad for the poor camera guy who had to stand there and watch her have the baby. At least I got to cover my eyes . - Mommy, when you're 110 and you die, can you come back as a wolf to be my spirit animal? I'll keep you as a pet and feed you chicken every day. - After seeing her have the baby, I totally understand now why we have Mother's Day. Sorry Mommy. That looked bad... - Don't worry guys, we edited out all our farts.

Wherever she's sent, I'm sure it will last about as long as June's escape, Emily's Colony stay, Fred's hospital visit, Charangela's sickness, etc. They'll prob wrap it up in one episode.

In a podcast, Miller said that Serena Joy was shot in the hip, not in the ovary or uterus. He didn't think that people would interpret that as proof of her infertility. He seemed surprise that people's minds went there. He said that he just wanted her shot in a place that was "serious but not life threatening." She could still possibly get pregnant.

The next episode will shed some light on the whole rendezvous thing, so that should help. And yeah, the whole "Nick is an Eye" thing. I feel like that might be another dropped storyline. We haven't seen Nick do much, if anything, with this. (I would argue, too, that he doesn't do much with Mayday either. Yes, he got June out for a little while, but what else?) Nick's role as an Eye and as a member of Mayday has been so underutilized that I sometimes forget he's a part of either.

I could watch an entire season about the Waterfords. I find their story to be fascinating and I want to see both their origin stories and how they'll eventually fall. I guess June is meant to reflect kind of an "everywoman" and her character is supposed to be flawed enough that she's not really a saint and yet we still root for her, but I just can't with this. I'm bored now. I don't want to eat quiche with Serena Joy and paint each others nails while we reflect on America's Next Top Model, but, as a viewer, I'd sure as hell gleefully sit back and watch her descent in gradual madness on my television. The only interesting people I am finding right now are the "evil" folks and, therefore, they're the only ones I am invested in watching. I have zero fucks to give about most of what's going on. As long as Emily is reunited with her family and Janine gets Charangela out and goes dancing at a nightclub in Toronto sometime in the future, I'm good.

Like the old public hangings. People used to bring the whole family and food stalls would set up. Good quality community entertainment! *yech*

Some seasons of American Horror Story have laid out the entire season plot wise before it even airs. I wish THT was even more spoiled than it is. We know relatively nothing about episode 13, for instance. I need more.

We do. We download each one. I wasn't going to watch Maci's at all, but I caved in to kind of complete the season. If I could've found a pirated version of the epi, I totally would've watched it instead.

Honestly, I think this story line will get dropped like many of the others. I DID think that Fred, or even Eden, could be behind setting Nick up. Now I honestly just think that it was a random patrol and he got caught. It will all probably be smoothed over in just a conversation or two. They wanted to get June alone so that she could deliver by herself so they just wrote in a couple of dudes patrolling the road and catching Nick. They'll talk, Fred will make some shit up, and Nick will go home.

Yvonne has said that she is returning for season 3. We know that Rita is returning because Amanda Bruegel has posted pictures of herself on the set and tagged them as "season3." Now whether Serena Joy is coming back via flashbacks or nightmares, it's hard to say.

I broke down and paid the $1.99 for the episode on Vudu. I know, I'm lame. My family is a big fan of the show, though, and we tend to watch the episodes over and over again so it felt like a good investment at the time. (It wasn't. One of the more boring ones, actually.)

The episode 12 promo. It's under "extras" on Hulu, or you can probably find it on You Tube.

I was going to post something similar. Also born in early 1980 something and I never had a car seat growing up. They either put me on someone's lap or rolled up blankets around the seat to keep me from falling out onto the floor. If I was trying to escape my oppressors and keep my kid from becoming Eden 2.0 or, worse, ME then I'd not have let lack of car seat stop me. If June had been stopped, I don't think it would've been the lack of adhering to 21st Century American vehicular law that would've had them dragging her back to town. And actually, regarding the labor, she probably could've driven up to a certain point. June seemed to go straight into active labor, unless she'd been in labor for most of the day anyway and we weren't seeing it until they wanted us to. Women can be in labor for days and continue doing regular activities for a while. At 4cm dilated and 60% effaced with contractions every 15 minutes, I was still driving. I didn't KNOW that I was dilated and effaced, so I was just carrying on as normal. People can do all kinds of weird shit when adrenaline kicks in. I don't have an issue with June getting the car out, though. Though I agree that she could've used the shovel for leverage, could've cut the wires to get the garage door open, etc., what would she have done once she got it out? There are apparently patrols around there. I don't think she'd have made it far. The whole fakeout escape was eyerolling, though. Oh no! June *almost* escapes again! The nailbiting drama!!

My kids and I got a kick out of the argument. What I came away with, too, is that Fred is not quite the evil manipulator that I've thought him to be-he truly does seem to be an ignorant dumbass. That doesn't excuse his actions, doesn't make him less loathable, doesn't make him less complicit or even "good" but it DOES offer some insight into his motivation. I mean, in his own twisted way he truly thought that he was doing something nice for June, ha ha. When he kissed her head and said, "You deserve this", the fucker wasn't being ironic at all. God, what a mess. Shit like this actually tickles me.

Yeah, I was getting mentally ill in a Jane Eyre kind of way from that promo. The spoiler descriptions has said that it's a mysterious household or something, so I am going to cut them some slack until we see how this plays out. I'm hoping it doesn't disappoint. In one of the articles, Miller says that they got the "inspiration" from the witches' drownings. It's possible that they just took the idea of throwing someone into a vat of water as punishment and ran with it and that they're not totally revisiting the whole trial by water thing.

Yep. It was the high and mighty "St. Maci" thing with her bragging about how she camped "3 or 4 times a year" and would tough it out and would never quit that made me WANT to see her quit. I don't want to get off topic, but I wonder how Farrah would've fared. That would've been interesting. That Bentley really is a cutie, though.