Veronimo

Max Minghella was in the comedy "The Internship," a movie which—for reasons none of us can truly articulate—my entire family finds hilarious. The Quidditch scene alone kills us, and Max makes for a funny little villain. Gets to use his native accent, too.

Just remembered the traumatized Guardian who Moira helped at the refugee center—he would know a ton of stuff, too (as would many of the escapees). Maybe next season they'll get a Little America band together and storm a weak section of the border...

What has Luke been doing? It seems crazy to me that he isn't actively fighting to get to June and Hannah. He doesn't appear to have any other family, so why isn't he clawing, scratching, bulldozing his way to the family he does have? All he seems to do is wander around Little America with his hands in his pockets. When he's brought in to meet with the woman who gives him the note from June, he thinks he's there for a different reason. He pulls some papers out of his pockets and says something about a bunch of people found at a school or something, but she cuts him off. That's the only indication we get that he has some kind of job or is doing some kind of research into what's going on. I really hope they fill us in on what he's been doing for the last 3 or 4 years. And...has no one debriefed Moira? She was trained at the Red Center, she survived sexual slavery at Jezebel's, she knows exactly what women are subjected to in Gilead—she could have told the outside world all about it long before Nick ever brought the letters to Canada. I get that both Luke and Moira are suffering from survivor's guilt, but for them to just wallow in it while June fights her ass off is suddenly making zero sense to me. And they know that's what she's doing! I keep thinking about when Hannah asked, "Why didn't you try harder to find me?" and wondering what question June will ask of Luke. If he can't truthfully say, "I did everything I possibly could to get you and Hannah out of there," then what kind of partner is/was he, really?

Oh, for sure! She would have been schooled in some way up until she was about 11 years old, correct?

After Luke's escape, we see him in Little America and—in what I think is the only reference to time the show ever offers—they tell us it's "3 years later." This is also when he's given the note from June. Factoring in June's pregnancy, that means we're almost 4 years in. This would make Hannah 7 or 8 now, I believe? I do think she looked/acted about that age when we saw her in the summer house. It must be so difficult to age a child actor up or down! I guess that's why there was a different young actor playing Hannah in some of this season's flashbacks...

Now I'm imagining Claire Danes in the role, complete with that incredible quivering chin...

Ha! The show is definitely a study in EM's face; I feel like I know every inch of it. I do think it's a great choice to film her makeup-free, though; if she had even a touch, I'm sure we'd all be complaining about it. I have to go back and re-watch because I've never noticed that June is consistently slow when speed is called for! I remember her being pretty quick on her feet during the initial run (where she ends up in the refrigerated meat truck), and she stomped around as quickly as a 9-month pregnant woman could possibly stomp at the summer house, but since all of you have mentioned it, I'm sure I'm suffering from selective memory. Of course the good-bye with Serena and Nichole was excruciatingly slow...

I agree, but in all fairness Emily has nothing that ties her to Gilead. Everything she wants and needs is across the border—no need for lengthy flashbacks or contemplative staring into the distance!

I assumed June and Nick hadn't been intimate since The Dawn of Eden, but I remembered a couple of things. In S1, June's narration includes a description of how she returned to Nick again and again, she wants to memorize him, etc. etc. We clearly weren't privy to every encounter. And then when she returns from the hospital after that big scare (the Nick yelling in the rain scare), he sees June in the living room, asks if she's staying there for now, and then says, "I'll come see you tonight, then," and she responds, "We can't keep sneaking around." I think we can (maybe?) assume they've found their moments. I was stunned by the scene where Nick meets the ambulance that returns false-labor June to the Waterfords; the two are so blatant about their feelings. And then Hulu released an "anatomy of the scene" feature about it, and it was written right into the script. Regarding the public touching: "Today they can get away with it. In this moment they're the only people in the world who matter. Nick doesn't see Eden. He doesn't see anyone but Offred. Mother, Father, and Baby. The rest of the world can go f**k themselves." I have to add this part because I found it so hilarious. When Serena shows up, the script continues, "Offred looks at Nick. Serena has ruined their moment. Like she ruins everything." HA! I agree that the "I slept with her husband," line was funny! They should have gone all the way with the humor—"Well, Nick's my baby daddy."

I'll disagree here. As a "fallen" woman, she is punished by having her child taken from her and becoming a Handmaid. She's been hit with the cattle prod several times, had some sort of insane foot torture, been hit and choked by Serena, raped every month (par for the course), extra brutally raped by Fred and Serena ostensibly to speed the birth along but also to remind her of her place, had Hannah's safety threatened by Serena, chained to a bed while pregnant, mentally tortured in countless ways (fake hanging, death of secret Muslim Mayday man, forced to eat while her fellow Handmaids had their hands burned on a stove, etc. etc. ad nauseum). It's true she hasn't lost a limb or an eye or , but in traditional storytelling terms she is the heroine of this tale and as such I think that the viewing audience, to some extent, needs her to be physically whole. It does take her to a superhuman level, but it is Hollywood, after all. Suspension of disbelief required!

Hahahahaha! Definitely NOT catching on; I just used it because I can't bear to call her Nicole (yet), and I was too lazy to think of something better. Fear not.

I'm not sure about this. The Martha's efforts weren't completely wasted because Ho-Cole and Emily do appear to be on their way out of Gilead. And their efforts also demonstrated to June that it would be possible for Hannah to escape, as well. Knowing that—believing that—how could she leave? The focus of the season was motherhood, and June is trying to do what all mothers try to do: protect their children. Serena, for all her faults, her pride, her twisted worldview, her complicity—did the same (and no, I don't think this redeems her). June now knows that Luke will be fighting for her and Hannah in Little America and that the letters from Jezebels have made a difference. She even knows that Oprah is out there, somewhere, in oversized glasses (okay, so there's no way to be sure about the glasses). Everything she's learned this season about resistance inside and outside Gilead has primed her for fighting back in S3. No doubt parts of it will be completely ridiculous, but I'm looking forward to it...

They definitely glossed over the explanation of June giving birth at the summer house. But Aunt Lydia, in praising June to the other Aunts, said something like, "Out for a drive! Goes into labor! Gives birth alone!" while Waterford describes Nick as falling victim to some overzealous Guardians. So I guess we're supposed to assume that the story is the Waterfords instructed Nick to take June for a drive, she went into labor, he brought her into the house, he went outside to greet the Guardians upon their arrival, they were instantly suspicious and took him away? For most of this season i thought we'd get some sort of reveal about why the Waterford household is relatively untouchable. I kept thinking it had something to do with Jezebels (about which we know almost nothing)—that it was some sort of elite frat boy club and that membership guaranteed a certain level of protection. But then Fred and Serena showed up at the summer house in a genuine panic, and I realized...the writer's room dropped a big ball. Plenty of time to self-correct; I'm rooting for the writers!

I acknowledge the missteps of the season, but I still found it gripping and a must-watch! And I did appreciate this finale. I've read through this entire thread, and just wanted to mention a few things I don't think have been discussed yet: Nicole. This name is from the French, and it translates into "people's victory." From that perspective, the name works on Serena's end (the birth being a victory for Gilead) and on June's end (her escape being a victory for the resistance), as well. The fact that it's a nod to her actual paternity is a bonus for me because, yes, I am all about June & Nick. Don't @ me! June's Decision. This was maddening. But also understandable because now that Ho-Cole has (likely) made it out of Gilead, June knows that it's possible to get Hannah out, too. And as others have mentioned, the resistance is looking pretty good: Lawrence, Marthas, Handmaids, Eyes, maybe even a few Serenas, not to mention Oprah, Canada, Little Americans, and Mr. Flirty Guy from Hawaii. Everyone is complaining that June didn't leave Gilead, but I posit that she did. Not physically, but psychologically. And that's arguably more important. Back Stories. Any guesses on Rita's backstory beyond what we know about her son? I think we only know about the previous life of one Martha, correct?—The pediatric surgeon? We live in a society that often discounts the strength and wisdom of 50+ year-old women and renders them invisible. Gilead has done the same, and it's a mistake there, too. I can't wait to witness the full power of the Marthas. Inconsistency. Many on the thread have mentioned that Handmaids and others are doing things that never would have been tolerated when the series began, i.e. walking in groups, speaking at a normal volume, etc. etc., but I think this indicates that the edges of Gilead are definitely fraying and that it's ripe for a fall. I think, too, that some of the complaints about Serena and June acting in inconsistent ways is a little unfair. Gilead comes at you fast, and I think we've all had intense experiences where we thought did I just do that? Or where we've been frozen, not said what we wanted to say, missed an opportunity (hello delegation from Mexico, I'm fine! I LOVE being a Handmaid!), or whatnot. These characters sometimes act out of character because Gilead has done a number on their character. "I love you." She finally said it. My stone cold heart broke for Nick both times that he declared his love to a stoically unresponsive June. I look forward to seeing what happens with the Nick-June-Luke triangle of people with single-syllable names. It's arguable, but I think Nick could have escaped Gilead any number of times since June appeared; he stays because he loves her. He's put himself in harm's way again and again to protect her, and the truth is...Luke left. I don't blame him, but he left. Thanks for indulging these things that have been floating around my brain...