tvsoothesthespirit

I might have liked it better if we had seen these events first through June's eyes, then through the eyes of the rescued, trainee handmaiden. I like that the women are the storytellers. IMHO, that's what is the remarkable part of the series. Even though men have stolen all of the power (although there are always ways for the powerless to subvert it) we see this entire society through the eyes of women.

Me too! I'll be really sad when the inevitable happens to her. I only say inevitable because I don't think the average lifespan of a handmaid can be very long. They're probably out at least by the time they're 40. I feel a deep and simmering rage against the Ambassador and Serena Joy. I knew when the Ambassador looked like she took June's answers at face value that the ambassador would be no help whatsoever. It was obvious June was struggling to provide the correct answers; you would miss that only if you were trying to. I was trying to figure out what was with Mexico as well. We don't know what changes their government has gone through but it might be that the handmaids could be artificially inseminated there or undergo in vitro insemination. I'm not sure that would help -- to me it's still rape. I don't come from a religious background and I'm not religious now. It's always very interesting to me to see the mental gymnastics people who take the bible seriously have to go through to explain the world around them and their place in it. Because they don't believe in reproductive assistance, they can't try artificial insemination. Because they have to punish people not adhering to "God's Law," they've probably murdered many involved in reproductive science, not to mention those women who die in childbirth due to pregnancy complications (although there was a "doctor" at that clinic; I wonder how long it would take him to get to a birth?). Because men are a direct manifestation of God on earth (or that's what the interpretation seems like to me), it can't possibly be them that is the hang up in reproduction, so they have years of rape happening to, what is your guess, maybe 100 women, with no children to show for it. Women are supposed to keep to the home and focus on creating a family so they miss out on many insights into problems. I guess the TL;DR of it all is that the more the Gileadeans adhere to the beliefs, the more hamstrung they are in trying to progress.

Exactly. That's what got me thinking about the wives literally dying if they have no children. Since it's entirely their fault and has nothing to do with the rumored sterility of the male population. Married off to an available Commander? Converted to a Martha? There have to be more layers to the social strata than we've been exposed to.

Does anyone else wonder that if no children are born, the commander's wives are killed? I keep hearing that "or else I die" line over and over again every time I see Serena Joy. This series really makes it clear that if you turn all of the disenfranchised against one another, you can rule very effectively.

I think I remember it was a basketball injury -- someone clocked him as they were going up for a shot.

That makes sense - thanks for replying! The sleep thing could be an unwritten part of the punishment system, I guess but it seems like it might cause a lot of problems. I know they use food as a punishment though. For example the infamous nutrition loaf.

I think the women's side is worse because there are more women per room. If it was you and one other person, odds are better there wouldn't be as much happening when you're locked in your cell. I think they have more time out of their cells, as well. Why are they serving breakfast at 2:00 AM? Did I hear that correctly?

Although I don't buy the jailer's "we need help figuring things out," line; I do believe this show could help change the jail. My hope still is that the jailers are using the show to draw attention to what's happening and eventually get more money. Maybe when people know how it really is, they'll be more willing to pay the taxes required to bring these places up to standards that are at least humane. I agree -- no objections, really, to any of the contestants so far!

I'm sorry I left you all hanging! I watched the OnDemand "behind the scenes" video (it was just listed with the other episodes in my OnDemand menu) was a complete bust. It was basically just a 4 minute commercial for the show. That youtube video is way more informative. I would love to do something like this. Too many commitments, unfortunately. My ideas are totally up for grabs.

I agree with all the posts regarding the revealing of the rules and most everything else. It's too bad, because I think the premise is fantastic. IMO, they found some great characters to play as fugitives. The hunters could use some more personality. One thought I had is why couldn't you just trade the ATM card and PIN for cash. You could trade it with someone who is committed to helping you. Suddenly you have cash and possibly could get the hunters following a false lead. It may be against the rules, which I would know if I knew the rules. There's an OnDemand "Behind the Scenes" episode. Maybe I'll watch it and see if the rules are explained.

I was thinking that as far as the Wolves network being burned, I agree that to be on the safe side, they shouldn't stay with any of them. However, the Hunters were not able to read what was in the letters. They could still use the email account to get info. from their network and to send messages for activities that would throw the Hunters off track. I'm a little overly invested in make that strategy work because it's on my list of things to do if I'm ever being pursued. Not that I'll ever be pursued but, you know, anything could happen ;) I would really benefit from understanding the rules. Are the runners required to keep moving? If not, they could have just holed up in the No Trespassing house for 10 days.

I think the show's decision not to speak derisively about the OT III stuff is well founded. The point isn't that people believe crazy stuff -- that's easy to write off. The point is, the members of Scientology are being abused and, it seems, have signed over their free will to the organization. I was kind of disappointed that Leah won't give up the legal challenge idea. Legal challenges are expensive and they can backfire. IMHO, that money might be better used to persuade people to leave the CO$, or better yet, not join up. The sunlight this show, books, and documentaries have recently shed is a huge help to this. I think most members are of the "public" type. They're hemorrhaging money into the organization. If their heads can be turned, that would be a huge start. For the more indoctrinated, inner circle members (are there many of these at this point?), maybe create safe havens where people leaving Scientology can go, hand out leaflets with helpful information about leaving the church, staff 800 numbers for members to call if they need help, create a rescue force to patrol outside various Orgs to help when people leave and are pursued, etc. Have to do it while the iron is hot, though, before public interest wains. When Scientology can no longer sign new members, when members' kids can see a way out, and when members start leaving, the organization will stop bringing in money. All of the above activities will also drain money from coffers as Scientology fights a war on several fronts. Kudos to this show for making me think about this stuff!

Unlike some others, this episode made me believe more firmly that Bernard could be a robot. Namely, the repeated "you've been here forever," lines. They repeated that several times. I think that Arnold uploaded his consciousness into the Westworld "system" somehow. Therefore, he can access most of the robots and start the virus running with his key phrase -- These violent pursuits have violent ends (that was it, right?). How could he do that? I have no idea! Why is he manifesting at this point? I have no idea! It appears that there are plots within plots happening, right? We've got the host/satellite hookups, the Board maneuverings, Ford's plan (whatever that is -- maybe to thwart the other plots - at least the ones he's aware of), Arnold's activation of some of the robots to explore their state of existence, TMIB and the maze (maybe a part of Arnold's plan). I may have missed some. We also have rogue lab techs mucking around. If Felix has a little side hobby, there are probably more out there. Well, seven pretty great episodes in, I'm invested enough to come up with theories and try to keep track of the plots. Here's hoping TPB are just as invested!

I think because she didn't get a mortgage loan but what sounds like a second mortgage on the house with cash back or a personal loan guaranteed by the house, she wouldn't have the backing of all the legal protection involved in getting a mortgage. You are completely correct, though, that piece was badly explained. A bank will loan people (I don't know about Fiona in particular) money to buy a business that include all of the business property, in this case all of the laundromat equipment, and the lease that allows the business to operate on that site. That would be a mortgage and it seems like it would have the due diligence you talked about. Either way, not explained well. Imho, it's just a device to get us from point A (Fiona tries to become financially independent) and Point B (Fiona loses the house and chaos prevails).

Yes, Fiona did buy the lease. Her thinking, I guess, is that she can run the place at a profit for those 8 years, then renegotiate the lease or move on. Maybe she thinks she will be a multiple property owner by then. If she could afford it, It would have been better to use that money to buy some dilapidated property and just hold on to it until a buyer comes along. I'm a little concerned that the not very nice little old lady may have sold her lease to several parties. She'll pocket the money, leave the cats behind and Fiona will owe monthly payments on $80,000 to the bank. Hope the diner continues to do well.

I still like it. I keep thinking the background shots show the rooms changing. Maybe it's just the camera angles. It looks like Mrs. Brooks (is that her name? The teacher) might be behind the whole thing. Maybe she was recruited as a child.

I was so relieved that Dion was one of the first inmates released; I actually breathed a sigh of relief! I still don't understand how the sheriff doesn't already know these things about his own COs. Most of them are terrible at their jobs and really don't care to do better. I understand how he doesn't know what the inmates are doing (other than the bathroom/shower power trips because last season's inmates gave that exact feedback) because his COs are so crappy he never hears about it. As I sit here, listening to my office mate loudly biting and crunching her apple, I understand a tiny bit how hard it must be to keep from losing your mind day after day with nothing else to do.

I think the people they're showing as dead really are dead; although I do keep waiting for Sydney's hidden tricks to show themselves. Take it with a grain of salt, though -- I thought Agnes would be the last one standing! So, Lee is possibly alive, Cuba is alive, Shelby is alive, TV Shelby is alive, and Audrey is alive. That's it, right? If this pace keeps up, we could burn through that set in no time. Plus, it's night 2 and it was supposed to be 3 nights in hell. That leaves episodes 9 and 10 for and interview with the survivor? A where are they now on the Polks?

Right - she was also the woman that met with Mike's mom in the cafe.

I wish this had been on during the summer; it would have been perfect! A lot of stuff happened; I hope they can keep up with themselves and make it all work. I guess they could just blame everything on the show at the end.

Me too. I don't think she should have compared the two. My thought on it; instead of treating her the way he got treated (or would like to be treated), maybe he could treat her the way she (Ashleigh) wants to be treated (and it would be great if she could reciprocate). I think Ashleigh and Zach's communication styles are pretty immature.

I think it took me 20 minutes but we're on the same page. I basically turned this into one of those catch up clip shows that preview before the season. Now I'm free to look forward to this coming season, which I think is kind of make or break for the show. I was pleased that Negan wants his first delivery in a week. Hopefully things will move more quickly now!

iMonrey -- I was going to write something similar. In fact, I'm a fully functional member of society, I love my kid, AND I am not the first emergency contact (a good friend is). Why? Because I have to work, I work 45 minutes from school, and they can be there more quickly. It is not the end of the world to be the second (or third) emergency contact on the list. I am, of course, listed as a parent and I handle issues with the school, fundraising, all that stuff. But we're talking emergency contacts and that's not me. The stuff with Debbie is one of the most true things I think I've seen on this show. It points out exactly why it is so difficult to force kids (especially teenagers) to face up to what they have created. In this case, when you force Debbie to take responsibility, it's Harry that is hurt. I think it's high time that Ian and Lip took on some of the responsibilities. Lip would also benefit from taking a few more bites of that humble pie.

I like this series but the puppets showing up in real life are little hokey; I liked it when the skeleton showed up and you could tell it was a person wearing a costume; that was scarier to me. The fact that the kids are identical twins makes me believe we may not know exactly which brother is really walking through town. From the look of this forum, I may be the only one watching this. On the off chance there's someone else out there, I have a question. When the girl's mom was talking to Mike in the hospital by the girl's room, in the background was a hallway with yellowish wallpaper and a guy on crutches followed by a nurse. When the camera went back, the hallway matched the one they were standing in (similar to those weird curtains that were pulled when Mike was walking down the hall). That couldn't have been a continuity error, right? That was on purpose?

First, I was really gratified to read and hear the Sheriff say (on that insider show) that some of the staff are actually being fired. It would be great to know exactly who -- although that probably won't happen. I like Ryan; his store idea could get him into trouble but if it is actually happening when they're on the verge of leaving, he's probably safe. One way to avoid collecting debts is to not extend credit. He could be the "fair prices, no credit" store! Honestly, I think Ryan is just trying to keep his mind occupied during all this boredom. I don't want to hang out with him but I don't think he's the worst, either. Ashleigh probably has a boil caused by bad food and a lot of stress. Once again on the phone with Zach. It seems like they bait each other. He baits her by saying things about her mother and how she should be more like him and she baits him with comparing her experience with his in the war. I wonder if that's how they are at home. My opinion is that Zach is an ass and Ashleigh shouldn't let her shame over her earlier life prevent her from standing up to him. All that boredom leads to histrionics -- burnout from that could lead to apathy on the part of the guards.