The Eyes: News and Media

[AnswersWanted]

That’s my thinking as well, that having the Emmy overlords lose interest could push the show into a different direction if they finally admit the show is already starting to falter and fade. 

I think it’s getting stale and harder to swallow. 

I would have thought Lizzie at the very least would have snagged a nod, knowing how loved she is by this group, but nope. I actually took heart at that, heh. 

I would have liked to see Alexis and Sam nominated again, but they just have such little screen time to even be nominated over, it’s maddening. 

Hopefully the two prideful punks sinking this show got a nice dose of humble pie with these results. Something may yet shake them out of their delusional state over how “good” the show still is. 

I also realized from that list I watch hardly any TV, network based or cable wise. I recognized the few names I did from shit the actors did eons ago. 

I did take note of the very well deserved nominations for “When They See Us” which I was happy to see. That was a true piece of art with beautiful acting and directing.  

[LBS]

Valid points about reasons behind the lack of nominations but more likely due to this:

Quote

But a number of past Emmy winners — Baskets, Big Little Lies, The Handmaid's Tale, Jessica Jones and Stranger Things — chose to debut their latest seasons in June, or early July in Stranger Things' case, meaning none are eligible for this year's awards. The Handmaid's Tale, however, was able to submit some later episodes from its last season in categories like directing, writing, guest acting and technical areas, due to the Television Academy's "hanging episodes" rule and the fact that a handful of Handmaid's season two episodes aired after the voting period for last year's Emmy nominations.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/handmaids-tale-more-tv-shows-not-eligible-emmys-2019-1224450

[AnswersWanted]

Well ew. 

If that is the case...the narcissists in charge won’t feel any need to change a damn thing. 

And here I had a bit of real hope the show might have a chance to improve from this, I should have known it  was too good to be true. 

[LBS]

9 minutes ago, AnswersWanted said:

And here I had a bit of real hope the show might have a chance to improve from this, I should have known it  was too good to be true. 

We can't have nice things in 2019.  Or 2018.  

[kieyra]

2 minutes ago, LBS said:

We can't have nice things

Fixed that for you, as the kids say.

[chaifan]

I saw a commercial for a new comedy premiering this fall starring Bradley Whitford.  I wonder what that means as to the fate of Comm. Lawrence?  Since Handmaid's Tale is such a short run, and he's a minor major character, I suppose he could do both.  But I was hoping for more of Comm. Lawrence (and his wife), not less.

[AnswersWanted]

5 minutes ago, LBS said:

We can't have nice things in 2019.  Or 2018.  

Tell the truth. 

2 minutes ago, kieyra said:

Fixed that for you, as the kids say.

Tell all the truth, heh. 

This is why I try to avoid deriving pleasure from stuff on TV, because I almost always end up disappointed. 

[AnswersWanted]

2 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I saw a commercial for a new comedy premiering this fall starring Bradley Whitford.  I wonder what that means as to the fate of Comm. Lawrence?  Since Handmaid's Tale is such a short run, and he's a minor major character, I suppose he could do both.  But I was hoping for more of Comm. Lawrence (and his wife), not less.

I saw that too, and that show looks...questionable at best, it is on NBC as well, but I did wonder if that means he’ll be doing double duty appearing on both shows or is THT going to sequester the Lawrences for even more June and the Waterford’s screen time. 

Or maybe they’ll show more of Commander Keller in DC as he attempts to score with Fred. 

Even the Emmys thought his turn as Lawrence was worth nominating him for, so maybe that’ll sway some upcoming decisions.

But they definitely haven’t used him well this season, imo, he hasn’t been fleshed out nearly as well as he should have been by now. Only this show could take a diamond and bury it in a shit pit. 

[alexvillage]

1 hour ago, AnswersWanted said:

I did take note of the very well deserved nominations for “When They See Us” which I was happy to see. That was a true piece of art with beautiful acting and directing. 

I still get angry just thinking about what happened to those boys, now men. 

53 minutes ago, LBS said:

Valid points about reasons behind the lack of nominations but more likely due to this:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/handmaids-tale-more-tv-shows-not-eligible-emmys-2019-1224450

Yes, that's something I hadn't thought about. I do think Alexis' performance was much better this season, pretty much the only thing I liked about the episodes I watched. She conveyed a lot with silence in the scenes of her arrival in Canada and her internal struggles.

31 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I saw a commercial for a new comedy premiering this fall starring Bradley Whitford.  I wonder what that means as to the fate of Comm. Lawrence?  Since Handmaid's Tale is such a short run, and he's a minor major character, I suppose he could do both.  But I was hoping for more of Comm. Lawrence (and his wife), not less.

I guess it depends on how many episodes and when they tape it. Lawrence can still pop up from time to time. 

[Deputy Deputy CoS]

Only the last 3 episodes of S2 was eligible so the 11 noms is actually an over performance. They were nominated in all the categories in which they were eligible.  Lead and supporting actors/actress weren't eligible 

[secnarf]

Thanks for the link about the rules regarding dates - I was all prepared to be furious that Alexis Bledel wasn't nominated 😉 IMO she deserves it more than any of them - although her screentime has been minimal this season, she has shone in the scenes that she does have.

[Ashforth]

I'm not gonna lie, as I read the list of nominations I had a moment of schadenfreude, and then I started wondering whether Season 3 was eligible. Thanks to those who posted the rules.

I see that Bradley Whitford and Cherry Jones are nominated as guest actors, not supporting (as pointed out above, they wouldn't have been eligible as supporting, even though I think it's arguable that Whitford was more than a guest in Season 2. But maybe not). I love me some Bradley Whitford and would be happy to see him win. I hate what they've done with his character in S3.

Edited July 17, 2019 by Ashforth
proper punctuation is the stuff of life.

[Umbelina]

https://www.nme.com/blogs/tv-blogs/the-handmaids-tale-s03e09-season-3-episode-9-heroic-review-june-offred-heaven-place-earth-2529975

A strong, daring episode

The Handmaid’s Tale abandoned its tried and tested flashbacks and Canadian cutaways this week in favour of something a little more daring, season 3 episode 9 taking place almost entirely in the delivery room of a Gilead maternity ward.

Seeing its protagonist slowly unravel from too much time spent in one location, it was reminiscent of Breaking Bad’s critically acclaimed episode ‘Fly’, though allowed itself a little more breathing room, with supporting characters coming and going as June prayed at Ofmatthew’s bedside. We’ve seen June hit the wall many times now, but never as hard as this, our hero delirious and prone to lunge wildly with a scalpel; you know you’re in trouble when Janine is the one talking you down.

Elisabeth Moss has already given a crazy amount of energy and emotion to this show, but this episode must have been her most exhausting yet. The opening interior monologue was beautifully written, asking you to consider the acrid smells of Gilead that sit at odds with its always-beautiful aesthetics. A perfect circle of immaculate red cloaks might look pleasing, but what about the festering sores under them? The kitchens are all soft, hazy morning light, but how must they smell after the 5000th fish dinner?

June started the episode hell bent on revenge but ended it in a place of compassion, the hinge of ‘Heroic’ being an encounter with a kindly doctor (not her first) who extinguished her fury.

It was very intentional that we never got a backstory flashback for Ofmatthew. Who knows what drove her to act so servile? What horrors caused her to not feel able to break from Gileadian dogma? How can we so readily assume she’s just a bit of an asshole? Or maybe she is, but – June was forced to consider – don’t assholes deserve mercy too?

June’s brief meeting in the ward with a young teenage girl who was about to become the latest to be turned into birthing machine seemed to compound this, the girl insisting how delighted she was to be serving Gilead at such a young age, and June showing total empathy and understanding towards the girl’s terrified, automatic response.

Compassion for all victims was the message of the episode, but also: death to the enemy. June has been adrift ever since it became clear that rescuing her daughter may never be on the cards, but here she found new purpose: don’t just fight for your own blood, fight for everyone.

(*more at link)

[Umbelina]

We've been discussing some stuff in the Plot Holes thread here, but I'm going to put a couple of these here.  Book spoilers about race only in some of these.

There is significant media backlash about the obnoxious ways they are dealing with race on this show, and in this funny/astute podcast, they address many of these, including religious and homosexual issues, agism issues, and how horribly June is being written as well.  I'm loving this podcast, and will listen to more, because I'm also laughing out loud while they make excellent points.

  https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL3ZlZ2Fud2FycmlvcnByaW5jZXNzZXNhdHRhY2suY29tL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdC8&episode=aHR0cDovL3ZlZ2Fud2FycmlvcnByaW5jZXNzZXNhdHRhY2suY29tLz9wPTM0MTY&at=1563494819866

Although mainstream media has also published several things about this, I'll also share this guy's wonderful article. 

https://medium.com/@maxgordon19/a-little-respect-just-a-little-bit-on-white-feminism-and-how-the-handmaids-tale-is-being-f954c3d8f50e

Also, credit where it's due, I didn't love the two that run this podcast but their guest was fantastic, and she brought up so many great points.  In addition, at the bottom of this video are several good links (from Vox, to an interview with Miller boasting how he would fix the racism issues in season two, to the above two links, and I'm still going here.)

Edited July 19, 2019 by Umbelina

[Umbelina]

this guy is growing on me, I didn't catch the loaves and fishes reference while watching...

Female director, maybe that's why the show was so much better this week.  She also did Holly, Post Partum, and Heroic.  Dana Reed.

Edited July 24, 2019 by Umbelina

[Umbelina]

https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/podcastcollection/eyes-gilead

Podcast with guest interview Joseph Fiennes.

[go4luca]

I hope this is where this goes.  Anyone see this?  Just posted on IG.

[Umbelina]

[Umbelina]

Pretty recent interview of some of the Handmaid's Tale group.  Very interesting comments about Margaret Atwood's support in the early part of this.  (Janine, Rita!)

I doubt it contains spoilers, but I'm still watching, so can't guarantee it's spoiler free.

Elizabeth Moss, Amanda Brugel, Madeline Brewer, Bradley Whitford, and Max Minghella, moderated by SAG AFTRA foundation program manager Mara Webster.

[Umbelina]

This is the director credited with many of the best episodes of The Handmaid's Tale.  (She's nominated for an Emmy this year.)

Interview with Daina Reid:

[Umbelina]

Short but fun.

Samira talking about the 3rd season.  (Yes, I am avoiding housework)

[Umbelina]

https://www.ctv.ca/etalk/Video/Samira-Wiley-plays-a-badass-in-The-Handmaids-Tale-vid1108576

Samira Wiley talks about being a badass in The Handmaid's Tale.

[alexvillage]

16 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

https://www.ctv.ca/etalk/Video/Samira-Wiley-plays-a-badass-in-The-Handmaids-Tale-vid1108576

Samira Wiley talks about being a badass in The Handmaid's Tale.

The interview is from 2017, first season. I do't know if she would be able to say the same thing today. Oh, expectations! Writers, you disappointed not only the viewers, but also one of the best actors in the show. 

Shallow note: this woman is fucking beautiful!

[AnswersWanted]

I spied this article and I have two things to say, good on ya, Joe, and seriously, Miller and Littlefield are pathetic creeps. 

Handmaid's Tale star fought hard to get this "brutal" scene cut from the show

I cannot say it surprises me that those talentless losers would want to fall back on their rape lust to push a shitty plot, but Joe had too much integrity to let them bully him into taking that route. 

This article, for me, really highlights why I am just over and done with this show. These show runners are trash and they have no real respect for females, imho. 

[kieyra]

1 hour ago, AnswersWanted said:

I spied this article and I have two things to say, good on ya, Joe, and seriously, Miller and Littlefield are pathetic creeps. 

Handmaid's Tale star fought hard to get this "brutal" scene cut from the show

I cannot say it surprises me that those talentless losers would want to fall back on their rape lust to push a shitty plot, but Joe had too much integrity to let them bully him into taking that route. 

This article, for me, really highlights why I am just over and done with this show. These show runners are trash and they have no real respect for females, imho. 

I saw this too (I suspect a lot of us have been searching for any coherent media or interviews and finding very little). I’m not clear on the timeline, does that mean Serena got her finger cut off instead of being raped? (As her “last straw” on deciding that she wants to be rescued from the hell of her own making, I mean.)

Jeez, this show is in so far over its head with this stuff. 

[AnswersWanted]

Just now, kieyra said:

I saw this too (I suspect a lot of us have been searching for any coherent media or interviews and finding very little). I’m not clear on the timeline, does that mean Serena got her finger cut off instead of being raped? (As her “last straw” on deciding that she wants to be rescued from the hell of her own making, I mean.)

Jeez, this show is in so far over its head with this stuff. 

I would guess that's probably what happened. 

They wanted to "trigger" Serena's anger because, you know, that's the ONLY way they could write a woman becoming enraged, by having her sexually assaulted. Especially in the same season where they already showed her being physically whipped. 

Miller and Littlefield disgust me, truly. They act as if these sort of tired, sexist, and misogynist ideas make for good drama instead of just writing out realistic human beings with human emotions. 

The very fact Joe had to fight so hard just to get them to back down is so troubling and awful to me, not to mention it had to be cut at Joe's insistence, where was Yvonne's voice during all of this? 

This show has become so anti-feminist it's like it has become some ridiculous parody. 

[Umbelina]

Glad he put his foot down, Serena has plenty of reasons to want out, and to be willing to turn over Fred.  A rape would have been ridiculous and gratuitous and unnecessary.  

[ferjy]

2 hours ago, AnswersWanted said:

I cannot say it surprises me that those talentless losers would want to fall back on their rape lust to push a shitty plot, but Joe had too much integrity to let them bully him into taking that route. 

Joseph Fiennes has been in some lofty shows. He's probably shaking his head at the mess this had become. I wish he was on the writing (producing/directing/etc.) panels.

[mamadrama]

10 minutes ago, ferjy said:

Joseph Fiennes has been in some lofty shows. He's probably shaking his head at the mess this had become. I wish he was on the writing (producing/directing/etc.) panels.

True story: I became to enamored of him back in the 1990s that it actually affected my life in a very real way-I packed up and headed to the UK for graduate school. I got to see him in some wonderful plays (he originated the role in The Woman in Black and to this day it remains the single most amazing theater experience I've ever had). I met him a few times backstage. Didn't end up marrying HIM, but I did meet my future husband while I was living there so I wound up with a Brit after all. 

[kieyra]

2 minutes ago, mamadrama said:

True story: I became to enamored of him back in the 1990s that it actually affected my life in a very real way-I packed up and headed to the UK for graduate school. I got to see him in some wonderful plays (he originated the role in The Woman in Black and to this day it remains the single most amazing theater experience I've ever had). I met him a few times backstage. Didn't end up marrying HIM, but I did meet my future husband while I was living there so I wound up with a Brit after all. 

How has this experience influenced your view of Fred?

[mamadrama]

26 minutes ago, kieyra said:

How has this experience influenced your view of Fred?

It pains me to see my Joe play a douchebag so well...I'm still totally over the character, though. He can go at any time.

[Cranberry]

Removed a bunch of posts that were just arguing about the language people were using in their posts. 

If you think someone is being unnecessarily rude, report, don't engage. Keep in mind that mods will not warn people for every perceived slight. Sometimes a post is mildly rude but does not break our rules, in which case:

If you consistently have issues with someone, learn to love the Ignore feature.

[alexvillage]

8 hours ago, AnswersWanted said:

This article, for me, really highlights why I am just over and done with this show. These show runners are trash and they have no real respect for females, imho. 

I quoted this part because I read "These show ruiners..." and it is so very appropriate. 

Edited August 14, 2019 by alexvillage

[Umbelina]

Bruce Miller is all over the web today giving interviews, which, while interesting in places, is kind of annoying while looking for actual reviews of the finale.  Anyway, he sounds a tad annoyed in places, which is sort of fun.  I'd say mild spoilers here, very vague, nothing definite really, but if you really avoid spoilers you may want to avoid this one.

The biggest one (frankly, to be expected really) seems to be that June

Spoiler

will be completely changed now, and there will be severe consequences for her, and strong reaction from Gilead, which just lost dozens of children.  

THE WRAP ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Creator on June’s ‘Act of War’ in Season 3 Finale: ‘She’s Doing This for Pain, Not for Pleasure’

“The arc for June on Season 3 was she saw, ‘Look how they react to one child. Boy, it really hurts them. How can I really hurt them?’ So I think the repercussions and June’s goal overlap a lot,” the showrunner said. “She wanted them to be crazed, heartbroken, shattered — that’s what she was looking for. So that’s good in terms of throwing the show up into the air. But she knew what she was doing. She was trying to hit them where it hurt, and she did. And when people are hurt, they strike back.”

I'm not sure if anyone still cares about book spoilers, but just in case, I tagged the one in this article.

TheWrap: The series has already been renewed for Season 4, and it’s not labeled the last — but are you thinking ahead to how it will end and do you plan to mimic the epilogue ending Margaret Atwood had in her novel?

Miller: The book– people say, “Oh, you’ve gone beyond the book.” The book

Spoiler

goes 200 years ahead of me! The book goes on for a very long time, it tells you lots of things about what happened to Gilead. Is it a happy ending? Well, of everybody we talk to, nobody survives. Nobody in our story survives because Gilead falls much later. It falls after all these people are dead and buried.

So I use Margaret’s world as my guide and my light because it works and because the story decisions that she makes are so intelligent. So that’s kind of always where we start. Margaret is a little more encouraging to us to change things than we are comfortable changing things (laughs). We are very happy riding on her coattails and she goes, “Oh you could do this” and we go, “No, it’s awesome!” So I think that we have started, from the very beginning when we started to talk about the book, we talked about the cities in the book that we definitely wanted to see and that’s an amazing part of the book. I just don’t know in the context of the show how it would play. But all of the things that are in the historical notes at the end are things that have guided us all the way along to help us understand what’s going on in Gilead behind the scenes that June doesn’t see, that only the historians in the future would see.

Another Miller Interview, this time with EW

Again, not really spoilerish specifically, he even talks about "liking to write himself into a corner" and figure out how to get out of it later.

However, there is one comment about the people in Canada, that bothers me.  I won't tag this one since apparently he hasn't given it much thought.  Which?  Is disturbing to me. 

To that point, it feels like every other episode now, there’s another major character in Canada. Do you see that as becoming an increasingly large part of the story? Or, say with Serena and Fred — they’re now locked up, are their stories not necessarily as central anymore?
[Pauses] I think that we’ll be following those stories. I don’t know if it’ll wind up being more time in Canada — it depends on a lot of other things, what decisions we make — but all of these people are spokes off of June. They’re directly connected to her. As long as they’re directly connected to her, their fate matters to her. Her friends and the people who love her in Gilead matter to her. They are making efforts, they are getting into contact, they are all living their lives. Also, what happened to her enemies is of interest to her. And if it matters to her, it matters to us.

Damn.

Hopefully that will all change by the time they are writing season 4.  

Edited August 14, 2019 by Umbelina
added another article

[Umbelina]

 Vanity Fair

Handmaid’s TaleShowrunner Breaks Down a Darkly Heroic Season Three Finale

Plus: how the series will interact with Margaret Atwood’s sequel novel, how the writers room discusses race, and whether June’s plot armor has gotten too thick.

No spoilers in this one, vague hints maybe.  He also skates around the race issues and criticisms, but it's good to know that he/they are at least paying attention to those issues going into season 4.

[Umbelina]

This guy keeps getting better.  In this one he nails the hits and misses of this episode, and this season.

He also mentions my biggest pet peeve since season 2, CONTINUITY.

[Empress1]

It's Time for The Handmaid's Tale to Let June Die (from Vulture)

[alexvillage]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

It's Time for The Handmaid's Tale to Let June Die (from Vulture)

People who criticize THT are, in a sense, wimps. I cannot believe they  really see EM as this awesome actor. I really don't see the talent we are supposed to praise so highly. I never did. I think she is an ok actor, not too bad but far from anything that would make her stand among others. Actually, I have only seen a couple of things and her "talent meter" is still negative based on these two performances.

But yes, June should be dead and they should go back to what Margaret Atwood wrote - a Handmaid that represents the victims of a place called Gilead. But of course we will never see that, Ms. producer needs to have her say and Super June Wick will live forever.

[Trillian]

This article sums up so many of my own thoughts:

We Just Have to Accept That The Handmaid's Tale Is a Fantasy Show Now

https://io9.gizmodo.com/we-just-have-to-accept-that-the-handmaids-tale-is-a-fan-1837031128

“This is the world The Handmaid’s Tale lives in now. It’s a fantasy. Granted, it’s a fantasy that makes you feel good, like our heroes are doing something worthwhile, but it’s a fantasy nonetheless. It’s okay to enjoy the ride because it’s hopeful instead of depressing. But it does mar the series. The fear that made it so powerful and palpable is gone, replaced by James Bond in a red cloak and wings. Blessed Be the Fight, because we already know who’s going to win”

[alexvillage]

21 minutes ago, Trillian said:

This article sums up so many of my own thoughts:

We Just Have to Accept That The Handmaid's Tale Is a Fantasy Show Now

https://io9.gizmodo.com/we-just-have-to-accept-that-the-handmaids-tale-is-a-fan-1837031128

“This is the world The Handmaid’s Tale lives in now. It’s a fantasy. Granted, it’s a fantasy that makes you feel good, like our heroes are doing something worthwhile, but it’s a fantasy nonetheless. It’s okay to enjoy the ride because it’s hopeful instead of depressing. But it does mar the series. The fear that made it so powerful and palpable is gone, replaced by James Bond in a red cloak and wings. Blessed Be the Fight, because we already know who’s going to win”

If only they added a disclaimer: loosely based on Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale"

[mamadrama]

20 hours ago, Trillian said:

This article sums up so many of my own thoughts:

We Just Have to Accept That The Handmaid's Tale Is a Fantasy Show Now

https://io9.gizmodo.com/we-just-have-to-accept-that-the-handmaids-tale-is-a-fan-1837031128

“This is the world The Handmaid’s Tale lives in now. It’s a fantasy. Granted, it’s a fantasy that makes you feel good, like our heroes are doing something worthwhile, but it’s a fantasy nonetheless. It’s okay to enjoy the ride because it’s hopeful instead of depressing. But it does mar the series. The fear that made it so powerful and palpable is gone, replaced by James Bond in a red cloak and wings. Blessed Be the Fight, because we already know who’s going to win”

That's a great article. And this is why arguments that start as "well in the book..." don't hold any water anymore. This has ceased being Atwoods' source material. This is Bruce Miller's Tale and Elisabeth Moss' Tale and even June's Tale. But it's left the book. It isn't even "expanding" beyond the book-it's working in a whole diffetent category of the dewey decimal system. I *might* even be okay with that if it were done well. As is, however...

[Umbelina]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/handmaids-tale-podcast-bruce-miller-explains-season-3-finale-1232219

Bruce Miller Podcast about season 3, and a bit of spec about season 4.

[AnswersWanted]

I spied this article and it detailed some facts about season 3’s ranking that I found interesting, and not at all surprising. 

Did 'The Handmaid's Tale' Make A Mistake Cutting Nick's Scenes?

Quote

Over the past three years, The Handmaid’s Tale has objectively decreased in quality. The first season of the show earned a critic’s score of 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 91 percent. The second season dropped to a critic’s score of 89 percent and audience score of 80 percent. After the finale aired, the third season dropped to a critic’s score of 81 percent. To make matters worse, the audience score dropped to 56 percent. This made it the show’s first season to earn a “Rotten” score overall. 

Personally I didn’t miss Nick, there’s nothing he could have added to this season to improve it, imho. 

Watching he and June have scenes like they forced during the DC trip would have been hellish; and whatever fighting he’s doing seems to be shit-all effective. 

However I will be somewhat curious to see if these dismal numbers are reflected come awards season next year.

They rode on the coattails of season 2 with their latest acknowledgements, but this season may not end up favoring them. 

I doubt though that Miller and Littlefield will bend to any pressure to change the show’s trajectory unless they really start to see negative results coming out of tinsel town. 

Edited August 19, 2019 by AnswersWanted

[Ashforth]

13 hours ago, AnswersWanted said:

I spied this article and it detailed some facts about season 3’s ranking that I found interesting, and not at all surprising. 

Did 'The Handmaid's Tale' Make A Mistake Cutting Nick's Scenes?

Personally I didn’t miss Nick, there’s nothing he could have added to this season to improve it, imho. 

Watching he and June have scenes like they forced during the DC trip would have been hellish; and whatever fighting he’s doing seems to be shit-all effective. 

However I will be somewhat curious to see if these dismal numbers are reflected come awards season next year.

They rode on the coattails of season 2 with their latest acknowledgements, but this season may not end up favoring them. 

I doubt though that Miller and Littlefield will bend to any pressure to change the show’s trajectory unless they really start to see negative results coming out of tinsel town. 

I didn't miss Nick, either. 

This article is particularly interesting because it records what many of us who post here have noted: there is no cohesive planning for story arcs or character development. It sounds like chaos in the creative process, and that is evident in the deterioration of the show.

Edited August 19, 2019 by Ashforth

[kieyra]

On 8/19/2019 at 9:09 AM, Ashforth said:

This article is particularly interesting because it records what many of us who post here have noted: there is no cohesive planning for story arcs or character development. It sounds like chaos in the creative process, and that is evident in the deterioration of the show.

Yep. It confirms to me what I've suspected since season 2: they were given the keys to a prestige drama but didn't actually know how to drive it.

This quote sums it up for me:

Quote

If The Handmaid’s Tale wants to be successful, it needs to make a change. It needs to stop attempting to make the show’s irredeemable characters nuanced and find a way to include more supporting characters into the plot. 

This has always been the sticking point for me. I guess they thought that 'gray' characters were a hallmark of prestige drama, because they were looking to Breaking Bad and whatever for their cues, but they missed that Serena and Fred are not tragic antiheroes whose motives bear close examination. They are the nazis of the show. They don't get a pass because Fred is dumb and Serena cries real pretty. 

[nodorothyparker]

The Handmaid's Tale sequel The Testaments getting Hulu TV adaptation

[alexvillage]

2 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

The Handmaid's Tale sequel The Testaments getting Hulu TV adaptation

If this article is accurate, I am very disappointed that Margaret Atwood is still willing to have her words turned into crap by the same writers who, imo, destroyed the premise of the book and created something unwatchable.

She could just leave it as a book, a story that would erase the shitty show as a valid representation of what she wrote. It would be the original author expanding on her first story, and the show would simply be a cheap attempt to make something good. Maybe the money is too tempting?

[nodorothyparker]

She's on the next Time magazine cover lauded as a prophet and has made the short list for the Man Booker prize for a book that's not even out yet.  I very much get the sense she's enjoying the notoriety.  Reading some of the interviews I've seen today about this, there's also a sense that she accepts that the original book and the show are two different animals and she's not terribly bothered by it.  Or she's putting a good face on it because she knows the showrunners are going to do what they're going to do anyway.  I haven't paid a ton of attention to what sort of deal she has here, but other authors whose works have been turned into popular shows have talked about how they don't really have much sway over show content or direction beyond whatever basic courtesy a showrunner chooses to offer once they've sold those rights.  So who knows?  

[Anela]

6 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

The Handmaid's Tale sequel The Testaments getting Hulu TV adaptation

Oh no.

[AngelaHunter]

15 hours ago, Anela said:

Oh no.

x2