S02.E01: June / S02.E02: Unwomen

[markx]

The hand/burning scene was hard to watch (not sure porn is the right word for it, nothing was or was intended to be sexual). I'm not sure I agree with the idea that they went too far or that shouldn't have been shown. I mean, we've already had brutal executions like stoning, physical torture like removing eyes, concentration death camps, and the whole show is based around organised mass rape on a monthly basis. Any one of those earlier examples could also have been skipped - skip too many, and it defeats the point of the show.

I was curious by the airport scene. Wouldn't immigration rules be what the destination country requires? Now of course, I'm not expecting Canada to suddenly be relaxing its rules (and sadly, in times of crisis we hear people get even more opposed to immigration and asylum seekers). But they would still recognise same-sex marriage - although I suppose it's not hard to see the US/Gilead authorities deciding to interpret Canada's rules in their ways. Or maybe the point was that Gilead was increasingly clamping down on freedom of movement out the country, no matter what other countries allowed?
 

On 04/05/2018 at 4:40 AM, SourK said:

Because they don't hate lesbians. They f--ing love lesbians because it gives them somebody to feel superior to and because it means they get to punish all the unbelievers who don't live according to the strict set of rules they've imposed on themselves. There's no scenario where Gilead wanted everyone who didn't agree with them to leave the country. Then they wouldn't have anyone to boss around. They needed to keep people there if they could.

I agree - although also any woman fleeing was a potentially fertile woman.
 

On 02/06/2018 at 8:15 PM, Clanstarling said:

Speaking just for myself (and not all Americans), no - not so extreme. The seeds that led up to the Handmaid's Tale universe are present in our reality at an alarmingly increasing rate. I don't know that I think it will go that far, but is more of a possibility (in my mind) than it was when I read the book originally.

 

I agree about comparisons to America. But worryingly many other countries too that are already further down that road, and all some people (in society, not here!) can do is moan about asylum seekers. It would be interesting for the show to show that side: people make it all the way to Canada, only to be turned away; or those who stay experience anti-immigration abuse, with people assuming they must have the same views as those they fled from.

[scrb]

On 5/1/2018 at 10:31 AM, chaifan said:

Yes, Gilead has a supply of free/slave labor, but they still have to make/grow/produce something to contribute to the economy.  The women clearing the field aren't contributing to the economy (yet).  They're really just doing busy work, as a few people with the right machinery/equipment could clear that field in a few days.  Housing them, feeding them, employing guards and others to be there is just costing the gov't money.

It seems to be about inflicting punishment and cruelty more than anything.

yeah it’s inefficient to have sickly women do that work and then they will eventually die so it’s a slow death sentence.

OK these people are sadistic and there seems to be no shortage of sociopaths they could f8nd to be aunts or guardians.  

I question how easily Washington and the US fell.  20-30 men with machine guns at the Capitol and explosion at the White House?  Sorry that wouldn’t be enough.  There are thousands of police and national Guard soldiers in immediate vincinity of DC.

unless most of them decided to join this rebellion, the Sons of Jacob would be vastly outnumbered.  Taking over a city like Washington would take a long time unless the populace meekly surrendered.  They’d have to go door to door to secure the territory.

Look at the difficulties the US military had of securing much smaller and less modern cities in Iraq and Afghanistan.  There was insurgency using IEDs to slowly whittle down an occupying military and this went on for months if not years.

The US is full of guns not to mention military bases, arms depots.  They could conquer a city but secur8ng it would take thousands of troops.

Maybe there were massacres and large numbers of refugees, far more than suggested by Little America up in Toronto.

[mostlylurking]

On 4/26/2018 at 4:43 AM, Sbeetle said:

The subtle racism when The nurse asked June if Hannah was her biological child. Damn.

I am super late to watching this series, but I took that question as a fact finding mission to see if June was actually able to birth a child.  They were obviously in short supply and by knowing June was able to have at least one healthy child it was possible she could have more.

Justt a general comment which I am sure has been addressed ad nauseam, but if handmaids are literally responsible for continuing the human race in Gilead continues, why are they treated like such shit?  I know all women are treated like shit in one way or another in this fucked up society, but if any of these women can be considered useless it’s the wives.  The handmaids have the babies, the Marthas do all the cooking and cleaning and probably help take care of the children.  The wives don’t really do anything.  They should be lowest on the totem pole. 

[AngelaHunter]

4 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

The subtle racism when The nurse asked June if Hannah was her biological child. Damn.

In the book (which I am re-reading now) June mentions how she saved a lock of Hannah's "white-blond hair."

[Ashforth]

4 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

The wives don’t really do anything.  They should be lowest on the totem pole. 

They are part of the ruling class because they are married to the men in charge, which establishes their status.

[Umbelina]

On 12/16/2020 at 4:54 PM, AngelaHunter said:

In the book (which I am re-reading now) June mentions how she saved a lock of Hannah's "white-blond hair."

 

On 12/16/2020 at 12:39 PM, mostlylurking said:

On 4/26/2018 at 2:43 AM, Sbeetle said:

The subtle racism when The nurse asked June if Hannah was her biological child. Damn.

Yes, the show is quite different than the books in one major way.  Book spoiler follows, so skip if you don't want to know.

Spoiler

Gilead is highly racist, there are no people of color as handmaids or as children, or as adult citizens, they've mostly been murdered or shipped off to the colonies to raise crops, separated by sex to avoid more births.  Gilead exists (in their minds) to keep the WHITE race alive, as birthrates in countries with other races have not fallen, just white birthrates in more "first world/white" countries, possibly due to all kinds of things from climate change to nuclear power accidents.

 

[Tyro49]

Considering what happened in Washington last week it was weird to listen to the description of the fictional attack.

[Baltimore Betty]

2 hours ago, Tyro49 said:

Considering what happened in Washington last week it was weird to listen to the description of the fictional attack.

My mind went to Handmaids Tale when the riot started, it was bone chilling to me because that that is how Gilead started.

[Ashforth]

6 hours ago, Baltimore Betty said:

My mind went to Handmaids Tale when the riot started, it was bone chilling to me because that that is how Gilead started.

As did mine. Yes, bone chilling.

[bettername2come]

On 1/13/2021 at 12:11 PM, Tyro49 said:

Considering what happened in Washington last week it was weird to listen to the description of the fictional attack.

Yep. As someone just watching the series I did a spit take when an attack on the Capitol was first mentioned. I would wonder if the series was an inspiration for the attackers, but the crossover audience seems like it would be limited. 

Marisa Tomei was a pleasant surprise. I kept thinking it couldn't be her, but it was! Also happy to see Clea Duvall. Felt like Emily was a little too hard on Marisa Tomei, who hardly seemed to be the worst of the commanders' wives, but she made a good point. 

Nice to see what happened to Emily and Janine. The hug was nice.