S02.E09: Smart Power

[bijoux]

On 13. 06. 2018. at 4:36 PM, Brn2bwild said:

Also, I'm wondering if it was such a great idea for Luke to blurt out his last name to Fred?  Now Fred will have an easy way to trace him and send goons to "reclaim" him.

Since Serena was able to locate Hannah last season, I assumed Serena and Fred knew June's and her family's identities. 

On 14. 06. 2018. at 2:20 AM, AnswersWanted said:

Since Nick is basically the physical and facial opposite to Fred, I have this idea in my head of the kid looking like Nick’s twin, complete with bushy eyebrows, and basically everyone in the household, Serena, Fred, Rita, Nick, and outside of it such as the other commanders and wives and guards, etc, all having to pretend that’s totally normal.

I don't think Nick's child couldn't believably pass as Fred's. Sure, there's the possibility of the kid looking like Nick's exact replica, but that's not how genetics always works. It may be Fred's concern further down the line, but I don't believe it motivated him at the time at all. He was practicing control, much like he did last episode when he whipped Serena in front of June. Fred fucking loves being the king of his castle and he enjoys reminding everyone of it. Which made the fact that he unduccessfully toadied to Canafian representatives in this episode deeply satisfying. 

[Scarlett45]

52 minutes ago, bijoux said:

Since Serena was able to locate Hannah last season, I assumed Serena and Fred knew June's and her family's identities. 

I don't think Nick's child couldn't believably pass as Fred's. Sure, there's the possibility of the kid looking like Nick's exact replica, but that's not how genetics always works. It may be Fred's concern further down the line, but I don't believe it motivated him at the time at all. He was practicing control, much like he did last episode when he whipped Serena in front of June. Fred fucking loves being the king of his castle and he enjoys reminding everyone of it. Which made the fact that he unduccessfully toadied to Canafian representatives in this episode deeply satisfying. 

Also the child may look just like June. 

 

Either way I don’t think Fred would care. He loves power and control too much like you said. 

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, Bama said:

And on a completely different note and something else I'd like to know - what does Gilead do with disabled babies?  We know they have the whole "shredder baby" deal, but it seems like those kids have a severe genetic disease or maybe something brought on by the environmental problems.  And I think those babies die shortly after birth.

Somewhere along the line I missed something - specifically the "shredder baby" thing. Can someone explain?

5 hours ago, Becks said:

There's probably something of the June Cleaver ideal about it, as well as it being sort of a class marker (compare and contrast with the handmaids' dumpy boots). But also - as a woman who detests heels and is appalled at how they keep getting absurdly, ever more painfully high - I always say that a woman who struggles to walk in her shoes, much less run if she needs to, is right where they want her: hobbled.

Hobbled - yes! I was thinking of the old days of Chinese foot binding. High heels are interesting, though. I remember some guy in college rhapsodizing about how high heels made the curve of a woman's calf (and ass) so much more aesthetic and made the gait more graceful (shorthand for fuckworthy). This can't - officially - be the reasoning in Gilead, for propriety and the fact that no calves or asses are seen. But I bet it still factors in. Look at design of the Handmaids clothing (the actual women whose only purpose is sex). There's a reason the only women wearing any strong color are the handmaidens (and yes, there's the whole scarlet letter thing) - but red is, well, an inflammatory color.

[Ms Blue Jay]

14 hours ago, Stiggs said:

Adding to the Canada love, here. I have always wanted to go to Toronto - my husband traveled there a lot for business and was always thrilled to go back. He said any time he sat down by himself at a hotel bar he had a new BFF in seconds because someone would scope him out as a lone US business dude and they couldn’t bear to see him drink alone in their country, lol. He loved it. 

Come!  But come between May and October ;)

It's a bad stereotype (among CANADIANS) that just because we were born here, we love or should love the cold or the snow.  I don't.  I freaking hate it.  But the summers in Toronto make me fall in love with the city all over again.  Right now is absolutely my perfect weather (like 68 to 78 degrees - I even looked up the Fahrenheit to 'speak your language'), oh man it is so luxurious and nice.  Then again, not sure how you feel about cold or snow, some people who come here find it so exciting and exotic!  LOL!

Edited June 16, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[mamadrama]

7 hours ago, millennium said:

I wonder why Gilead, a repressive society which has stripped women of virtually all adornment, from clothes to cosmetics, still allows them to wear high heels.   Serena's shoes seemed distinctly discordant with the rest of her Puritanical get-up when the Waterfords first enter the lobby of the Canadian hotel.

 

Probably for the same reason the Stepford Wives men had their women in high heels-it hearkens back to the 1950's ideal housewife ideal-dresses, matching heels, always well groomed, not working outside of the home, etc. 

[AnswersWanted]

4 hours ago, bijoux said:

I don't think Nick's child couldn't believably pass as Fred's. Sure, there's the possibility of the kid looking like Nick's exact replica, but that's not how genetics always works. It may be Fred's concern further down the line, but I don't believe it motivated him at the time at all.. 

 

I was joking. 

 

Quote

Somewhere along the line I missed something - specifically the "shredder baby" thing. Can someone explain?

 

A shredder baby, also called an unbaby, Gilead has a thing about labeling certain individuals with an “un”, is a child that is born with physical deformities, birth defects. 

It is claimed that the child is unviable and that they die very shorty after birth. 

I have my own suspicions about that, considering this is Gilead and something tells me that this bunch is not exactly going to try their hardest to keep a child that they see as defective alive anyway.

Some assume that the term “shredder” is in reference to how they dispose of the infants’ bodies.

Edited June 16, 2018 by AnswersWanted

[Anosmia]

On 6/14/2018 at 10:59 AM, Empress1 said:

The actress who plays Naomi Putnam is 44 and looks her age so I assume the character is supposed to be that age as well. While I know there are plenty of women who have kids in their 40s (my great-grandmother had her last child in her late 40s; she thought she was starting menopause and turned out to be pregnant) and are happy about it, that's not true for all of them, and we know that she's already doing the bare minimum to care for the baby. She's probably fucking miserable. Which: good, because fuck her, but I feel terrible for the baby.

Yowza, she's two months younger than me but I thought she was in her early 50s! The makeup crew/wardrobe folks did a great job with making her look older. 

On 6/14/2018 at 10:17 PM, DrSpaceman said:

This was the first confirmation of what I suspected and seemed implied but was never stated explicitly on the show, which is Gilead did not take over the whole country of the US.  I have been wondering, how big is Gilead?  How much of the former US did they take over? 

I couldn't get past the thought of "tourism" to Gilead.  What on earth would anyone travel to Gilead to see?  I keep trying to think of a snappy tourism tagline, can't come up with one.

I'm really curious about the new two-state US. Who are the leaders? If I recall, Congress was called into a special session to ensure everyone would be there and that's when they were assassinated. So, much of the line of succession was wiped out. I guess maybe the governors of Alaska and Hawaii help to form the new government, along with any other feds who could be rounded up, such as ambassadors in foreign countries and high-ranking diplomats (Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Interior) who happened to be out of the country during the coup. Military folks stationed in AK and HI and abroad perhaps play a role in the new government, too.

Regarding tourism, that didn't surprise me at all, and not just because of the book reference mentioned by several people here and the North Korea and Soviet Union tourism industries mentioned by others here. As someone with an interest in dark tourism, I absolutely understand that weird, lurid pull to seek out dark and horrifying places. Not only that, there would probably be a big contingent of people wanting to ogle a trainwreck in motion. Imagine: the most powerful country in the world--the country that dazzles and intrigues so many foreigners--is now a theocratic dystopia. The country that gave the world Hollywood blockbusters; the Kardashians; and countless examples of glamour, wealth, vapidness, superficiality, and glitz is now a grim, puritanical hellscape. I can absolutely see rubberneckers wanting to line up and witness the mess for themselves.

[Quickbeam]

I know it has been mentioned upthread but the scene of the episode for me was the pictogram itinerary Serena was given. Because it said that Canada was respecting the protocol of its guests. Fine, then we won’t give you anything to read. I thought it was brilliant. And it hit the character hard. 

[BARISTA]

14 hours ago, KillBill said:

Luke and Nick's scene seemed so rushed! A lot more questions should have been asked on Luke's part and it was the perfect opportunity to make an escape plan for June or at least set up a way for communication between them. 

I was screaming at my screen watching this - If I was Luke I would have asked Nick every question under the sun about who he was, how well he knew June, what he knew about June's circumstances, what June's daily life was like, if there was any way to get her out, and there is so much Nick could have told him.  I get that Luke has a certain knowledge of it from Moira and it would be hard to hear but at the same time, surely he must have 100000 questions and this was his one chance !!!

Similarly, how could June possibly not have any more questions for Nick at the end when Nick revealed he had met Luke in Canada? Surely immediate questions would have been WHAT, HOW, WHERE etc. I felt there was so much more to be asked and said before that conversation could be dropped. Nick didn't even tell her about Luke's confrontation of the Waterfords. I guess Nick is risking both their lives by coming into June's room at night like that so it needs to be brief.

Luke's confrontation of the Waterfords was also lacklustre IMO. As soon as Moira recognised them on TV, her, Luke, Erin, and everyone else they could muster should have been down there protesting with pictures of June, they should have been going public with that, they should have had June's picture splashed all across the Canadian media together with a corroboratory interview from Moira detailing the Waterfords treatment of June. Similarly, at the airport, surely there should have been more protesters. 

How did Nick track down Luke to that bar? And I know someone said this upthread, but yes, surely Eden will put 2 and 2 together re the letters. It occurred to me that the women who wrote those letters are now in even more danger, having brought the wrath of Gillead down on themselves? I don't blame them for it at all, but I am worried as to what the repercussions may be. 

Did anyone else feel the enormity of the war criminals the Waterfords actually are when watching this episode? So much of the show has been set in Gillead where their behaviour is the accepted norm that I guess we accept in order to really get into the show, and to have them plucked out of that and placed in a normal country that viewers can identify with more was very powerful to me. I know we've seen flashbacks of times pre-Gillead where they received abuse from protesters, but I always watched those scenes in the knowledge that the Waterfords "won" that by Gillead taking over all. This was different. 

I don't know how to feel about Aunt Lydia, so much bad and then slivers of good. 

Same mental tug of war about Serena. I still want her to rebel against Gillead but she's strenuously fighting any flames of rebellion that may have been stoked within her in recent times. Very hard to know which way she will swing. I am pretty sure she loathes Fred. 

I've been thinking about how June could possibly escape. Surely another hospital escape attempt when she goes into labor is what she's thinking? I would love if Serena rebelled and orchestrated such an escape for her, June and the baby. 

Edited June 16, 2018 by BARISTA

[BradandJanet]

Tourism in a place like Gilead could be dangerous even if restricted. Otto Wambler was on a tour when he disappeared in North Korea and then later returned to the US to die. Don't take photos, don't ask sensitive questions, don't talk to the locals, stick with the group, be very afraid. Novel experience but not necessarily pleasant. 

[millennium]

2 hours ago, mamadrama said:

Probably for the same reason the Stepford Wives men had their women in high heels-it hearkens back to the 1950's ideal housewife ideal-dresses, matching heels, always well groomed, not working outside of the home, etc. 

I think every other aspect of their appearance argues against that.   Yvonne looks like hell.   I get more of a Puritanical/Amish vibe than 1950s.   

[DrSpaceman]

1 hour ago, Anosmia said:

Yowza, she's two months younger than me but I thought she was in her early 50s! The makeup crew/wardrobe folks did a great job with making her look older. 

I'm really curious about the new two-state US. Who are the leaders? If I recall, Congress was called into a special session to ensure everyone would be there and that's when they were assassinated. So, much of the line of succession was wiped out. I guess maybe the governors of Alaska and Hawaii help to form the new government, along with any other feds who could be rounded up, such as ambassadors in foreign countries and high-ranking diplomats (Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Interior) who happened to be out of the country during the coup. Military folks stationed in AK and HI and abroad perhaps play a role in the new government, too.

Regarding tourism, that didn't surprise me at all, and not just because of the book reference mentioned by several people here and the North Korea and Soviet Union tourism industries mentioned by others here. As someone with an interest in dark tourism, I absolutely understand that weird, lurid pull to seek out dark and horrifying places. Not only that, there would probably be a big contingent of people wanting to ogle a trainwreck in motion. Imagine: the most powerful country in the world--the country that dazzles and intrigues so many foreigners--is now a theocratic dystopia. The country that gave the world Hollywood blockbusters; the Kardashians; and countless examples of glamour, wealth, vapidness, superficiality, and glitz is now a grim, puritanical hellscape. I can absolutely see rubberneckers wanting to line up and witness the mess for themselves.

 

35 minutes ago, BradandJanet said:

Tourism in a place like Gilead could be dangerous even if restricted. Otto Wambler was on a tour when he disappeared in North Korea and then later returned to the US to die. Don't take photos, don't ask sensitive questions, don't talk to the locals, stick with the group, be very afraid. Novel experience but not necessarily pleasant. 

Yes I tend to agree with BradandJanet about the tourism

While I acknowledge both that there are certain people that would want to see it and there are ways Gilead could TRY to accomplish it with guides and limited access, it would be FAR too dangerous for me at least from what we have seen.  The guards or whoever they are that are patrolling the public places think nothing of shooting, imprisoning, attacking, hurting or doing whatever they please to anyone that dares to speak out or act out in any small way.  Just wouldn't be worth it at this point. 

Plus I'd be afraid you get there and then they don't let you leave. 

[millennium]

42 minutes ago, BARISTA said:

 

Same mental tug of war about Serena. I still want her to rebel against Gillead but she's strenuously fighting any flames of rebellion that may have been stoked within her in recent times. Very hard to know which way she will swing. I am pretty sure she loathes Fred. 

 

I think Serena knows she has made a terrible mistake, but like we see so often now, rather than admit it and change course, she's doubling down and recommitting herself to the mistake.   I guess facing the fact that she was an accessory to the downfall of America and a traitor to her gender (a true gender traitor) is too great a responsibility to accept.

[Snewtsie]

On 6/14/2018 at 7:17 PM, DrSpaceman said:

I couldn't get past the thought of "tourism" to Gilead.  What on earth would anyone travel to Gilead to see?  I keep trying to think of a snappy tourism tagline, can't come up with one.

Gilead Getaway Tours:  A Prayvaganza is just around the corner

[millennium]

2 hours ago, Anosmia said:

As someone with an interest in dark tourism, I absolutely understand that weird, lurid pull to seek out dark and horrifying places. Not only that, there would probably be a big contingent of people wanting to ogle a trainwreck in motion. Imagine: the most powerful country in the world--the country that dazzles and intrigues so many foreigners--is now a theocratic dystopia. The country that gave the world Hollywood blockbusters; the Kardashians; and countless examples of glamour, wealth, vapidness, superficiality, and glitz is now a grim, puritanical hellscape. I can absolutely see rubberneckers wanting to line up and witness the mess for themselves.

I'm picturing Gilead on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.

Edited June 16, 2018 by millennium

[Umbelina]

6 minutes ago, millennium said:

1 hour ago, Anosmia said:

 

I'm really curious about the new two-state US. Who are the leaders?

I would assume, since they kept the constitution, they had elections for President and VP. 

Probably someone from Hawaii.  Just a guess, but I'd bet they finally changed to one vote one person, and did away with the Electoral College.
 

Quote

 

The last measured population count for Alaska was 736,855 in 2016. Alaska experienced an average growth rate of 1.12% from our first statistic recorded in 2009. If past trends continue, we forecast the population count to be 775,221 by 2021.

The last measured population count for Hawaii was 1,413,673 in 2016. Hawaii experienced an average growth rate of 1.49% from our first statistic recorded in 2009. If past trends continue, we forecast the population count to be 1,508,982 by 2021.  https://www.opendatanetwork.com/entity/0400000US02-0400000US15/Alaska-Hawaii/demographics.population.count?year=2014

 

15 minutes ago, DrSpaceman said:

 

Yes I tend to agree with BradandJanet about the tourism

While I acknowledge both that there are certain people that would want to see it and there are ways Gilead could TRY to accomplish it with guides and limited access, it would be FAR too dangerous for me at least from what we have seen.  The guards or whoever they are that are patrolling the public places think nothing of shooting, imprisoning, attacking, hurting or doing whatever they please to anyone that dares to speak out or act out in any small way.  Just wouldn't be worth it at this point. 

Plus I'd be afraid you get there and then they don't let you leave. 

Yes, it wouldn't be on my list of places to visit during my limited vacation time.  However, I could certainly see that some would really want to have a look, no matter how state-limited it was.   I remember landing in the Philippines around the time Marcos was just starting to fail, machine gun carrying soldiers were the first thing I saw, they lined the entire runway of the jumbo jet I was in, as well as the airport, and I was lucky enough to be in the VIP section of the airport.  The friend I was visiting lived in a building where Marco's son lived, so it was rather heavily fortified as well.   All in all, the Philippines was quite tame except for that, at least as far as government armed presence, but there were of course, other issues.

I know people who have visited Saudi Arabia as well, obviously mostly for business, but a few just to see what it's like in a place where women can't drive, and must at all times be covered from head to toe while in public.  The stories of visiting the USSR back in the seventies and the constant government control of activities, strictly limiting who, where, what one was allowed to see/go/do/speak to, yet many people wanted to go.

Aside from that, Gilead is broke.  They are grasping at any straws to bring money in, and especially to reestablish trade and relations with other countries.  I wonder if they plan to remove the hanged dead bodies if they get tourists?

[AnswersWanted]

26 minutes ago, millennium said:

 I get more of a Puritanical/Amish vibe than 1950s.   

 

 I agree. 

Just the fact that the wives are to be symbols of the utmost modesty, without makeup, without hair products, without much outward ordainment, it doesn’t read very 50s to me. 

 I think the heels are given to wives because it is a way of showing their elevated status above the other women.

To me that’s how all the outfits in Gilead work, it’s all about social status and whatever class you’re in you display it outwardly. 

The higher up you are the higher your finishes, such as tailored outfits, and the higher your heels, and then you have the lowest of the low, such as a handmaid with her simple uniform and humongous bonnet, nothing at all stylish, and her combat like boots. 

 I personally thought the little girl believed that Serena was a princess because she looked old fashioned and so out of place she could have come from a fairytale. 

[BradandJanet]

I travelled in Eastern Europe during the late '60s. My friend and I were able to travel without formal escorts, but we were constantly under plain-clothes surveillance. Armed guards were absolutely everywhere, and when entering a different country, our passports were taken away, off the train, to be checked. Looking back, I was really too naive to have done this. Fortunately, my friend was smarter. It gives me shivers to think about it. There are countries I wouldn't go near now under any arrangements. 

[Clanstarling]

8 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

I had a sleep study done a number of years ago.  I was monitored throughout the night, and there was a call button so if I needed anything, like to get up to go to the bathroom, I could.  Turns out I have sleep apnea, waking an average of 20 times an hour.  Getting the C-PAP has improved my life so much.  PW, I hope they are able to help you.

Re: One Day at a Time, I've seen several of the new episodes, and they're pretty good.  I think the set is quite a bit different.  For her "bedroom," "Grandma" (Rita Moreno) has a curtained off room.  The kids are a boy and a girl, instead of the two girls Ann Romano had.  It's on my list to continue to watch.

I thought that at first, but as I kept looking at it, I think I remember an area like that - just not curtained off. If I can manage, I'll check out episodes of the original show - if they exist in streaming land.

9 hours ago, AnswersWanted said:

A shredder baby, also called an unbaby, Gilead has a thing about labeling certain individuals with an “un”, is a child that is born with physical deformities, birth defects. 

It is claimed that the child is unviable and that they die very shorty after birth. 

I have my own suspicions about that, considering this is Gilead and something tells me that this bunch is not exactly going to try their hardest to keep a child that they see as defective alive anyway.

Some assume that the term “shredder” is in reference to how they dispose of the infants’ bodies.

 

Thanks. I also have no doubts that "un" babies are at the very least, encouraged to die.

9 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I know it has been mentioned upthread but the scene of the episode for me was the pictogram itinerary Serena was given. Because it said that Canada was respecting the protocol of its guests. Fine, then we won’t give you anything to read. I thought it was brilliant. And it hit the character hard. 

I loved it because it was a two level act, 1) an act of protocol and presumed respect for Gilead's ways and 2) an insult which could not be protested against.

Edited June 17, 2018 by Clanstarling

[deSchenke]

2 hours ago, Snewtsie said:

Gilead Getaway Tours:  A Prayvaganza is just around the corner

 

Gilead Tours: Hang with your friends

[Umbelina]

5 minutes ago, deSchenke said:

2 hours ago, Snewtsie said:

Gilead Getaway Tours:  A Prayvaganza is just around the corner

 

Gilead Tours: Hang with your friends

Gilead Tours:  No dress code required for visiting Women!

Gilead Tours:  Free pictures to words translation laminated card!

Gilead Tours:  Excursion package, for an extra fee, enjoy a day trip to see our amazing progress cleaning up Nuclear Waste!

Edited June 16, 2018 by Umbelina

[Helena Dax]

1 minute ago, Umbelina said:

Gilead Tours:  No dress code required for Women!

Gilead Tours: The Untourism. 

[Ceindreadh]

4 hours ago, BARISTA said:

How did Nick track down Luke to that bar? And I know someone said this upthread, but yes, surely Eden will put 2 and 2 together re the letters. It occurred to me that the women who wrote those letters are now in even more danger, having brought the wrath of Gillead down on themselves? I don't blame them for it at all, but I am worried as to what the repercussions may be. 

 

How would Eden find out about the letters being distributed?  All she knows is that the letters were in her home and now they're not - or at least nowhere she can find them.  She's not going to be listening to any international news bulletins, and if there is any news source that Econowives are allowed access, it will hardly be publicizing the existence of the letters. 

[PamelaMaeSnap]

On 6/13/2018 at 1:30 AM, AnswersWanted said:

I have always been on the fence about the fact the show changed the ages of Fred and Serena, I have been often between not minding it and then there are times when I have disliked it greatly. 

(Apologies if this response is redundant but am responding as I read this early-thread comment because I've been thinking about this a lot lately) ... 

I really felt that way at the very beginning but of late I've completely accepted it based on the direction the show has taken since going "off book" ... Not so much with Fred, but with Serena Joy, I think it turned out to be essential for her to be younger, and more of a contemporary of June in terms of her still having the potential for sexuality (though it's being repressed) and still being "young enough" technically to bear children even if she is not technically/physically able to. Also for her to see June as a rival for her husband's affection, and for her to actually care about that. I don't think that would have been possible the way the characters were written in the book. Just my two cents.

[mamadrama]

4 hours ago, millennium said:

I think every other aspect of their appearance argues against that.   Yvonne looks like hell.   I get more of a Puritanical/Amish vibe than 1950s.   

Hmm, I disagree. At any rate, my comment was really just in response to the high heels. Many Amish and Mennoninte communities live around me and I don't think I've ever seen heels on any of the women. Boots, mostly. To each their own, but I actually think Yvonne looks pretty. I wouldn't want to wear that same outfit every day, and I certainly wouldn't want to be MADE to wear that, but I don't hate it. 

[Stiggs]

8 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Come!  But come between May and October ;)

It's a bad stereotype (among CANADIANS) that just because we were born here, we love or should love the cold or the snow.  I don't.  I freaking hate it.  But the summers in Toronto make me fall in love with the city all over again.  Right now is absolutely my perfect weather (like 68 to 78 degrees - I even looked up the Fahrenheit to 'speak your language'), oh man it is so luxurious and nice.  Then again, not sure how you feel about cold or snow, some people who come here find it so exciting and exotic!  LOL!

Heh, I live in South Florida and freak out when it dips below 70. :) But it’s so hot right now (85 at 7am), your weather sounds perfect! I might need to “escape” to Toronto in August, lol. 

[AnswersWanted]

1 hour ago, Ceindreadh said:

How would Eden find out about the letters being distributed?  All she knows is that the letters were in her home and now they're not - or at least nowhere she can find them.  She's not going to be listening to any international news bulletins, and if there is any news source that Econowives are allowed access, it will hardly be publicizing the existence of the letters. 

 

Excellent point. 

 Little Miss Eden is not going to stop off at her local Starbucks real quick before she hits the mall, and while she awaits her order of a soy latte macchiato with whipped cream happens to catch a CNN news bulletin  alert on her phone about the release of said letters and then a lightbulb is going to turn on over her head. 

Funny enough Gilead’s desperate attempts to keep their citizens so ignorant of whatever goes on outside in the real world is probably what costs them so much at the end of the day.

There could be people like Eden who could help them put 1 and 2 together, but because she has no access to the news or any insider information about what happened in Canada, she has no reason to go to anyone about a stack of letters that her husband, who works for and traveled along with the commander who was in Canada during the same timeline of the huge explosive release, was in possession of a similar stack of letters right before the trip and now she has no idea where they have ended up.

The only way I could think it might be somewhat feasible that she could find out about what happened would be through gossip.

A Handmaid or Martha starts passing around information that she overheard in her household and then it spreads among the group and perhaps it might trigger something in Eden’s memory.

 

 

1 hour ago, PamelaMaeSnap said:

(Apologies if this response is redundant but am responding as I read this early-thread comment because I've been thinking about this a lot lately) ... 

I really felt that way at the very beginning but of late I've completely accepted it based on the direction the show has taken since going "off book" ... Not so much with Fred, but with Serena Joy, I think it turned out to be essential for her to be younger, and more of a contemporary of June in terms of her still having the potential for sexuality (though it's being repressed) and still being "young enough" technically to bear children even if she is not technically/physically able to. Also for her to see June as a rival for her husband's affection, and for her to actually care about that. I don't think that would have been possible the way the characters were written in the book. Just my two cents.

 

 You make great points and those reasons are part of why I don’t mind at times that they did make Serena younger and closer in age to June. 

 But it’s episodes like this one, when I see how Ann Dowd portrays Lydia, there is a part of me that could see her bringing the Serena Joy from the book to life and I’ll be honest that is something that I still crave, and I do selfishly wish that happened from time to time. 

 I really enjoyed book Serena, so when I found out that the show was going to make her younger and therefore not try to make her an exact replica for the show I actually thought that was a good move because I didn’t believe they could find someone who could truly do book Serena justice.

And then Ann popped up on screen and starting last season I had similar feelings but for this season I am just downright convinced she could’ve done it and it would’ve been magnificent.

I don’t mind the actress playing Serena and I also don’t mind her youth, for the most part, I just love Ann Dowd above all else, heh. 

[DrSpaceman]

Gilead :  You come for the Sadism

You stay......because you have to

[badlemonnohope]

Luke and Moira should have gone right to the press as soon as they learned Waterford was there. There's no way the press wouldn't have jumped at the chance to interview the husband of the current visitor's handmaiden and a former handmaiden.

Edited June 17, 2018 by badlemonnohope

[LBS]

3 hours ago, deSchenke said:

Gilead Tours: Hang with your friends

Oh man... that made me laugh hard and now I feel so guilty!  ?

[LBS]

1 hour ago, badlemonnohope said:

 

Luke and Moira should have gone right to the press as soon as they learned Waterford was there. There's no way the press wouldn't have jumped at the chance to interview the husband of the current visitor's handmaiden and a former handmaiden.

 

Why didn’t the press jump to interview any of the North Korean former prisoners that were just recently released about their experiences when our president recently met with their captor?  We wonder about why the Gilead refugees don’t go to the Canadian press to tell their stories and yet so many stories have trickled out in the last couple of years about Syria, Central America, Africa,etc and the collective world has pretty much shrugged their shoulders and sighed ‘that sucks. We should do something.  I’ll retweet this NYT article about it’.   I think they (the Gileadan refugees ) had gone  to the press but gotten beat down by human ennui to pain and suffering.  The releasing of all the letters brought visceral proof of the suffering hence the protests.  It’s like when Boko Haram kidnapped all those girls.  That was happening for years in dribbles but all of sudden the sheer number and the outcry from all their parents became something the world couldn’t ignore.  We protested and raised funds and rallied for the girls.  But then within the year the news cycle changed to something else horrific and they were on the back burner.  Yet they were/are still held.  The most depressing part of this show is the accurate representation of human suffering reported in the news.  It’s so cyclical.   We want to know what the other countries think about Gilead?  I think they care but are looking out for themselves.  Why turnover the apple cart when your own apples are rotting?

 

@badlemonnohope this wasn’t directed at you!  I just quoted you to make a rambling point of sorts!

Edited June 17, 2018 by LBS

[Clanstarling]

3 hours ago, PamelaMaeSnap said:

On 6/12/2018 at 10:30 PM, AnswersWanted said:

I have always been on the fence about the fact the show changed the ages of Fred and Serena, I have been often between not minding it and then there are times when I have disliked it greatly. 

(Apologies if this response is redundant but am responding as I read this early-thread comment because I've been thinking about this a lot lately) ... 

I really felt that way at the very beginning but of late I've completely accepted it based on the direction the show has taken since going "off book" ... Not so much with Fred, but with Serena Joy, I think it turned out to be essential for her to be younger, and more of a contemporary of June in terms of her still having the potential for sexuality (though it's being repressed) and still being "young enough" technically to bear children even if she is not technically/physically able to. Also for her to see June as a rival for her husband's affection, and for her to actually care about that. I don't think that would have been possible the way the characters were written in the book. Just my two cents.

Since I read the book so long ago, I didn't remember the age differences. So it's always worked for me, but I do agree that the complexity is better (imo) having her roughly the same age as June.

[Umbelina]

6 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

How would Eden find out about the letters being distributed?  All she knows is that the letters were in her home and now they're not - or at least nowhere she can find them.  She's not going to be listening to any international news bulletins, and if there is any news source that Econowives are allowed access, it will hardly be publicizing the existence of the letters. 

The easiest way would be to overhear Fred or/and Serena talking about them, especially if Fred is ranting.  Eden seems to spend a fair amount of time at the Big House, not just the apartment over the garage.

She could be walking in to return something to Rita, and hear a conversation in the next room.

I believed her when she said she didn't read them, she's devout, she would never sin by reading, but she would know they were letters, and she would now Nick had letters, and she may tell Issac the younger more attentive and attractive to her guard...

[Becks]

10 hours ago, millennium said:

I think every other aspect of their appearance argues against that.   Yvonne looks like hell.   I get more of a Puritanical/Amish vibe than 1950s.   

To me, it's a mixture of both - the colors/fabrics of the 1950s, with that overall beautifully finished look of the era (matching/complementary heels, gloves, cape, headband) combined with the plain severity of a strict religious code - no makeup or cosmetic adornment, hair scraped back to within an inch of its life (absolutely no flowing tresses up in here), clothing very modest and unrevealing.

 

15 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Hobbled - yes! I was thinking of the old days of Chinese foot binding. High heels are interesting, though. I remember some guy in college rhapsodizing about how high heels made the curve of a woman's calf (and ass) so much more aesthetic and made the gait more graceful (shorthand for fuckworthy). This can't - officially - be the reasoning in Gilead, for propriety and the fact that no calves or asses are seen. But I bet it still factors in. Look at design of the Handmaids clothing (the actual women whose only purpose is sex). There's a reason the only women wearing any strong color are the handmaidens (and yes, there's the whole scarlet letter thing) - but red is, well, an inflammatory color.

Yes, Chinese foot-binding occurred to me too. And like your anecdote about the effect of high heels on a woman's body and walk, the appeal of the foot-binding was not only that it was considered a mark of beauty (and wealth/status), but the mincing gait it created - a woman was only capable of tiny, short 'feminine' steps as she walked, no striding purposefully or anything like that (that is, when she was actually capable of walking at all, which some weren't). Forget about running. And surely the only reason we're still subjugating ourselves to high heels is because they look good. It certainly isn't because they feel good, or at least I've never owned a pair that did after more than an hour or two. So for them to be the main style of acceptable footwear for the Wives speaks volumes to me.

I remember a conversation here from last season in which we observed that the Handmaids' dresses are awfully sexy for Gilead - besides the evocative color, they're quite form-fitting, with a wide neck that shows plenty of upper chest and back. It's not what I personally pictured from the book  (always thought the dresses would be more sack-like, similar to those of the Marthas) and it certainly not what one would expect from a theocracy so concerned with controlling sexuality. And yet...there they are.

Edited June 17, 2018 by Becks

[BARISTA]

Quote

11 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

How would Eden find out about the letters being distributed?  All she knows is that the letters were in her home and now they're not - or at least nowhere she can find them.  She's not going to be listening to any international news bulletins, and if there is any news source that Econowives are allowed access, it will hardly be publicizing the existence of the letters. 

 

5 hours ago, Umbelina said:

The easiest way would be to overhear Fred or/and Serena talking about them, especially if Fred is ranting.  Eden seems to spend a fair amount of time at the Big House, not just the apartment over the garage.

She could be walking in to return something to Rita, and hear a conversation in the next room.

I believed her when she said she didn't read them, she's devout, she would never sin by reading, but she would know they were letters, and she would now Nick had letters, and she may tell Issac the younger more attentive and attractive to her guard...

 

As @Umbelina says, Eden lurks around the Big House a lot, listening and observing all. If the letters are such a huge scandal, they are bound to be discussed by Fred/Serena/Isaac/any other visitor meeting with Fred, and so there is every possibility Eden will catch wind of it.  I don't think she's stupid enough not to at least have the connection cross her mind. 

[Trillian]

10 hours ago, badlemonnohope said:

Luke and Moira should have gone right to the press as soon as they learned Waterford was there. There's no way the press wouldn't have jumped at the chance to interview the husband of the current visitor's handmaiden and a former handmaiden.

 

8 hours ago, LBS said:

Why didn’t the press jump to interview any of the North Korean former prisoners that were just recently released about their experiences when our president recently met with their captor?  We wonder about why the Gilead refugees don’t go to the Canadian press to tell their stories and yet so many stories have trickled out in the last couple of years about Syria, Central America, Africa,etc and the collective world has pretty much shrugged their shoulders and sighed ‘that sucks. We should do something.  I’ll retweet this NYT article about it’.   I think they (the Gileadan refugees ) had gone  to the press but gotten beat down by human ennui to pain and suffering.  The releasing of all the letters brought visceral proof of the suffering hence the protests.  It’s like when Boko Haram kidnapped all those girls.  That was happening for years in dribbles but all of sudden the sheer number and the outcry from all their parents became something the world couldn’t ignore.  We protested and raised funds and rallied for the girls.  But then within the year the news cycle changed to something else horrific and they were on the back burner.  Yet they were/are still held.  The most depressing part of this show is the accurate representation of human suffering reported in the news.  It’s so cyclical.   We want to know what the other countries think about Gilead?  I think they care but are looking out for themselves.  Why turnover the apple cart when your own apples are rotting?

I’m with @badlemonnohope on this one.  There was already a reference in Season 1 to an escaped Aunt’s giving an interview to the Toronto Star. There have  been references to embargos and Canadian Forces at the border.  The random woman at the elevator with her child clearly understood that Serena was a piece of dirt whom she didn’t want near her child.  The refugees have a visible presence in Toronto and wherever this mythical land crossing between Gilead and Ontario is.  

I think what makes it implausible that Canadian news outlets wouldn’t have jumped on the story from Luke and Moira and anyone else (other than the clues above that it clearly has been in the news), is both the physical proximity of Gilead to Canada and the fact that there is no sense of the “Other” between Canada and the US. It’s easy to look at Boko Haram across the globe and think it’s the product of a completely different culture and people, so “it couldn’t happen here”. While the average Canadian will declare loudly and vociferously to anyone who will listen “We are NOT American”, when pressed to enunciate the difference, we tend to mutter something about politeness, health care and gun control and trail off into silence.  I’m not denying the many cultural and social differences (and will vociferously and loudly proclaim them when necessary) but, bottom line, Americans and  Canadians share the same language, a similar political democracy, ethnic and cultural makeup, and have a long history of cross-border commercial and cultural trade.  We share the longest undefended border in the world. And the physical proximity means that we always have the sense that, if it happens there, it could indeed happen here.   No way the Canadian press wouldn’t be all over this.  There would have been Canadians protesting the Waterfords and not just the refugees.

[Ely]

I'm also really torn about the sudden outrage at the letters. I understand these two arguments - yes, we are prone to turn a blind eye on things, the concentration camps were looked over for a long time because it just seemed too "out there" - and also yes to the argument that it happened too close by to ignore. The scale is slightly tipping to the latter for me, just alone for the fact that the takeover of Gilead is well-documented. Women losing more and more their rights and their hunt for them - along with the collateral tragedies, like women and men being shot.

I do enjoy this season but there are plot holes. They've clearly written themselves in a corner with June. As others have said, we see her going from accepting her fate to saying fuck it every two episodes. It would've served them better to have her escape be succesful or even have her killed in the process of it. Or even better, end her story with s1 and tell s2 from someone else's POV. The showrunners know it and in a way they have switched POV, or expanded it, in the form of Serena. Which I do enjoy.

They just don't have the guts to go through with their choices. The commander was near death, two episodes later he's happy - well, "happy" - and healthy. June escapes, a couple episodes later she's back. Emily and Janine are sent to the colonies, episodes later, ops, we're back and eventhough they were - Janine admittedly less long than Emily - exposed to radiation, still healthy enough to be handmaids.

Edited June 17, 2018 by Ely

[dleighg]

@Ely I think you've hit on something. I think the writers are too "chicken" to kill off any characters, even though to be true to the world they've created, a few of these simply need to die. But I guess since Moss is a producer (is that right?) killing June just ain't gonna happen.

[JasonCC]

About Canada: I was under the impression that this Waterford visit to Toronto (not Ottawa, mind you) was like a pre-pre-baby toe in the water test case of Canada having some "dialogue" with the Republic of Gilead: not anywhere near full diplomatic recognition by a long shot. The CBC television coverage playing in Luke, Moira & the blonde's apartment was saying that Anchorage was very angry about this visit as it risks "normalizing" Gilead. I get the sense there is a big movement to downplay the stories coming out of Gilead as "fake news" too.  

I think the worldwide power and clout of the remaining USA of AK/HI depends VERY much on how much the Gileadean movement had infiltrated the US armed forces before the (Gilead plotted) terrorist attacks on the Congress and White House. All those foreign army bases (thousands of servicemen stationed in Japan, Germany, the Philippines, et. al), naval fleets, nuclear submarines, etc. may be reporting to Anchorage as the legitimate USA. But on the other hand, If there were a lot of sleeper Gilead sympathizers within the American armed forces they could be taking their orders from Boston/Gilead. 

Edited June 17, 2018 by JasonCC

[Clanstarling]

51 minutes ago, JasonCC said:

About Canada: I was under the impression that this Waterford visit to Toronto (not Ottawa, mind you) was like a pre-pre-baby toe in the water test case of Canada having some "dialogue" with the Republic of Gilead: not anywhere near full diplomatic recognition by a long shot. The CBC television coverage playing in Luke, Moira & the blonde's apartment was saying that Anchorage was very angry about this visit as it risks "normalizing" Gilead. I get the sense there is a big movement to downplay the stories coming out of Gilead as "fake news" too.  

I think the worldwide power and clout of the remaining USA of AK/HI depends VERY much on how much the Gileadean movement had infiltrated the US armed forces before the (Gilead plotted) terrorist attacks on the Congress and White House. All those foreign army bases (thousands of servicemen stationed in Japan, Germany, the Philippines, et. al), naval fleets, nuclear submarines, etc. may be reporting to Anchorage as the legitimate USA. But on the other hand, If there were a lot of sleeper Gilead sympathizers within the American armed forces they could be taking their orders from Boston/Gilead. 

Not to mention the 16 US territories, of which Puerto Rico is has the biggest population (over 3 million). There are a lot of US citizens who do not live in the contiguous states.

[Stephanie23]

Did anyone else thought that the Canadian guy (that Fred said coward)  was a sleeper ( or fake) Gilead sympathizer?

[Baltimore Betty]

1 hour ago, Stephanie23 said:

Did anyone else thought that the Canadian guy (that Fred said coward)  was a sleeper ( or fake) Gilead sympathizer?

I could see how you could read it that way, that is something to think about.

[Umbelina]

8 hours ago, dleighg said:

@Ely I think you've hit on something. I think the writers are too "chicken" to kill off any characters, even though to be true to the world they've created, a few of these simply need to die. But I guess since Moss is a producer (is that right?) killing June just ain't gonna happen.

Also, she still has some very important things to do unless they are throwing Atwood's story into the trash heap, and making up their own.

6 hours ago, Stephanie23 said:

Did anyone else thought that the Canadian guy (that Fred said coward)  was a sleeper ( or fake) Gilead sympathizer?

No.  Not even a tiny bit.  Fred calling him "coward" was just Fred trying to regain manliness.  "We believe the women." 

7 hours ago, JasonCC said:

About Canada: I was under the impression that this Waterford visit to Toronto (not Ottawa, mind you) was like a pre-pre-baby toe in the water test case of Canada having some "dialogue" with the Republic of Gilead: not anywhere near full diplomatic recognition by a long shot. The CBC television coverage playing in Luke, Moira & the blonde's apartment was saying that Anchorage was very angry about this visit as it risks "normalizing" Gilead. I get the sense there is a big movement to downplay the stories coming out of Gilead as "fake news" too.  

I think the worldwide power and clout of the remaining USA of AK/HI depends VERY much on how much the Gileadean movement had infiltrated the US armed forces before the (Gilead plotted) terrorist attacks on the Congress and White House. All those foreign army bases (thousands of servicemen stationed in Japan, Germany, the Philippines, et. al), naval fleets, nuclear submarines, etc. may be reporting to Anchorage as the legitimate USA. But on the other hand, If there were a lot of sleeper Gilead sympathizers within the American armed forces they could be taking their orders from Boston/Gilead. 

 

Yes, and the show better get on that shit.  Spell it out for us.  That's why I'm watching, for the information Atwood left out of her beautiful, important story.  She wasn't world-building, her intentions were exactly what she produced.

For the show to "EXPAND" on that, especially that whole "ten seasons" crap?  They need to fill in those gaps, they don't need to keep showing us only despair. 

This is a HUGE chance to finally answer all of the questions those of us who read it way back when it was published have wondered about for decades, and people who have just come to this work from the Hulu show also want answered.

This episode FINALLY showed us something of the outside world, and I want MUCH, MUCH more about that.  Fuck Moira and Luke's misery and PTSD and flashbacks.  Or rather?  Enough with them.  Those characters being in Canada have already shown us the difficult transitions from Gilead to normal lives, well done.  Now move the fuck on and use them to enrage and engage the world.  Why aren't they constantly on the news, on world stages?  What is the BBC saying, the Economist, Le Monde, the UN? 

Which military leaders were involved in the Coup?  How many GI's have deserted or joined the rebels, as you say, what about the many servicemen and their families stationed all over the world?  What are they doing?  What do they believe?  Who is giving them orders?  Are they listening to those orders, or saving their families and applying for asylum in Japan, Philippines, Germany, the middle east?  Are submarine captains defecting or obeying, what did they do with all the nukes they hate so much?  Is Russia thrilled and making power moves?  What happened to the female military members, at least the ones not stationed in Gilead?

Moira and Luke would know all of this shit by now, WHY aren't they talking about it, tweeting about it, making Facebook posts about it, contacting Alaska and Hawaii about it.  Stop moping, get off your asses and show us stuff.

I think Gilead and it's horrors should still be part of the story, and it should go on until it's resolved.  At this point though?  At best actually Gilead scenes should be about 1/2 of the show though.  I want to see all of the above, and I want to see the resistance wars as well.  If you are only going to produce 13 shows a year, you can do battle scenes, and show us the wars you keep talking about, the people in Gilead who are still fighting and resisting.

A little honey with the medicine guys.

Edited June 17, 2018 by Umbelina

[NoSpam]

1 hour ago, Umbelina said:

Fuck Moira and Luke's misery and PTSD and flashbacks.  Or rather?  Enough with them.  Those characters being in Canada have already shown us the difficult transitions from Gilead to normal lives, well done.  Now move the fuck on and use them to enrage and engage the world.  Why aren't they constantly on the news, on world stages?  What is the BBC saying, the Economist, Le Monde, the UN?

 

All of that, plus why aren't the refugees doing more to help the resistance? Why aren't they organizing a spy network, building an Underground Female-Road, initiating legal proceedings to get their children back? Hannah is Luke's child and we've seen him make no attempt to get her back. Sure, Gilead doesn't participate in the international community of law, but he should be raising a stink about having his child kidnapped by a foreign power. Or at the very least, wear a damned button with a picture of her and June on it.

[Ashforth]

I bow to you, @Umbelina

[marinw]

Poor Rita. She is so ground down and defeated. 

As a Canadian, I am soooo fascinated by Canada in this episode, and how we continue to be our passive-aggressive selves until some of us we can’t take it anymore and erupt in full blown protests. Or tell the Waterfords to get the F out of Canada. Politely. Whatever Fred was offering Canada could not be that valuable. Or maybe TPTB in Canada were concerned how collaborating with Gilead would look to the rest of the world.

But if Canada has so any refugees the Canadians must know about the conditions in Gilead. So why would this batch of letter compell Canada to sever relations? 

How did Serena escape her minder? I did like like how she felt pity and disgust to Serena: “It’s sad what they’ve done to you.”

Edited June 18, 2018 by marinw

[Clanstarling]

13 minutes ago, marinw said:

Poor Rita. She is so ground down and defeated. 

As a Canadian, I am soooo fascinated by Canada in this episode, and how we continue to be our passive-aggressive selves until some of us we can’t take it anymore and erupt in full blown protests. Or tell the Waterford to get the F out of Canada. Politely. Whatever Fred was offering Canada could not be that valuable, Or maybe TPTB in Canada were concerned how collaborating with Gilead would look to the rest of the world.

But if Canada has so any refugees the Canadians must know about the conditions in Gilead. So why would this batch of letter compell Canada to sever relations? 

How did Serena escape her minder? I did like like how she felt pity and disgust to Serena: “It’s sad what they’ve done to you.”

Now that the letters have gone viral, it's an optics problem. Before, they knew and yet were still willing to make a minor foray in diplomacy. After, the world, and Canadian citizens, are watching their next move with this overwhelming release of tragic stories. Even a nation less decent than Canada would have to strongly consider throwing the bastards out in order to maintain good relations with their allies and the rest of the world.

[chocolatine]

I want to be careful not to do any victim blaming because most of the refugees, especially people like Erin and Moira, are suffering from severe PTSD, but I also wanted to see more action on their part. They went to what looked like a "Little America" representative who was pretty passive and said they can't make any demands from the Canadian government since they're guests in the country, but it was disappointing that everyone apparently took her word as gospel. She doesn't have any authority over the refugees, and just because she refused to do anything in an official capacity doesn't mean they can't organize among themselves. 

[greekmom]

On 6/16/2018 at 3:00 PM, millennium said:

I think Serena knows she has made a terrible mistake, but like we see so often now, rather than admit it and change course, she's doubling down and recommitting herself to the mistake.   I guess facing the fact that she was an accessory to the downfall of America and a traitor to her gender (a true gender traitor) is too great a responsibility to accept.

So true.  Gilead people call people of the LGBQT gender traitors but SJ is the original one.

On 6/16/2018 at 7:36 PM, mamadrama said:

Hmm, I disagree. At any rate, my comment was really just in response to the high heels. Many Amish and Mennoninte communities live around me and I don't think I've ever seen heels on any of the women. Boots, mostly. To each their own, but I actually think Yvonne looks pretty. I wouldn't want to wear that same outfit every day, and I certainly wouldn't want to be MADE to wear that, but I don't hate it. 

Which made me wonder if she had some old pre-Gilead outfit hiding somewhere in the closet.  I was hoping for one.

 

One thing I was curious is what about California. Eden said she got strawberries from California. So is a) California part of Gilead? or b) are they trading with Gilead and not part of the US?

[Umbelina]

47 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Now that the letters have gone viral, it's an optics problem. Before, they knew and yet were still willing to make a minor foray in diplomacy. After, the world, and Canadian citizens, are watching their next move with this overwhelming release of tragic stories. Even a nation less decent than Canada would have to strongly consider throwing the bastards out in order to maintain good relations with their allies and the rest of the world.

Yes, and also, if you listen to that news cast at the beginning?  Canada refused to state who Fred was, AND even what the agenda was for the meeting with Gilead.  Fred optimistically assumed it was about trade, tourism, even getting the Gilead refugees returned to Gilead.  For all we know, Canada's intentions were nothing like that.  They could have been about getting information about kidnapped children or missing loved ones for their American expats, or simply information gathering about what the hell Gilead is doing with their abundant nuclear weapons.  Canada didn't welcome him with honors either, he wasn't even in the Capital City, didn't meet with the PM, etc.

45 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I want to be careful not to do any victim blaming because most of the refugees, especially people like Erin and Moira, are suffering from severe PTSD, but I also wanted to see more action on their part. They went to what looked like a "Little America" representative who was pretty passive and said they can't make any demands from the Canadian government since they're guests in the country, but it was disappointing that everyone apparently took her word as gospel. She doesn't have any authority over the refugees, and just because she refused to do anything in an official capacity doesn't mean they can't organize among themselves. 

I blame the writers dragging their feet more than Moira and Luke or Erin.  Moira and Luke, and all the other refugees up there don't have to wait for Canada to help them with getting the word out.   They have phones, computers, facebook, twitter, they could contact news organizations around the world, the UN, and what's more, they don't even really need to stay in Canada.  Moira, for example, could write a book, or dictate a book to a ghost writer with her story alone, it would be a best seller, giving her enough money to travel and speak about Gilead.  At the very least they would have met people up there who cope with PTSD better, or differently, such as fighting back in real ways, and they would be talking about Bridget's interview with the BBC for example, they would at the very least be reading news, and discussing it, or know people who actually DID something about it.

I think the letters were effective because they were heartfelt and talking about suffering happening RIGHT NOW in Gilead.  The other refugees, or at least some of them, should be buying a vowel right now, and making sure their own stories get out.  Maybe they will.

Yes, everyone reacts differently, but a good portion of people react with rage, and action.  I want to see some of that.

Edited June 18, 2018 by Umbelina