S03.E08: Unfit

[AnswersWanted]

Quote

“June and the rest of the Handmaids shun Ofmatthew, and both are pushed to their limit at the hands of Aunt Lydia, who reflects on her life and relationships before the rise of Gilead.”

Nope.

This whole episode was a big, fucking NOPE.

[HeySandyStrange]

So, what the fresh hell did I just watch? I couldn't make heads or tails of Lydia's backstory...is she a repressed lesbian, was she just a jealous biddy who feels like she never got her perfect life, or is she just fucking nuts? 

Also, the what the every loving fuck was with that ending? Does June now have psychic juju powers that can make people go insane? It was so pointless and melodramatic that I laughed out loud. But not in a good way. So, I guess the episode had that going for it.

Edited July 10, 2019 by HeySandyStrange
The stupidity of this episode, nay, this whole show, is addling my brain.

[bmoore4026]

OK, why are we supposed to be rooting for June again?  Her actions not just caused OfMatthew to go ballistic, but got Janine beaten senseless, too.  And her imperious take down of Commander Lawrence felt hollow to me.  And hypocritical.

[rideashire]

I'm disappointed in Lydia's backstory. So she snapped because a guy didn't want to sleep with her and that made her turn on a friend? That's it? This is why it was all downhill for her?

I don't know ya'll. The whole time I was watching that I kept expecting the boy's mother to end up as a handmaid and some weird shit to go down with her that would warp Lydia somehow. But no. She went crazy because of some dick (or lack of dick?).

Booo.

Maybe she's been this way all along, I guess, but the way they told her story left me going wtf.

Edited July 10, 2019 by rideashire

[Brn2bwild]

That was... interesting.

The Aunt Lydia flashback sequence was promising, but felt unfinished.  We know how she ended up, but what wasn't clear was how/why she transitioned from "uptight and feels ashamed of her temporary loss of control" to "punish the bitch and screw love."  There's more to the story and I hope we see it.

The Ofmatthew thing was so over the top.  She was bullied, I get it, but to attack Janine, the one handmaid who was nice to her?  (And poor Janine.  How many times has she been beaten up now?)  The last few minutes were insane.  Aunt Lydia will blame June more than ever now, at least if this show still made any sense.

I hope we get Emily and Moira next week.

Edited July 10, 2019 by Brn2bwild

[chocolatine]

I really wanted Ofmatthew to shoot June right in her smirking face. That's all I've got.

[DiabLOL]

This show hates me. On a deep, personal level.

[AnswersWanted]

I’m still processing whether or not this show even wants us to like June anymore, I seriously question their judgement if they do, because the fuck was this episode??

June acting like the biggest mean girl in Handmaid Valley High was laughable, it was so bad. 

I felt like I was watching the worst Saved By The Bell episode ever, with her and the others bullying OfMatthew. 

And then she basically shits all over the olive branch Lawrence willingly held out to her, by choice, to curry favor with him and perhaps score some brownie points for the future.

Instead she spouts off at the mouth like a little smart ass for two seconds worth of gloating and then she’s back to being a total fuck up with nothing earned, only another loss to mark down. 

4 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I really wanted Ofmatthew to shoot June right in her smirking face. That's all I've got.

Frankly that move might have saved the episode, hell maybe the whole season for me.

At least it would have been completely unexpected and I’d actually care about what’s happening next. 

[Boofish]

June is an asshole. Cant believe of all people to get beat with a can of great value cranberry sauce they pick poor OfNickFury

[bluestocking]

12 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I really wanted Ofmatthew to shoot June right in her smirking face. That's all I've got.

I think June actually gave Ofmatthew a little nod when she aimed the gun at her, almost as if to say 'go ahead and shoot me.' Did I just imagine that?

[chocolatine]

2 minutes ago, bluestocking said:

I think June actually gave Ofmatthew a little nod when she aimed the gun at her, almost as if to say 'go ahead and shoot me.' Did I just imagine that?

Nope, I saw it too. June knows that she's the protagonist of this show and therefore nothing bad will ever happen to her.

Edited July 10, 2019 by chocolatine

[Deputy Deputy CoS]

1 minute ago, bluestocking said:

I think June actually gave Ofmatthew a little nod when she aimed the gun at her, almost as if to say 'go ahead and shoot me.' Did I just imagine that?

Of course she did. The twat knows she's an Executive Producer of the show and is going nowhere 

[AnswersWanted]

I wondered if the show could manage to stop bring shitty enough to pay proper homage and attention to Lydia’s backstory, but I guess that was too much to ask for at this point. 

So Lydia can’t get in her boss’s pants so she goes fucking hardcore repressed woman full of scorn and fury?

For christ sake on a wheat thin, Who ARE these writers? 

We could have at least seen her running into someone connected to the Sons of Jacob, like Nick did, or going to one of their meetings to find comfort and solace, or even getting a goddamn pamphlet, anything tying into the beginnings of Gilead. 

But no, none of that, just her getting no nooky and her whole world imploded, fantastic...

This show officially has hurt my feelings.

[80sBaby]

This show jumped the shark for me with this episode...and Fonzie has been in the water since June didn't leave Gilead last season.

I'm over it. June never takes responsibility for how her smug selfishness contributes to things. I cannot stand her. I do not root for her and long to see her swinging from the wall.

The way she can behave any way and say anything with no repercussions has made the premise of the show a joke.

The bullying in the beginning and the "circle of shame" was disgusting.

Oh and another attack for Janine just for good measure.

F THIS SHOW.

[jenn31]

8 minutes ago, 80sBaby said:

Oh and another attack for Janine just for good measure.

What is it with Janine getting the brunt of it all the time? Is she picking up the punishments June should be getting? I’m surprised she still has her one good eye. 

[mamadrama]

Well that was weird. 

I love Anne Dowd, loved seeing her acting in her backstory. However, I'm having a hard time seeing it in the context of the show. That's what I'm having trouble with period this season. I feel a real lack of consistency and it's driving me crazy. My son and I are currently binging LOST and though they managed to screw up a good deal of it, in the early seasons the flashbacks were amazing and gave the characters lots of interesting characterization. But some of the stories feel like they belong to totally different shows and different characters.

June is seriously my least favorite character at this time. 

[Umbelina]

I thought that was pretty good.

Aunt Lydia's backstory was very believable to me, and though I usually dislike flashback episodes, this was less boring and less expected than I thought it would be.  (I thought we were going to see her kill her nephew somehow.)

I liked June this time, there is change, progress, she's reached the "I have zero fucks to give" stage...finally.  When she said she finally understood that suicide bomber, and Emily stabbing Aunt Lydia, and then when OfMathew broke, and even when the other handmaids banded together, having quiet revolution and power of their own? 

Gilead is falling apart from within, and at least among themselves, the handmaids are showing their small forms of resistance.

Now Lawrence will have to look for another handmaid that won't tell tales about his household, or tell the Aunts that he doesn't do the ceremony. 

I hope they didn't just bring him on, leave him a cypher, and now walk away for Commander Winslow.

I prefer this June to scared, begging June, at least it is less boring. 

[scrb]

Yeah if that’s their explanation for why Lydia is so sadistic, basically hating any young woman who’s desired by men, it’s really too simplistic.

They would have shot OfMatthew after she killed the guardian.  Should never have gotten to the point where she’s brandishing the gun.

[jenn31]

13 minutes ago, mamadrama said:

I love Anne Dowd

I thought that the first few times I saw her, but she always plays the same type of character. Either she doesn’t have much range or she’s typecast. I’d love to see her play a completely different character. She’s so nice in interviews, I’d like to see some of that onscreen. 

[Ariam]

I am starting to think that the writers and director must be woman haters who purposefully intend to ruin Atwood’s story and any feminist ideal that initially was part of the story. They are doing that by turning the show into a parody, making it impossible to identify with the women in the story and easy to actually hate them. 

What really annoys me too is that the official fan page for the program or their twitter page are so full of praise, people raving about how amazing every episode is. *puke*. 

I can’t even bring myself to speculate what sucks in each episode as it’s more of a general, they’ve fucked up the whole story feeling that can’t be redeemed anymore. It’s really upsetting. 

I also really can’t see why people keep raving about what an amazing actress Moss is. Her acting seems flat to me. I’m actually wondering if it’s the bad writing or if it’s her bringing too much of herself into the role. The stares, the expressions, the crossed hands and the proud nods. What I loved in season one, and to some extent season two, was being able to identify with her in the story. Now I detest her. She is like a teenage bully, seriously. It doesn’t even make any sense that that would be how a person would change under those circumstances. If anything she’d be broken, scared, insecure. Before Gilead she was a gentle but pretty weak character, so it makes no sense that she would now be a teenage school bully.  It doesn’t make sense that she wouldn’t even care about other victims like her. 

I wish I could just stop following because I really hate what they have done. I was hoping this episode would bring the program forward but no. 

Edit: typos

Edited July 10, 2019 by Ariam

[mamadrama]

If they'd simply cut the number of times they close in on June's face in half they'd have time to insert an actual interesting subplot here and there. 

[Umbelina]

I also liked seeing how the Aunt's "work."

I don't think Lydia had lesbian feelings toward that inept mother.  I think, like many older people, simply hadn't been touched by anyone, in a caring way, for so long.  Humans crave touch, which is probably why she got so aggressive with that nice Principal.  She was overwhelmed with that need.  The sad thing is, he didn't even really reject her, just said he wasn't ready yet.

I get that she was humiliated by that rejection though.  Her human need to be touched, or for sex resulting in pain.  I can easily see her turning that into her fault for trying to sin.

Anyway.

Handmaids have made it very clear what happens to snitches that betray their fellow handmaids.  That was also very believable to me.

June's no longer quivering in fear, she's done with that, she's speaking her mind, following only the most obvious and visible rules.  That suicide bomber, and Emily stealing the car, and then stabbing Lydia, and OfMathew grabbing the gun after attacking Janine?  All women pushed over the edge by this horrid system.

At least we didn't have to deal with the Canada/Switzerland nonsense, and I do sense a move to DC coming up, which frankly?  I think I will welcome.

ETA

I think they beat up Janine because she already has to spend hours in the make up chair, so may as well give her the additional bruises.

Edited July 10, 2019 by Umbelina

[lavenderblue]

On top of how obnoxious it was to reduce Lydia's backstory to some version of "WOMAN SCORNED BECOMES CRAZY BITTER BE-YOTCH!!!" (you know this show's got men behind it with that one), I also failed to see how it had anything to do with the bit we'd been offered before -- something with her nephew and "it wasn't my fault"? Am I misremembering that piece of info? Because I was waiting for that.

Truly was rooting for OfMatthew to pull the trigger on June. It almost does feel like we're meant to hate her; Janine tends to be the purest/most innocent voice in Gilead, and she was the one questioning June's actions, then OfMatthew's breakdown during the Crucible Circle of Mean Girl shame was fairly sympathetic. But if the goal is for us to hate the protagonist, she's going to need one extraordinary rise and it's hard to see this show delivering on that. That she's also the show's voice, however, well...tougher to accept that the heinousness is deliberate.

I also kept thinking, when June went on about how she knows how Lillie and Emily felt, that her self-absorption has reached insane proportions. Her husband is alive and safe. She has SPOKEN with him. Both of her children for the time being? Alive and safe. Her ability to flout the societal standards? Limitless. How many other handmaids or Marthas can say the same?

[NeonBear86]

 Ok. Let me start off by saying, this episode was bullshit. That said, there is tremendous promise here. 

Aunt Lydia's backstory lacked delivery, but there was much said between the lines. Her story suggested that she is self hating, small, and incredibly selfish; her self hatred is reinforced as well as covered by not only her religion, but her background in law. Her view of the world and others is exactly the same as her view of herself, absolutely black or white, and nothing inbetween. Her self hatred, and her inability to accept genuine love is exactly what makes her the perfect Aunt. This is what her backstory meant to portray. We were never meant to sympathize with her. 

Then there's June. I'll admit that her actions made her seem like the bitch head cheerleader making hell for a loser teen. However I think this was supposed to demonstrate that the other handmaids have absolute respect for June, like she were a big bad mob boss, but all they had access to in their arsenal was passive aggression and exclusion. It came off awkward, but I think it was supposed to. 

What worries me, though, is June's psychotic decent. This is where all of her erratic, questionable, insane decision making up to this point has the potential to mean nothing. Her conversation with Lawrence was empty, the joy that she got watching ofmatthew's torment was toxic, and her demeanor in that last scene seemed almost intoxicated. This is the first time that Ive ever been disgusted with June, but I can't help but feel that it was intentional. Is she devolving into corruption, or is she escalating into her hubris? Is Gilead's toxicity turning her into exactly what she hates? Or is her pride just blinding her until life knocks her on her ass and she is humbled. I think this episode is just one small piece of a bigger puzzle to come. June is shocking us like she always does. But I am nervous, because this could make or break the show. 

[AnswersWanted]

48 minutes ago, jenn31 said:

What is it with Janine getting the brunt of it all the time? Is she picking up the punishments June should be getting? I’m surprised she still has her one good eye. 

I, for a second, thought that can of crazy Ofmatthew was thrashing her with was going to end up blinding her. 

Janine is the official whipping handmaid of Gilead. It’s gross how they keep having her assaulted out of the majority of the bunch, and ESPECIALLY over smug ass June. 

26 minutes ago, Ariam said:

I am starting to think that the writers and director must be woman haters who purposefully intend to ruin Atwood’s story and any feminist ideal that initially was part of the story. They are doing that by turning the show into a parody, making it impossible to identify with the women in the story and easy to actually hate them. 

Tell the truth. 

This show isn’t even a shell of its’ former self anymore, it’s a rotted out corpse. 

This episode made nearly everyone less likable in every way. 

There was nothing to garner sympathy or understanding from their actions or behavior, I just wanted Ofmatthew to put a bullet in everyone around her, minus Janine. 

'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 3, Episode 8 Review: Lydia, Aunt Lydia, Have You Met Lydia?

This review is bloody brilliantly written and basically blasts the show for all the same issues we have about this travesty of an episode.

Quote

The Handmaid's Tale continues to be a bit of a mess in Season 3. I keep rooting for it to get better. It keeps letting me down.

While Season 3, Episode 8 "Unfit" wasn't as bad as last week's offering—which was just all over the map—it still fails to live up to the standards set by the first two seasons of Hulu's dystopian adaptation of Margaret Atwood's classic novel. Maybe that's because they've moved so far past the book.

Maybe it's because they have no idea what they're doing or where they're going or what the point of this story is anymore.

I want to buy them a drink for just this quote alone. 

This reviewer has become my favorite of all this season. 

I greatly appreciate their ability to not do the usual kiss ass routine with Lizzie’s “acting” and the writers, and fawn all over the cinematography while ignoring the shitty plots snd incomplete, confusing, and ridiculous storylines.

It really thrills my soul, heh. 

[revbfc]

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

I really wanted Ofmatthew to shoot June right in her smirking face. That's all I've got.

I was assuming that’s what June wanted, too.

[AnswersWanted]

1 hour ago, Boofish said:

June is an asshole. Cant believe of all people to get beat with a can of great value cranberry sauce they pick poor OfNickFury

I must disagree, that had to be a Whole Foods’ all organic, non GMO can of cranberry sauce, the whole berry variety, you know, because these are the high ups of Gilead being shopped for.../s 

1 hour ago, bluestocking said:

I think June actually gave Ofmatthew a little nod when she aimed the gun at her, almost as if to say 'go ahead and shoot me.' Did I just imagine that?

There were so many June “acting!” faces coming at me from my screen I felt like I needed to put on a helmet for protection. 

But indeed it did seem like June signaled to her, or spoke to her telepathically, it is June after all so who knows what powers she posses. 

Though in that case, such a move would clearly mean that she’d given up on the whole Hannah rescue, yet again, making her choice to stay null and void and utterly pointless, which the writers have tried to deny all season. 

But something tells me they weren’t thinking about any of that at all. 

All they cared about was definitely shooting scenes that focused heavily on super cool zoom ins on images like Ofmatthew being dragged out, and June looking like an extra from the Walking Dead, and I’m not talking about the human characters either. 

I actually laughed, truly laughed at the absurdity of it all.

These people just give no fucks, no fucks whatsoever about anything making sense anymore. They’re just cashing checks and counting June’s nose hairs. 

If they’d had June break the 5th wall, give us a wink and grin and had her say: “Well didn’t that just blow you guys away?”, I probably would have respected them more, maybe a little. 

But the fact they aren’t playing this bs for laughs, that at this point I’m supposed to still be on the edge of my seat, gripped with anxiety and terror, fearful of what’s coming next, both excited and nervous over what horrible fate awaits this or that person, fuck all the way off to Narnia, show. 

All I can do is yawn or roll my eyes at the best of times.

Gilead is a full on joke, it’s no longer terrifying, even June openly operates knowing that. It’s an inconvenience until the show wants random blood shed, and even then it’s too little too late to care or feel shocked or surprised. 

June should just go ahead and be revealed as fucking Batman and Gilead is her Gotham. If they want to write this shit so cartoonish and cheesy, then go all the way. 

Her humanity has been replaced by the strongest plot armor in all of television history. She will outlive the radioactive cockroaches of the end of days apocalypse. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The moment when I knew Lydia was beyond redemption was when her boss was singing "Islands in the Stream" and she was clapping on the 1 and the 3. *shudder*

A+ for "More Than Words" though!

While I understand why June was furious with Ofmatthew, she was just being a straight up mean girl and getting everyone else to bully her while she just stood there watching.

And somehow it was even worse when Ofmatthew lost it and attacked Janine and June just stood there again doing nothing.

Lydia is the worst. Like June, she was just vindictive and mean, blaming and punishing someone for not getting what she wanted. They both hide their pettiness behind their self-righteous indignation and (supposed) moral superiority. The main difference is that Lydia pretends she's trying to help (the little boy, the handmaids). At least June is honest about her motives. She flat out told Janine why she was having the other handmaids pick on Ofmatthew, and she's been honest with her current commander about her priority being Hannah. And to be fair, being a handmaid is far more humiliating and a better motivation for wanting revenge than Lydia's "I got my feelings hurt this one time."

[Miles]

I think we all forgot some really really bad DUMB that was frontloaded in the episode, because of all of the DUMB throughout the rest.

They basically told us that June isn't getting punished because she needs to be camera ready. She even mentions her tounge getting cut out. What the hell does she need her tounge for, to stand on TV with a scarf in front of her face?! There are also a bunch of other punishments that wouldn't be visible when she is fully clothed.

3 hours ago, rideashire said:

I'm disappointed in Lydia's backstory. So she snapped because a guy didn't want to sleep with her and that made her turn on a friend? That's it? This is why it was all downhill for her?

I don't know ya'll. The whole time I was watching that I kept expecting the boy's mother to end up as a handmaid and some weird shit to go down with her that would warp Lydia somehow. But no. She went crazy because of some dick (or lack of dick?). 

worst. backstory. ever.

I thought the mother was going to cause the death of the child. Thus driving aunt Lydia to extreme measures to ensure that future children will be save. Maybe Lydia even prevented CPS from taking the boy, because after getting to know the mother, she thought she could handle it. That would have made it extra tragic.

It also would have played into the punishment where the handmaids have to admit their wrong doings and would have made a great bookend with a pregnant handmaid getting killed, which would mean that Lydia's actions caused another child to get killed.

How can you fail at writing so hard, that you can't make these obvious, obvious choices? This shit basically writes itself!

3 hours ago, bluestocking said:

I think June actually gave Ofmatthew a little nod when she aimed the gun at her, almost as if to say 'go ahead and shoot me.' Did I just imagine that?

Yeah, but I think it meant "Yeah shoot aunt Lydia. I know we both feel like Emily did before she stuck a knife in Lydia's back, because I'm psychic now." At least that's how I interpreted her little internal speach beforehand.

1 hour ago, AnswersWanted said:

I actually laughed, truly laughed at the absurdity of it all.

That makes at least two of us.

[ferjy]

Another one bites the dust. They sure are dropping like flies around June. How many seasons are they anticipating? At this rate June will be one only one standing in Gilead at the end. Even the guards get killed around her! 

[ferjy]

27 minutes ago, Miles said:

worst. backstory. ever.

Yep, what I thought was going to happen with Aunt Lydia's back story happened. They made a mess of that too. Could it have been any more pathetic? And not a mention of the nephew that died, that might have been somewhat interesting at least. Another thing they’ve forgotten was mentioned.  Instead we get some contrived plot about rejection. The guy didn’t even dump her, he just said he wasn’t ready to sleep with her yet. How desperate can you be to get laid? Good God, these writers must be on acid when they’re scripting these scenes. 

[ferjy]

4 hours ago, Umbelina said:

I thought that was pretty good.

It certainly was one of the best comedies I’ve seen in a long time. 😛

[goldilocks]

4 hours ago, 80sBaby said:

June never takes responsibility for how her smug selfishness contributes to things. I cannot stand her. I do not root for her and long to see her swinging from the wall.

When the Aunts toasted to June being a bad apple, I was right there with them. 

[ferjy]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

While I understand why June was furious with Ofmatthew, she was just being a straight up mean girl and getting everyone else to bully her while she just stood there watching.

She was the pot calling the kettle black. Ofmatthew got Frances killed and isn’t sorry? Ugh! Look in the mirror, June. Who instigated it all?

[Miles]

2 minutes ago, goldilocks said:

When the Aunts toasted to June being a bad apple, I was right there with them. 

But they didn't, did they? They said they never had a problem with her before she was posted to the waterfords and that they must be the corrupting influence...

[AnswersWanted]

Oh, and I forgot to mention another tidbit that stood out to me as a huge middle finger to us, the audience, from these writers. 

The round table Lydia held with her two hench women, they're discussing placements and Lydia says that one of the commander and wife couples won't take a "handmaid of color", and I about tossed my tablet in disgust. 

Oh so now, NOW, these mf-ers want to bring up color??

In "colorblind" Gilead, where the need for children from any and all fertile women of breeding age totally erased racism and bigotry, and everyone lives underneath the same goddamn rainbow wheel?!

Fuck. That. Noise.

This actually may be the most egregious "fuck you for criticizing me about race" Miller, and probably Littlefield, has inserted into the show to date. 

Why the hell did they even go there? What now? Is race suddenly going to start to matter again? In placing handmaids, regarding stolen children, or even couples in power who are "of color"?

The last thing this show needs is to tackle race with how it's been written so far, it actually offends me to see such a flippant, throw away line regarding it. 

This show has me all out of balance again, ffs, can they just lay off being insufferable tools for one week at least...?

[ferjy]

2 hours ago, Miles said:

That makes at least two of us

Right behind you at three. (This is going to be a long line.)

Edited July 10, 2019 by ferjy
wrong word, thanks autocorrect

[goldilocks]

3 minutes ago, Miles said:

But they didn't, did they? They said they never had a problem with her before she was posted to the waterfords and that they must be the corrupting influence...

They did add that to justify it. The show runners couldn’t desanctify her. 

[ferjy]

8 minutes ago, Miles said:

But they didn't, did they? They said they never had a problem with her before she was posted to the waterfords and that they must be the corrupting influence...

June is so special. I had to laugh when the handmaids were all chanting the “breathe” ditty when the handmaid was in labor but June gets to stand out of the circle, IN THE HALLWAY, with her hands crossed, NOT CHANTING, and the anger scowl on her face. When the handmaid loses the baby, the others all embrace her. June is allowed to wander off to look at the baby. WTF?? What exempts her from her duties and being the requisite demure handmaid? 

[ferjy]

14 minutes ago, AnswersWanted said:

Oh so now, NOW, these mf-ers want to bring up color??

In "colorblind" Gilead, where the need for children from any and all fertile women of breeding age totally erased racism and bigotry, and everyone lives underneath the same goddamn rainbow wheel?!

That took me aback too. These guys have no idea what this book is about. They’re completely destroying Margaret Atwood’s vision. 

[AnswersWanted]

15 minutes ago, ferjy said:

Right behind you at three. (This is going to be a long list.)

We'll form a conga line at this rate, heh. 

1 hour ago, Miles said:

worst. backstory. ever.

Wasn't it though? 

I actually found myself wanting to learn more about the single mum, Noelle I believe.

Once I realized they were just going to have Lydia be Lydia, but in makeup with loose waves, I couldn't be bothered to care about her flashbacks. 

This show manages to squander more potential than June gets to avoid any and all accountability.

[Miles]

1 minute ago, ferjy said:

That took me aback too. These guys have no idea what this book is about. They’re completely destroying Margaret Atwood’s vision. 

In the book Gilead was one giant white people breeding program. I was fine with the show having a different take in season one, where there are actually few children being born, not just white children and so it's an actual problem, that made Gilead value every fertile woman, no matter the race. But them now flipflopping on that IS infuriating! It doesn't make any sense within the world they established.

Not to mention that handmaids (fertile women who have "sinned") seem to grow on trees now.

[goldilocks]

4 hours ago, Ariam said:

What really annoys me too is that the official fan page for the program or their twitter page are so full of praise, people raving about how amazing every episode is. *puke*.

One of those websites that deletes negative comments obviously. 

[ferjy]

4 minutes ago, Miles said:

In the book Gilead was one giant white people breeding program. I was fine with the show having a different take in season one, where there are actually few children being born, not just white children and so it's an actual problem, that made Gilead value every fertile woman, no matter the race. But them now flipflopping on that IS infuriating! It doesn't make any sense within the world they established.

Yes, exactly that. Next they’ll be requesting what eye and hair color they want. 

[goldilocks]

16 minutes ago, AnswersWanted said:

Once I realized they were just going to have Lydia be Lydia, but in makeup with loose waves, I couldn't be bothered to care about her flashbacks. 

It was a waste of a flashback. I wanted to know more about the nephew. Why bring it up in the first place? Oh right... they forgot about it. 

[AnswersWanted]

43 minutes ago, ferjy said:

That took me aback too. These guys have no idea what this book is about. They’re completely destroying Margaret Atwood’s vision. 

Utterly and totally.  

I remember all the bullshit Miller fed people when the show first aired about why he decided to "go in a different direction" than the book when it came to race, blah blah, but now he wants to dabble back into it for a quick line in the middle of season 3 and we're probably not going to hear anymore about it. Because "reasons".

Or until they decide they need another "shock!" scene and they'll show handmaids of different races being segregated or hauled off, etc.

I hate what he's done and what he is doing. This story was a very important one when Atwood first wrote and released it, and this show could have been everything the book was and more. 

Now, it's just offensive to me. 

38 minutes ago, Miles said:

In the book Gilead was one giant white people breeding program. I was fine with the show having a different take in season one, where there are actually few children being born, not just white children and so it's an actual problem, that made Gilead value every fertile woman, no matter the race. But them now flipflopping on that IS infuriating! It doesn't make any sense within the world they established.

Not to mention that handmaids (fertile women who have "sinned") seem to grow on trees now.

That's my main issue, the constant flipflopping and backtracking and bullshitting of it all.

Just pick a fucking lane already, goddamn you, writers. 

This is just as bad as them dragging the Swiss into things, there's been absolutely no plausible set up for this turn of events. 

We have seen nothing before to imply that race can or could cause such problems.

Does the show even remember that dinner during season 1 where they paraded all those kids of every color in front of Mexico to entice them into making a deal?

Again, the Gilead we've been shown this whole time would not have the time or the resources to give 2 shits what color a handmaid is or isn't. 

I am just...tired. 

Edited July 10, 2019 by AnswersWanted
Spelling counts

[ferjy]

4 hours ago, Ariam said:

I’m actually wondering if it’s the bad writing or if it’s her bringing too much of herself into the role.

The last thing we need is Elisabeth Moss ad-libbing. We’d get even more contorted facial expressions. They’re getting so grotesque they’re going to have to add a warning that certain scenes may scare young children. 

[AnswersWanted]

24 minutes ago, goldilocks said:

It was a waste of a flashback. I wanted to know more about the nephew. Why bring it up in the first place? Oh right... they forgot about it. 

I wonder since the boy started calling Lydia "Aunt Lydia"  before she had him stolen from his mother, he could be the "nephew" in qiestion, maybe she kept in touch with him, but of course the show probably won't care to clarify anything that happened in this episode until "whenever, never, make us". 

Edited July 10, 2019 by AnswersWanted

[Miles]

1 minute ago, AnswersWanted said:

I wonder since the boy started calling Lydia ",Aunt Lydia"  before she had him stolen from his mother, he could be the "nephew" in qiestion, maybe she kept in touch with him, but of course the show probably won't care to clarify anything that happened in this episode until "whenever, never, make us". 

I thought that he might be the "nephew", too.

But if he dies now, aunt Lydia's actions won't make any sense. She took the kid from the mother, he died because of it and so she vows to take more children from their mothers? It would have made sense if he died through neglect by the mother and Lydia was blaming herself for not having had the boy taken away.

[alexvillage]

I am going through these comments and wow *the writers really reached bottom* is the thought that comes to mind.

The flip-flopping on the white supremacy ideal of Gilead seems to be exactly what was mentioned here: a fuck you to critics of the show - I am not using the quotes because there are too many great comments here.

If I understand well:  aunt Lydia became this person who believes that terrorizing other women because she was rejected by a man? If this is the reason given, or if it is anything near this, the writers are, undoubtedly, completely ignorant of women, or they are actual women haters. I am judging but I am also basing this on observations from clueless "dudes" everywhere who see women as inferior (openly or in a not so obvious way) and who have this idea of defined roles for women and for men, and they live in a 100% cis world because they will never ever accept anything other than this simplistic view. 

I agree with the assessment of Moss. I don't understand the praise for her and this show is showing her limitations, if nothing else. But her cult is about believing they have all the answers for everything, they know more because they reached the whatever they call level after paying the unsurmountable amount of money demanded, so that ship has sailed. I am wondering now if the writers are also part of the cult. Maybe they are simply too confident that they are doing a great job because they know better, at the same time getting the cultist star to show the talent they are sure she has. 

Either that or they are really asinine men who need to be right at any cost, even if the cost is what they probably think of as their legacy of artistic might - then they just send a big FUCK YOU to all the critics by making the stories even worse.