The Handmaid's Tale - Hulu Original (**Spoilers**)

Tikki Wang Wang

The Late Late Show wrote: »

You are aware that RTE do not have the monopoly on bad reality TV, right! It dominates ALL channels. That's why people flock to the Netflix, Hulu, Now TV.

The show is a steaming pile of dung that only now appeals to THT fanatics ironically enough.

iamwhoiam

Tikki Wang Wang wrote: »

The show is a steaming pile of dung that only now appeals to THT fanatics ironically enough.

I am not a fanatic and still watch it . Mainly to see if Serena decides to be good or bad !!

Marje

Margaret Atwood sequel The Testament is due out in September.

Would be curious to see the directions she went with the story line.

It picks up the story 15 years after Offred stepped into the unknown with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

It was nominated for The Booker Prize before it's published.

The Late Late Show

Exclamation Marc wrote: »

Again, you're using awful reference points to further your weak argument. Sure its better than Mrs. Browns Boys. But that's like saying pulling a muscle is better than breaking an arm. It doesn't mean either are good.

It's certainly not better or not even close to contemporary programmes that it should be compared to like Stranger Things, Big Little Lies, Chernobyl, Fleabag, Killing Eve to name a few. And against all of those, it is simply sh¡te.

It has no direction, its breaking its own rules, its illogical, its boring and all it has going for it from a storytelling perspective is how good it used to be.

And better shows than it have been cancelled quicker.

And I'm not saying all this because I'm trolling or trying to crap on anyones parade, it's because I used to love the show and I was invested in it but it's like a lame dog that needs to be put out of its misery before it totally destroys its own legacy. Each to their own and tv tastes are personal but the majority of viewers are growing to hate this show and that's completely justified.

To take 2 of the dramas you mention, Chernobyl and Killing Eve are excellent too. The same old argument would be there about KE that season one is much better than season 2. But can we compare a spy thriller with a dystopian thriller? No. And Chernobyl is a real life based drama.

These awful references are what typifies TV these days. Dragon's Den for instance is going since around 2004. There is NO WAY this drivel should be on for 15 years. It is an insult to TV audiences. But it is cheap to make. Mrs Brown's Boys is an example of something that is going on and on forever when it should be discontinued.

There also is a difference saying THT season 3 is not as good as season 1 and/or 2 and saying it is 'drivel'. It STILL is a good drama and perhaps the strength of its season 1 and that it is MARGARET ATWOOD material is a hard ask to follow.

Another thing many criticise THT for is June surviving against the odds. From time immemorial, the lead character in any TV series or film survives against the odds! Nidge and Walter White were wanted dead by gangland figures of all kind and wanted by the law as well. They both survived until the end of 5 series. JR Ewing was shot a few times, was locked up in a Cuban prison, had an American terrorist arms dealer try to take him out, was in a mental asylum and even contemplated suicide and yet survived until actor Larry Hagman died. And James Bond? How many ridiculous scenarios did he survive? And what explains The A Team? All them shootouts and cars turning over and no one dead and seriously injured? Are people just too critical of TV series and films these days?

Agent Coulson

What's with the random shouting.

One currant dystopian thriller series that has improved season after season is the Man in the High Castle and that blows the Handmaid's Tale out of the water on every count.


Previous ones that were overall better season in season out include Battlestar Galactica, Fringe & my personal favourite Jeremiah.

The Late Late Show

Tikki Wang Wang wrote: »

The show is a steaming pile of dung that only now appeals to THT fanatics ironically enough.

I don't think it is even close to that. I enjoy it and I can acknowledge that it is not as good as season 1 but it still is well made, well acted, has an interesting story and is one of the few programmes that are different from the norm on TV.

Mrs Brown's Boys now is a show FITTING the description a steaming pile of dung. This has NO story, is poorly acted (so much so that they laugh at the mistakes), is not even set on location, has no proper actors, etc.

The Late Late Show

Agent Coulson wrote: »

What's with the random shouting.

One currant dystopian thriller series that has improved season after season is the Man in the High Castle and that blows the Handmaid's Tale out of the water on every count.


Previous ones that were overall better season in season out include Battlestar Galactica, Fringe & my personal favourite Jeremiah.

Man in the High Castle is on my shortlist of series to see. I am aware of what it is about (Nazis win WW2 and America is under their and Japanese control). I don't think we should be comparing one show with another and I won't watch Man in the High Castle and expect it to be The Handmaid's Tale and be disappointed when it is not.

That reminds me of the person who would not watch Mad Max 2 and was hostile towards it because his view was The Road Warrior was the best post apocalypse action film ever made. He said Mad Max 2 was a ripoff of the Road Warrior. Mad Max 2 and The Road Warrior are the same film!!

Exclamation Marc

The Late Late Show wrote: »

These awful references are what typifies TV these days. Dragon's Den for instance is going since around 2004. There is NO WAY this drivel should be on for 15 years. It is an insult to TV audiences. But it is cheap to make. Mrs Brown's Boys is an example of something that is going on and on forever when it should be discontinued.

There also is a difference saying THT season 3 is not as good as season 1 and/or 2 and saying it is 'drivel'. It STILL is a good drama and perhaps the strength of its season 1 and that it is MARGARET ATWOOD material is a hard ask to follow.

Another thing many criticise THT for is June surviving against the odds. From time immemorial, the lead character in any TV series or film survives against the odds! Nidge and Walter White were wanted dead by gangland figures of all kind and wanted by the law as well. They both survived until the end of 5 series. JR Ewing was shot a few times, was locked up in a Cuban prison, had an American terrorist arms dealer try to take him out, was in a mental asylum and even contemplated suicide and yet survived until actor Larry Hagman died. And James Bond? How many ridiculous scenarios did he survive? And what explains The A Team? All them shootouts and cars turning over and no one dead and seriously injured? Are people just too critical of TV series and films these days?

You're talking nonsense again.

June survives with no logic. Any supporting character would be dead but her survival defies any sense. Surviving against the odds is one thing like a James Bond but there's a logic behind it, even if it's far fetched at times. June surviving scenarios where she'd be 100% killed again and again with no reasoning is just insulting to viewers. At this stage, if she was shot fifty times in the face, she'd probably survive. Why would viewers every believe June is in peril and buy into the danger if she's shown to survive every time with no reason or consequence. It's BAD writing.

And it is drivel. If you think the writers scheduling fifteen minutes of June gurning at the camera every episode is good writing, you need your head checked.

The Late Late Show

Another issue people have with The Handmaid's Tale is the association with causes: abortion, anti-Trump, etc. Some want the show to have a complete abortion storyline or want to see the backstory that the last US president in it was someone like Trump who left in someone like Bolton. The post-8th April 2018 US regime and Gilead are in some ways alike but they are NOT one and the same. People coming at THT from this perspective, i.e. that it is anti-Post 8th April 2018 regime propaganda, forget a few things: series 1 was planned and made during Obama's last year in office, series 2 was made in the moderate Trump era of prior to the Bolton regime, and the book was written by Margaret Atwood originally in, er, 1984 and published in 1985!!

To clarify something I said in the past: not ALL critics of the series is doing so based on an agenda. But some debate issues in it and criticise it based on issues. Some pro-choice people want more of an abortion story, some pro-Trump people say it represents more ISIS and Islamic dictatorships than Christian America, etc. The reality is Gilead is a fictional world based on some facts from both America and elsewhere.

The Late Late Show

Exclamation Marc wrote: »

You're talking nonsense again.

June survives with no logic. Any supporting character would be dead but her survival defies any sense. Surviving against the odds is one thing like a James Bond but there's a logic behind it, even if it's far fetched at times. June surviving scenarios where she'd be 100% killed again and again with no reasoning is just insulting to viewers. At this stage, if she was shot fifty times in the face, she'd probably survive. Why would viewers every believe June is in peril and buy into the danger if she's shown to survive every time with no reason or consequence. It's BAD writing.

And it is drivel. If you think the writers scheduling fifteen minutes of June gurning at the camera every episode is good writing, you need your head checked.

Exclamation Marc

The Late Late Show wrote: »

Yes? That's Mrs. Browns Boys. That's awful in its own way. It has no bearing on how bad THT is, which has unfortunately become awful in its own way also.

They can both be (and are) drivel, exclusive of each other.

Tikki Wang Wang

The Late Late Show wrote: »

What’s with your Mrs Brown obsession? It’s completely off topic.

is_that_so

The Late Late Show wrote: »

To take 2 of the dramas you mention, Chernobyl and Killing Eve are excellent too. The same old argument would be there about KE that season one is much better than season 2. But can we compare a spy thriller with a dystopian thriller? No. And Chernobyl is a real life based drama.

These awful references are what typifies TV these days. Dragon's Den for instance is going since around 2004. There is NO WAY this drivel should be on for 15 years. It is an insult to TV audiences. But it is cheap to make. Mrs Brown's Boys is an example of something that is going on and on forever when it should be discontinued.

There also is a difference saying THT season 3 is not as good as season 1 and/or 2 and saying it is 'drivel'. It STILL is a good drama and perhaps the strength of its season 1 and that it is MARGARET ATWOOD material is a hard ask to follow.

Another thing many criticise THT for is June surviving against the odds. From time immemorial, the lead character in any TV series or film survives against the odds! Nidge and Walter White were wanted dead by gangland figures of all kind and wanted by the law as well. They both survived until the end of 5 series. JR Ewing was shot a few times, was locked up in a Cuban prison, had an American terrorist arms dealer try to take him out, was in a mental asylum and even contemplated suicide and yet survived until actor Larry Hagman died. And James Bond? How many ridiculous scenarios did he survive? And what explains The A Team? All them shootouts and cars turning over and no one dead and seriously injured? Are people just too critical of TV series and films these days?

I'm not sure why you insist on continuously putting random TV shows in competition with each other. These long posts don't really offer up an awful lot of insight I'm afraid. Viewers engage with a show and that includes suspension of disbelief.
Some shows improve as they go along, many do not. Shows that go on too long always get tired and bland. Viewers also become invested in what they are watching. You clearly are but it is about time you laid off brow beating people into seeing what you see. From this thread some people have lost interest for their own reasons. Perhaps due to seeing that investment as wasted or maybe because it just doesn't appeal to them any more.

Mr E

Mod: Back on topic, folks. This thread is for The Handmaid's Tale.

Agent Coulson

Seems Louboutin heels are easy to come by for June.


Well this weeks episode just got more ridiculous and if nothing happens to June after what she did in Jezebels then the whole thing is a joke.


That didn't work out well for the Waterfords.

Sardonicat

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Seems Louboutin heels are easy to come by for June.


Well this weeks episode just got more ridiculous and if nothing happens to June after what she did in Jezebels then the whole thing is a joke.


That didn't work out well for the Waterfords.

I was wondering about June's wardrobe too. Eleanore doesn't strike me as the kind of woman who would wear LBs in her pre Gilead days to have a pair knocking around in her closets now.

I don't think anyone will ever know what June did (YES!) because those Martha's seemed very thorough in their work. (As seen posted in YT's comments "Martha's gonna Martha wid a wet'n'dry hoovah"

I think it worked out just fine for Serena. The episode is called 'Liars'.

Actually thought it was the best episode by far. Extremely satisfying in parts. My only gripe is the choice of track at the end. Completely inappropriate and really jarred. The worst choice yet. Love the actual song itself, mind.

Credit Checker Moose

So you can cross the border without even knowing it. I am surprised the Waterfords were caught so easily.

Sardonicat

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

So you can cross the border without even knowing it. I am surprised the Waterfords were caught so easily.

It was a set up. By Serena

Sudden Valley

yea h good episode. A bit surprised by the Canadian involvement in the plot and there seemed to be genuinely afraid of Gilead earlier in the episode. perhaps Gilead will disown Fred.

joe_99

Better episode this week. Serena obviously set-up Waterford in return for Nicole. I suspect Waterford was arrested under an international arrest warrant that Canada felt obligated to honour. He may be whisked off to the Hague before Gilead even know he's gone. That way Canada can't be pressured to return him.

SusieBlue

I didn’t get the impressed that Serena was in on it at all?
Do we really think Canada will return Nicole to her as part of that exchange?
If they are arresting Fred for all these various human rights abuses and war crimes they’re hardly going to send an innocent baby back into that environment to a woman who isn’t even the child’s mother?

If they actually do that it’ll be the stupidest plot hole I’ve ever seen because it makes no sense whatsoever.

All in all I really enjoyed that episode, best of the series so far without a doubt but if Serena gets to bring Nicole back to Gilead because of her involvement I’ll be extremely annoyed.
It makes no sense at all.

joe_99

SusieBlue wrote: »

I didn’t get the impressed that Serena was in on it at all?
Do we really think Canada will return Nicole to her as part of that exchange?
If they are arresting Fred for all these various human rights abuses and war crimes they’re hardly going to send an innocent baby back into that environment to a woman who isn’t even the child’s mother?

If they actually do that it’ll be the stupidest plot hole I’ve ever seen because it makes no sense whatsoever.

All in all I really enjoyed that episode, best of the series so far without a doubt but if Serena gets to bring Nicole back to Gilead because of her involvement I’ll be extremely annoyed.
It makes no sense at all.

Serena can't go back to Gilead. She will stay in Canada or Hawaii, whether or not something to do with Nicole is involved we'll see. She wasn't arrested which points to a deal being done.

Shelga

Much better episode this week that actually moved things forward. It hadn’t occurred to me while watching that Serena had set Fred up, but now it seems kinda obvious!

The Waterfords really are detestable but I enjoy their scenes, and how they justify their actions to themselves. They’re complex characters.

I hope the last two episodes are as plot-driven as this one, because it made a welcome change.

Stark

Enjoyed it for the most part. Delighted to see the Waterfords' storyline move along.

With Jezebels, again June's plot armour took the tension out of the scene. Turning around to face Commander Winslow should have been one of those heart in mouth moments but instead I just thought "nothing bad is going to happen again". And totally bizarre that she could just murder him in the middle of the place and no consequences.

Enzokk

Stark wrote: »

Enjoyed it for the most part. Delighted to see the Waterfords' storyline move along.

With Jezebels, again June's plot armour took the tension out of the scene. Turning around to face Commander Winslow should have been one of those heart in mouth moments but instead I just thought "nothing bad is going to happen again". And totally bizarre that she could just murder him in the middle of the place and no consequences.

You suspect that is not the first body they have gotten rid of in a room. Usually it would be a female body though, but they surely had practice.

As for Commander Waterford, it does seem weird that he would fall for driving over the border without knowing it, but seeing that his job previously was in marketing (I believe) he obviously is not the smart one in that relationship. There was a conversation abut her life before and her writing her first book, which she obviously cannot do now.

extra gravy

Enzokk wrote: »

You suspect that is not the first body they have gotten rid of in a room. Usually it would be a female body though, but they surely had practice.

That steam cleaner they had made light work of the blood, they've definitely cleaned up some messes before. Plus the convenient incinerator!

Sleepy

TBH, the Marthas' ability to clean up a dead body in Jezebels wouldn't really be surprising. Only difference for them was that this time the corpse was female.

A much better episode this week though the one thing that really took me out of it was Commander Lawrence giving the handgun to June in the final scene. We've never seen any evidence that she knows how to handle one (nor has he) and to think that a slight woman with no light arms training is going to be more effective with one than the owner of the weapon who has, presumably given his position, at least had rudimentary training in the handling of it, is fairly preposterous. Does she even know how to switch the safety off? Not that I do myself tbh but it was an odd scene.

wakka12

Strong episode. Would help restore my faith in the show a bit.

Lawrence has to be one of the most underwhelming characters, seemed so interesting at the end of the last season but hes barely had an impact on this season despite being one of the leads

angel eyes 2012

Just wondering where the latest episodes are available from. I'm watching on RTE and appear to be a week behind you all.

Sittingpretty

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

Just wondering where the latest episodes are available from. I'm watching on RTE and appear to be a week behind you all.

I’m behind too.

Maybe those watching ahead could spoiler their replies.