The handmaids tail

[ukbabz]

We watched season 1 from Amazon prime, before catching season 2 on C4. Overall we're both enjoying it, but it is painfully slow at times. I'm not sure why this bothers me more than better call saul which is glacial...

Last nights episode was interesting, am not entirely sure June/Offred actually has a plan as such and is thinking more much day to day.

One point that was touched up upon in s1 which I hope they expand is that the world seems to have a massive baby shortage, yet the handmaid system seems to be producing babies (however unethical) - it'd be interesting to see whether any other country adopts a similar system based on this. There is the assumption Gilead will fail but I could see a twist where it expands without war because birth rates are so low and people are desperate.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

I assume the land they're working on is a cleanup operation after nuclear fallout?
If so - what caused the fallout (nuclear war, accident?) and why aren't they using machinery?
I also assume this is why they need handmaids - the fallout made the women infertile. So why aren't the Men infertile too?

It is difficult to figure out what's going on! so many questions.

[croyde]

The women working in the irradiated land are supposedly in "the Colonies".

I wonder where they are supposed to be?

[Lurking Lawyer]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

So why aren't the Men infertile too?

I was under the impression that at least some of them were - which is why Waterford couldn't get June pregnant and Serena conspires to have Nick do the honours instead.

I think it was also mentioned in the first series episode where the trade delegation from Mexico comes to Gilead that the infertility crisis affects both men and women.

[jurbie]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

I assume the land they're working on is a cleanup operation after nuclear fallout?
If so - what caused the fallout (nuclear war, accident?) and why aren't they using machinery?
I also assume this is why they need handmaids - the fallout made the women infertile. So why aren't the Men infertile too?

It is difficult to figure out what's going on! so many questions.

As I understand it there is an unspecified reason for woman becoming infertile that has affected the whole world. I don't believe it was nuclear fallout but pollution in general has been mooted. I don't know what the land they're working on is but I assume the lack of machinery is down to it being a penal colony so they're not going to make it easy for them.

The bit that confused me was a couple of episodes ago when June was in the midst of her escape and she holed up with the bakery driver guy and his family. How come his wife who clearly was fertile hadn't been taken away to be a handmaid and it was only after it all went wrong for them did the authorities choose to do that?

[200Plus Club]

Still hoping the thread title gets edited at some point lol

[rodericb]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

I assume the land they're working on is a cleanup operation after nuclear fallout?
If so - what caused the fallout (nuclear war, accident?) and why aren't they using machinery?
I also assume this is why they need handmaids - the fallout made the women infertile. So why aren't the Men infertile too?

It is difficult to figure out what's going on! so many questions.

One one hand it looks like the producers are downplaying that bit. When they were in Canada on that visit nothing like that was brought up. But then we now know why what's-her-name can't (shot in the stomach by a protester). I was trying to read in anything with the sick baby and crazy one-eye mother and the failed doctor but couldn't.

[lufbramatt]

jurbie said:

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

I assume the land they're working on is a cleanup operation after nuclear fallout?
If so - what caused the fallout (nuclear war, accident?) and why aren't they using machinery?
I also assume this is why they need handmaids - the fallout made the women infertile. So why aren't the Men infertile too?

It is difficult to figure out what's going on! so many questions.

As I understand it there is an unspecified reason for woman becoming infertile that has affected the whole world. I don't believe it was nuclear fallout but pollution in general has been mooted. I don't know what the land they're working on is but I assume the lack of machinery is down to it being a penal colony so they're not going to make it easy for them.

The bit that confused me was a couple of episodes ago when June was in the midst of her escape and she holed up with the bakery driver guy and his family. How come his wife who clearly was fertile hadn't been taken away to be a handmaid and it was only after it all went wrong for them did the authorities choose to do that?

All the handmaids have done something wrong in the eyes of gilead in the past,, eg were gay. June/Offred is seen as an adulterer as her husband was still married when they got together. That’s what the flashback with his ex wife was about- it was her that reported June to Gilead after seeing her in the cafe with the baby. Hence the monologue about making the biggest mistake a long time ago.

[jurbie]

That makes sense, thanks.

[nicanary]

That's the second series finished, and rather handily they left it open for a third. Who'd have thought. Mind you, it's better than much of the dross we find on the box.

Did anyone else find the lack of lighting encouraged a feeling of gloom and despondency? Dark sets and mumbled American speech made it difficult to follow sometimes.

[croyde]

nicanary said:

That's the second series finished, and rather handily they left it open for a third. Who'd have thought. Mind you, it's better than much of the dross we find on the box.

Did anyone else find the lack of lighting encouraged a feeling of gloom and despondency? Dark sets and mumbled American speech made it difficult to follow sometimes.

Yep, best viewing of my week but I do sometimes stick on the sub titles as it's too easy to miss an important utterance.

[nicanary]

croyde said:

nicanary said:

That's the second series finished, and rather handily they left it open for a third. Who'd have thought. Mind you, it's better than much of the dross we find on the box.

Did anyone else find the lack of lighting encouraged a feeling of gloom and despondency? Dark sets and mumbled American speech made it difficult to follow sometimes.

Yep, best viewing of my week but I do sometimes stick on the sub titles as it's too easy to miss an important utterance.

Glad to realise it's not just me getting old. Other American programmes also have this problem - I found the same with Billions. Some sentences are barely understandable. The sound engineers need a good talking to.

[rodericb]

Is anyone watching season three of this series? I'm up to episode seven.

[toon10]

nicanary said:

Glad to realise it's not just me getting old. Other American programmes also have this problem - I found the same with Billions. Some sentences are barely understandable. The sound engineers need a good talking to.

I suffer badly from not hearing when they are muttering or talking but then it being too loud for bangs and explosions. I've just got a Sky soundbox for my Sky Q and it's a revelation. It modulates so you can hear what everyone's saying but then it's not too loud when the action kicks in. No more volume up and down on the remote every 5 minutes!

[Alxxx]

rodericb said:

Is anyone watching season three of this series? I'm up to episode seven.

I watched episode 8 last night, is it just me or has the plot not moved on at all this series? Just endless flashbacks and close up shots of Elisabeth Moss' face.

[nicanary]

Alxxx said:

rodericb said:

Is anyone watching season three of this series? I'm up to episode seven.

I watched episode 8 last night, is it just me or has the plot not moved on at all this series? Just endless flashbacks and close up shots of Elisabeth Moss' face.

I agree. Seems to me they're running out of ideas. After all, they've covered all the stuff in the book, and now they're trying to create scenarios which MIGHT have been in the book. It's getting a bit boring.

[anonymous-user]

nicanary said:

Alxxx said:

rodericb said:

Is anyone watching season three of this series? I'm up to episode seven.

I watched episode 8 last night, is it just me or has the plot not moved on at all this series? Just endless flashbacks and close up shots of Elisabeth Moss' face.

I agree. Seems to me they're running out of ideas. After all, they've covered all the stuff in the book, and now they're trying to create scenarios which MIGHT have been in the book. It's getting a bit boring.

Have they actually explained why the handmaid had a tail yet?

[Lurking Lawyer]

El stovey said:

Have they actually explained why the handmaid had a tail yet?

Turns out it was a typo.

It was a mermaid, not a handmaid.

[200Plus Club]

Riveting but a bit slow sums this season up. Not convinced it needs another

[RemaL]

Started watching on catch up when a few people said how good this was. managed the first series and half the second and I just don't click with this and removed the catch up link.