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The Handmaid's Tale |OT| Starring Elisabeth Moss - Wednesdays on Hulu, 92 on MC

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R

Red Liquorice

Member
I was quite disappointed there was going to be a second series, as I got towards the end of the show I realised it wasn't going to wrap up and so had a look online to see a second series had already been commissioned. The series was fantastic and the cast was superb, but I would have been happy with a 'one and done' adaptation of the book.

As it is, I'll more than likely watch the second series, but much like Stranger Things - I do wish TV companies would have the guts to not turn everything in to a franchise.
 
J

Jakabok

Member
One thing they never touched on is what life in Gilead is like for 'regular' people in the big cities - surely they can't have killed everyone or shipped them off to the colonies. Come to think of it, where would these 'colonies' actually be given that rest of the world hasn't followed suit with the religious whackjobs? Would they be the parts of the USA not yet conquered by the brotherhood?
 
R

Red Liquorice

Member
I got the impression the colonies were parts of the USA on the edges of where nuclear cleanup was still taking place. They did mention the nuclear cleanup I think, and everyone seemed afraid to go there either because it was like the wild west frontier or the work would be a danger to their health.
 
C

crackhead_bob

Member
Jakabok said:
One thing they never touched on is what life in Gilead is like for 'regular' people in the big cities - surely they can't have killed everyone or shipped them off to the colonies. Come to think of it, where would these 'colonies' actually be given that rest of the world hasn't followed suit with the religious whackjobs? Would they be the parts of the USA not yet conquered by the brotherhood?
Click to expand...

Not familiar with the Hunger Games, but how many films into the film series before all the districts were given onscreen representation?
 
C

crackhead_bob

Member
I was thinking about if this show were to shed light on the final days of Gilead. Given that this is a television series, how would its overthrow be depicted? They wouldn't be able to do the zero sum spectacles of feature films like Return of the King, so how would the final showdown take place? And who looks to be positioned as this show's main antagonist to Ofred? I haven't seen the show yet, but plan on getting it when it comes out on bluray.
 
T

TripOpt55

Member
Just watched the season after starting up my annual summer month of Hulu I use to catch up on any originals I missed. I thought this was incredible. One of the most disturbing things I've seen on TV and one of the best shows I've seen this year as well. The whole cast was great, but Moss particularly so. Glad they are doing another season of this.
 
L

Linkura

Member
Very well deserved actress noms. Actually rooting for Ann Dowd over Samira Wiley though. Aunt Lydia is the secret best character, but only because she was very capably acted.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
Mercury Fred said:
13 Emmy nominations for Handmaid's!

I would LOVE to see it sweep with series, Moss, director, supporting actress (both deserve it) and guest actress.
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Praise be.

I think that it is a promising sign that two directors of The Handmaid's Tale are up for the directing award. However Lesli Linka Glatter is so long overdue for one so I'm kind of hoping that she'll finally get one, even if it is for Homeland.

The rest it can sweep.
 
D

Dany

Banned
Blessed be the fruit 🙏🙏🏻🙏🏼🙏🏽🙏🏾🙏🏿
 
O

Oni Jazar

Member
Dany said:
Blessed be the fruit 🙏🙏🏻🙏🏼🙏🏽🙏🏾🙏🏿
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May it open.

We binged this show over the weekend. What a powerful and brilliantly executed season. I loved the setting, the costumes, the vernacular, the technology (or lack thereof), the intriguing downfall, how background information is doled out in small doses episode to episode. It's so disorienting when you start with a regular couple driving around in an old Volvo to ... this. How is that possible? They go into it all in a satisfying manner. There's so much to explore and learn about the world that every new piece is fascinating and horrifying. I love that they keep the story highly personal and don't make it a grand tale of June bringing down the whole society or something. She does what she can to stay sane and to hopefully make a small difference.

The thing that I kept wondering was, where are the teenagers and the olds? It's like everyone in the city was either a child (5-8) or in their 20s-50s. Unless I missed something it should have been addressed. If fertility was such an emergency I would guarantee there would be a lot of more horrible actions with the youngest girls able to bear children.

There's a lot of talk about how watching this show draws parallels to our current US political climate. Obviously the story is a stylized work of fiction but what strikes me in the story is how quickly people can become accustomed to a new normal, one that could be horribly unjust. It's on all of us to stay informed and speak out loudly against any bullshit sooner rather than later. Our actions as well as our inactions can change the course of things.

Before this I watched through the second season of Underground which is another phenomenal show with a small audience about the underground railroad. It's really interesting comparing the differences/similarities between the past and to this dystopian future.

I hope they have a good plan for the show because I can see it dragging out for too long. I wouldn't want this to continue for more than a few seasons at most. Still as it stand it's an extremely well made series that's very powerful. There are some seriously disturbing scenes that just convey a relentless sense of hopelessness and dread.

Forgot to mention how emotional it was to get a little into the state of a refugee and how they should be treated. Between this, women's rights, LGBT rights, political protests, the abandonment of government values brought on by "national security"... This show really hits some very topical themes. Now excuse me while I raise the ol' maple leaf and move to Canada.
 
H

HMD

Member
Just watched the show, it was one of the hardest tv shows I've ever had to watch, but it was so great I just couldn't look away. But I have some questions, did the book ever touch on the role of race in Gilead? Cause I noticed all of the commanders are white.
 
G

gun_haver

Member
I've watched the first 3 episodes now. Mixed feelings on it, I actually can't think of much positive to say about it, but I'm curious to see where it is going so it must be doing something right.

The music selections are fucking atrocious, they're doing more than any other single element to ruin the show so far. It's just obnoxious and they aren't even original choices, it makes it feel like a bad network show. The original score is pretty decent, I'm just hoping they cut it out with the cute *something dystopian happens cue 80's pop song* crap.

I don't really buy the world yet, and I feel like I might not if it doesn't start providing more context for all of this. So far it's just been misery on all sides, nobody is enjoying this society except that evil lady with the electric prod. There's such a gulf between the society presented in the initial flashbacks and where it is now that I can't imagine the same people being subdued in such a short time - we're talking fully liberal western democracy to the harshest possible christian patriarchal society in what appears to be about 5 years. 'yo but that could happen here though...trump', yeah but it hasn't, and it wouldn't be all at once. There will probably be more context on this so it might improve.

Also, not much subtlety to what is going on. At the end of ep3, when Jane is about to tell Ms. Commander Woman that she isn't pregnant I thought 'if this is a bad show, she's gonna immediately hit her and be even worse than before. if it's a good show, it's gonna surprise me with some nuance' and you'll all know that she just grabbed her and threw her in her room, threatening her. Even this horrible woman would know she can't get pregnant by wanting it more or trying harder, she's just a one-note villain. The whole world is a one-note villain so far. If the show is going to be this bleak, I hope there are more insightful scenes to come.
 
Moff

Moff

Member
After a slow start I really started to love the show midway through as soon as the world and the backgrounds of the characters have gotten more fleshed out.
I didn't like the ending at all, though. It felt like they just could not come up with something good and ended it like this, cheap and incredibly unsatisfying.

The stoning scene was fantastic, though. I hope we get to see more of Janine, I'm also glad to see Ofglen1 will be back in season 2, she was easily the most interesting side character.
 
Astral Dog

Astral Dog

Member
Watching it, sometimes seems a little exaggerated (like a parody) with the way society changed out of nowhere but there are powerful moments like the shooting or the baby birth, can't stop to feel a bit desensitized (from Game of Thrones of all things) to the way they create tension, good to see the women had little victories early on but the way the show treats the subject material is as best as it can be and top notch actresses.
 
D

Dalek

Member
I'm on episode 8. Commander Waterford has to be one of the most slimiest characters I've ever seen on TV. I can't stand this guy.
 
J

Joeku

Member
Sub Boss said:
Watching it, sometimes seems a little exaggerated (like a parody) with the way society changed out of nowhere but there are powerful moments like the shooting or the baby birth, can't stop to feel a bit desensitized (from Game of Thrones of all things) to the way they create tension, good to see the women had little victories early on but the way the show treats the subject material is as best as it can be and top notch actresses.
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Day after day, the reality of the US makes Gilead seem less exaggerated and "out there". It's hard to not see that.
 
L

laoni

Member
Moff said:
I didn't like the ending at all, though. It felt like they just could not come up with something good and ended it like this, cheap and incredibly unsatisfying
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FWIW (Book spoilers)

That's actually how the novel ends, so, that's why they picked that
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Sub Boss said:
Watching it, sometimes seems a little exaggerated (like a parody) with the way society changed out of nowhere
Click to expand...

Society didn't change "out of nowhere" though. The people's rights had been slowly eroding for quite some time, plus there was the whole "human fertility is rapidly declining" thing.
 
Astral Dog

Astral Dog

Member
RatskyWatsky said:
Society didn't change "out of nowhere" though. The people's rights had been slowly eroding for quite some time, plus there was the whole "human fertility is rapidly declining" thing.
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True i think this is something they should have expanded on instead of hinting, though (i only watched part of the first episode), the ways women around the world are treated only come out when the Mexican ambassador said her country was dying. Thats the first time i understood how grim the whole world is. After USA other countries will start copying the handmaiden rules.

The last scene was very hopeful however :)

Also i don't like the husband, he gives creepier vibes than the commander :S
 
M

Maligna

Banned
Just finished episode 3. Agh.

Why am I watching A Handmaid's Tale in today's political climate?

The flashbacks to how society fell feel like they are predicting the future.
 
G

gun_haver

Member
Joeku said:
Day after day, the reality of the US makes Gilead seem less exaggerated and "out there". It's hard to not see that.
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Mmm, no, it kind of is hard to see that. This kind of hyperbolic stuff doesn't really help, either.

edit:

also while I'm posting, I thought the show did get better after the first couple of episodes. The writing is extremely blunt, but it's usually entertaining and sometimes even thought provoking. It's super cheesey at times, though.
 
A

Aiii

So not worth it
RatskyWatsky said:
Alexis Bledel just won an Emmy for her performance on The Handmaid's Tale.
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Aiii said:
Just finished episode 3 and oh boy, if Alexis Bledel does not win an Emmy for this performance The Emmy's will lose the last bit of credibility they had left. What a stellar actress, I am a huge Gilmore Girls fan, but I would not have expected this from her. Amazing.
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Emmy's redeemed.
 
DOWN

DOWN

Banned
So was this Hulu’s first Emmy winner? It at least seems to be their first game changer putting them in the competition with Netflix and HBO like they wanted. Series deserved all those wins. It is excellent.

Now it feels like Amazon slipped behind a bit.

HBO, Netflix, and Hulu are the most valuable streaming services to have at the moment imo.
 
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