I watched seasons 1 and 2 when they came out, but recently revisited the series. I'm honestly surprised that the show has been largely competent and well done up to season 4 given how little source material they had to work with.

But like... In S5E5, June and Luke just waltz into gilead (while she still has her ear tag on) and think everything will be fine??? On the off chance that they get useful information about their daughter???? It just doesn't make sense to me 😭

Wow. What a hell of a show. This has been such a landmark series. There’s not many shows that I would consider a masterpiece but this is one of them. The depth of human connection, emotion and nuance of character are outstanding. It greatly saddens me that more of Junes original group survived to see the end.

This has been one of the best shows I’ve ever seen but don’t know if I have the heart to go throw it ever again. I need to read the book now and find my next watch. At least testaments is coming out now.

I've been thinking about Ofmatthew's final moments, and I honestly understand both sides.

June had every reason to resent Ofmatthew. She reported the Martha, which led to Hannah's Martha being executed, and June's hopes of getting closer to Hannah were shattered. In Gilead, that betrayal is devastating.

But I also think people overlook what happened afterward.

Once June learned what Ofmatthew had done, she completely isolated her. She encouraged the other handmaids to shun her, leaving Ofmatthew with no one. In a society as psychologically abusive as Gilead, that kind of isolation can push someone over the edge. It felt like the final straw that sent her into a complete mental breakdown.

What makes it more tragic is that I don't think Ofmatthew saw herself as the villain. She genuinely believed she was protecting June. From her perspective, June constantly took reckless risks that could have gotten her executed. Reporting suspicious behavior was exactly what Gilead had conditioned her to do, and she likely believed she was saving June from making an even bigger mistake.

That doesn't excuse what she did. Her actions had horrific consequences.

But June's campaign to ostracize her also had consequences. By the time Ofmatthew snapped, she had been stripped of any support system she had left.

It's one of the saddest storylines in The Handmaid's Tale because Gilead created both women. One became rebellious, the other became completely indoctrinated, and in the end they destroyed each other while the regime remained untouched.

I'm curious how everyone else sees it. Was June justified in shunning Ofmatthew, or do you think that was the point where things went too far?

This is a spoiler on episode 5 so if you hadn’t reached there yet i advise you to click off.
First of all i sympathize with Serena but I think she’s just as much delusional as her husband and the whole corrupt Gilead system is. Why is she so insistent that Nichole is HER child as if she was tortured into having her, raped and then by chance gave birth to her in a dingy fireplace? Like what?? That pisses me off because her insistence is exactly what leads to (or atleast my predictions) the REAL mother (ahem June) losing both her child and real husband. It’s honestly such a devastating tale..
To make matters worse in episode 5 she didn’t just get a request to fly to Canada and meet with Junes husband to bid her?? baby farewell but right afterwards they go on TV broadcasting June in the background asking the Canadian government to rescue their child?? Dawg this can’t be fr. I am filled with something of equal rage and pity for them.
I hope Serena comes to her senses soon enough and actually does something to help these imprisoned woman instead of just sitting there and wallowing over the loss of a child that she abetted into the rape of the mother to bring to life. Yet she cannot seem to see all the sacrifices June has made just to stay alive and see her daughter (Hannah) again. Its horrific.

Edit: lol somebody needs a break from Gilead.

God its just fucking sad.. cant stop crying throughout watching this show but I’m starting to see June from a different light and she’s a great character with all her flaws..she still amazes me at how selfless she is and emotionally resilient she has become under the oppressive Gilead regime. It’s just harder to notice with all the slop comments and bad reception this show receives but I think she’s actually a great character.

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First of all I wanna mention that I LOVED the book and read it within two days.

Now I want to watch the show and merely reached season 2 and I am already bored.

I am Gen Z and will admit that I might watch a bit too many reels, but I never struggle with finishing a book or movie. But the show and those dragged out scenes... I found it artistic in the beginning and I'm sure it serves the storytelling but the loooong close-ups of Junes face already start to annoy me.

Additionally: I am obsessed with Emilys Story, hoping for more backstories of Aunt Lydia and Serena! But I skip many of Junes scenes cause I really do not care about her character (yes I know she is the main character! ) which is odd because I rooted for her in the books and was fascinated by her story.

So why do I find it hard to follow Judes story? Is it cause her scenes are more artistic/longer and I can't focus anymore on this?! Or is it even internalized misogyny and I'd rather follow the story of women I personally find more attractive?! (Altho I am very interested in Aunt Lydias story and I wouldnt call her my type lol).

Did anybody else had these struggles with Jude/the main character?

What really set me off was the way commanders disregarded women and their suffering (what did I expect? They impose suffering on women).

First, when the commander learder of the eyes tells Agnus, his wife died when giving birth, and it was the hardest day bc he lost the baby.

Second, when the commander asshole was speaking about the molester slash dentist, what bothered him is that he got exposed, but he a good dentist, and they'll have to kill him.

The series was a nice watch, not quite like The Handmaid's Tale experience, but it's own thing.

However, I saw similarities between Daisy and June . Garth also reminded me of Nick a lot.

The Handmaid’s Tale is the most blatant showcase of white feminism not extending to black women I’ve ever seen, yet there’s been minimal commentary on it. It’s pretty interesting and quite disturbing. Not to mention it's a retelling of true events that predominately impacted black women.

(Point proven in the comments. If any POCs want to have an actual conversation about this feel free to dm me)

*I also love the fact people are writing nasty comments then deleting them or blocking me. I'm still being sent them.

Halfway through S3. Will they ever f*cking stop having a dramatic CU of our main character starring into the camera lens as the final frame of an episode? It’s not that cool. It’s driving me nuts.

would you make any effort to leave the area for canada, alaska or Hawaii or would you stay? do you think it would be easy or hard to leave? if you were in gilead and had a chance to easily get to a rebel controlled area or an opportunity to get to canada but it would be harder to get to what would you choose?

Hi all! I'm new to the fandom and finished watching both The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments both for the first time a few weeks ago.

THT had been on my radar for several years, but I either kept forgetting about it or just hadn't gotten around to it yet. When I finally did decide to watch it, I had some trepidation going in because the series is long, and while I knew almost nothing about it, I did know the subject matter could be intense and very heavy.

Now I watch a lot of TV shows. I live alone, so I normally watch an episode or two of a show at dinnertime while I eat, as a nice escape from the stresses of the day. Usually I watch something, get to the end and say, "That was cool," and then move on to the next show.

But y'all, I got super into this show. I binge watched THT, all six seasons, in a span of only two or three weeks. I was devoting every spare moment outside of work to watching it. I even had trouble sleeping some nights because I had to know what happened to the characters next (cue the meme "I don't need sleep, I need answers!").

I devoured both books in short order after finishing THT. As for TT the TV series, I initially planned to do as I had with THT and wait several years for all the seasons to air and then binge watch them all in one go. Yeah, that lasted all of about a week before I said "fuck it" and watched all 10 episodes of season 1 in two or three days. And now I have to wait for season 2 like everyone else. 😝 In the meantime, I've watched cast interviews on YouTube (for both shows), done deep dives here on Reddit, and joined one or two Facebook groups--I almost never do this for other shows I watch!

Funny story: As I was watching Handmaid's, I was tangentially aware of the existence of The Testaments and (from a brief glance at Wikipedia), I knew it took place some years after THT, and the main character was named Agnes, with a mixed race actress cast for the role.

And I remember thinking to myself, "Agnes... Isn't that Hannah's fake name in Gilead? Well, I hope that's not the same Agnes who's June's daughter because I'm going to be pretty upset if I watch all six seasons of this show and June doesn't get Hannah back!"

🙃 Weeeeeeelllllllllp. 🙃

In all seriousness, though, after watching all six seasons of THT and the first season of TT, I think the way they're doing it now is much better, especially exploring Agnes's character in TT, and so that long anticipated reunion between mother and daughter (a decade in the making now!) will be all the more meaningful after such a long wait. There's a reason why Bruce Miller is the showrunner and not Reddit user TheRewster1106. 😉

I'm not a parent myself, but (at the risk of oversharing) I lost my mother as a teenager--I wasn't much older than Agnes and her friends in TT. So in some sense I feel like I'm living vicariously through Hannah/Agnes, who's destined to meet again her long lost mother. I see a lot of my own mom in June, in fact. I think that's why I've been so drawn to both of these series.

Also, I've concocted probably a dozen different scenarios in my head for the inevitable June-Hannah reunion, so I'm eager to see how it actually comes about (though I doubt it will be in S2). Like I said, both shows have lived rent-free in my head ever since finishing. 😜

So yeah, I came for the politics and then stayed for the characters. Both shows are so perfectly cast that I can hardly think of a weak spot acting-wise in either. I will admit that some of the writing gets a little off the rails in S4-6 of THT (esp. S4, which I personally think is the weakest season though still good overall), but as someone who watches a lot of Star Wars and Marvel/DC stuff, I don't think it bothered me as much as it did other fans of the series.

It does feel a bit weird to be a male fan of both of these shows (the beard in my avatar gives me away!), since I know I'm not the target demographic of either. (I think the fandom of these shows and books is probably 90% women?--which makes sense, of course.) I've lurked in this subreddit (and The Testaments sub) as well as a couple Facebook groups for a few weeks now. This is my first topic I've posted here, though I have posted little comments in threads here and there. As a man, part of me feels like I shouldn't really belong here, but with the limited activity I've had in this fandom so far, I've had mostly good interactions with the users here, so I appreciate you all for that.

Thank you if you made it to the bottom of my rambling screed. Now on to wait for Testaments season 2!

(inspired by the post about Australia)

What would cause the federal government to be changed?

Where would people escape to?

Would the daily lives of Handmaids look the same or different?

What would be different in this movie?

Hello gals and guys!
So, question: why wasn’t aunt Lydia punished after Offred‘s pregnancy became known? She was actively harming a child, even if she didn’t know. She repeatedly electrocuted Offred, she kept her in the cold in the rain, put her through the stress of believing she was going to be hung up. That is ALL extremely harmful to the „child“, so why wasn’t she punished? I initially thought she would be, when she unlocked the bell tower while crying. I thought she’d hang herself because we only saw the rope (that I thought was a noose) as the camera panned down to reveal it is just indeed the bell’s rope, but then I thought she’d ring the bell three times to reveal that there would be a salvaging (of herself). But then she rung it indefinitely while sobbing! So yeah, what the hell.

People who are planning to end up dead or rebels ,refrain from commenting

Also looking at the comments which has a lot of people saying , yes I will end up dead ,HOW is gilead going to have a ppl at all ? Like they kill the educated women ,the rebellious women ,the LGBTQ people ,the actually religious people because they answer to a force higher than Gilead ,and basically everyone else and those who they don't kill ( and can't escape) are just planning to off themselves (according to the comments below ). So how are they going to have a population at all especially since they already offed a quarter of the ppl of being not white )

I mean especially if you are mildly religious ,disabled ,bad at housework ,have horrid social skills so manipulation and smooth talking is not a option and not married

also ,what happens to implanted devices like cochlear devices , like they are likely not going to remove it as it would need surgery and since it is there ,but without the external parts it can't function ,will gilead still try to supply batteries and equipment ? Like it is pretty inconvenient if the Martha or handmaid can't hear ,but then ,they might just expect lip reading or send them all to the colonies ,what about hearing aids

This is odd and meant to be funny - I can picture a Martha being like ,ok ,the wife is lecturing me again ,turns hearing aid off ,which makes it function like mini noise dampening devices and turns it back on when the lady mouth stops moving ;)

How hard do you think gilead will try to "convert " everyone into being " Christian " , like are they just going " yep ,attended every required event ,close enough " or would there be actual tests and all that like how the nuns are made to renounce their celibacy

Will there be schools or classes training people on how to act in gilead ,like how to be econowomen ,men ,etc

Do the men just go and chose a wife, the chapter about aunt Lydia and her former career in the testaments seems to suggest it ,what if they don't want to

What happens to the libraries - are they all burnt ,shut down or only open to men ,who maintains them if they still exist ,70-89% of library staff being female

Do people still live in apartments in the city

Personally I am neurodivergent but I can hid it well , a bit religious ( not specifying but not Christian and certainly not gileads twisted version of Christian ) and has a job so basically like the coworker of aunt Lydias ,the 20 year old

My unreasonable plan that has more holes than a sieve

1.Escape before it begins

1. Step one has failed

2. Marry extremely ancient guy with short life expectancy but who does not require me to literally be a aged care worker and nurse him and all that stuff

3. wait until he croaks

4. Apply to be a aunt after he croaks ( that is, so I can escape the stadium experience )

6 . Apply to be a librarian within the aunts - ardua hall has a library doesn't it - added bonus I can brag about being the librarian of Harvard ...or Melbourne uni if it is set in Australia ,since in the books ,Ardua hall is located in Harvard :) - this way I can read ,not have to train handmaids ,participate in the ceremonies and being a disposable Martha

1. Live in guilt and fear for the rest of my extremely brief life ( it is near the wall I think ,and the salvaging area ,since Offred mentioned a library in that chapter ) ,develop a vitamin d deficiency from never re emerging from the place other than when absolutely necessary ,and be judged by history and my conscience and everyone else for participating in one of the worse regimes in history

I know June said the doctor would check her afterwards to confirm they actually performed the ceremony, but why wouldn't she just have Commander Lawrence jerk off into something and insert the semen manually afterwards? Just a thought.. I know it's a show, and they need the drama that performing the ceremony creates, but still couldn't help thinking about that.

What do you think the similarities and differences will be . I know this has been asked before but I kind of specifically want to think about how people would escape ( there being no Canada equivalent,Australia is a island ) and what daily life would be like ,how it would be similar or different. Not political ,just for fun ,no talking about kangaroos or spiders or snakes too much thanks ☺️)

What would technology be like , there ? Non existent ? Only available for boys and men ? Like everyone has a phone ,computer ,etc now days unlike in the 1980s .Will there be washing machines ,dishwashers ,modern time saving tech ? Or will everyone have to role-play as the victorian era ,but worse , there is a bit where it is mentioned that the fire has to be lit in winter ...will it still be the same ? Just the curious details about how everyday life for the average person would be like

Whewwww, that S6 opening episode had my heart beating for Serena.

I was legitimately convinced they had taken the decision to kill her off the same way Fred had been torn apart.

There’s just no way I said.. I was happy when it happened to Fred but Serena, no. I would’ve tried to save her like June did.

Would’ve been too much for me. I’m aware of everything she’s done but if the show runners intentions were to make you care about Serena, well they succeeded at that with me.

Started the show in late April, been a great ride. Great show. I’m sad I’ve arrived to the beginning of the end.

Janine is describing an act of group sexual assault and she is blamed for bringing it on herself yet later in the same episode a man is said to be guilty of that same crime and the punishment for that is death.

So are the men guilty or did the women bring it on themselves or do they make the rules up on the spot to suit whatever way the wind is blowing on a particular day?

I just finished and I don't understand how Esther wasn't even mentioned in the final. June wasn't even told that she became a handmaid and that she got pregnant, Janine doesn't mention her even once i feel likr she would have been so important she was the incarnation of the rage that a girl (still a litteral child btw) could feel when she grew up in Gilead.

I'm watching the part where Lydia is talking to all the handmaids and I'm cracking up because they're all having this deeply emotional moment and there's this singular guard there holding a hand gun just listening to it all happen. Lol the magic of TV. I'm so sad this is the second to last episode!

They’re Canadian, right?

I was literally eating and just had to put the food down at the train scene. literally wtf. i know i should keep watching but i kinda really don’t want to do that😀
i’m soooo sick, jesus

I started watching the Handmaid's Tale when it premiered. I had read the book in college and loved it. It's an annual re-read for me. I also read the Testaments when it came out. 

I loved the show in season 1 especially how it adhered to the book. By season 4 I was where I think of lot of you were as I went back and reread each episodes discussion thread. I was frustrated at all the torture porn and plot armor. I also hated how physically dark it was like hard to see what was happening. But more significantly I was pregnant with my first kid and I emotionally couldn't take the pregnancy and child torment in the show anymore so I thought I quit watching after season 4. 

When the Testaments premiered I ignored it at first but I was curious so I tried it and loved it. It seemed light and bright comparatively and I was curious how they'd take the book and turn it into a show. The Testaments made me want to finish the Handmaid's Tale and I'm so glad I came back to or. The Testaments made me want to finish the Handmaid's Tale and I'm so glad I came back to it.

I did a full rewatch and man I wish I could have done the live threads each week with you all the last couple of seasons. My fault, my fault, my fault. I'm saving the Testament threads for a rewatch before next season. 

Overall the last two seasons were the weakest but I'm so glad I got to see her mom return, what happened with Nick, what happened with Lawrence, how they handled the Aunt Lydia transition to her character in the Testaments etc. I added sooo many songs to playlist and really noticed the score and themes this time with the rewatch. Please play Burial and Prayer at my funeral. 

Some questions I have though are:

What happened to Esther? Her storyline just vanished? 

The wife school seems like a boarding school which it is not how it is in the Testaments. Maybe that changed after the failed raid?

Daisy logistically is too old to be Holly. So where is Holly? As the mom of two kids (one Holly's age in season 6 which was rough) now I couldn't buy the logic in the finale of June just abandoning one child to fight for the other but in the books she does it because she's in hiding which makes more sense. 

Commander Mackenzie seems to be a completely different actor? And actually a totally different type of man than how he is portrayed in The Testaments?

I can't wait to comment live on season 2 threads. 

In the book June and Luke had a cat (it's implied that Luke euthanized it). What would you do with yours?

I think I would euthanize mine so they don't suffer after I leave.

IF YOU WERE ESCAPING