What do you want to see in S5 of The Handmaid’s Tale?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d like to see a redemption arc for Serena. Maybe Gilead takes her baby somehow so that propels her to the other side in taking them down.

Do you think she’d be allowed to keep a baby as a widow? I doubt it. Either she will have to get married asap or, as a single woman who can carry a pregnancy, she will be relegated to a handmaid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. I want to see an invasion of Gilead.
2. I want Hannah to be rescued. Screw The Testaments.
3. I want Serena’s baby ripped from her arms at birth. Not sorry.

Yeah, that all sounds good to me, too.

Is there any word on whether this is the last season or not? Wondering if we should expect the story to wrap up. That might change my answer.

There is a wonderful French series called A French Village, which depicts what happens in one town during the Nazi occupation. It's 7 seasons long, I think one season for each year of occupation. The 7th season (which is shorter than the rest) takes place in the 1970s, to show the influence of the war experience on the those characters over their lifetimes and on the next generation.

It would be cool to see something like that with Handmaid's Tale.

(A French Village is one of the best series I have ever seen. Complex characters in terrifying circumstances having to make decisions with lots of moral gray zones. Phenomenal series. I highly recommend it. I think I binged all 7 seasons in about 10 days last summer.)

[Anonymous]

I don't want a redemption arc for Serena. She had her chances-- several of them-- that she threw away. All that's left for Serena at this point is justice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't want a redemption arc for Serena. She had her chances-- several of them-- that she threw away. All that's left for Serena at this point is justice.

I think trying to EVADE justice is part of her going back to Gilead. Although I am going to need some backstory on that. Why do the Canadians agree to send her back?

I agree that she will have to marry again, and soon, as a widow. Everyone in Gilead society has a function. Fertile women of marriageable age don't get to decide to be widows. It's a totalitarian state. They don't even really own their own homes - they are assigned. Food is rationed, etc.

I hope we see the widow of Commander Winslow reappear and find out what happened to her. The theme of women possessing power and status through their marriages has been almost constant in THT, but Serena has never truly absorbed that. I think she will understand it this season in spades. I feel terrible for that poor baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't want a redemption arc for Serena. She had her chances-- several of them-- that she threw away. All that's left for Serena at this point is justice.

I think trying to EVADE justice is part of her going back to Gilead. Although I am going to need some backstory on that. Why do the Canadians agree to send her back?

I agree that she will have to marry again, and soon, as a widow. Everyone in Gilead society has a function. Fertile women of marriageable age don't get to decide to be widows. It's a totalitarian state. They don't even really own their own homes - they are assigned. Food is rationed, etc.

I hope we see the widow of Commander Winslow reappear and find out what happened to her. The theme of women possessing power and status through their marriages has been almost constant in THT, but Serena has never truly absorbed that. I think she will understand it this season in spades. I feel terrible for that poor baby.

^^Which is to say that I do believe there is a redemption arc for Serena, just a very painful one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A well-developed storyline and fewer close-ups of Elizabeth Moss grimacing.

lol. so true. I enjoyed the book and the first episode and then it all went too political for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It has definitely jumped the shark, but I’ll still watch it for the genius scenes. The broader plot doesn’t make sense, but they are excellent.

Off the top of my head, my tops:

- Nick and his child bride at home
- Everything at The Boston Globe offices
- Serena and Fred before they cross the border
- The children arriving on the plane

Yes, there are definitely some emotional highs to this show. When they hit it right, it's really good. I was bummed to hear that Alexis Bledel is not returning and can only infer that this season may be disappointing.

I heard she dropped out because she refused to get the Covid vax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It has definitely jumped the shark, but I’ll still watch it for the genius scenes. The broader plot doesn’t make sense, but they are excellent.

Off the top of my head, my tops:

- Nick and his child bride at home
- Everything at The Boston Globe offices
- Serena and Fred before they cross the border
- The children arriving on the plane

Yes, there are definitely some emotional highs to this show. When they hit it right, it's really good. I was bummed to hear that Alexis Bledel is not returning and can only infer that this season may be disappointing.

I heard she dropped out because she refused to get the Covid vax.

If true then good for her. It doesn't stop transmission.

[Anonymous]

Didn't Margaret's Atwood write a follow up book that told us what would happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn't Margaret's Atwood write a follow up book that told us what would happen?

She wrote The Testaments. I don't think the TV show has to rigidly follow that, nor should it. The TV show is already far off of the book. The book was basically Season One of the TV show. The show should do what it wants independent of The Testaments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't want a redemption arc for Serena. She had her chances-- several of them-- that she threw away. All that's left for Serena at this point is justice.

I think trying to EVADE justice is part of her going back to Gilead. Although I am going to need some backstory on that. Why do the Canadians agree to send her back?

I agree that she will have to marry again, and soon, as a widow. Everyone in Gilead society has a function. Fertile women of marriageable age don't get to decide to be widows. It's a totalitarian state. They don't even really own their own homes - they are assigned. Food is rationed, etc.

I hope we see the widow of Commander Winslow reappear and find out what happened to her. The theme of women possessing power and status through their marriages has been almost constant in THT, but Serena has never truly absorbed that. I think she will understand it this season in spades. I feel terrible for that poor baby.

^^Which is to say that I do believe there is a redemption arc for Serena, just a very painful one.

Gilead knows that Serena turned Fred in, so presumably sending her back would put her at risk of Gilead justice. Of course, she may have too much PR power. It’s an open question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't want a redemption arc for Serena. She had her chances-- several of them-- that she threw away. All that's left for Serena at this point is justice.

I think trying to EVADE justice is part of her going back to Gilead. Although I am going to need some backstory on that. Why do the Canadians agree to send her back?

I agree that she will have to marry again, and soon, as a widow. Everyone in Gilead society has a function. Fertile women of marriageable age don't get to decide to be widows. It's a totalitarian state. They don't even really own their own homes - they are assigned. Food is rationed, etc.

I hope we see the widow of Commander Winslow reappear and find out what happened to her. The theme of women possessing power and status through their marriages has been almost constant in THT, but Serena has never truly absorbed that. I think she will understand it this season in spades. I feel terrible for that poor baby.

^^Which is to say that I do believe there is a redemption arc for Serena, just a very painful one.

Gilead knows that Serena turned Fred in, so presumably sending her back would put her at risk of Gilead justice. Of course, she may have too much PR power. It’s an open question.

Serena was flat out warned by Naomi Putnam that Gilead considered Fred a traitor and that going back would be dangerous. But that was before Fred was unceremoniously dispatched by a bunch of evil ex-Handmaids. Bringing a pregnant Serena back and making Fred a martyr and her a victim is great propaganda. Not that she really has a choice to go back, but I think Serena has always mis-judged how much power and independence she has in Gilead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn't Margaret's Atwood write a follow up book that told us what would happen?

I truly hope they don’t use anything from The Testaments. They need to wrap up the show with some kind of satisfying ending, not “and then there was like another 20 years of this.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't want a redemption arc for Serena. She had her chances-- several of them-- that she threw away. All that's left for Serena at this point is justice.

I think trying to EVADE justice is part of her going back to Gilead. Although I am going to need some backstory on that. Why do the Canadians agree to send her back?

I agree that she will have to marry again, and soon, as a widow. Everyone in Gilead society has a function. Fertile women of marriageable age don't get to decide to be widows. It's a totalitarian state. They don't even really own their own homes - they are assigned. Food is rationed, etc.

I hope we see the widow of Commander Winslow reappear and find out what happened to her. The theme of women possessing power and status through their marriages has been almost constant in THT, but Serena has never truly absorbed that. I think she will understand it this season in spades. I feel terrible for that poor baby.

^^Which is to say that I do believe there is a redemption arc for Serena, just a very painful one.

Gilead knows that Serena turned Fred in, so presumably sending her back would put her at risk of Gilead justice. Of course, she may have too much PR power. It’s an open question.

Serena was flat out warned by Naomi Putnam that Gilead considered Fred a traitor and that going back would be dangerous. But that was before Fred was unceremoniously dispatched by a bunch of evil ex-Handmaids. Bringing a pregnant Serena back and making Fred a martyr and her a victim is great propaganda. Not that she really has a choice to go back, but I think Serena has always mis-judged how much power and independence she has in Gilead.

Until they cut off her finger, maybe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't Margaret's Atwood write a follow up book that told us what would happen?

She wrote The Testaments. I don't think the TV show has to rigidly follow that, nor should it. The TV show is already far off of the book. The book was basically Season One of the TV show. The show should do what it wants independent of The Testaments.

I didn’t enjoy The Testaments so I am happy to see the series go in a different direction.