Handmaid's Tale Season 3

[Anonymous]

I loved the episode and cried hard. However, I have a few issues with it that I need to discuss!

1) the handmaids and Marthas seem to have so much freedom this season, which is inconsistent with the previous seasons. And I don’t just mean the ones in Cmdr. Lawrence’s house. But how are the Handmaids in the woods helping the kids? How are they back there the next morning to help June? They aren’t allowed to leave their houses without a guardian and a walking partner!

2) most of those kids would have left their home and new parents very reluctantly. Many of them would have very foggy memories of their lives and parents from before Gilead, and would not have gone along with this airplane thing so willingly.

3) what was June’s original plan...was she going to get on the plane too? And give up on hannah? Cuz she said “goodbye” to Lawrence, so I’m assuming she wasn’t planning on going back.

4) how was it decided which Marthas got to go on the plane and which didn’t?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved the episode and cried hard. However, I have a few issues with it that I need to discuss!

1) the handmaids and Marthas seem to have so much freedom this season, which is inconsistent with the previous seasons. And I don’t just mean the ones in Cmdr. Lawrence’s house. But how are the Handmaids in the woods helping the kids? How are they back there the next morning to help June? They aren’t allowed to leave their houses without a guardian and a walking partner!

2) most of those kids would have left their home and new parents very reluctantly. Many of them would have very foggy memories of their lives and parents from before Gilead, and would not have gone along with this airplane thing so willingly.

3) what was June’s original plan...was she going to get on the plane too? And give up on hannah? Cuz she said “goodbye” to Lawrence, so I’m assuming she wasn’t planning on going back.

4) how was it decided which Marthas got to go on the plane and which didn’t?

I assume any Martha or handmaid who was in the woods assumes she is not going home or will be executed. I also assumed they were just waiting in the dark by the airfield and found June when it got light but I have no idea where they are going now - maybe the Marthas know of a safe house, like the Boston globe offices?

I thought the children looked old enough to remember before but then I guess not so much? I agree, very odd. We know Hannah remembers June.

Idk about the Marthas but I had the sense maybe that everyone who didn’t choose to help June with the rock attack distraction got on the plane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved the episode and cried hard. However, I have a few issues with it that I need to discuss!

1) the handmaids and Marthas seem to have so much freedom this season, which is inconsistent with the previous seasons. And I don’t just mean the ones in Cmdr. Lawrence’s house. But how are the Handmaids in the woods helping the kids? How are they back there the next morning to help June? They aren’t allowed to leave their houses without a guardian and a walking partner!
The only thing revealed about Marthas and Handmaids getting away (that I recall) was that at least one used drugs and at least one killed her captors. Maybe sleeping pills were circulated as a method to neutralize household members? I think all the women in the woods that night aside from June were risking their lives in hopes that they would escape on the plane. My guess about the handmaids who didn’t get on the plane is that they felt like they couldn’t leave June to die in the forest alone. She had run in the dark to get away from the guardian, so maybe the other handmaids stayed in the woods all night but couldn’t find her until daylight. All conjecture.

2) most of those kids would have left their home and new parents very reluctantly. Many of them would have very foggy memories of their lives and parents from before Gilead, and would not have gone along with this airplane thing so willingly.
The kids are being brought up in a brutal, “traditional” society that surely demands absolute obedience from kids. It was their trusted Marthas that made them do this, so they went along. Perhaps with the help of mild sedatives where necessary.

3) what was June’s original plan...was she going to get on the plane too? And give up on hannah? Cuz she said “goodbye” to Lawrence, so I’m assuming she wasn’t planning on going back.
June has said repeatedly that she would never leave Hannah. I don’t think she ever intended to be on the plane. The parting scene with Lawrence was a goodbye because there was a really good chance that they might not see each other again.
4) how was it decided which Marthas got to go on the plane and which didn’t?

It will be interesting to see the fallout from this caper, and what the plan was for all the children's Marthas who risked their lives to do this but stayed behind. Whether they did it knowing that they would be executed, or there is some story that was concocted to cover for them (staged break ins, etc).

[Anonymous]

So I didn’t read through these posts bc I haven’t seen the series yet and I don’t want to spoil it! But I’m wondering if there’s any way to watch if I don’t subscribe to Hulu? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I didn’t read through these posts bc I haven’t seen the series yet and I don’t want to spoil it! But I’m wondering if there’s any way to watch if I don’t subscribe to Hulu? Thanks!

Nope except maybe earlier seasons on Netflix or Amazon you'll need to search those.

[Anonymous]

Arghh! I figured as much

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arghh! I figured as much

You should be able to do a free trial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I didn’t read through these posts bc I haven’t seen the series yet and I don’t want to spoil it! But I’m wondering if there’s any way to watch if I don’t subscribe to Hulu? Thanks!

Nope except maybe earlier seasons on Netflix or Amazon you'll need to search those.

The first two seasons are available on Amazon for $$. Would be cheaper to subscribe to Hulu for a month or two and binge.

[Anonymous]

I'm very late to the game, but just finished season 3 and i have some questions. Forgive me if they were answered before (it is hard to go through 44 pages of replies!).

1. When June killed the guy from SVU (so glad she killed him btw) the maid in the hotel told her that she remembered her from the cages and June saved her. What season was that? How did June save other women in the cages?

2. What is the deal with Nick? Is he good or bad? Where is he? And does he really love June or was it a play of some sort?

3. Not so much of a question, but who do you hate more: Captain Waterford or Serena? I can't make up my mind. I'm very glad Serena got arrested though (the idea of her being free was infuriating).

4. Any thoughts on Bradley Whitford? He might be my favorite character (other than the snarky martha) because of the nuances with him. I can't figure him out at all.

5. Lastly...I really like the character of June but Elizabeth Moss is a Scientologist and isn't it a little ironic that a cult member is playing someone who is trying to dismantle a gigantic cult? Anyone else have a hard time separating the actress from the character?

[Anonymous]

I watched the season when it first aired, so some of my memories are vague, but I’ll answer as best I can:

Anonymous wrote:I'm very late to the game, but just finished season 3 and i have some questions. Forgive me if they were answered before (it is hard to go through 44 pages of replies!).

1. When June killed the guy from SVU (so glad she killed him btw) the maid in the hotel told her that she remembered her from the cages and June saved her. What season was that? How did June save other women in the cages?

It was when Captain Lawrence drove her one night to parking garage or warehouse where a whole bunch of women were being held before being shipped to the colonies. He told her she could choose a few to be Marthas, with added assistance of the information in their files. At first she refused, but then she strategically chose some women that she thought could be helpful in the resistance.

2. What is the deal with Nick? Is he good or bad? Where is he? And does he really love June or was it a play of some sort?

I think he’s good, and really loves June. I believe he’s playing the long game, but who knows. He was promoted and sent to Chicago, which had become a war zone.

3. Not so much of a question, but who do you hate more: Captain Waterford or Serena? I can't make up my mind. I'm very glad Serena got arrested though (the idea of her being free was infuriating).

That’s hard, because both are hate worthy. But there’s a special place in hell for women who enslave other women. Serena was one of the brains behind the philosophies of gilead, and she’s smarter than her husband. She gets my vote.

4. Any thoughts on Bradley Whitford? He might be my favorite character (other than the snarky martha) because of the nuances with him. I can't figure him out at all.

He’s my favorite character, and I love that he’s complicated. He only likes interesting people, and fortunately for June he finds her interesting. I think he is disgusted by most of humanity but has flickers of empathy. He truly loved his wife.

5. Lastly...I really like the character of June but Elizabeth Moss is a Scientologist and isn't it a little ironic that a cult member is playing someone who is trying to dismantle a gigantic cult? Anyone else have a hard time separating the actress from the character?

I tend to forget that she’s a Scientologist. I don’t particularly want to engage in a debate with her IRL, but she’s done a great job with her character. That’s all that really matters to me.

[Anonymous]

After I found out Moss is Scientologist I can’t watch it again. It was an amazing series.

[Anonymous]

I also finished season 3 somewhat recently.

I think they are trying to make us question Nick's loyalty. He's a captain in Gilead's army now, which is a boon for his career, and we know that was once important to him. But who knows, maybe he will continue to be a mole for the resistance. It's a big risk for him. Agree that he really loved June, but also sees her as a liability.

Thoughts on Whitford: he has a god complex and enjoys the power he wields over women, at times giving them a longer leash and other times reigning them in. He has empathy for June only because she had a connection with his wife. I think he way underestimated how much trouble she would be.

[Anonymous]

I like the show but it bothers me that the lead actress is a Scientologist and they’re a homophobic organization which is something the show is sort of about in parts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After I found out Moss is Scientologist I can’t watch it again. It was an amazing series.

I know how you feel. I also wavered in my viewing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I watched the season when it first aired, so some of my memories are vague, but I’ll answer as best I can:

Anonymous wrote:I'm very late to the game, but just finished season 3 and i have some questions. Forgive me if they were answered before (it is hard to go through 44 pages of replies!).

1. When June killed the guy from SVU (so glad she killed him btw) the maid in the hotel told her that she remembered her from the cages and June saved her. What season was that? How did June save other women in the cages?

It was when Captain Lawrence drove her one night to parking garage or warehouse where a whole bunch of women were being held before being shipped to the colonies. He told her she could choose a few to be Marthas, with added assistance of the information in their files. At first she refused, but then she strategically chose some women that she thought could be helpful in the resistance.

2. What is the deal with Nick? Is he good or bad? Where is he? And does he really love June or was it a play of some sort?

I think he’s good, and really loves June. I believe he’s playing the long game, but who knows. He was promoted and sent to Chicago, which had become a war zone.

3. Not so much of a question, but who do you hate more: Captain Waterford or Serena? I can't make up my mind. I'm very glad Serena got arrested though (the idea of her being free was infuriating).

That’s hard, because both are hate worthy. But there’s a special place in hell for women who enslave other women. Serena was one of the brains behind the philosophies of gilead, and she’s smarter than her husband. She gets my vote.

4. Any thoughts on Bradley Whitford? He might be my favorite character (other than the snarky martha) because of the nuances with him. I can't figure him out at all.

He’s my favorite character, and I love that he’s complicated. He only likes interesting people, and fortunately for June he finds her interesting. I think he is disgusted by most of humanity but has flickers of empathy. He truly loved his wife.

5. Lastly...I really like the character of June but Elizabeth Moss is a Scientologist and isn't it a little ironic that a cult member is playing someone who is trying to dismantle a gigantic cult? Anyone else have a hard time separating the actress from the character?

I tend to forget that she’s a Scientologist. I don’t particularly want to engage in a debate with her IRL, but she’s done a great job with her character. That’s all that really matters to me.

Thank you for these answers! I’d forgotten all about the episode where she had to choose some women to save.