The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The infertile of the new ruling class was spared. Regular infertile women were sent to work camps to clean toxic waste.

Yeah that should have been updated bc it makes no sense. What does that even me "clean up toxic waste"
Since they talk about websites and people have cell phones it's clear the time frame they are using is right now or in the future. Right now we don't need people to clean up toxic waste bc it's mechanized. It wouldn't make sense to undue that and would cause more harm to everyone.

What would be great is if they reveal that the camps are just basically boring type suburbs but the use the whole threat of toxic waste to keep the handmaids in line and too scared to escape.

The book was written in 1984, so no cell phones then. It's just now being updated so everything might not fit perfectly 30 years later. I'm sure there will be a storyline that shows the other, older women, including Offred's mom.

I am aware of that and read the book back back then. My point is they are using as reference for timeframe either present day or future so it doesn't make sense to include the toxic waste scenario. They should have updated that too.

And also, the whole idea of the Handmaid and how that worked should have been updated since IVF treatments between the early 80's and today have significantly changed. It would make more sense if "The ceremony" actually involved some at home insemination process since again this would be a well known thing at this point as opposed to when the author wrote the book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought Epi 4 was a bit of a drag.

Really? I loved it. I will not go into detail as to why, as I do not want to spoil it for others. But the last line of the episode was awesome.

It seemed like a flip to me. Now we have the notion of solidarity among the handmaidens. Whereas before they were completely isolated.

I think the problem is not total isolation -- Offred was becoming friends with her partner before she was taken away -- but that they don't know who they can trust.

I don't understand how Moira escaped during training, yet let June go back with the cops. Since her presence was enough to escape notice earlier, why didn't she say to the cops, "Hey, she's with me."

I wondered if Moira was the escaped aunt the commander refers to in the Toronto Star newspaper article.


I wondered this as well but it looked like Offred was giving a small head shake to Moira to go onto the train and that's why she left.

Right. Because she did not have the papers she needed and knew that they would both be caught.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The infertile of the new ruling class was spared. Regular infertile women were sent to work camps to clean toxic waste.

Yeah that should have been updated bc it makes no sense. What does that even me "clean up toxic waste"
Since they talk about websites and people have cell phones it's clear the time frame they are using is right now or in the future. Right now we don't need people to clean up toxic waste bc it's mechanized. It wouldn't make sense to undue that and would cause more harm to everyone.

What would be great is if they reveal that the camps are just basically boring type suburbs but the use the whole threat of toxic waste to keep the handmaids in line and too scared to escape.

The book was written in 1984, so no cell phones then. It's just now being updated so everything might not fit perfectly 30 years later. I'm sure there will be a storyline that shows the other, older women, including Offred's mom.

I am aware of that and read the book back back then. My point is they are using as reference for timeframe either present day or future so it doesn't make sense to include the toxic waste scenario. They should have updated that too.

And also, the whole idea of the Handmaid and how that worked should have been updated since IVF treatments between the early 80's and today have significantly changed. It would make more sense if "The ceremony" actually involved some at home insemination process since again this would be a well known thing at this point as opposed to when the author wrote the book.

The first IVF baby was born in 1978, so there was IVF when the book was written. The Ceremony is ritualized rape so while an artificial insemination is an invasive violation, it does not terrorize and subjugate women in the same was as the Ceremony does. The Ceremony is about control and violence to women as much as it is about reproduction of babies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The infertile of the new ruling class was spared. Regular infertile women were sent to work camps to clean toxic waste.

Yeah that should have been updated bc it makes no sense. What does that even me "clean up toxic waste"
Since they talk about websites and people have cell phones it's clear the time frame they are using is right now or in the future. Right now we don't need people to clean up toxic waste bc it's mechanized. It wouldn't make sense to undue that and would cause more harm to everyone.

What would be great is if they reveal that the camps are just basically boring type suburbs but the use the whole threat of toxic waste to keep the handmaids in line and too scared to escape.

The book was written in 1984, so no cell phones then. It's just now being updated so everything might not fit perfectly 30 years later. I'm sure there will be a storyline that shows the other, older women, including Offred's mom.

I am aware of that and read the book back back then. My point is they are using as reference for timeframe either present day or future so it doesn't make sense to include the toxic waste scenario. They should have updated that too.

And also, the whole idea of the Handmaid and how that worked should have been updated since IVF treatments between the early 80's and today have significantly changed. It would make more sense if "The ceremony" actually involved some at home insemination process since again this would be a well known thing at this point as opposed to when the author wrote the book.

The first IVF baby was born in 1978, so there was IVF when the book was written. The Ceremony is ritualized rape so while an artificial insemination is an invasive violation, it does not terrorize and subjugate women in the same was as the Ceremony does. The Ceremony is about control and violence to women as much as it is about reproduction of babies.

Also, it's clear that the infertility crisis is probably due to "male factor" infertility as well--that's why (in the book at least, I have only seen the first episode of the show) Serena wants Offred to sleep with their chauffeur, to increase her chances of getting pregnant. Since this is a misogynist society they just blame the women. This is another reason why IVF might not work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The infertile of the new ruling class was spared. Regular infertile women were sent to work camps to clean toxic waste.

Yeah that should have been updated bc it makes no sense. What does that even me "clean up toxic waste"
Since they talk about websites and people have cell phones it's clear the time frame they are using is right now or in the future. Right now we don't need people to clean up toxic waste bc it's mechanized. It wouldn't make sense to undue that and would cause more harm to everyone.

What would be great is if they reveal that the camps are just basically boring type suburbs but the use the whole threat of toxic waste to keep the handmaids in line and too scared to escape.

The book was written in 1984, so no cell phones then. It's just now being updated so everything might not fit perfectly 30 years later. I'm sure there will be a storyline that shows the other, older women, including Offred's mom.

I am aware of that and read the book back back then. My point is they are using as reference for timeframe either present day or future so it doesn't make sense to include the toxic waste scenario. They should have updated that too.

And also, the whole idea of the Handmaid and how that worked should have been updated since IVF treatments between the early 80's and today have significantly changed. It would make more sense if "The ceremony" actually involved some at home insemination process since again this would be a well known thing at this point as opposed to when the author wrote the book.

OMG, no! That is the horror of the scene in which the Handmaids first learn about the ceremony! Moira kept talking about a turkey baster situation, but when the reality of humiliating ritualized sex (actual penetration and being held down) became clear, they face a whole new level of horror. Also, it is 1. more in keeping with the Bible talk they use throughout Gilead, and 2. consistent with the anti-tech sensibility of that world, with the Marthas making everything from scratch with no use of modern devices (not even a hand mixer or microwave). "Traditional values" y'all!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The infertile of the new ruling class was spared. Regular infertile women were sent to work camps to clean toxic waste.

Yeah that should have been updated bc it makes no sense. What does that even me "clean up toxic waste"
Since they talk about websites and people have cell phones it's clear the time frame they are using is right now or in the future. Right now we don't need people to clean up toxic waste bc it's mechanized. It wouldn't make sense to undue that and would cause more harm to everyone.

What would be great is if they reveal that the camps are just basically boring type suburbs but the use the whole threat of toxic waste to keep the handmaids in line and too scared to escape.

We don't know about the war tactics used to establish Gilead except for the assault on Congress, which was said to be terrorists but was insinuated to be a act orchestrated by Gilead founders to establish Martial Law and advance their overthrow of democracy. I can totally imagine a nuclear assault on the Great State of California (so many unwomen, gender traitors, and Sons of Jacob, amirite!!)

In June's world, the United States flag only has two starts: one for Alaska, the other for Hawaii. The contiguous U.S. is now the Republic of Gilead. How much fight did it take to establish, and at what cost?

The Hulu series differs from the book in that the Children of Cain were not also expelled and sent to the colonies for labor. That is a modern update.

[Anonymous]

Well, it also differs from the book in that the commanders and their wives are basically the same age as the handmaidens. In the book they are older, much older.

[Anonymous]

Have they basically rejected science. For example when the doctor "checks her" to make sure everything is working for the ceremony, it seems like he doesn't do more than a basic pelvic exam. You can't determine infertility by a pelvic exam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have they basically rejected science. For example when the doctor "checks her" to make sure everything is working for the ceremony, it seems like he doesn't do more than a basic pelvic exam. You can't determine infertility by a pelvic exam.

He can tell by inspecting her cervix and cervical mucus that she's ovulating. Her fertility would have been checked earlier in the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have they basically rejected science. For example when the doctor "checks her" to make sure everything is working for the ceremony, it seems like he doesn't do more than a basic pelvic exam. You can't determine infertility by a pelvic exam.

He can tell by inspecting her cervix and cervical mucus that she's ovulating. Her fertility would have been checked earlier in the process.

This. The handmaids were chosen because they still had 2 functioning ovaries.

[Anonymous]

The show started off so strong...now I'm getting bored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The infertile of the new ruling class was spared. Regular infertile women were sent to work camps to clean toxic waste.

Yeah that should have been updated bc it makes no sense. What does that even me "clean up toxic waste"
Since they talk about websites and people have cell phones it's clear the time frame they are using is right now or in the future. Right now we don't need people to clean up toxic waste bc it's mechanized. It wouldn't make sense to undue that and would cause more harm to everyone.

What would be great is if they reveal that the camps are just basically boring type suburbs but the use the whole threat of toxic waste to keep the handmaids in line and too scared to escape.

The book was written in 1984, so no cell phones then. It's just now being updated so everything might not fit perfectly 30 years later. I'm sure there will be a storyline that shows the other, older women, including Offred's mom.

I am aware of that and read the book back back then. My point is they are using as reference for timeframe either present day or future so it doesn't make sense to include the toxic waste scenario. They should have updated that too.

And also, the whole idea of the Handmaid and how that worked should have been updated since IVF treatments between the early 80's and today have significantly changed. It would make more sense if "The ceremony" actually involved some at home insemination process since again this would be a well known thing at this point as opposed to when the author wrote the book.

They don't believe in science.

[Anonymous]

Do they even have tvs??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do they even have tvs??

I am not watching the show, however I read the book. They did have a TV, but channels owned/operated by the government. So wouldn't been very interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The infertile of the new ruling class was spared. Regular infertile women were sent to work camps to clean toxic waste.

Yeah that should have been updated bc it makes no sense. What does that even me "clean up toxic waste"
Since they talk about websites and people have cell phones it's clear the time frame they are using is right now or in the future. Right now we don't need people to clean up toxic waste bc it's mechanized. It wouldn't make sense to undue that and would cause more harm to everyone.

What would be great is if they reveal that the camps are just basically boring type suburbs but the use the whole threat of toxic waste to keep the handmaids in line and too scared to escape.

The book was written in 1984, so no cell phones then. It's just now being updated so everything might not fit perfectly 30 years later. I'm sure there will be a storyline that shows the other, older women, including Offred's mom.

I am aware of that and read the book back back then. My point is they are using as reference for timeframe either present day or future so it doesn't make sense to include the toxic waste scenario. They should have updated that too.

And also, the whole idea of the Handmaid and how that worked should have been updated since IVF treatments between the early 80's and today have significantly changed. It would make more sense if "The ceremony" actually involved some at home insemination process since again this would be a well known thing at this point as opposed to when the author wrote the book.

They don't believe in science.

Thus they kill doctors...remember the three hanging men in the first episode.