I honestly don’t know how anyone can watch this show without realizing that it is ALL about politics and is intended to open a dialogue about the slippery slope and what happens when society stops caring, turns a blind eye, and things spiral out of control too fast beyond the point of no return. A major factor in this show’s success is timing in relation to current events.

How old is Roe v Wade and yet limiting abortion is still a conservative agenda item? The recent WaPo featured a story about the rise in IVF in the relatively short time it has been available - the numbers are amazing (including my DC).

Dystopian fiction is interesting because it is just close enough to reality to be disturbing and relatable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The scene at the beginning was predictable. they couldn't obviously hang all the fertile women - it would be the death of civilization.

I was really put off by Alexis Bledel's (really bad) acting. The scenes with her all seemed the actor's were 12 and reading from a prompter.

But Nick? Max Minghella? The season needs so much more of him!

I am team Nick for sure after the second episode. He's the first main male character to treat June like a human. He's honest with her, he cares about her but he's not patronizing, and then when she decides to leave, even though it would almost certainly result in his death, he affirms her autonomy and gives her his car and gun. I'm sure part of the sex would just be like emotional short circuiting after seeing the printing press room but also, finally, here is a man who seems somehow not to fall easily into escalating misogyny even as he adapted and thrived in the fall of society. He gave up all the trappings and appearances of modern progressive thought with a cynic's ease and yet somehow he still has the values. Honestly, I would too.

The season gives me hope that men will be involved in May Day. From the butcher (last season, but also seen in S2), to the medical assistant who helped guide her out w/ the red stickers. And the other men who helped "traffic" her to a safe place. There are men with heart, who quietly seem disgusted with the system, playing cooperative in one light, but also risking their lives to help, in another.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not compelling me to watch

Agree. And I loved the book.

The show is difficult to watch (so much worse than my imagination could take me while reading), but it’s still so riviting.

I would love to watch it but I think I would find it too hard.
--read all the GOT books but don't really want to watch...

Ya know... I live in FL and whenever a school shooting (or any shooting featured on cable news) happens the diehard conservatives are always yelling that it’s a crisis of family and not having God in our society. Not that they’d watch this liberal BS but Gillead is a less dramatic version of the society they want compared to the horrific society they feel they already live in.

Anonymous wrote:The Boston Globe thing hit close to home. It's so easy to see this happening with all of the anti-media diatribe going on.

As far as the political discussion goes: seriously? It's one of the most political shows out there. I understand the desire to escape, but if you're not comfortable with the association with current politics, maybe it's time reconsider your political views or watch some HGTV instead.

-posted with respect

+1

Anonymous wrote:The scene at the beginning was predictable. they couldn't obviously hang all the fertile women - it would be the death of civilization.

I was really put off by Alexis Bledel's (really bad) acting. The scenes with her all seemed the actor's were 12 and reading from a prompter.

But Nick? Max Minghella? The season needs so much more of him!

I am team Nick for sure after the second episode. He's the first main male character to treat June like a human. He's honest with her, he cares about her but he's not patronizing, and then when she decides to leave, even though it would almost certainly result in his death, he affirms her autonomy and gives her his car and gun. I'm sure part of the sex would just be like emotional short circuiting after seeing the printing press room but also, finally, here is a man who seems somehow not to fall easily into escalating misogyny even as he adapted and thrived in the fall of society. He gave up all the trappings and appearances of modern progressive thought with a cynic's ease and yet somehow he still has the values. Honestly, I would too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The airport scenes killed me. My worst fear is being separated from my child and husband in a catastrophe - and I hate how politically scary this show is now under the Trump Regime.

Please stop. 1) We do not want a political discussion here. 2) Even with our current administration, the show is so beyond anything close to what we have going on. 3) it’s a fictional television show, please leave it at that.

- drafted with kindness and respect

1) I can’t speak to this because I haven’t met everybody on this anonymous Internet forum
2) A huge theme of the show is how this all snuck up on the characters and how close it IS to what we have going on. That’s why it’s set in the near future and why the flashbacks are so terrifying. How June and her husband are still dreaming of having another child even as he has to sign her prescriptions and she gets government scrutiny for being a working mom. The whole point of Gilead is that it only took a crisis of infertility to destabilize the social order and allow religious extremists to take over the government. The scene with June watching casual misogyny on Friends while hiding in the old Boston Globe offices is as important as the torture. The whole point is to ask what is only a few improbable steps away?
3) What do you see as the point of fiction?

- Kindly, I don’t think you know what respect is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've only watched the first episode, but I'm excited to see where things go. That scene at the beginning with the girls was a bit much though, so sad.

Huh? You knew they weren't going to kill all the fertile women (and the star of the show), right? It was predictable. But enjoyed E1&2 nonetheless.

Of course I knew the main character wasn't going to die, but the emotions were so hard to watch. I'm not sure what it is about this show, but it has a way of making me feel like I could be there. I think "what would I do if that were me" in so many of the situations. I think all the flash backs of their normal lives before everything happened makes it feel more real.

The Boston Globe thing hit close to home. It's so easy to see this happening with all of the anti-media diatribe going on.

As far as the political discussion goes: seriously? It's one of the most political shows out there. I understand the desire to escape, but if you're not comfortable with the association with current politics, maybe it's time reconsider your political views or watch some HGTV instead.

-posted with respect

Anonymous wrote:The airport scenes killed me. My worst fear is being separated from my child and husband in a catastrophe - and I hate how politically scary this show is now under the Trump Regime.

Please stop. 1) We do not want a political discussion here. 2) Even with our current administration, the show is so beyond anything close to what we have going on. 3) it’s a fictional television show, please leave it at that.

- drafted with kindness and respect

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not compelling me to watch

Agree. And I loved the book.

The show is difficult to watch (so much worse than my imagination could take me while reading), but it’s still so riviting.

Anonymous wrote:The airport scenes killed me. My worst fear is being separated from my child and husband in a catastrophe - and I hate how politically scary this show is now under the Trump Regime.

That scene gutted me. And the little boy looked vaguely like the son of a friend of mine who is also a lesbian. It was hard to watch.

Anonymous wrote:This is not compelling me to watch

Agree. And I loved the book.

This is not compelling me to watch

The airport scenes killed me. My worst fear is being separated from my child and husband in a catastrophe - and I hate how politically scary this show is now under the Trump Regime.