Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also curious to see if Fred’s flip also secured Serena’s freedom. Or will he leave her on the hook and take the baby back to Gilead to raise with a new wife and still send intel to Canada.

Lots of questions.

I know Tuello is being strategic, but I still don’t like or trust him.

Nah, Fred is vindictive and selfish. He’s done with Gilead. They won’t help him, so he turned on them. Just as easily as he turned on the American government. Once a traitor, always a traitor.

I kind of always figured/hoped Fred would flip. What totally boggles my mind is that visit from the Putnams?! Why would Gilead basically tell Fred to go pound sand? And right now? Even if Fred weren't selfish and vindictive it's hard to see any other outcome than what he chose. Putnam more or less blamed him for the kids escaping Gilead and made it clear that he was persona non grata if he came back. Will be interesting to see if he included Serena in the deal...

I admit I'm a little irritated that "the charges" against Fred were dropped, presumably at the ICC. I don't really think that's how it works, but ok. All bets are off!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the first time I guess I buy that Nick and June do really love each other. Of course she loves Luke.

Nick and June definitely love each other, but I firmly believe they shouldn’t end up together. I don’t think she should end up with either of them.

Agreed with all of this, but Luke deserves better.
Trauma and danger can really cause intense romantic love.

I would love to see them get Hannah back and stay together, but that's probably a pipe dream. I don't think Luke deserves better--June did the best she could in a terrifying and traumatic situation.

That doesn’t mean that I think June did anything wrong, but staying in a marriage where someone is actively in love with someone else is a lot to ask if someone. He does deserve better than that.

I foresee him sticking with her to weather the initial storm/PTSD of her return, and them staying friends, but the writing is on the wall.

That sounds about right.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the first time I guess I buy that Nick and June do really love each other. Of course she loves Luke.

Nick and June definitely love each other, but I firmly believe they shouldn’t end up together. I don’t think she should end up with either of them.

Agreed with all of this, but Luke deserves better.
Trauma and danger can really cause intense romantic love.

I would love to see them get Hannah back and stay together, but that's probably a pipe dream. I don't think Luke deserves better--June did the best she could in a terrifying and traumatic situation.

That doesn’t mean that I think June did anything wrong, but staying in a marriage where someone is actively in love with someone else is a lot to ask if someone. He does deserve better than that.

I foresee him sticking with her to weather the initial storm/PTSD of her return, and them staying friends, but the writing is on the wall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the first time I guess I buy that Nick and June do really love each other. Of course she loves Luke.

Nick and June definitely love each other, but I firmly believe they shouldn’t end up together. I don’t think she should end up with either of them.

Agreed with all of this, but Luke deserves better.
Trauma and danger can really cause intense romantic love.

I would love to see them get Hannah back and stay together, but that's probably a pipe dream. I don't think Luke deserves better--June did the best she could in a terrifying and traumatic situation.

That doesn’t mean that I think June did anything wrong, but staying in a marriage where someone is actively in love with someone else is a lot to ask if someone. He does deserve better than that.

When June found out that Fred was free she had a little fake smile on her face. I thought that she was legitimately happy. She would have reason to be, because A. it gives her a better chance than ever to get Hannah back, and B. it also gives her a chance to someday track him down and personally exact revenge.

But hoo boy- if Serena and Fred are free to live in peace in Canada with their son they better cough up some significant results.

Regarding Nick- I get that June wholeheartedly trusts him, but if I were Luke I would “lose” that doll or at least perform a thorough exploratory surgery to look for any tracking or recording devices. I would be afraid that Nichole would be tracked and grabbed someday on a shopping trip or whatnot. If the viewer doesn’t have reason to blindly trust Nick, Luke doesn’t either.

Regarding Janine and Esther- I hope one of them will be placed with Lawrence. If he’s powerful enough now maybe he could see that one is “redeemed” and marry her, and the other could become the handmaid. I think Lydia is disillusioned enough now to try to make that happen.

Final note- nod to the Last Supper scene.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the first time I guess I buy that Nick and June do really love each other. Of course she loves Luke.

Nick and June definitely love each other, but I firmly believe they shouldn’t end up together. I don’t think she should end up with either of them.

Agreed with all of this, but Luke deserves better.
Trauma and danger can really cause intense romantic love.

I would love to see them get Hannah back and stay together, but that's probably a pipe dream. I don't think Luke deserves better--June did the best she could in a terrifying and traumatic situation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the first time I guess I buy that Nick and June do really love each other. Of course she loves Luke.

Nick and June definitely love each other, but I firmly believe they shouldn’t end up together. I don’t think she should end up with either of them.

Agreed with all of this, but Luke deserves better.
Trauma and danger can really cause intense romantic love.

Anonymous wrote:For the first time I guess I buy that Nick and June do really love each other. Of course she loves Luke.

Nick and June definitely love each other, but I firmly believe they shouldn’t end up together. I don’t think she should end up with either of them.

Anonymous wrote:Also curious to see if Fred’s flip also secured Serena’s freedom. Or will he leave her on the hook and take the baby back to Gilead to raise with a new wife and still send intel to Canada.

Lots of questions.

I know Tuello is being strategic, but I still don’t like or trust him.

Nah, Fred is vindictive and selfish. He’s done with Gilead. They won’t help him, so he turned on them. Just as easily as he turned on the American government. Once a traitor, always a traitor.

Also curious to see if Fred’s flip also secured Serena’s freedom. Or will he leave her on the hook and take the baby back to Gilead to raise with a new wife and still send intel to Canada.

Lots of questions.

I know Tuello is being strategic, but I still don’t like or trust him.

For the first time I guess I buy that Nick and June do really love each other. Of course she loves Luke too.

Loved seeing Janine being more strategic. She and Esther could be a good team. Lydia's soft spot for Janine could be what turns her down the road.

We all knew Fred would turn. Looking forward to seeing how June handles the latest development in the finale.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not how exchanges work! Prisoners get exchanged for other prisoners. People seeking asylum and children are not exchanged for war criminals.

who cares how it works in real life? do we have hand maidens? no? Oh that's right, it is a dystopian FICTION.

Watch the new episode and read and 'em weep folks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m convinced June’s relationship with Luke is doomed. I’m not sure when or how, but she’s going to wind up with Nick.

Nah, I think Nick's a goner sooner or later.

Agree. He will die saving, or trying to save, Hannah.

I think he'll be part of an attempted exchange of Hannah for Fred, but something will go wrong. I believe Serena is protected for now due to her pregnancy--on humanitarian grounds don't think they'd send a pregnant woman back even if she deserves it.

But she’s asking to go back, right?

No, she's afraid she'll be made a handmaid for betraying her husband and Gilead.

That’s just one line in the trailer for the next episode, right? Am I behind a week?

I think more likely than an official exchange is a secret agreement between June and the Waterfords. They get Hannah into Canada as some part of an entourage or some such, Hannah is rescued, and in exchange June declines to testify. Or she gets them to put into motion a Nick based extraction of Hannah in exchange for not testifying. Something along those lines.

It wouldn’t track with The Testaments, but a lot doesn’t.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not how exchanges work! Prisoners get exchanged for other prisoners. People seeking asylum and children are not exchanged for war criminals.

who cares how it works in real life? do we have hand maidens? no? Oh that's right, it is a dystopian FICTION.

Tue, but the fact that Atwood has always emphasized that everything in the book had happened somewhere before and that the series itself has very much clung to reality in terms of the legal procedures for asylum, arresting Fred (he had to be on foreign soil), using UN/ICC structure, etc. would make something like this exchange really nonsensical.

This isn't the book. That statement from Atwood is now completely moot.

True, but I think the writers want things to feel at least somewhat real. Obviously horrible, but real. They are getting many things spot on about relief agencies and the refugee experience. If they decide to go with trading Nichole for Hannah or Hannah for Fred and Serena, they will have to come up with some reason other than this is how prisoner exchanges work. Because they don’t work that way.