The Handmaid’s Tale - Season 3

[Saint Austin 745]

So far this season is slooooooooooow

[henrygandorf 29197]

i actually really like the direction it’s going. last season was a beating. 

[jeevsie 3740]

I did tell the mrs that if she "almost" escapes at the end of this season and somehow doesn't, I'm done with this show.

[henrygandorf 29197]

having whitford be a bigger part of this show was a great move.

i'm done with the waterfords.

[Js1 85637]

8 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

i actually really like the direction it’s going. last season was a beating. 

Im on 2.03.

So it doesn't get better? 

[henrygandorf 29197]

it wasn't a matter of good or bad, it was just a beatdown i thought for the characters, without much progress.

s3 has already gone in a better direction.  i thought s2 was just kinda treading water, but it's worth watching, especially if s3 keeps on its current trajectory (only 3 episodes in).

a lot of shows that were only planned for one season (or based on original source material that ran out) have some trouble finding footing in second seasons.  goliath, 13 reasons why, handmaid's tale all came out around the same time and struggled (i thought) figuring out where to go once they got renewed.

the business of television has changed, and this will be a problem for a while.

a development exec told me as much in a meeting i had 3 days ago (and they have a second season coming out soon for a show only planned for one).

[RomaVicta 30033]

Interesting. I thought Goliath season 2 was pretty good, but I've noticed the same thing about shows going beyond original material.

With the omnipresence of "About the Episode" turds that are added to everything, it amuses and annoys me how producers of adapted material sit like tired geniuses explaining their reasoning for going a certain direction with a character or dissecting a mundane scene like it's something from mid-century German theater.

Adaptation is not easy and there is credit deserved for doing so well. I rewrote a screenplay that then gained a producer and made it to the screen (my only produced work). I never talk about it without mentioning the first writer even though I made it a different movie. She created the original building. I don't watch many of the tacked on producer commentary shows because it's sort of a crappy work of fiction itself.

It's only human for the faceless producers and directors to want to be seen with a successful production. I wonder how the GOT guys feel now about making their faces known only to become the objects of scorn. If I were to be a great success in Hollywood, I'd choose the faceless role and keep it faceless. I'm fine with actors getting paid more and taking the good and bad of constant scrutiny.

I'm rambling. Taking a day off and enjoying letting my mind run free. 

 

Edited June 7, 2019 by RomaVicta

[henrygandorf 29197]

24 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

Interesting. I thought Goliath season 2 was pretty good, but I've noticed the same thing about shows going beyond original material.

With the omnipresence of "About the Episode" turds that are added to everything, it amuses and annoys me how producers of adapted material sit like tired geniuses explaining their reasoning for going a certain direction with a character or dissecting a mundane scene like it's something from mid-century German theater.

Adaptation is not easy and there is credit deserved for doing so well. I rewrote a screenplay that then gained a producer and made it to the screen (my only produced work). I never talk about it without mentioning the first writer even though I made it a different movie. She created the original building. I don't watch many of the tacked on producer commentary shows because it's sort of a crappy work of fiction itself.

It's only human for the faceless producers and directors to want to be seen with a successful production. I wonder how the GOT guys feel now about making their faces known only to become the objects of scorn. If I were to be a great success in Hollywood, I'd choose the faceless role and keep it faceless. I'm fine with actors getting paid more and taking the good and bad of constant scrutiny.

I'm rambling. Taking a day off and enjoying letting my mind run free. 

 

weird, i hated goliath s2.  using the word "struggled" was a bit of a struggle for me.  even thinking about getting into it here is making me ragey.

as for the "inside the episode" stuff - i agree, and i try not to ever watch it.  i think it was westworld maybe (another horribad s2) where right after the season finale, there were all these articles that came out explaining everything to everyone.

memo to showrunners - you're not david chase, and this isn't the sopranos series finale after months/years of discussion and debate.  if you have to explain shit to viewers the day after the finale, then it's on you, not them.

btw, for those who have watched the first 3 episodes of s3 of handmaids:

either in e2 or e3, the bradley whitford speech about how june left the waterfords - holy shit, i was cracking up, i had to rewind.  to paraphrase, "you got fred demoted.  left the wife de-fingered, the baby baby-napped, you left their house literally in ashes."  so awesome.

i really like the potential his character has.  guy wrote some bold literature, probably didn't think it would be the centerpiece of this grand new society of oppression.  now he's forced to deal with it as "the reluctant architect".  lets the martha revolt blow off steam out of his basement.  lets june choose the 5 new marthas, probably knowing she'll choose trouble-makers.  that list of recruits presents a pretty awesome upcoming arc for the rest of the season. 

now it's all about execution.  fingers crossed.

[RomaVicta 30033]

The Timothy Oliphant and Anna Gunn voice over for the episode in Deadwood where they prepare for a funeral is very amusing. I think the creator of the show maybe does the voice over for the first episode, that was very good.  We just loved the show so much that we tried a few. I never watch those anymore either.

When shows don't make sense, and fans come forth to repeat the explanations of the filmmakers; that's pretty much an admission that they failed at narrative. As you know, it's a hard thing to get right. Part of it is luck.

[Js1 85637]

Last 20 min had my heart racing that something really bad was going to happen. 

[SubliminalHorn 6815]

Thought for sure there was gonna be a clandestine take down of Doug somewhere there by Gilead special forces or something 

[Js1 85637]

18 minutes ago, SubliminalHorn said:

Thought for sure there was gonna be a clandestine take down of Doug somewhere there by Gilead special forces or something 

It was that or Serena's plane exploding or something.  Like I was waiting. 

[SubliminalHorn 6815]

I really hope these angry looks that June keeps serving is going to actually lead to something happening this season like a full blown revolution. Last season was a season of nothing happening, something needs to happen soon. 

[henrygandorf 29197]

yeah, the tension is ramping up, but needs to lead somewhere.  i'm still disappointed that the bomb going off last season led to...absolutely nothing.

i like all the crossover with canada, and i thought luke acted appropriately when he met with serena.

obviously now with the fake telecast, they're gonna come at him hard.

just as other countries weren't willing to actively work with the nazis, i can't imagine canada will be eager to assist in returning the "kidnapped" child to gilead.  and i wouldn't think gilead can just send people in to retrieve her either.

[Js1 85637]

No extradition treaty, so they have to use public pressure.  Too bad Canada doesn't really give a fuck.  Gilead doesn't really have the allies to put pressure on Canada either - maybe Saudi Arabia? 

Yes, the tension has to go somewhere.  We've basically had non-stop:

1. The Waterfords do something.

2. June gets mad.

3. Serena shows remorse.

4. June starts to open up to Serena.

5. Serena backpedals. 

6. June gets mad again. 

[henrygandorf 29197]

5 minutes ago, Js1 said:

No extradition treaty, so they have to use public pressure.  Too bad Canada doesn't really give a fuck.  Gilead doesn't really have the allies to put pressure on Canada either - maybe Saudi Arabia? 

Yes, the tension has to go somewhere.  We've basically had non-stop:

1. The Waterfords do something.

2. June gets mad.

3. Serena shows remorse.

4. June starts to open up to Serena.

5. Serena backpedals. 

6. June gets mad again. 

also june made the decision to return to gilead and basically not leave until she got hannah.

it seems like whitford and the new marthas would be part of her plan.  i really hoped they were phasing out the waterfords...but here we are.  she asked for serena to "owe" her, so i'm sure that'll come back around, but i really don't think june needs her to get where she needs to go.

and now that june is bonding with whitford's wife, it seems like she needs serena even less.

[Js1 85637]

3 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

also june made the decision to return to gilead and basically not leave until she got hannah.

it seems like whitford and the new marthas would be part of her plan.  i really hoped they were phasing out the waterfords...but here we are.  she asked for serena to "owe" her, so i'm sure that'll come back around, but i really don't think june needs her to get where she needs to go.

and now that june is bonding with whitford's wife, it seems like she needs serena even less.

"I want you to owe me, except you constantly renege on all your deals because you can't pick a side and your mood changes every episode."

[mdmost 43060]

We watched the first one last night. When Emily was trying to escape the drones and looked like she was about to be captured, we were about to be out on the season. There has to be some sort of forward momentum to this season. I like the style of the show but we really don't need that many slow-mo's.

[RomaVicta 30033]

In the season finale, June gets really, really, really mad and glares at the camera. Set your VCRs today!

Just about everything in this show is reactive rather than active. People cry about the baby. People cry about separation from their beloved. People despair. June chokes up, cries, glares, faintly smiles.

Elizabeth Moss is superb, but the show's creative team seems to think that telling a reactive story with closeups on her face is enough to sustain a series. It's not.

Maybe they've created a world where the protagonist just doesn't stand a chance, but they keep insisting that she does. At the end of the first season there was something about handmaid unity becoming an army. Nothing happens. Rinse. Repeat.

The women of Gilead live under an iron boot. Many of them are unhappy. Watching their unhappiness is getting dull.

[Bama Chick 28596]

I thought June asking Serena to owe her was getting Serena to give Luke the cassette tape.

And I swear to Jesus I’m SO SICK of every episode ending with June shakily glaring into the camera with an 80s song blaring in the background.

It was badass the first time, now it’s just stupid.

[RomaVicta 30033]

1 hour ago, Bama Chick said:

I thought June asking Serena to owe her was getting Serena to give Luke the cassette tape.

Hadn't thought of that. The message on the tape merits it. Well done!

[Native Horn 3516]

1 hour ago, RomaVicta said:

Hadn't thought of that. The message on the tape merits it. Well done!

Holy shit, me neither!  Nice job BC!

[mdmost 43060]

Hey look, forward progress on Serena’s character. This is going to be great. Oh great. She misses the baby. Well, back to shitty Serena. And agreed on mad June face. Stop showing it unless it’s going to lead to some actual revenge. 

Edited June 23, 2019 by mdmost

[d2o 1602]

On 6/20/2019 at 12:13 PM, Js1 said:

"I want you to owe me, except you constantly renege on all your deals because you can't pick a side and your mood changes every episode."

yeah that cycle of her trusting them and thinking they have some humanity left only to be betrayed has gotten really old

[d2o 1602]

On 6/22/2019 at 2:40 PM, Bama Chick said:

I thought June asking Serena to owe her was getting Serena to give Luke the cassette tape.

And I swear to Jesus I’m SO SICK of every episode ending with June shakily glaring into the camera with an 80s song blaring in the background.

It was badass the first time, now it’s just stupid.

I really that is not all it referred to.    That would be extremely lame. 

[Bama Chick 28596]

Of course it is.

Because June has been written to be a total fool when it comes to trusting Serena.

She keeps thinking she can appeal to her with some “Girl Power! Help me fight the patriarchy because you’re just as oppressed as I am!”.

Ignoring that Serena doesn’t see herself as oppressed. She’s one of the freaking architects of Gilead.

Serena doesn’t want to overthrow the system. She’s fine with the handmaids and Marthas and how everything works.

Serena only cares about changing things that oppress her personally.

As long as she gets a seat at the table and gets what she wants then she’s satisfied and fuck everyone else.

June has a total blind spot where Serena is concerned. She thinks Serena is onboard with helping ALL the women. She can’t or won’t see Serena is only about breaking the rules that benefit her.

Hopefully this 27th betrayal by Serena has woken June up and she starts looking for other allies.

[mdmost 43060]

I need some Gilead fuckers to die

[d2o 1602]

16 hours ago, mdmost said:

I need some Gilead fuckers to die

And a lot of them!!

[SubliminalHorn 6815]

Oh another episode ending with June staring at the camera like she’s so madz at Gilead

oh but she won’t do jack shit next episode tho

[d2o 1602]

8 hours ago, SubliminalHorn said:

Oh another episode ending with June staring at the camera like she’s so madz at Gilead

oh but she won’t do jack shit next episode tho

There were some amazing visuals in this ep  but yeah, eps with basically nothing happening are really making it hard to keep watching this.   

[MissingInAction 25226]

13 hours ago, SubliminalHorn said:

Oh another episode ending with June staring at the camera like she’s so madz at Gilead

oh but she won’t do jack shit next episode tho

No shit. I keep expecting her to have flashbacks to her time training as a ninja right before she hulks out and starts killing fuckers with knitting needles. 

[Mileslong 4728]

I don’t you guys realize that June is really, really, really mad and she must glare in every episode in order to convey just how mad she is!!

I wish they would focus more on the war and geographical boundaries etc...

[seven 1368]

Yeah, this is quickly turning into man in the high castle where I just want to know more about the world and their society and can't give any shits about the stupid resistance. 

[d2o 1602]

1 hour ago, Mileslong said:

I don’t you guys realize that June is really, really, really mad and she must glare in every episode in order to convey just how mad she is!!

I wish they would focus more on the war and geographical boundaries etc...

Yeah especially with this last ep I more interested in the rest of Gilead.

Another thing that is really standing out this season is how June just wanders around houses eavesdropping and shit.    Further as unforgiving as Gilead is supposed to be I'm not understanding she has a) not been disfigured in some way and/or b) killed.    She is insolent as fuck and has tried to escape multiple times and they just bring her back and send her to her room.    I know fertile women are a premium but if there as many as they showed in this ep in DC, making an example of one extremely mouthy handmaid that has been not much more than trouble doesn't seem unreasonable

[mdmost 43060]

18 hours ago, seven said:

Yeah, this is quickly turning into man in the high castle where I just want to know more about the world and their society and can't give any shits about the stupid resistance. 

What resistance? It's a bunch of Marthas who are being hung. 

And the shock value of DC was fine but I guess all the handmaids there live on liquid diets?

[Mileslong 4728]

Been watching this with g/f and she gave me worst go to hell look ever after my comment when they showed the shocking scene of the woman’s mouth sown shut.

Told her I would never do that even if she had backtalked me. She said “ well I would hope not”. I said “because oral sex”

[RomaVicta 30033]

On 6/27/2019 at 5:46 AM, d2o said:

There were some amazing visuals in this ep  but yeah, eps with basically nothing happening are really making it hard to keep watching this.   

Yes, there are some great shots but not to much purpose other than being great shots.

They have themselves in a narrative hole because they've basically created a world where the protagonist has no chance. That type of oppression was likely the theme of the book. Changing the male/religious world is not something an individual can do. So they're left with playing for smaller stakes. 

Will Nichole stay in Canada? I don't really care. It's not why I watch. I watch for June.

Will the relationships in Canada work? I don't really care. If crying will make them work, then every American in Canada has no worries.

Will Gilead threaten Canada militarily? Sounds like Gilead has troubles dealing with resistance south of the Canadian border. Nothing has been set up to make me feel this threat to Canada. It's actually outside the story except for a Swiss guy mentioning it. Could be interesting if they turn this into a war story. They won't, so I don't care.

Also, how does people praying on TV put pressure on Canada? (see above for cursory military threat) Maybe the creative team believes that the same snappy visuals they're using to supposedly keep us interested will also work within the story to sway the Canucks. I'm not buying.

Overall, this is all about us sympathizing with reactions to losing children and loved ones. That can be truly sad. A steady diet of it becomes boring. Oh boy, meatloaf and mashed potatoes for the 100th straight day!

[mdmost 43060]

I saw an article that referenced this as torture porn. I think that's a pretty accurate depiction. Oh look they rule with such an iron fist in Washington that all the handmaids no longer have mouths. And look they made Aunt Lydia into less of a monster...until next week. This vacillating on characters motivations and morality is beyond annoying. Oh look Serena's not a horrible monster, oh wait, no she is again. Oh look Commander Joseph seems decent, oh wait now he's not. Next they'll focus on his wife until she too goes back on being decent. It's always 2 steps forward and 3 back with this show. It's getting old. Wife said it's good it's the summer and there's not much else on or she'd be out. She was already leery about watching after season 1 as she's a huge Atwood fan and knew it would go downhill after the source material ran out. And of course it did. 

Edited June 28, 2019 by mdmost

[RomaVicta 30033]

3 hours ago, mdmost said:

She was already leery about watching after season 1 as she's a huge Atwood fan and knew it would go downhill after the source material ran out. And of course it did.

We've discussed this before with GOT and other shows. Producers vamping off of someone else's creation and thinking it's their own. On a whim, I googled Hand Maid's Tale producer came across the piece in Good Housekeeping. Just like with GOT, this guy is patting himself on the back for the show's genius:

Quote

If the Waterfords are demanding that Nicole is returned to Gilead, will Commander Winslow help them? Or does he have another motive in mind? When we talked to executive producer Warren Littlefield, he alluded to an intimate relationship brewing between Commander Winslow and Commander Waterford.

“There’s a respect, there’s an admiration, there’s a bonding. Is there possibly some kind of attraction here?” he said. “And Commander Winslow is married with a large family, and that spins Serena Joy’s head, so it’s a wonderfully multi-layered relationship that Fred Waterford finds himself in, with a goal.”

Littlefield also spoke about how different his role is than any other Meloni has done in the past. We definitely agree — is there anything darker than being at the center of this disturbing world?

“I think we used the strength and the power that Chris Meloni brings. He’s a presence, in life and on camera, on stage. And yet there’s a wonderful complexity, and then even how he’s relating to Fred and the physicality and I think, ‘Wait, what’s going on here?’ I think it becomes quite intriguing.”

Um, no, Warren. Fred getting a little of his own medicine from Meloni is actually kind of lame. Are you trying to make us cheer for rape in a story originally written to decry treatment of women? Really?

Edited June 28, 2019 by RomaVicta

[Js1 85637]

That was fucking boring. Just drop the rest of this dismal crap so I can binge and be done. Week to week doesn’t work when it’s awfully boring every week. 

[nycHorn 3044]

Meloni wanted to smear mud on Waterfords ass.

[henrygandorf 29197]

if those new marthas don't get involved soon i'm out.

[Js1 85637]

June finally did something and got that Martha killed. 

Otherwise, still another boring episode.  And she’s getting way too comfortable with Commander Lawrence. He’s not going to put up with her asinine behavior much longer. 

Edited July 3, 2019 by Js1

[Js1 85637]

Oh and color me skeptical Canada would consider returning the refugees. Stupid plot point. 

[MissingInAction 25226]

If this show comes back for a fourth season it will all take place on a farm and have a smoke monster.

[seven 1368]

Maybe they'll kill off June and then just focus on Gilead politics. That'd be awesome 

[nycHorn 3044]

This season blows. Feels like it’s written and shot by a film student.

[d2o 1602]

I thought I wanted to see more of the story of Gilead but the more they show the less makes sense.

Why do they have to have armed guards every few feet in neighborhoods of their own territory?

This last ep shows that they do hang handmaids.   Hasn't June done enough to warrant being hanged given their intolerance to insubordination, heresy and trying to start a rebellion?     They haven't scarred her or disfigured her like they did other handmaids for less.     Shit they cut off Serena's finger but June can still sneak around eavesdropping and openly talk shit to commanders and their wives?

[Aqua Buddha 14625]

This show has a great premise but the writing is starting to suck as everyone has mentioned.  "Misery/torture porn" is a phrase the wife and I have actually used so I nodded when I read that.  There's not much depth to the characters at this point and every episode is something bad for June and she gets mad.

What needs to be happening is progression on the macro plot line of Gilead vs everyone else.  They have these minor plot lines in a bubble like there's nothing going on in the outside world.  There's an actual war going on.  Who is winning?  Is there an underground resistance?  We're supposed to root against Gilead and the Commanders but who are we rooting for besides June?  We're three seasons into this and we know very little about the political situation, which is what will really decide June's fate.

Glad it's not just me that is becoming frustrated with this.

[Jack Straw 2954]

“misery porn” sounds about right.  my gf called it “agony overload” after the last episode.   we are both frustrated with the show as well, and are at the point now of “can we just end this now” unless they go beyond what they’ve been hammering on for a long while now.  bring on the revolt, or the overthrow, or at least some explosions, for fucks sake.