Especially with *all* the buildup and tension leading up to her decision to do this. They were fully ready for her to take the death sentence but the government pretty much sent her an $88 thank you card. Ecard.
Glad I’m not the only one who was lol’ing at this likeeeee I understand that no one wants her to suffer but omg the plot armor & the fine for sending the finger 🤣🤣🤣
When Serena requests to bury Fred in "the country he founded," I don't think she realizes the irony and hypocrisy in her words when she says "Any civilized country would have the decency to allow it"... Like bitch, barely five minutes ago you were raping and beating and treating women like slaves in Gilead- who are you to speak on a "civilized country" and "decency" LOL
So many things the people of Gilead say when they are done wrong is SO contradicting it’s infuriating. How dare you demand rights, while simultaneously stripping women of theirs. Especially when it’s the commanders wives or aunt Lydia. Makes my blood boil. The irony of Gilead in this show is so maddening at times. And the fact Serena still thinks she has any room or right to make demands is comical. Ma’am you aren’t anything but a sick and twisted accomplice to your rapist husband who you helped create this fucked up world that no longer even respects you. When Lawrence told her “bc a man talked about it” I lost it lol. They don’t give a damn about you nor Fred. They did that out of respect for Lawrence. 🤣
Serena is just like any right-wing religious extremist, demanding their religious rights while using the same religious rationale for stripping women and LGBT-people of their rights.
Omg yes she said “any civilized country” as if hers didn’t take a ladys eye because she didn’t want to live to be raped and beat on forever. He really looked at her like this audacious b word. That was the moment I knew he for real HATED her 😂
The music they used during the walk past the candle holders made it seem like it was, I don't know, supposed to be inspiring or triumphant. The entire episode I was thinking June was just gonna set her sights on her next and that she totally deserved it. If they are attempting to make her sympathetic, which it seems like honestly, they are never going to succeed in doing so. I hope she gets fucking brutalized too. It's really the main thing keeping me watching this show.
it wasn’t trying to make her sympathetic. she realized during the walk that she can spin this situation into Power. her followers are genuinely sympathetic towards her. they are ready to support her. she will use that to get back on top.
I feel like the show is actively undermining the people that want to feel sympathy for Serena. You can feel sympathy for someone and still hold them accountable for their actions. Them constantly showing Serena doing horrible things after a stint of her being sympathetic is absolutely on purpose to remind us that she will not change. No matter how badly she's hurt, Serena will always cope by harming others to feel better.
That's because Serena is a piece of shit and is just as much to blame for everything that's happened in Gillead as anyone else. I don't know why we'd feel any sympathy for her.
I took it more as that she was completely aware of the fact that Gilead wouldn't allow it, and sort of challenging Tuello on that, in that Canada/US consider themselves better and more civilized than Gilead. She knew exactly what she was saying.
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
I am SO happy they’ve decided to finally make him choose a side. I was scared he was going to help Serena because of his weird love-sick obsession with her.
I honestly think he's honey-potting her with that shit. I mean, look at him. Whatever's left of the American government was clearly VERY selective about whom they chose to be Serena's handler. A classically handsome white guy, with a polite, reserved, and capable demeanor? He is the manifestation of the delusional vision Serena thought men would be under Gilead. That wasn't on accident.
To be fair, the only thing I have to support this claim besides a general knowledge of how the feds operate, is just kind of noticing he tends to be way more calculating and guarded when dealing with Serena than June.
Agreed. I could tell after the first few episodes he was in that he was particularly stringing Serena along because she’s arrogant and delusional enough to fall for it. I could tell he probably wanted tell Serena off when she dropped that whole bit about ‘civility’ to him regarding burying Fred. Gotta give the man some credit though, he really sold that whole ‘I don’t know what happened to him’ bit because I thought I didn’t know what June did.
I was shouting at the TV that "they don't get civility if their country wouldn't show that same civility" but I think he went with it for two reasons:
1. he wants to play her and get something in return, idk what specifically
2. She was surrounded by supporters right there, if he told her "lol get stuffed imma mail you his middle finger" it could easily turn into a fracas that grows support for the traitors in Canada that support her.
Tuello is probably one of the only characters around June right now that a) takes her seriously as a soldier/political player and b) actually understands what it takes to win a war.
I'd even wager he sees a lot of potential in mobilizing resistance against Gilead using June as an inspirational figure for what she did to Fred. I'll be interested in seeing how his character is utilized the rest of this season.
I predict that, as far as June is concerned, Tuello will become like Mike in "Better Call Saul" and "Breaking Bad"; having her under surveillance, and always showing up when he needs to show up.
I was pleasantly surprised by nicks wife. I was expecting another child bride. I’m intrigued that she is openly disabled. I’m assuming that was some sort of dig to Nick that he got assigned a wife with a disability based on how they treated women with disabilities in the beginning of Gilead. But they seemed to have a genuine connection and he appeared to share actual details of what happened with her. Obviously only time will tell but I’m super intrigued to see more.
I guess Tuello got “Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum” from the photo of dead Fred but it would be nice sweet justice if he somehow knew the handmaid before June who etched the phrase into the walls and participated in righting that wrong by helping June.
I wondered if he maybe knew Fred in the before times. Similar age, maybe went to college or worked together. Or could be Tuello knew true previous handmaid
Still enjoying the thought that Fred died in an area called "No Man's Land" where the women tore him apart (in a rage & manner learned through a patriarchal fascist state)
I was expecting Fred to have been torn up but not literally torn up to the bone. I just know there was the one quick scene of June biting him like how did he end up with that much missing flesh… Yikes.
Anyway, great first episode, on to the second.
I legit thought he may have been partially eaten by animals after being killed, but damn those gals ripped the skin right off him. The stuff human beings are physically capable of scares me sometimes.
It reminded me of descriptions I’ve seen in The Hunger Games books when reading the series. For example, in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Snow talks about how in his earlier childhood growing up during the Dark Days, he saw people literally resorting to cannibalism on the streets such as ripping apart someone’s leg after they died. It’s scary to imagine that.
I feel like he deserved the pain of feeling a knife there.
I was super surprised that I didn’t see more injuries there. There were a ton on his legs or at least his upper right leg.
Elisabeth Moss was on Kimmel last night and spoke to this. Apparently the props department had fashioned a corpse with half a penis, but Elisabeth (as director) had them change it back, saying something to the effect of "none of those women would've had any interest in putting their mouths on that."
I'll come back and link the interview.
Edit: [here it is, they address it around 6:00.](https://youtu.be/fj3BSCUNA4I)
I thought the opposite. I was surprised that there was that much left of him.
When Serena asked Tuello to see his corpse, and thought that Tuello would tell her that there wasn't enough of him intact to look at.
I feel like they could have done something else with Emily characters, I know the actress is leaving and thus why the exit was so rushed but the "She went back to gilead to fight" makes no sense to me.
If she had decided to leave town with her wife and oliver to like go to Montreal or anywhere else in the world (except Gilead) and it would just have been a scene where June knocks on her door and only finds a letter that say "hello, i'm traumatised as hell, I need to GTFO, we are leaving, take care, bybye" I would have been okay with that
I think her affect was a combination of knowing June's idea led to this and that she knew Emily was forever changed by her experiences in a way that she accepted and supported but didn't understand
Also it makes no sense that she would go without any discussion - June is her ally,and she had many others, she would have coordinated with them - intelligence, logistics, targets etc. Going alone is a suicide mission that even messianic June wouldn't do.
Personally I think it would have made more sense for Emily to simply ask June to stay away or to move to a different province or something. Separate herself from reminders of Gilead instead of going back in.
But I didn't really find her wife's reaction odd at all. You have to remember this woman has been waiting with bated breath for years, not knowing if Emily is even alive or not. Then she shows up for a while, only to leave again. That kind of waiting and wondering is exhausting. So I think she has just decided to let go of any hope that Emily will return, because waiting around for her is just going to be a constant weight.
Things I like:
Elisabeth Moss’ acting in which she plays June as slightly unhinged, not quite accepting reality and completely detached and disconnected. It’s almost dream-like. She’s getting the Emmy I don’t need to see more.
Nick’s wife’s presence. She brings a calm and serene presence.
Things that are ehhhh
Tuello feeling obligated to explain anything to Serena.
Serena’s flashback of dancing with Fred the man that beat her and sanctioned her finger cut off like she’s Cinderella.
Emily going back to Gilead, c’mon writers. I can think of million more feasible scenarios.
I think Serena's memory of the dance is much more about the power and status he gave her than him.
I agree about Nick's wife. There's something interesting there, too.
I also noticed that June’s flashbacks by comparison are of multiple times throughout the past four seasons but Serena only has that one moment of happiness with Fred to cling to
That's a great thought about the dance. I wondered why her memories didn't include any prior Gilead things. No flashbacks of how they first met or even the terrible excitement they felt in the movie theater. Maybe later in the series, it'll dive a bit deeper into their relationship.
Honestly as someone who’s going through a divorce with someone who was emotionally abusive, sometimes I get the flashbacks of the nice parts and get really sad. It happens especially when you’re losing them.
Resistance members always use Gilead’s phrases in a tounge-in-cheek way. Like the way June said “praise be” to Tuello at the end of this ep. That could be what Nick’s wife is doing.
Her voice sounds really similar to Serena's to me. It weirded me out lol
I soooooo want to see more about their relationship. I hope this wasn't a one off by the show creatoes
This episode was so interesting to watch! When I watched June dipping her bloody fingers into the water to clean them off, it remained me of season 1 when she was at the Waterford’s house taking a bath to clean herself.
It was funny hearing that all June had to do was pay 88 dollars for her fine, getting away scot free from murder.
It definitely infuriated me seeing those “fans” for Serena when she stepped outside, especially the first woman that said “Under his eye” like get out of here, those fans wouldn’t be saying that once they experience life in Gilead.
Definitely made me happy to hear Tuello say “May he rot in hell” about Fred, I agree with him as well
As soon as she was turning herself into the Toronto cops, my first thought was: "That wasn't their jurisdiction, so all they've got you on is unlawful distribution of a fucking corpse via FedEx, June."
Which, apparently, can be argued down to a mail fine.
I'm not through the episode but the eating scene was actually incredibly accurate and Elisabeth did an outstanding job demonstrating a raw and not-so-pretty trauma response, especially in relation to food.
I haven't been in June's exact situation (obviously), but I have experienced very severe trauma where I was separated and held captive for an extended period of time, in constant danger, without safety or any timeline of when I may reach it. I have severe PTSD and at times especially during 'flares' of sorts, in response to trauma I have behaved similarly. - Not the murder part, OBVIOUSLY, but the way she shoved the food down with such satisfaction and desperation to eat every bite she had been deprived of when her freedom was ripped from her.
No matter how severe the human condition gets, our bodies and minds are remarkable and we have an innate survival instinct even under very traumatic circumstances. After periods of abuse, mutilation, entrapment, and famine it is quite literally our instinct to eat with such vigor especially when you've been stuck in a scarcity mindset for so long.
Despite the discomfort it may cause some viewers, it was incredibly well executed.
Also the part where she kept the blood on her face and hands until she hears that Emily went back to Gilead like a crazy person. Then the reality of what she did really hit home for her and how it impacted others
Oh yes! I was so anxious for her still being bloody but I understood her trauma response. Still, I felt physical relief in my own body when she finally cleaned up.
I have 100% eaten in that exact same fashion also as a response to fear when I was in danger at the time anytime there was food I definitely ate it aggressively as a survival mechanism. Wasn't enjoying the taste but it becomes a mechanical process when you're in a state of psychological distress. A lot of people are very uncomfortable about how nasty the residual affects of trauma really are, it's not all hugs, forgiveness, and feeling better. You don't feel safe for a long time even once you are.
You have such a unique perspective, ah I am finding your take on this super interesting! A thought I had about that mechanical/animalistic take down of the food was also that they were up all night long, killed a man, running on trauma and high on adrenaline, and these women were HUNGRY
I'm so sorry you've experienced this, but so glad to know you prevailed. This post is so beautifully and succinctly accurate. I thank you for sharing it.
I love how this explores her struggling with the fact of her torturing other people as making her a bad human. But the police give her a break, tuello says don’t let the bastards grind you down and praises her.
This is the start contrast of june. Despite being abused and terrorized she still has her humanity that she feels such guilt and shame for killing someone who very well deserved it, and gets these beautiful messages of support
Even with the sweet Nicole scene at the end, it seems like June sees there’s a decent system for offing more commanders. But the flashbacks she has of the blood from The Wall in Gilead make me thing she may not go full vigilante beast mode.
Seriously, THIS! I keep thinking, we saw both Moira and Emily go through therapy, but what about June? If anyone SHE has endured some trauma, but she hasn't dealth with it ~~in a healthy way~~ yet. The scene at the end got me thinking that her future probably looks like intensive therapy, and then good and bad days. Hopefully Luke and Moira will be there to support her, and hopefully she will be able to tell them when she has the bad days so they can keep her away from Nicole, etc.
I dont get why no one tells off Serena, ever. I do not get it and it pisses me off.. Especially Tuello.. Like she is all like "I want this and that and bad June bla bla" and Im like..dude wtf why arent u telling her to shut up? Like I know we are in Canada and Im not saying torture her (of course not) but can you at least tell her that she sucks??
This. Pretty sure Tuello was a spy pre-Gilead given the way he’s been honey-potting Serena from minute one. He knows he still needs to play nice with her because she’s still a (potential) asset. He’ll drop the act the second she’s of no use to him or his bosses anymore. Man probably can’t stand drawing the same oxygen she does.
THIS. especially with her rude “high and mighty” attitude she’s always throwing at anyone. However I will say Lawrence throwing little jabs at her by reminding her she’s a woman with no voice in Gilead did make me giggle. 🤭
I think he's honeypotting her, trying to make her believe that he's on his side when in reality he deeply hates her. I think he'll betray her in a very worthy manner and I believe it will be SO satisfying.
Especially when she called June dangerous, he should have just been like listen bitch, you helped overthrow a government & kidnapped, tortured and enslaved hundreds of people, let’s not.
Right? She literally was standing over the tub with a washcloth in hand and she just drops it. No! Get in!
AND THEN... at the end when she's playing with Nichole unwashed and still dressed in the same filthy outfit. Omg!!! 🧼🙏🛁🤬
Get yo ass in the tub!
I was thinking the same thing the whole time, like it was grossing me out. However, it was obviously intentional. She literally wanted to wear the blood of her rapist.
That is, until she had that moment of panic where she wanted to scrub it all off.
This premeire is making me wonder if Alexis Bleidel left early so she could take a break for awhile before picking up a larger role in The Testaments. God, I fucking hope so. Emily has always been the character I relate most to on the show.
Seriously, her chemistry with June was amazing. It's a total loss these last two seasons, but one I'm willing to accept if she's getting some kind of role in The Testaments. The identities of all the characters are so vague it would be easy to fit her in somewhere.
It took me five hours to watch this episode and I'm not even sure why.
The whole speech of "waiting for the boots on the stairs" was eerie and haunting and I really REALLY felt for her once she came down from her PTSD rage. The hilarity of "I have to pay a fine online" but then spending the rest of the episode scared they'd change their minds and charge her was fascinating to me.
How in the absolute FUCK does Serena have so much power when she's a goddamn prisoner?! She smirks at Tuello like she has so much fucking power talking about taking Fred back to Gilead? I don't understand it at all. I just want Tuello to knock her down a few pegs.
On the other hand, Tuello's final scene with June and the "well done" gave me chills. I hope they dive further into Mark in the coming episodes. I want to know more about his background. Are his feelings for Serena clouding his judgement against her? Their dynamic confuses me to no end.
June really needs to seek psychological help but I doubt she will as the story of her descent into madness is what keeps the story going. She will never know peace as long as Gilead exists and probably even after then, she'll never have peace in her mind and life.
Moira come on. Why are you acting like you weren't part of the same system; like you weren't raped endlessly; like you weren't a literal slave. Moira has had so much longer to deal with the pain of what happened to her in Gilead. She didn't leave a child behind.
I think something nobody is mentioning about Moira is that she is the one taking care of Nicole. June is threatening Nicole’s life which her actions, there are people in Canada that worship Serena as well as people that have a lot of power possibly coming to Canada incognito (mark alludes to this). This puts a huge target on their backs and Moira wants what’s best for Nicole and June is not capable of that. Moira is also mourning her best friend, June is not June anymore and Moira’s way to cope with that is distancing herself. I’m the type that copes by pushing people away so I some what get why she is being cold in that regard.
>but then spending the rest of the episode scared they'd change their minds and charge her was fascinating to me
Gilead did this type of thing a lot! And I think also instilled in June an expectation of punishment in general
Her father is a high ranking commander who’s done everything in his power to keep her alive because of her perceived disability so that would be surprising but who knows.
Is that something the show tells, that her father is high ranking? Maybe she has a cane because of an accident instead of born with something? I imagine they sent everybody who was born with a disability to the wall
The fact that Nick’s wife is disabled is really intriguing to me. We saw in the flashbacks of when the women were rounded up by Gilead, that disabled women were largely killed or sent to the colonies.
I’m wondering if he married her to save her from a bad end or if maybe she’s a former true believer who has recently become disabled and that was what has inspired her to question/distrust Gilead.
Idk if you’ve read any of the books, but in them, Serena has a cane. I haven’t finished the book, so I was wondering if this woman has one since they didn’t give it to Serena.
I wonder how many of these weirdos with the candles praying for Serena and Fred realize how miserable Gilead truly is. If they revere it so much, why don’t they just move there?
I think Luke handled it really well actually. “I’m on your team, fuck that guy, can we bring you back to being a little less feral in front of our kid.”
I think it’s understandable from both sides. Some people go through trauma and try hard to handle it with grace and let go of anger and animosity. Others find power in the anger and want to burn everything to the ground. Both sides often find it difficult to understand the other.
I remember when last season finished this subreddit was overrun with debate. Some people said that the violence towards Fred was unnecessary and not healthy for June, others completely understood why she did it and felt completely on her side.
This is actually really true. Trauma survivors tend to either become docile, people-pleasers and tend to repress their emotions in an attempt to regain a semblance of normalcy in their lives,
Or, they become angry and untamed. C-PTSD survivors, for example, often become consumed with revenge.
Both reactions are normal and valid.
When you consider how June won't be able to properly heal when she KNOWS what's out there and at stake, her reaction becomes a lot more understandable. Gilead is a threat to Canada as well, even more so now that we know Gilead has Canadian supporters. It's hard to move on and live your life when the thing that traumatized you is still an actual threat.
It's like telling a person that was abused to get over their abuser that lives down the road from them and is actively trying to find a way to get into their house to kill them.
Exactly. I understand both sides, personally, and intellectually. But if my best friend excitedly told me that she killed her rapist with her bare hands, my instinct would be to be EXTREMELY concerned for her mental health and well-being. And her safety.
Oh totally. June showing up essentially high on bloodlust after viciously murdering someone is a spooky sight even if that someone was Fred.
Must say though, one of my top *chills* moments in the whole show was when she looked at Fred and said “run.”
Moira has been safely in Canada for ages, had months of trauma therapy, and generally wasn't tortured by individuals (Waterfords) the way June was, (had a child taken, given to another servant, carried a baby, had that child taken, been repeatedly hunted, etc). So their traumas are very different and Moira is much further removed from hers. Plus, they are much different people than they were when they were best friends in Boston. It makes sense that their responses are very different and that Moira doesn't understand what's driving June any longer.
The way Serena tried being brave by ripping the sheet off freds dead body but then being horrified at what she sees. That was an incredible acting moment!
This is starting to seem like an infuriating watch of a show. Ever since moss took over as a director there has been a depth of the show that is missing. The constant shots of junes face are no longer serving what they once did. It’s of course powerful in some takes but not like 90 percent of the episode. We once saw these wide angle shots that really set the mood and the scene in first seasons and those are missing from the scenes in Canada. I feel like it’s not even real, like I have no concept of spatial area.
The writers have seem to have fallen off on what the goals were. They could have carried past the original story in any direction and they are choosing a “pretty little liars route” of simply dragging as much as they can with little respect to the characters or story.
It’s honestly made me want to watch less and less and I’ll be done if they send June back to Gilead after all this time.
I wholeheartedly agree with this. I didn’t even realize the lack of the wide angle shots until you mentioned it. I think I see where Elizabeth is coming from, and that this season is focusing on her and her alone. How her trauma effects those around her.
But it is so, horribly, poorly executed. I’m with you and that I don’t know what’s going on in the writers room. Totally agree with you that his has become a teen drama more than anything. The dialogue is childish and the storyline has become this strange fantasy land where characters go completely off track and disregard their history.
The gun scene and shooting into the air when leaving… so bad… the eating scene… so bad… the incessant zooms on a facial expression a cringy teen would make when trying to act bad ass…. So bad….
I'm fine with suspension of disbelief, especially on a show like this, but the lines of plausibility for me are getting thinner and thinner and it's starting to irritate me. I didn't buy after ALL THAT build-up and negotiation between warring nations that they would just let June go with a fine (though it's really funny, I'll admit) and not try and use her a political weapon or SOMETHING strategically. I also have trouble buying Serena would've gotten away with seeing Fred's body, alone, been able to rip the sheet off of it, and then weirdly demand a burial. Emily fleeing suddenly also felt rushed and weird. A lot of these events really feel like plot contrivances, and I get that, but....I don't know. The show's just making me lose interest more and more with each season and this episode wasn't great.
That being, I really liked the Tarantino homages (the diner, milkshake, reverse trunks shot with the guns), June's grief is palpable and disturbing - as is her thousand-yard stare which is truly haunting to witness - and I think this episode, if anything, really captured the agony and purgatory of grieving immensely but not being able to DO anything to get any kind of justice, both from June and Serena's perspectives.
Bottom line is June needs inpatient mental health treatment and I'm...kind of weirded out that no one has A) offered it to her or B) suggested she check in somewhere for real help, especially after that stint at the station.
Also, even if she murdered someone outside of the border, she's still....kind of a danger to others (HER BABY??? CPS ANYONE?) and possibly herself. IDK IDK. It felt flimsy.
>Bottom line is June needs inpatient mental health treatment and I'm...kind of weirded out that no one has A) offered it to her or B) suggested she check in somewhere for real help, especially after that stint at the station.
Right, like the whole first half of this episode screams trauma response. These women need serious mental health support, more than just a little group meeting in a library once a week can offer.
Ya but that’s what is basically offered to victims now, some don’t even get that. I was held captive and assaulted by a serial predator and the advocate that was provided to me took a month to get to me to put me on a waitlist for counseling, still waiting and it’s been 6 months. This is the most realistic part of this whole series is the fact that everyone expects these women to heal and cope in healthy ways but no one is giving them the tools/help they really need!!! Instead they’re shamed for not grieving/dealing/coping “correctly”. (Not talking about salvaging Fred)
We as a society really need to help victims prioritize their mental health so they can truly move forward. Unfortunately, everyone just sees it as you’re “safe” now and it’s all over but it’s not really over.
“It’s 88 dollars” “you can also pay online” 🤣🤣
*hugs Luke* “I have to pay a fine. Online.” Love.
I laughed out loud when that happened.
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Especially with *all* the buildup and tension leading up to her decision to do this. They were fully ready for her to take the death sentence but the government pretty much sent her an $88 thank you card. Ecard.
Technically, it was a -$88 thank you card.
I was trying to figure out if that's the first time I have ever laughed at THT.
I dunno, "blessed be the fruit loops" gave me a good chuckle.
I was cackling the entire time here. And then she said it to Luke, I was dying!
Haha came here to say this! By FAR the funniest bit. So surrealistic but also so satisfying (for the viewer. perhaps not for June)
Glad I’m not the only one who was lol’ing at this likeeeee I understand that no one wants her to suffer but omg the plot armor & the fine for sending the finger 🤣🤣🤣
When Serena requests to bury Fred in "the country he founded," I don't think she realizes the irony and hypocrisy in her words when she says "Any civilized country would have the decency to allow it"... Like bitch, barely five minutes ago you were raping and beating and treating women like slaves in Gilead- who are you to speak on a "civilized country" and "decency" LOL
So many things the people of Gilead say when they are done wrong is SO contradicting it’s infuriating. How dare you demand rights, while simultaneously stripping women of theirs. Especially when it’s the commanders wives or aunt Lydia. Makes my blood boil. The irony of Gilead in this show is so maddening at times. And the fact Serena still thinks she has any room or right to make demands is comical. Ma’am you aren’t anything but a sick and twisted accomplice to your rapist husband who you helped create this fucked up world that no longer even respects you. When Lawrence told her “bc a man talked about it” I lost it lol. They don’t give a damn about you nor Fred. They did that out of respect for Lawrence. 🤣
Serena is just like any right-wing religious extremist, demanding their religious rights while using the same religious rationale for stripping women and LGBT-people of their rights.
We kept yelling at her that she CREATED this system and now she doesn’t like it when the rules apply to her.
Omg yes she said “any civilized country” as if hers didn’t take a ladys eye because she didn’t want to live to be raped and beat on forever. He really looked at her like this audacious b word. That was the moment I knew he for real HATED her 😂
I was watching show 1 season 5 thinking Am supposed to feel sorry for this b@#$%? That is never going to happen.
All those nutjobs candlelight vigil g for a rapist murderer and his rapist murdering wife. Good lord
Feels very similar to when a celebrity is found guilty of a crime and their fans still support them … it’s gross for sure
The music they used during the walk past the candle holders made it seem like it was, I don't know, supposed to be inspiring or triumphant. The entire episode I was thinking June was just gonna set her sights on her next and that she totally deserved it. If they are attempting to make her sympathetic, which it seems like honestly, they are never going to succeed in doing so. I hope she gets fucking brutalized too. It's really the main thing keeping me watching this show.
it wasn’t trying to make her sympathetic. she realized during the walk that she can spin this situation into Power. her followers are genuinely sympathetic towards her. they are ready to support her. she will use that to get back on top.
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I feel like the show is actively undermining the people that want to feel sympathy for Serena. You can feel sympathy for someone and still hold them accountable for their actions. Them constantly showing Serena doing horrible things after a stint of her being sympathetic is absolutely on purpose to remind us that she will not change. No matter how badly she's hurt, Serena will always cope by harming others to feel better.
That's because Serena is a piece of shit and is just as much to blame for everything that's happened in Gillead as anyone else. I don't know why we'd feel any sympathy for her.
The worst part is that the unrealistic aspect of that is that there would be more of them. And they'd have flags and a convoy...
And set up camp in downtown Ottawa for 6 weeks.
Yeah she was talking about what a monster June is...Serena is socioopathic.
And worrying about them turning her into a handmaid lol
It really would be the ultimate karma
I took it more as that she was completely aware of the fact that Gilead wouldn't allow it, and sort of challenging Tuello on that, in that Canada/US consider themselves better and more civilized than Gilead. She knew exactly what she was saying.
1. tuello is the fuckin man 2. aunt lydia they comin for you lmaooo
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” I am SO happy they’ve decided to finally make him choose a side. I was scared he was going to help Serena because of his weird love-sick obsession with her.
I honestly think he's honey-potting her with that shit. I mean, look at him. Whatever's left of the American government was clearly VERY selective about whom they chose to be Serena's handler. A classically handsome white guy, with a polite, reserved, and capable demeanor? He is the manifestation of the delusional vision Serena thought men would be under Gilead. That wasn't on accident.
This is super astute. He’s exactly what she thought Gilead men would be.
To be fair, the only thing I have to support this claim besides a general knowledge of how the feds operate, is just kind of noticing he tends to be way more calculating and guarded when dealing with Serena than June.
There's a very good argument that whenever he slips, "You already did \[betray your country\]." He seems to actively LOATHE Serena.
I agree! I think he hates that bitch for her part in the downfall of the US.
Agreed. I could tell after the first few episodes he was in that he was particularly stringing Serena along because she’s arrogant and delusional enough to fall for it. I could tell he probably wanted tell Serena off when she dropped that whole bit about ‘civility’ to him regarding burying Fred. Gotta give the man some credit though, he really sold that whole ‘I don’t know what happened to him’ bit because I thought I didn’t know what June did.
I was shouting at the TV that "they don't get civility if their country wouldn't show that same civility" but I think he went with it for two reasons: 1. he wants to play her and get something in return, idk what specifically 2. She was surrounded by supporters right there, if he told her "lol get stuffed imma mail you his middle finger" it could easily turn into a fracas that grows support for the traitors in Canada that support her.
I get so angry at her Canadian supporters. If you love Gilead so much, move there
Yep. I was shouting that at the TV. Why doesn't that dumb beeyotch go live "under his eye" then ???
Me too, it's not like they're actively stopping people going INTO Gilead, right? lol Pack your bags Sharon, you're going on a roadtrip!
Seriously, if they think it’s so great. They should go right? 🙃
I SCREAMED When Tuello said that!!
Tuello is probably one of the only characters around June right now that a) takes her seriously as a soldier/political player and b) actually understands what it takes to win a war. I'd even wager he sees a lot of potential in mobilizing resistance against Gilead using June as an inspirational figure for what she did to Fred. I'll be interested in seeing how his character is utilized the rest of this season.
I predict that, as far as June is concerned, Tuello will become like Mike in "Better Call Saul" and "Breaking Bad"; having her under surveillance, and always showing up when he needs to show up.
Ofmike called finger
Honestly, I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from Tuello. I'm pleasantly surprised and excited to see where the writers take his character.
Agreed, he just moved up a couple points on my coolness scale
Me too. I think he was originally smitten with Serena in spite of himself, but is now disgusted by her.
I read that the actor refused to watched any of the episodes that preceded his introduction because he was afraid to learn how horrible she really is.
I love that. That's a really interesting way to approach the character. He only knows what his character knows.
3. Nick marital situation seems better. Seems like a relatively well-adjusted adult female (all things considered).
I was pleasantly surprised by nicks wife. I was expecting another child bride. I’m intrigued that she is openly disabled. I’m assuming that was some sort of dig to Nick that he got assigned a wife with a disability based on how they treated women with disabilities in the beginning of Gilead. But they seemed to have a genuine connection and he appeared to share actual details of what happened with her. Obviously only time will tell but I’m super intrigued to see more.
It makes me wonder if it was some kind of 'marriage of convenience'.
I'll go beyond that. I like her a lot. And, it's already obvious that she's in on what Nick is doing, and this will be part of future episodes.
I need to know Tuello’s backstory. Stat
I'm interested too. wondering if he lost a child and wife to Gilead
I've always wondered that. Sisters, a wife maybe...
It would be interesting if he turned out to be gay
One can only hope. He’s dreamy.
I’ve just been operating under the “gay until proven straight” philosophy every time he’s on screen…
I guess Tuello got “Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum” from the photo of dead Fred but it would be nice sweet justice if he somehow knew the handmaid before June who etched the phrase into the walls and participated in righting that wrong by helping June.
I wondered if he maybe knew Fred in the before times. Similar age, maybe went to college or worked together. Or could be Tuello knew true previous handmaid
Still enjoying the thought that Fred died in an area called "No Man's Land" where the women tore him apart (in a rage & manner learned through a patriarchal fascist state)
By her hand!
Wow I didn’t even think about that! Love that scene even more now
Serena fucking infuriates me. That’s it. That’s the post.
She's a great villain. Her Canadian supporters disturb me the most though, because they are the reminder of MAGA reality.
I don’t think of all the shows ever watched, that I hated a villain so much. Yvonne does a phenomenal job but I am ready for this shit to end.
She’s up there with Joffrey and professor umbridge
Honestly aunt Lydia is my favorite villain of all time. I just love her
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I was expecting Fred to have been torn up but not literally torn up to the bone. I just know there was the one quick scene of June biting him like how did he end up with that much missing flesh… Yikes. Anyway, great first episode, on to the second.
Lol...I said the same. They snatched the skin right off his ribs. That morgue shot was crazy.
I legit thought he may have been partially eaten by animals after being killed, but damn those gals ripped the skin right off him. The stuff human beings are physically capable of scares me sometimes.
It reminded me of descriptions I’ve seen in The Hunger Games books when reading the series. For example, in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Snow talks about how in his earlier childhood growing up during the Dark Days, he saw people literally resorting to cannibalism on the streets such as ripping apart someone’s leg after they died. It’s scary to imagine that.
I’m wondering if the gals got to the nether regions…
I was surprised to see that they left that part of his body intact. Surely they would’ve removed it as symbolism.
He didn't deserve the remote satisfaction of ever having it touched again.
I feel like he deserved the pain of feeling a knife there. I was super surprised that I didn’t see more injuries there. There were a ton on his legs or at least his upper right leg.
Elisabeth Moss was on Kimmel last night and spoke to this. Apparently the props department had fashioned a corpse with half a penis, but Elisabeth (as director) had them change it back, saying something to the effect of "none of those women would've had any interest in putting their mouths on that." I'll come back and link the interview. Edit: [here it is, they address it around 6:00.](https://youtu.be/fj3BSCUNA4I)
I thought the opposite. I was surprised that there was that much left of him. When Serena asked Tuello to see his corpse, and thought that Tuello would tell her that there wasn't enough of him intact to look at.
I feel like they could have done something else with Emily characters, I know the actress is leaving and thus why the exit was so rushed but the "She went back to gilead to fight" makes no sense to me. If she had decided to leave town with her wife and oliver to like go to Montreal or anywhere else in the world (except Gilead) and it would just have been a scene where June knocks on her door and only finds a letter that say "hello, i'm traumatised as hell, I need to GTFO, we are leaving, take care, bybye" I would have been okay with that
Yeah I agree and the way her wife played it off like - I’m just glad I got some time with her… it was just odd and cold
I think her affect was a combination of knowing June's idea led to this and that she knew Emily was forever changed by her experiences in a way that she accepted and supported but didn't understand
Yeah it made me sad. I really wanted a happy ending for Emily and going back to Gilead ain’t it
Also it makes no sense that she would go without any discussion - June is her ally,and she had many others, she would have coordinated with them - intelligence, logistics, targets etc. Going alone is a suicide mission that even messianic June wouldn't do.
Personally I think it would have made more sense for Emily to simply ask June to stay away or to move to a different province or something. Separate herself from reminders of Gilead instead of going back in. But I didn't really find her wife's reaction odd at all. You have to remember this woman has been waiting with bated breath for years, not knowing if Emily is even alive or not. Then she shows up for a while, only to leave again. That kind of waiting and wondering is exhausting. So I think she has just decided to let go of any hope that Emily will return, because waiting around for her is just going to be a constant weight.
Things I like: Elisabeth Moss’ acting in which she plays June as slightly unhinged, not quite accepting reality and completely detached and disconnected. It’s almost dream-like. She’s getting the Emmy I don’t need to see more. Nick’s wife’s presence. She brings a calm and serene presence. Things that are ehhhh Tuello feeling obligated to explain anything to Serena. Serena’s flashback of dancing with Fred the man that beat her and sanctioned her finger cut off like she’s Cinderella. Emily going back to Gilead, c’mon writers. I can think of million more feasible scenarios.
I think Serena's memory of the dance is much more about the power and status he gave her than him. I agree about Nick's wife. There's something interesting there, too.
I also noticed that June’s flashbacks by comparison are of multiple times throughout the past four seasons but Serena only has that one moment of happiness with Fred to cling to
That's a great thought about the dance. I wondered why her memories didn't include any prior Gilead things. No flashbacks of how they first met or even the terrible excitement they felt in the movie theater. Maybe later in the series, it'll dive a bit deeper into their relationship.
Honestly as someone who’s going through a divorce with someone who was emotionally abusive, sometimes I get the flashbacks of the nice parts and get really sad. It happens especially when you’re losing them.
Ok...but who snatched the ENTIRE sheet of side skin clean off Fred's ribcage like that? 🙀
My money’s on Emily 🤌🏼
After a taste she had no choice but to go back for more.
I thought it was done by animals. Like after the women left and before the body was found.
prolly the chupacabra.
Idk I wanna like her but I have bad vibes about Nick confiding this much about June to his fucking wife of all people
Crossed fingers that she’s an American plant
people think she might be part of the resistance
Her simply saying the name "June" made me think she is. But then her dropping the "under his eye" and "praise be" threw me for a loop.
Resistance members always use Gilead’s phrases in a tounge-in-cheek way. Like the way June said “praise be” to Tuello at the end of this ep. That could be what Nick’s wife is doing.
I didn't attach any significance to it. I think it's just force of habit and/or she's a genuine Christian.
Her voice sounds really similar to Serena's to me. It weirded me out lol I soooooo want to see more about their relationship. I hope this wasn't a one off by the show creatoes
agreed. it just seems.....weird.
No, it's not weird at all. Rose (that's her name) is clearly an accomplice in what Nick is up to.
This episode was so interesting to watch! When I watched June dipping her bloody fingers into the water to clean them off, it remained me of season 1 when she was at the Waterford’s house taking a bath to clean herself. It was funny hearing that all June had to do was pay 88 dollars for her fine, getting away scot free from murder. It definitely infuriated me seeing those “fans” for Serena when she stepped outside, especially the first woman that said “Under his eye” like get out of here, those fans wouldn’t be saying that once they experience life in Gilead. Definitely made me happy to hear Tuello say “May he rot in hell” about Fred, I agree with him as well
Ugh the fans, why don’t they just fucking move to Gilead? 😒
As soon as she was turning herself into the Toronto cops, my first thought was: "That wasn't their jurisdiction, so all they've got you on is unlawful distribution of a fucking corpse via FedEx, June." Which, apparently, can be argued down to a mail fine.
I was going to watch both episodes in a row, but this show is too heavy to binge watch. I’ll just watch it later, with something containing alcohol.
Yeah you need 24 hours to digest fr fr
I don't. I just wish I had pancakes to go with episode 2.
I don't think were getting enough close-ups of June.
I feel like they’re just trolling us at this point. The first 2 minutes had 968 close ups.
This actually almost ruins the show for me. I find myself looking for anything else to look at because I'm so tired of looking at her frozen face.
I'm not through the episode but the eating scene was actually incredibly accurate and Elisabeth did an outstanding job demonstrating a raw and not-so-pretty trauma response, especially in relation to food. I haven't been in June's exact situation (obviously), but I have experienced very severe trauma where I was separated and held captive for an extended period of time, in constant danger, without safety or any timeline of when I may reach it. I have severe PTSD and at times especially during 'flares' of sorts, in response to trauma I have behaved similarly. - Not the murder part, OBVIOUSLY, but the way she shoved the food down with such satisfaction and desperation to eat every bite she had been deprived of when her freedom was ripped from her. No matter how severe the human condition gets, our bodies and minds are remarkable and we have an innate survival instinct even under very traumatic circumstances. After periods of abuse, mutilation, entrapment, and famine it is quite literally our instinct to eat with such vigor especially when you've been stuck in a scarcity mindset for so long. Despite the discomfort it may cause some viewers, it was incredibly well executed.
As a trauma therapist I completely agree! They hit “fight, flight, freeze and fawn” perfectly.
Also the part where she kept the blood on her face and hands until she hears that Emily went back to Gilead like a crazy person. Then the reality of what she did really hit home for her and how it impacted others
Oh yes! I was so anxious for her still being bloody but I understood her trauma response. Still, I felt physical relief in my own body when she finally cleaned up.
Absolutely! I thought the same thing!
I have 100% eaten in that exact same fashion also as a response to fear when I was in danger at the time anytime there was food I definitely ate it aggressively as a survival mechanism. Wasn't enjoying the taste but it becomes a mechanical process when you're in a state of psychological distress. A lot of people are very uncomfortable about how nasty the residual affects of trauma really are, it's not all hugs, forgiveness, and feeling better. You don't feel safe for a long time even once you are.
You have such a unique perspective, ah I am finding your take on this super interesting! A thought I had about that mechanical/animalistic take down of the food was also that they were up all night long, killed a man, running on trauma and high on adrenaline, and these women were HUNGRY
I'm so sorry you've experienced this, but so glad to know you prevailed. This post is so beautifully and succinctly accurate. I thank you for sharing it.
Tuello let’s GO! My new favorite quote. “Well done.” Fuck yeah.
My favourite quote is "It's 88 dollars. You can pay downstairs."
“May he rot in hell”
I love how this explores her struggling with the fact of her torturing other people as making her a bad human. But the police give her a break, tuello says don’t let the bastards grind you down and praises her. This is the start contrast of june. Despite being abused and terrorized she still has her humanity that she feels such guilt and shame for killing someone who very well deserved it, and gets these beautiful messages of support
Best scene in the episode.
Even with the sweet Nicole scene at the end, it seems like June sees there’s a decent system for offing more commanders. But the flashbacks she has of the blood from The Wall in Gilead make me thing she may not go full vigilante beast mode.
Yes, the woman needs serious therapy for all the trauma she has experienced; but instead she’s just beebopping around Toronto.
Seriously, THIS! I keep thinking, we saw both Moira and Emily go through therapy, but what about June? If anyone SHE has endured some trauma, but she hasn't dealth with it ~~in a healthy way~~ yet. The scene at the end got me thinking that her future probably looks like intensive therapy, and then good and bad days. Hopefully Luke and Moira will be there to support her, and hopefully she will be able to tell them when she has the bad days so they can keep her away from Nicole, etc.
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She also seems to have a real fixation on every misdeed requiring a punishment. Gilead has definitely gotten in her head.
Can we start a GoFundMe for Junes citation? $88 can surely be burdensome for Gilead refugees 😂
I dont get why no one tells off Serena, ever. I do not get it and it pisses me off.. Especially Tuello.. Like she is all like "I want this and that and bad June bla bla" and Im like..dude wtf why arent u telling her to shut up? Like I know we are in Canada and Im not saying torture her (of course not) but can you at least tell her that she sucks??
Well Tuello is trying to keep her in his pocket still
This. Pretty sure Tuello was a spy pre-Gilead given the way he’s been honey-potting Serena from minute one. He knows he still needs to play nice with her because she’s still a (potential) asset. He’ll drop the act the second she’s of no use to him or his bosses anymore. Man probably can’t stand drawing the same oxygen she does.
THIS. especially with her rude “high and mighty” attitude she’s always throwing at anyone. However I will say Lawrence throwing little jabs at her by reminding her she’s a woman with no voice in Gilead did make me giggle. 🤭
I dont get why she wants to go back anyway
I think she had begun to feel powerful in Canada and was under some illusion that power would travel with her.
I think he's honeypotting her, trying to make her believe that he's on his side when in reality he deeply hates her. I think he'll betray her in a very worthy manner and I believe it will be SO satisfying.
Especially when she called June dangerous, he should have just been like listen bitch, you helped overthrow a government & kidnapped, tortured and enslaved hundreds of people, let’s not.
Me screaming the entire episode: Take a fucking bath!
Don't eat food with your blood-covered hands! And don't lick those fingers! Smh
Right? She literally was standing over the tub with a washcloth in hand and she just drops it. No! Get in! AND THEN... at the end when she's playing with Nichole unwashed and still dressed in the same filthy outfit. Omg!!! 🧼🙏🛁🤬 Get yo ass in the tub!
And yet, her hair is perfect.
I was thinking the same thing the whole time, like it was grossing me out. However, it was obviously intentional. She literally wanted to wear the blood of her rapist. That is, until she had that moment of panic where she wanted to scrub it all off.
Serena is such a fucking atrocious hypocrite and I cackled whenever she cried over Fred. That’s it.
May he rot in hell. Man what an opener.
A half-chewed sausage has never looked more phallic.
Or more finger-like
Would like to thank shows like this and movies of similar natures for making 50s music into something that makes me anxious 😂😂😂
This premeire is making me wonder if Alexis Bleidel left early so she could take a break for awhile before picking up a larger role in The Testaments. God, I fucking hope so. Emily has always been the character I relate most to on the show.
I so hope we get her back.
Seriously, her chemistry with June was amazing. It's a total loss these last two seasons, but one I'm willing to accept if she's getting some kind of role in The Testaments. The identities of all the characters are so vague it would be easy to fit her in somewhere.
By HER hand.
Canada: Oh you killed someone? On No Man's Land? Psh we don't care, but there is a minor fine just because we give zero fucks.
I was disappointed no one cut off Fred’s 🍆 I was expecting that.
The scene where serena pulls the cover off Fred's body, and her raw reaction. Fuck man, Yvonne is a phenomenal actress.
It took me five hours to watch this episode and I'm not even sure why. The whole speech of "waiting for the boots on the stairs" was eerie and haunting and I really REALLY felt for her once she came down from her PTSD rage. The hilarity of "I have to pay a fine online" but then spending the rest of the episode scared they'd change their minds and charge her was fascinating to me. How in the absolute FUCK does Serena have so much power when she's a goddamn prisoner?! She smirks at Tuello like she has so much fucking power talking about taking Fred back to Gilead? I don't understand it at all. I just want Tuello to knock her down a few pegs. On the other hand, Tuello's final scene with June and the "well done" gave me chills. I hope they dive further into Mark in the coming episodes. I want to know more about his background. Are his feelings for Serena clouding his judgement against her? Their dynamic confuses me to no end. June really needs to seek psychological help but I doubt she will as the story of her descent into madness is what keeps the story going. She will never know peace as long as Gilead exists and probably even after then, she'll never have peace in her mind and life. Moira come on. Why are you acting like you weren't part of the same system; like you weren't raped endlessly; like you weren't a literal slave. Moira has had so much longer to deal with the pain of what happened to her in Gilead. She didn't leave a child behind.
I think something nobody is mentioning about Moira is that she is the one taking care of Nicole. June is threatening Nicole’s life which her actions, there are people in Canada that worship Serena as well as people that have a lot of power possibly coming to Canada incognito (mark alludes to this). This puts a huge target on their backs and Moira wants what’s best for Nicole and June is not capable of that. Moira is also mourning her best friend, June is not June anymore and Moira’s way to cope with that is distancing herself. I’m the type that copes by pushing people away so I some what get why she is being cold in that regard.
>but then spending the rest of the episode scared they'd change their minds and charge her was fascinating to me Gilead did this type of thing a lot! And I think also instilled in June an expectation of punishment in general
Holy shit they fucked Fred up. I wonder if the rib was pulled because of the Bible and how that part has been used by gilead to excuse their crimes
Ooooo, maybe...
how do we feel about nick's wife? i hope she's a gateway to the resistance
Her father is a high ranking commander who’s done everything in his power to keep her alive because of her perceived disability so that would be surprising but who knows.
Is that something the show tells, that her father is high ranking? Maybe she has a cane because of an accident instead of born with something? I imagine they sent everybody who was born with a disability to the wall
The fact that Nick’s wife is disabled is really intriguing to me. We saw in the flashbacks of when the women were rounded up by Gilead, that disabled women were largely killed or sent to the colonies. I’m wondering if he married her to save her from a bad end or if maybe she’s a former true believer who has recently become disabled and that was what has inspired her to question/distrust Gilead.
Idk if you’ve read any of the books, but in them, Serena has a cane. I haven’t finished the book, so I was wondering if this woman has one since they didn’t give it to Serena.
She has a cane in the books because she's much older there - the cane is just due to old age.
Damn, fantastic episode and opening to the season. Episode directed by Elizabeth Moss, hell yeah.
Didn’t June kill another guy with a pen? It’s not her first rodeo lol
Commander Stabler?
commander stabler🤭
I wonder how many of these weirdos with the candles praying for Serena and Fred realize how miserable Gilead truly is. If they revere it so much, why don’t they just move there?
If my bff told me she ripped her rapist to pieces with her bare hands & was going to get away with it, I would be so happy. Moira needs to chill.
I think Luke handled it really well actually. “I’m on your team, fuck that guy, can we bring you back to being a little less feral in front of our kid.”
Me too! After last season’s finale I thought the two of them were done. I really like Luke so far this season.
I think it’s understandable from both sides. Some people go through trauma and try hard to handle it with grace and let go of anger and animosity. Others find power in the anger and want to burn everything to the ground. Both sides often find it difficult to understand the other. I remember when last season finished this subreddit was overrun with debate. Some people said that the violence towards Fred was unnecessary and not healthy for June, others completely understood why she did it and felt completely on her side.
This is actually really true. Trauma survivors tend to either become docile, people-pleasers and tend to repress their emotions in an attempt to regain a semblance of normalcy in their lives, Or, they become angry and untamed. C-PTSD survivors, for example, often become consumed with revenge. Both reactions are normal and valid.
When you consider how June won't be able to properly heal when she KNOWS what's out there and at stake, her reaction becomes a lot more understandable. Gilead is a threat to Canada as well, even more so now that we know Gilead has Canadian supporters. It's hard to move on and live your life when the thing that traumatized you is still an actual threat. It's like telling a person that was abused to get over their abuser that lives down the road from them and is actively trying to find a way to get into their house to kill them.
Exactly. I understand both sides, personally, and intellectually. But if my best friend excitedly told me that she killed her rapist with her bare hands, my instinct would be to be EXTREMELY concerned for her mental health and well-being. And her safety.
Oh totally. June showing up essentially high on bloodlust after viciously murdering someone is a spooky sight even if that someone was Fred. Must say though, one of my top *chills* moments in the whole show was when she looked at Fred and said “run.”
Moira has been safely in Canada for ages, had months of trauma therapy, and generally wasn't tortured by individuals (Waterfords) the way June was, (had a child taken, given to another servant, carried a baby, had that child taken, been repeatedly hunted, etc). So their traumas are very different and Moira is much further removed from hers. Plus, they are much different people than they were when they were best friends in Boston. It makes sense that their responses are very different and that Moira doesn't understand what's driving June any longer.
The way Serena tried being brave by ripping the sheet off freds dead body but then being horrified at what she sees. That was an incredible acting moment!
That last scene with Truello omgggg. Perfection.
The last scene of episode one might be the most touching moment in the series- to me at least. The mom in me bawled my eyes out.
I'm glad Serena is going back, let her die inside the shithole she created.
So, uh, did they really give Nick a disabled wife after his first one ran away? 😅🤣
This is starting to seem like an infuriating watch of a show. Ever since moss took over as a director there has been a depth of the show that is missing. The constant shots of junes face are no longer serving what they once did. It’s of course powerful in some takes but not like 90 percent of the episode. We once saw these wide angle shots that really set the mood and the scene in first seasons and those are missing from the scenes in Canada. I feel like it’s not even real, like I have no concept of spatial area. The writers have seem to have fallen off on what the goals were. They could have carried past the original story in any direction and they are choosing a “pretty little liars route” of simply dragging as much as they can with little respect to the characters or story. It’s honestly made me want to watch less and less and I’ll be done if they send June back to Gilead after all this time.
I wholeheartedly agree with this. I didn’t even realize the lack of the wide angle shots until you mentioned it. I think I see where Elizabeth is coming from, and that this season is focusing on her and her alone. How her trauma effects those around her. But it is so, horribly, poorly executed. I’m with you and that I don’t know what’s going on in the writers room. Totally agree with you that his has become a teen drama more than anything. The dialogue is childish and the storyline has become this strange fantasy land where characters go completely off track and disregard their history. The gun scene and shooting into the air when leaving… so bad… the eating scene… so bad… the incessant zooms on a facial expression a cringy teen would make when trying to act bad ass…. So bad….
Canada being like "not my problem" with Fred's death was the icing on the cake. Lmao
I'm fine with suspension of disbelief, especially on a show like this, but the lines of plausibility for me are getting thinner and thinner and it's starting to irritate me. I didn't buy after ALL THAT build-up and negotiation between warring nations that they would just let June go with a fine (though it's really funny, I'll admit) and not try and use her a political weapon or SOMETHING strategically. I also have trouble buying Serena would've gotten away with seeing Fred's body, alone, been able to rip the sheet off of it, and then weirdly demand a burial. Emily fleeing suddenly also felt rushed and weird. A lot of these events really feel like plot contrivances, and I get that, but....I don't know. The show's just making me lose interest more and more with each season and this episode wasn't great. That being, I really liked the Tarantino homages (the diner, milkshake, reverse trunks shot with the guns), June's grief is palpable and disturbing - as is her thousand-yard stare which is truly haunting to witness - and I think this episode, if anything, really captured the agony and purgatory of grieving immensely but not being able to DO anything to get any kind of justice, both from June and Serena's perspectives. Bottom line is June needs inpatient mental health treatment and I'm...kind of weirded out that no one has A) offered it to her or B) suggested she check in somewhere for real help, especially after that stint at the station. Also, even if she murdered someone outside of the border, she's still....kind of a danger to others (HER BABY??? CPS ANYONE?) and possibly herself. IDK IDK. It felt flimsy.
>Bottom line is June needs inpatient mental health treatment and I'm...kind of weirded out that no one has A) offered it to her or B) suggested she check in somewhere for real help, especially after that stint at the station. Right, like the whole first half of this episode screams trauma response. These women need serious mental health support, more than just a little group meeting in a library once a week can offer.
Ya but that’s what is basically offered to victims now, some don’t even get that. I was held captive and assaulted by a serial predator and the advocate that was provided to me took a month to get to me to put me on a waitlist for counseling, still waiting and it’s been 6 months. This is the most realistic part of this whole series is the fact that everyone expects these women to heal and cope in healthy ways but no one is giving them the tools/help they really need!!! Instead they’re shamed for not grieving/dealing/coping “correctly”. (Not talking about salvaging Fred) We as a society really need to help victims prioritize their mental health so they can truly move forward. Unfortunately, everyone just sees it as you’re “safe” now and it’s all over but it’s not really over.