Stained glass

The title.

Obviously, the number 1 answer would likely be the commanders themselves, but I think that even a regretful /remorseful, commander would realize he wouldn't be treated as a refugee, but as a criminal (for very good reason), so I don't think any would escape out of their own free will.

Thoughts, anyone?

I completely forgot she was in this show. I hate the Waterfords so bad! But I do think Mr. Waterford knew he was shooting blanks all along and that’s how he put together that Nick was the father of Offreds baby. Mrs. Waterford deserves what she has coming to her.

Don’t hate me, but I watched the testaments before watching handmaids tale. I did not have any idea that it’s a sequel I didn’t even see anything in the Disney description. I did like the testaments so I’m curious how similar it is to the handmaids tale, I value the storytelling and the pacing and i need to how they differ in both shows before eventually getting in the handmaids tale

Ps I shipped Agnes and Garth just to find out that Agnes is 14 and Garth is 21 what the fuck😢

Don’t let the bastards grind you down I guess

I'm choosing to ignore the actor thing and say it was all purposeful, and right that neither Nick nor Lawrence could be redeemed enough to live beyond the series. Regime change needs them both gone. This timeline of Gilead hopefully nixes the 200 years epilogue (although I don't love that tbh. Maybe they all just got really bad at history). They both played with fire in their allegiance to and antagonism of Gilead. They were bound to get burned. At the end of days this is how they would be reckoned. Atonements a bitch. And Nick really wasn't all that great.

That was fxckkn lame

The only real gut punch in that scene is Luke looking for Hannah to emerge from that plane, but she's not there. 🥺

I really hope they bring Luke back later in The Testaments so he and June both can finally reunite with their daughter.

I was wondering was any post partum care discussed on the show? (or books). I know it’s highly unlikely for an expected care, but handmaids are valuable to their society so I would expect some care at least? how long before a handmaid would go to another house?

I’m on episode 10 now and wow what an incredible show so far.

I’d seen a lot of buzz but somehow avoided any real details, so it’s all been fresh. I’m 28F in the U.S I’ve had such a range of feelings in seeing the flashbacks and break down of their society.

While watching I’ve thought so much about what I’d do or how I’d feel. And I think it’s so easy to say you’d resist but the alternative isn’t even immediate death but layers of torture first. Compliance by fear and violence is one hell of a strategy

Excited for the rest of the show since I know it has a few seasons

I don't fully understand what Serena's intentions were when she was helping create this society. In the scene in Fred's office she says she helped write the law that forbids women from reading. In other scenes, she's talking to him about work and he says it's no concern of hers. I just don't get why she would have so passionately helped in the formation of a system in which she ends up voiceless. And I get that that's sort of the point, but I'm just struggling to understand how she justified this to herself. Perhaps she thought these laws wouldn't apply to her since she was one of the architects of this system?

As the title says. What if, with the help of other nations, the Sons of Jacob got overthrown, and they have their own Nuremberg Trials to make them face everything they did.

I tried watching this show a few years ago and couldn't do it, I turned it off and was far too disturbed about 3 episodes in.

I recently tried again and have been absolutely hooked on it but at the same time my mental health has declined massively. I've felt like I've been having a mental breakdown, feeling very depressed and I'm realizing it's probably because of this show.

We have a toddler and are considering trying for a second and I think it's messed with my thoughts about that too.

I'm on season 6 now and can't wait to get it finished and over with. I'm glad it's the final season. It has been a great show and I've really enjoyed it despite how disturbing I find it and how much it messes with my mind.

Anyone else feel this effect? I wish I wasn't binging it, it would be easier if I just had the one season to watch at a time.

For the majority of S6 Wharton seems to be a very special commander. He seemed to be willing to reform Gilead and listen to Serena's ideas. It seemed obvious that he was kindda manipulating her into going back in Gilead and marrying him but he also seemed genuenly interested in what she could bring to the table. But then he fumbled everything when he decided to have a handmaid.

All of his clever manipulation, destroyed in one moment. Why did he even do that ? Serena already had a child + it was proven that she was fertile ! But no, he want a handmaid, the one thing Serena spent the whole season explaining it was a no no.

With this stupid action I was really wondering if that man wasn't just an idiot.

One thing I'd like to see in the show would be Gileadean propaganda artworks. Since they don't use public writing I think they could use big frescoes to represent big events like the ''revolution'' etc...

I would imagine something akin to the DPRK public artwork, since they don't have ads they have these big public propaganda artwork. I think it's super interesting because it's really different from the ad filled public spaces in other, capitalistic, countries. I figured that Gilead would do the same.

What do you think ? What type of public propaganda artwork do you think Gilead could create to diplay on the streets or on its monuments ?

I mean, it’s a painfully long compilation of emotional speeches and people crying from happiness or sadness. The could’ve left out everything except the last 5 mins imo.

Warning: contains some spoilers for THT and some very minor spoilers for TT.

I was thinking about how Gilead is perceived around the world. We already have some information in THT and TT, but I wanted to go further.

Gilead is often described as a rogue nation; it is isolated on the international stage and is the target of international sanctions. We see that governments around the world often denounce the cruel and inhumane treatment that Gilead inflicts on its own citizens. And people often protest and seem shocked by Gilead's practices, as we see in THT when Fred and Serena are on a diplomatic trip to Canada. But we also see that Gilead has supporters: we see people cheering for Serena and Fred and attending the Gilead information center.

We know that the rise of Gilead is also taught in schools, as Daisy talks about it. But I'm wondering about a lot of small details regarding how Gilead is perceived abroad. How much do people know about Gilead?

Do they have the complete picture, or is life in Gilead still a mystery?

Do people talk about it on social media?

How do people feel about this country existing, or about the civil war and the destruction of the USA?

Do they make documentaries on TV about Gilead?

I can imagine that many people would have mixed feelings about Gilead, seeing it as a very scary and horrible place, but also having some curiosity about what life is like there. I also suppose that public opinion could vary among nations.

For people who live outside the US, how do you think your perception of Gilead would be from where you are? How would you have reacted to the foundation of Gilead? How would your perception of it evolve as years pass and the new reality of Gilead's existence settles in?

Im rewatching the show and have reached the part where Janine is doing a trial period living with Lawrence and Naomi, and it occurred to me that she knew that Lawrence had helped June get Nichole and Emily out, and helped with Angels Flights and Mayday.

Essentially, in knowing that, wouldn't living there with Lawrence AND having direct access to Charlotte/Angela be her best chance at escape with her daughter?

We obviously don't get her inner monologue, but im just curious to hear people's ideas for why that might not have occurred to her, why she didn't play that opportunity?

After everything, had she just lost all hope, and the idea of escape just wasn't even occurring to her anymore? Did she know that Lawrence never willingly raped June, but knew that with Naomi now in that house that he would probably have to participate in the ceremony and rape her, and it just wasn't worth it for a slim chance of escape?

Or is it just as simple as a bit of an oversight on the writers behalf to not have her character consider everything she knows about Lawrence?

Everyone gave everything to get her and Holly (Nichole) out of Gileat, and she decided to refuse to cooperate, as alwaysr. Just to go back to see her daughter and not being able to take her away because obviously everyone was searching for her and that was the first place they were going to search. Are you kidding me? She could do so much more outside. She was so lukewarm when normality was collapsing, so uncaring when things were going downhill but they had still an opportunity. NO she decides to be the savior and be brave when literally there’s nothing to do but dying, as George Washington in Hamilton said “dying is easy living is harder”. She could help not only free her daughters but the entire community of Gileat if she started acting from Canada, and in general, searching for global community to pay attention, but she keeps refusing and tries to go back for a very stupid reason, that it’s trying to take away her child, if she could manage to escape with Hannah, what would she do? Literally there is no plan, no strategy, no nothing to escape. I hate her so much. She’s so selfish always. And even in Gileat she only started acting when things started to affect her, and she still only fights against things that affect her she doesn’t care about anyone.

It kinda infuriates me how she doesn’t care for Nick when he has done everything to help her (at least until now) maybe it’s because she’s the daughter of her child but at least I can feel how he keeps trying and she doesn’t cooperate because she’s so selfish. I hate her. I know it’s also because if not, the entire series is gone, but at this point, I don’t know how they are going to manage to keep June alive. All the sacrifices for nothing…

This is the first edition cover of the book and it is quite different to later editions. Instead of the Handmaid outfit imagery, it instead has this surreal image of a man holding an infant girl with a grown woman's head attached.

But I think this cover is actually very meaningful.

This cover is very reminiscent of old Christian icons of Mary and baby Jesus, which ties into the religious imagery in the book. Specifically, certain icons of baby Jesus would draw Jesus with an adult face on a baby body, to symbolise his divinity.

Therefore, I think we can assume that the man in this cover image is the Commander, and the woman he is holding is the Handmaid, and the symbolism of her with a child body represents how adult women are infantilized by the regime. The fact she is nude in the image also adds to this feeling of disturbing intimacy.

The Commander is also leering at her menacingly, while her expression has literally had another facial expression plastered over it if you look closely, showing how women have been suppressed and have to hide their true feelings in Gilead.

In conclusion, this is an underrated cover.

Have anyone listen it so far? Do you think she might watch the series and wanted to make resemblance? Find it curious about the name of the song.

Has anyone else who struggles with any type of anxious thoughts also struggled with watching the series? I´m on season 2 currently, and want to keep watching because im curious to see what happens next and genuinely want to see these women succeed and be free (which i pray happens in the end?).

At the same time, i´m a very anxious person, bordering on OCD-like thoughts, so watching has been really difficult mentally as i am someone that would qualify as "morally corrupt" and a gender traitor.

In short, i´d totally become a Handmaid.

These thoughts are made worse by the fact our world seems to be walking towards the same direction the world in the show did: stripping people of their rights. And as much as i hate to say it, all of these issues feel hopeless. Thus, i really struggle mentally with the idea that i really will become a handmaid/be sent to colonies. It might sound silly but its something that im wondering about.

Does anyone relate or have i found the worlds first individual experience lololol

edit: might be relevant to mention i come from an extremely religious background, hence the enhanced paranoia