Funny meta-moment when Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia says, "I used to smoke, too, once upon a time," and looks up, remembering. In "The Leftovers," Dowd's character was part of a group that smoked incessantly. No way that was not a direct reference for those who watched both series.
1
The show hasn't discussed what happened to jews or the other religious groups. In the book, the repatriation of the jews meant that they were put on a boat to sail to israel and as soon as the boats were out side of the sigh of land the were sunk, killing the hundreds of thousands of people. In the first episode of the first season, one of the men hung on the wall has a star of David; presumably he was killed for his faith.
I don't think June collapsed, I think she threw herself out the window hoping to kill herself and/or her baby.
11
I always thought Nick, being an “Eye”, was there to watch the Waterfords. Wasn’t that kind of hinted at last season? If he’s supposed to be watching out for signs of May Day resistance, he certainly isn’t doing a good job of that!
4
How did June get from sitting on her window seat to lying in the grass outside the house? Did she jump? If so how did she open the window? they would never let a handmaid be able to open the windows to her bedroom. Also, none of the recaps that I've seen discuss how June started to go downstairs after discovering her massive bleeding, then stayed in her room. Was that a suicide attempt? Finally, that creepy group wedding was so gross. First, the child brides. ugh. Second, the men stand on a platform in normal clothes while the faceless, nameless brides stand below them and are wrapped in white like pieces of meat from the butcher. Third, Serena Joy rubbing it in to Offred "doesn't he look handsome?" Blech.
15
The wedding scene is right from the book. I wondered what Nick did with the Mayday letters after he found them.... I also wondered how she got outside without them hearing her.
5
Earlier in the episode, Aunt Lydia mentions the necessity of room ventilation. I think that's why the window was left open.
8
That was what I wanted to know too. Did she jump? Was she trying to commit suicide? I hope they clarify next week!
6
Gilead, is, if anything...fundamentalist in its belief. One could almost say orthodox. And that may be why that woman rabbi is in the colonies. In ORTHODOX Judaism, women are not allowed to be rabbis. In the Reform they are welcomed; not sure about Conservative. IF this rabbi had been a man, I wonder if he would have been given a chance to be "repatriated" as the book said Jews were offered? Maybe Gilead not only rejected liberal interpretations of Christianity, but of Judaism, too?
5
All the repatriated jews were killed in the book. The ships taking them to Israel were sunk by Gilaed during the crossing of the Atlantic. The rabbi may have hidden here faith or refused to leave, if this happened in the show the same way.
Like Rachel, I've read a few critics digest this episode. You're the first one not to refer to Nick's new wife as a "teenager," and thank you for that! Some of those girls might technically be thirteen, but they are children. I'm guessing menarche was in the last few months for all of them.
One of the things about the show that I've been reflecting on for the past few episodes is that the women deliver an endless stream of petty cruelties to one another, but the men don't have to. They're in a position where they can afford to be magnanimous without losing anything themselves.
15
Thank you very much for a well thought out commentary. After each episode I like to put into Google search: critics on latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale. Some of the articles I read by the so-called "critics" are cringe-worthy. They put in their own "feelings", they mock characters, they miss out on important cues and hints, and I wonder why they were picked to write in their respective newspapers. In this last episode, one of the critics in fact informed readers that he/she was there to be a "judge" of the series. Ridiculous!!
Anyways, your review was very intelligent and I enjoyed every word. Thank you!
11
“Interiority”?
1
This was the only recap that mentioned Nick's ties to Commander Pryce and why he is likely to have been kept assigned to the Waterford house. I'm more interested in what his new wife's role will be. Would she become a martha like the other econowives?
9
I really enjoyed this, thank you.
2