Quotes to remember

wegs said:
“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum."
(Latin for “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”)
- The HandMaid’s Tale

If you haven’t watched the series yet, why not?
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Due to it wrapping up this year, I did finally start watching past episodes of the show several weeks ago and am now well past the middle of it.

And hopefully that's also why this doesn't belong in MR's "Synchronicities are increasing and I don't know why" thread, since before this I haven't seen anyone mention THT in either forum for years.

The first two and a half or three seasons seemed a bit tedious in terms of reciprocal cat and mouse games that rarely seemed to go anywhere -- or IOW just resulted in June Osborne more or less rewinding back to her same dreary situation again. But I'm at the stage of the series now where that can be pondered in retrospect as gradual set-up and preparation for her becoming some kind of (flawed) revolutionary hero.

Regarding the "shocking patriarchal cruelties and atrocities"...

If Gilead was instead an extremist Islamic State, then what they do certainly wouldn't seem that over the top at all. Even though there might be a few Jim-Jones-level crazy Christian cults that are so wholly absorbed in the OT lifestyle that they could do similar medieval deeds, it doesn't seem credible that such tiny bastions of complete nut-jobs could ever win over the mainstream religion of today enough to overthrow the country and seize power.

I mean, I know there are political militants who lack the cognitive ability to distinguish local neighborhood Christians from rabid jihadists who fling people from the tops of tall buildings, for whom the THT world may appear wholly realistic and very likely in the US. But for those of us not engulfed in the intense passions of such ideological impairment... Some of Gilead's horrific practices thereby do occasionally cross one's mind as seeming to be over the top.

But hey, it's speculative fiction, where there are outrageous dystopias and other excusable allegories lurking behind every azalea bush of the landscape. (As well as that very real Abrahamic tyranny of the previous decade, in the ME).
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C C said:
Due to it wrapping up this year, I did finally start watching past episodes of the show several weeks ago and am now well past the middle of it.

And hopefully that's also why this doesn't belong in MR's "Synchronicities are increasing and I don't know why" thread, since before this I haven't seen anyone mention THT in either forum for years.

The first two and a half or three seasons seemed a bit tedious in terms of reciprocal cat and mouse games that rarely seemed to go anywhere -- or IOW just resulted in June Osborne more or less rewinding back to her same dreary situation again. But I'm at the stage of the series now where that can be pondered in retrospect as gradual set-up and preparation for her becoming some kind of (flawed) revolutionary hero.

Regarding the "shocking patriarchal cruelties and atrocities"...

If Gilead was instead an extremist Islamic State, then what they do certainly wouldn't seem that over the top at all. Even though there might be a few Jim-Jones-level crazy Christian cults that are so wholly absorbed in the OT lifestyle that they could do similar medieval deeds, it doesn't seem credible that such tiny bastions of complete nut-jobs could ever win over the mainstream religion of today enough to overthrow the country and seize power.

I mean, I know there are political militants who lack the cognitive ability to distinguish local neighborhood Christians from rabid jihadists who fling people from the tops of tall buildings, for whom the THT world may appear wholly realistic and very likely in the US. But for those of us not engulfed in the intense passions of such ideological impairment... Some of Gilead's horrific practices thereby do occasionally cross one's mind as seeming to be over the top.

But hey, it's speculative fiction, where there are outrageous dystopias and other excusable allegories lurking behind every azalea bush of the landscape. (As well as that very real Abrahamic tyranny of the previous decade, in the ME).
_
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Interesting perspective - Yea, I had a pretty similar experience with The Handmaid's Tale early on. It felt like a lot of the first few seasons were stuck in a loop, and I nearly dropped off because of the constant resets. But, now that it's coming to an end, I get why the directors chose that path. Once you get deeper in, it becomes clear that it’s all part of the long arc of June’s transformation. Flawed, unsung hero is a good way to put it. To me, she's the ideal protagonist - she's not perfect like a cartoonish superhero, and not only works through her own flaws, but sees the flaws in both men and women as Gilead continues to flourish. To get to a ''Gilead,'' it takes not only men to believe in the vision, but women to go along with it. (note: women who became part of the twisted movement like Serena Joy, for example)

I also understand your take on the depiction of Gilead. It’s definitely theatric and extreme (yet believable, if we think of all of the global atrocities that have transpired, and continue to go on to this day), but I think that's part of the show's intention - to amplify our fears into allegory. Speculative fiction sometimes can become more about provoking questions than predicting outcomes, and this series immerses you into the thick of it, kind of like you're taking a tour of June's 'new' world.

To me, Gilead makes more sense when seen as a mirror held up to some of the worst atrocities that have happened here in the states, and all over the world in the past and present (sex trafficking, slavery, religious zealots, etc), as seen through a Western cultural lens. Margaret Atwood who authored the book, had mentioned in past during an interview, that her story is about weaving all of the world's past and current atrocities that have happened and could happen anywhere, if given the right set of circumstances.

Anyway, curious to hear what you think once you finish the series — it definitely shifts in tone and focus as it moves along.

''The society in The Handmaid's Tale is a throwback to the early Puritans whom I studied extensively at Harvard under Perry Miller, to whom the book is dedicated.'' - Margaret Atwood
 
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“We live in a world of unfulfilled fairy tales.” - Holly Walrath (author)
 
wegs said:
[...] Anyway, curious to hear what you think once you finish the series — it definitely shifts in tone and focus as it moves along. [...]
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I'm at the point in the 5th season where (nine lives) Janine has just recovered from yet another brush with death. I've long since lost track of how many times...

Enough that even callous Aunt Lydia has taken to being concerned about her as if she were her literal niece or daughter. (AL has surely reached the point where she believes only God could be responsible for Janine's invincibility.)

After all this, I'm going to be very irritated if the showrunner suddenly, truly kills Janine in the final episode of the series, just for cheap shock-value. Or really anytime during the 6th season. :rolleyes:
_
 
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C C said:
I'm at the point in the 5th season where (nine lives) Janine has just recovered from yet another brush with death. I've long since lost track of how many times...

Enough that even callous Aunt Lydia has taken to being concerned about her as if she were her literal niece or daughter. (AL has surely reached the point where she believes only God could be responsible for Janine's invincibility.)

After all this, I'm going to be very irritated if the showrunner suddenly, truly kills Janine in the final episode of the series, just for cheap shock-value. Or really anytime during the 6th season. :rolleyes:
_
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lol! I know; it’s definitely not as raw as it was the first few seasons, but that seems to happen quite often with most popular series. They suck their audience in, and then get a little sloppy towards the end.

Final season:
That said …I felt moved that Janine (and June) chose forgiveness with Aunt Lydia over violence. Aunt Lydia, as we both know, is just a pawn in the many games that go on at Gilead, but Janine’s choice to forgive her, and Aunt Lydia to realize that she had been duped by pretty much everyone she trusted, was an interesting nuance. That scene (you’ll know it when you reach it) could have gone a different way, and the audience would have understood but “choose love,” felt more powerful in the moment. All of this to say though, it’s starting to feel a little sappy and predictable - kind of how Game of Thrones ended in its final season. It was as though HBO decided to invite the Hallmark channel in for pointers. Sigh, I’m still bitter over it and hope HMT doesn’t take a similarly dreadful turn. If all the “good guys” survive and ride off into the sunset, I’ll be kind of disappointed. I don’t like unrealistic happy endings, just for happy endings’ sake.
 
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