10 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About HANDMAID'S TALE

[@MovieAddicts]

Did you also got this wrong?

[@padrake444]

in the television show and the book they point out that the high infertility is worldwide so unless they've been bombing by Gilead around the world,you surmising the infertility is caused by the bombs dropped in Gillian or in the United States are the cause of infertility around the world is wrong...re-watch it and you will see....remember the scene where they were going to trade some of the handmaidens to another Nation ?Why would they be worth anything if it was only happening in Gilead?

[@ashleyburbank3129]

@@padrake444 there was an issue with fertility after we dropped bombs on Japan worldwide! We didn't do anywhere near the scale of bombing that was implied in this though perhaps they meant a nuclear bomb!?

[@KnittyElf]

Like the grammar in your post? 😂

[@susanhavens8692]

@@ashleyburbank3129 🤔 that was the baby boomers generation.

[@ashleyburbank3129]

@@susanhavens8692 I know 🤷.... I was talking about it causing worldwide fertility issues!

[@terryyy1944]

Aunt Lydia is a despicable character, but Ann Dowd, the actor that portrays her is among the very best.

[@rebelwithacause666]

I adore Ann Dowd she plays such amazing characters

[@DevilRiku48]

Indeed !!!! I was glad to see her in hereditary.

[@00ghostcobra]

Yep.. She is probably the best pure actor on the whole show..

[@helgar791]

Ann Dowd is a queen. Like Jack Gleeson, who played Joffrey in Game Of Thrones, in reality she's a sweet, kind, thoughtful and intelligent woman. It's to her credit that she convincingly play so opposite her nature.

[@gabrielamalaya5947]

You have not read the sequel book The Testaments. You should read it. It gives perspective as to the inside thoughts of Aunt Lydia as well as the turn of events that led her to how she became to be.

[@leacalina4827]

Serena is able to get pregnant and also, aunt Lydia is not the sadist by birth, but when becoming the aunt, they tortured them (all of aunts) a lot to kill any humanity remaining in them.

[@justcallmejessz3712]

Lydia also experienced heartbreak prior to being tortured and becoming an aunt. She was embarrassed and dismissed by men and felt that it was tge fault of other women who were more aesthetically pleasing but were bad people. I think it played a role in how her torture developed in her own mind

[@gabriellewitts4746]

Both your comments is what keeps me with hope for her character having redemption. But I don’t think it’ll happen til she stops turning a blind eye to what the men of gilead do to people there . And stop turning a blind eye to the rape

[@ajheartsong]

not everyone needs a redemption arc. some ppl are just evil

[@ajheartsong]

@@justcallmejessz3712 SO WHAT why do ppl keep making excuses for her

[@justcallmejessz3712]

@@ajheartsong My comment makes no excuse for her. Nor does the original post. There is no excuse, nor any reason to attempt to make an excuse. History and experience can play a role in how the mind reacts and/or behave. It is not about making an excuse or justifying something. It just is what it is.

[@absynthefaerie]

The toxic land is not just in Gilead, there was a time when other countries where going to do a trade program for Handmaids.

[@kiarakeeper2154]

The toxicity isn't what cause the infertility. The toxicity, the bombings happened when Gilead was trying to Over throw the USA government. There were bombings elsewhere too. The infertility is driving force beind Most if not all of Gileads policies towards women. But your right I think it was season 2. Mexico (I think it was mexico) was trying to trade handmaids for oranges.

[@marciaannedonahue463]

@@kiarakeeper2154, you are correct, it was Mexico.

[@lemsip207]

@@kiarakeeper2154 It was also before because when June was giving birth to Hannah there weren't many other mothers in the hospital giving birth. So many were having miscarriages instead.

[@8698gil]

Two of the most glaring differences are Serena Joy's age, she is an older woman, past childbearing age, arthritic, in the book, and a much younger woman in the TV version. And Janine does not lose an eye in the book.

[@sarmajere2866]

That handmaids are handmaids based SOLELY on fertility. They’ve been made handmaids for “crimes”, which in Gilead, are ridiculous(divorce not being valid makes June part of adultury under their laws, etc). The state justifies the treatment of handmaids because they are “criminals”, not just because they have the ability to have children. It’s a misconception I see a lot!

[@jessikalopez4710]

Yes. Had they not been "sinners" they would live the life of the econowives

[@winterishere440]

It's not solely on fertility. There are wives who have biological children.

[@Fumi007]

@@winterishere440 all handmaids have two things. The proven ability to bear children and some kind of “sin“ in their past like being divorced or having an abortion. All fertile women don’t become handmaids, but all handmaids are fertile women.

[@sarmajere2866]

Right! That was the misconception I meant!

[@sarmajere2866]

Ooh good catch! I do wonder now that I remember, where Annie is now. If she remarried or had another lover, she’d be screwed too. :(

[@marciaannedonahue463]

Regarding Serena Joy, it eventually comes out that SHE is perfectly capable of reproducing in her own right and that the infertility issue lIes with her HUSBAND, NOT HER!

[@martinaivanova5098]

Yes but in my guessing she will most probably lose the baby, hence the "inability" to reproduce in a more phylosophical meaning: inability to sustain life within her

[@martinaivanova5098]

@Katherine Doyle yes but June told her in the last episode that she will lose the baby

[@Amanda-el9dx]

@Katherine Doyle Right. Isn’t it Fred’s baby?

[@LudmilaT.]

@Katherine Doyle I think there is another possibility. Mark for example.

[@jillybean5159]

@@LudmilaT. 'Mark Tuello' (or rather the actor playing the part!) has vehemently denied that supposition in a TV interview recently. It's also becoming more and more obvious that he can't stand Serena and has lost all respect for her. However, remember when Fred and Serena went to Washington and the Wives were all fluttering eyelashes at the waiters, etc? One of the women basically told Serena to 'take her pleasure where she could'. So it remains to be yet explained if Serena took the chance!

[@rebeccahicks4874]

Correction, by season 4, 7 years have passed as June states when she is at the grocery store “what happened to potato chips in the last 7 years?”

[@beckyg2292]

Having read The Testaments... there's a lot more to Aunt Lydia than meets the eye. She did what she did to stay alive, as did many people in Gilead.

[@danielaf3092]

Agreed. She had to mistreat the handmaids. And if she didn't, there would certainly exist someone else to do it worse.

[@tiyasharoy1956]

But then again, she called child services on her student's mother right after she was rejected by Jim just to make herself feel worthy. All that because she couldn't handle rejection, which makes her a sadist.

[@StephanieRendino]

@@tiyasharoy1956 The book "The Testaments" presents a completely different Lydia from the series. Lydia in "The Testaments" is a former family law judge who joined Gilead because the option was death. I can't say more without spoiling the novel.

[@caborabassa696]

@@StephanieRendino that still doesn't justify taking people's eyes, cutting their hands, etc.

[@StephanieRendino]

@@caborabassa696 That wasn’t in the books.

[@laylonlee229]

To be honest I love June. A lot of people are saying she's selfish but she got out a bunch of kids and her daughter wasn't even with them. Plus I didn't have a good childhood so I know what's it's like 'being to hell and back.' In those situations you have to be at least a little selfish to survive. I mean, try to put yourself in her situation. Also awhile ago I saw a comment that said June is being selfish and would hurt others just to get her daughter back when her daughter is safe because she is in a high ranking family. But even so, June has not seen her daughter in over 5 years and has missed her daughter growing up. I'm not a parent and I don't want kids but I can't imagine loving a child just to have them torn from you and then to miss 5 years of their life. I think June is a badass and I hope things go good for her. I mean who knows though, the show is going to run for 10 seasons so she might change even more.

[@ellisgriffiths5221]

As well, whilst Hannah is safe rn, what parent would want their child to grow up in an environment where they are told they are inferior and are unable to read and have freedoms to choose. Hannah would likely be married off at age 14 and who’s to say what happened to Ester wouldn’t happen to Hannah.

[@lisaodom2756]

I agree I also think that June is selfish and her relationship with Nick is to a large extent one-sided. I feel that she's manipulated him more or less from the beginning as she can tell that he likes her from the day he brings the ice to her room. And if you look at the way she manipulated Commander Waterford sexually to get what she wanted well she's done the same with Nick, the difference is Nick's in love with her which he's told her more than she's told him and as soon as she escapes who does she go running back to? Her husband who she hasn't seen for 5 years and according to her voice over in one of the scenes with Nick her memories of him are fading more and more each day. Well they can't have faded that much! There's a scene where Nick tells her he just wants her to be happy. Well what about Nick's happiness. He's done so much to help her stay alive plus the fact that he now has a daughter and who knows when he'll see her again.

[@toribiogubert7729]

@@lisaodom2756 Nick was a fanatical zealot and is regarded as some kind of war hero for Gilead. No matter how much he loves June he still is an oporessor. Plus sexuality and fertility are the only form of power that handmaid have, so I dont think she is selfish to try to survive.

[@bebenexus]

I feel like the extent of her selfishness is ridiculous though so many people in the show are going through the exact same thing as her but she never reached out to help other like the other Martha’s but always expected to be helped or saved or that people take care of her or worry about her when she’s willing to let multiple genuine, good people die and/ or put them in danger just for a chance to see her daughter. It’s just absurd to me.

[@caborabassa696]

June is selfish, immature, manipulative, and a bit sadistic. She got people killed, Serena "defingered" (as Lawrence said), she just handed her baby over to Emily when the baby was June's responsibility, she got Omar and Frances killed, she made other handmaids despise and harass Nathalie like a spoiled little brat who thinks if you are my friend you cannot be friends with my enemies, she was ready to kill Nathalie at the hospital and the baby, she used Lawrence's mentally unstable wife to try to see her daughter and then when she took pills June didn't help her because it was convenient for her. She enjoyed seeing Nathalie snapping and hurting Janine. I could go on. Whatever happens in our lives doesn't justify fucking other people's lives. Not seeing her daughter doesn't justify doing all that she did.

[@lindagiddes4551]

If Serena goes back she will be a handmade herself now. She can carry a child.

[@pawsplants_pics5683]

I had not thought of that!

[@grantherman7210]

That’s not exactly how it works. If she went back the Waterfords would be praised and made even higher ranked. You were only made a handmaid if you were sinful before Gilead began.

[@yamyFR]

Could be an excellent revenge

[@beewest5704]

@@grantherman7210 Or the will marry her to a new commander.

[@ajheartsong]

that's the first thing I thought of! also is anyone gonna explain how Nick went from driver to high ranking commander...? bueller?

[@sharadowasdr]

Gilead would have been more convincing if it was brazenly racist.

[@WayneSmith-lo8be]

Do you mean the Science-denying labeling of the human RACE by color of skin?

[@caborabassa696]

No, not at all. I believe you would have enjoyed it though.

[@geraldmadamba2224]

It is based on the books.

[@liseklerekoper2441]

@@geraldmadamba2224 - Not entirely true, as the books main characters & the others in Gilead were almost all white. The director, Bruce Miller, changed that part from the book.

[@NativeNYerChicHK]

I always thought the desk was purposely meant as a cruel reminder of who June used to be before being forced to become a handmaid. I guess art is really subjective.

[@BleedingEyeDisturbed]

You’ve got it correct. ;)

[@tommybear4458]

She was a good desk before gilly

[@VelvetCat1]

yes, that's exactly what they explained in the vid, just with different words, a reminder of who she was but not allowed to be anymore

[@carebear5394]

Fred admitted to Serena Joy that HE couldn’t get her pregnant. When they escaped to the farm with the large family, they walked out into the woods- Fred admitted it was him the couldn’t impregnate So who impregnated Serena???

[@tracykavanagh8343]

Fred isn’t the dad , the doctor who stitched June’s hand in episode 3 is the dad

[@destroyraiden]

They could be lying to her or else he did impregnate her sometimes people who are told they are medically sterile can produce at least once its rare but has happened just like pregnancies while your pregnant. But they could also be lying to her to secure her cooperation unless they used a tainted swab on her during her testing phase which I highly doubt the only real clue we have is how twello told her you'll have a child of your own as if it was a fact not an impossibility. Which to me suggest they're lying Serena thinks she's pregnant and may actual go through a phantom pregnancy if we do not see any scenes were she's getting to view the scan feeds herself in real time. Otherwise she actually is pregnant which calls into question Nicole's real dad and they'll force a paternity test on the infant to see if Fred is the father risking loosing her because if fred is her father then he can override June but as we're all fairly sure it's Nicks it'll be done for fear and suspense.

[@lindagiddes4551]

It’s a movie!! It can be anyone!!

[@carebear5394]

I was wondering if they lied to her too....

[@lindagiddes4551]

Fred is obviously wrong about that, he got his wife pregnant

[@Phrankster163]

Well, Serena is pregnant now, so the problem was clearly that Fred couldn´t have children. I don´t agree about Lydia either. In her prequel episode, she´s shown as being a highly empathetic person, who joins the cause after seeing a child being mistreated. There´s also the episodes from Washington, where she agrees with June, that they have taken it too far there, which shows that she empathizes with the handmaids. She clearly knows that her own life depends on her ability to keep control of them, which is why she goes to such extremes with them. If she didn´t, then she knows that they will replace her with someone, who will. She has a mother´s love for these girls, only in this case it´s a mother who beats her children, when they don´t do as they´re told. There´s also no doubt that she´s a realist, who sees Gilead´s way as the only way of saving the human race from extinction. Calling her sadistic is looking past the other layers to the character.

[@yanageorgieva2693]

Totally agree, I think she loves her girls in her way, especially seen with Janine. I think she is one of the most complex characters in the show and has a very deep motivation. She sees herself as a saviour for these girls, she cares for them and punishes them sometimes because she has to, sometimes because she is hurt by their betrayal, sometimes because she thinks they are lost and needs to put them in their "right" way, she even says that by suffering and pain a person elevates himself to God. I think all of her reasoning is out of her twisted love for the girls.

[@happylittle426]

Lydia is such a complex character. I think she’s had to force the tough love because she knows how these people will be treating them. She has to make them strong and she has to make them behave. If they don’t behave they may end up on the wall.

[@TheEmmaHouli]

I don't agree. I think she is a True Believer

[@Phrankster163]

@@TheEmmaHouli Isn´t that part of what makes the story great, that we have different opinions on the characters? It´s a lot more interesting than characters you basically know all about from moment one.

[@senhorlampada]

@@TheEmmaHouli Read The Testaments, the sequel Margaret wrote

[@ajheartsong]

I think it would be wild if serena were not actually pregnant, but just some crazy emotional manipulation by the Canadian government. I would love that

[@berniekatzroy]

Wish I could agree but the Canadian government is weak one both in fiction and irl. Also if you read the epilogue to the first book you know what I mean.

[@BleedingEyeDisturbed]

Is anyone else hoping she’ll become disgraced & be maid a handmaid, herself?

[@danyul8578]

same why do i get the feeling that it's a trick

[@VelvetCat1]

well, there's s hint that maybe she might lose it. in any case, her pregnancy implies she will suffer the hell a lot more to pay for the atrocities she committed and helped to commit

[@8698gil]

I think it's possible that June will take Serena's baby away from her, just like June's children were taken by Gilead.

[@mamadeb1963]

In Atwood's book, they didn't "allow" Jewish people to leave. They put them on boats and sank the boats. It's right there in the beginning.

[@TheAshanti10]

It says in the book that they were awarded special status called the sons of jacob and had a choice to either leave to israel or convert and stay. Have no idea why you just made that up lol

[@josiealiceblanton]

@@TheAshanti10 it's been a few years since I read the book, so this might be a Mandela Effect, but IIRC, Gilead put Jews on boats "to Israel" and then sunk them.

[@pandaidol101]

I never read this. I saw that they gave them the option to leave to Israel, convert, or die.

[@mamadeb1963]

@@pandaidol101 then they spoke about sinking the boat.

[@eleanormason2647]

@@TheAshanti10 the epilogue in the book with the 'historians' discussing Gilead speculated about them sinking the ships, but wasn't confirmed during the book's main narrative. During the book, June is never sure what actually happened as she had limited information, but the epilogue says without a 'definite' answer, that the Jews never actually reached Israel

[@mystaniceguy]

But weren’t birth rates low before gilead came to power? I’m pretty sure they mentioned that in the flashbacks with June. Like when that woman tried to steal Hannah from the hospital.

[@mystaniceguy]

Cause you said the birth rates were affected by the radiation. So seems contradictory. Nice videos though. Watching the show now and it’s great!

[@eleanormason2647]

That's why Gilead took over, because the birth rates were going low. Radiation doesn't just crop up and start birth defects in the space of five years, it had been happening a long time before they finally took control

[@mystaniceguy]

@@eleanormason2647 yeah so I was right this guy was wrong. So technically this video should be titled 9 things everyone gets wrong and 1 thing I did lol 😂

[@rebecca7245]

@@mystaniceguy And in case you don’t already know, birth rates have been dropping in real life for years!! Which is another reason this show (aka this possible future) could become our reality one day if we don’t continue fighting for “simple” things like equality (yes there’s classism in the states and elsewhere) and women’s rights.

[@TSWARD-xb9rk]

@Scott Alexander infertility. According to specialists in the field and specialists of “the effects of toxins” , let’s just say that. Say that within the next 3 generations 40-60% of the population will be infertile. We see this trend starting already. Along with 1000% rise is austismand auto immune disease. There is a COMMON DENOMINATOR

[@morganseals1127]

the one thing i hate about june is how she sits there with her mouth wide open looking stupid and hesitating when shes in danger, it fr drives me CRAZY

[@ShyShyTheGem]

Steve lacy ❤️❤️

[@LizRealGirlBeauty]

And the facial twitching when she's upset. It's very "Kristen Stewart in Twilight with the stutter when she's upset."

[@remc0s]

I hate how she gets away with everything. Other handmaid's get killed for as much as breathing too loud, while June mouths off and has staring contests with Commanders. If i were a Commander, she would be taken care off right after she stopped the other handmaid's from throwing rocks.

[@muskratbyte]

@@remc0s Waterford was protecting her. He didn't want her damaged.

[@mcdjinn6975]

You try being imprisoned, tortured physically and mentally, often punished for things you didn't do as well as those you did. Someone in that situation often freezes.

[@charlotrisch5138]

Actually its the men who are infertal not the women. They just blame it on the women

[@mcdjinn6975]

Nothing new. Henry the VII executed wives because they couldn't bear him heirs. He was the problem.

[@8698gil]

Both men and women were infertile. But they do blame it solely on the women.

[@rora9994]

So now that Serena Joy is pregnant, do y'all think she cheated on her husband, OR is he not infertile after all, and therefore could actually be the REAL father of June's child? I think that's the direction they're going with that. It could lead to all kinds of potential plot twists.

[@lilymiller9480]

@Beastbombshell I totally agree. Her being pregnant shows that maybe if they would have just been a normal couple and her husband would have given her love in that way they could of had children

[@glamnbake2911]

I think she cheated on her husband with that other dude i think hes a traitor cuz it looks like he really liked her from the beginning and maybe they had something more

[@lilymiller9480]

@@glamnbake2911 I’m pretty sure they did a paternity test in Canada

[@jillybean5159]

@@lilymiller9480 I'm pretty sure they would have done so too. It was never made clear in S4 if there was any doubt over the parentage of the child and Fred and Serena start working together to form a life for 'their' child. So I think we must accept that a miracle has happened for them....?

[@ketolifestyling7297]

I wondered about this too! Who’s the father? Hmm... so many twists & turns

[@jessikalopez4710]

Hulu did Aunt Lydia wrong. She is an entirely different person in The Testaments.

[@sloth6480]

It's not that Hulu did them wrong its that Margaret Atwood wrote the testaments in 2019 and didn't reveal aunt Lydia's role until the book came out. No one got to read the book until it was written and Margaret did share with them directions she was going and they took everything into account while making it. Everyone even Dowd expressed surprise to learn that she single handedly aided in the fall of Gilead, which takes place over a decade almost two decades later... After reflection she realized how she played aunt Lydia wasn't wrong at all as aunt Lydia admits to being cruel to others. And it remains even in the book unknown if she always believed in taking Gilead down or if as she grew older with age just got to a point where she was done. Also remember handmaids tale is told from the victims view and testaments reveals aunt Lydia's viewpoint. So no one was done wrong it's just a matter of reveal and what information we have. It seems as though aunt Lydia to survive is a great actress played by a great actress in the world of Gilead. And I love that extra dimension.

[@eleanormason2647]

@@sloth6480 it's a classic case of vital information changing a character completely. Like in game of thrones, revealing Jaime's real motivations behind 'kingslayer'. It completely changes how we think of him and it's revealed at a particular moment, and the reveal of Lydia's backstory completely changes how we think of her past actions. It's fantastic, and puts a new perspective on how we saw the first book. She had to appear infallible so she couldn't be suspected when taking down Gilead

[@samanthamartin9899]

I honestly think that makes Dowds’ performance even more incredible. Dowds makes it clear that Lydia cares for the handmaids in a weird twisted way, and that she sometimes thinks gilead goes too far- which makes it make perfect sense that she would eventually turn. The show just illustrates the beginning of her slowly reaching that point.

[@VelvetCat1]

It's not wrong, it's just an adaptation. it happens all the time. it's a different vision, they don't have to follow the books since it's impossible and would be way less interesting to see exactly what it is in the novel, so they have to make a lot of changes. not wrong, just different for adaptation purposes

[@candicetillis1585]

Well June daughter should be older on the show lol she ain’t aging

[@cocomac5788]

They can't age her too quickly without running into marriage storylines for her.. And I don't think they are ready to tell that story

[@LizRealGirlBeauty]

Hannah is getting too old too fast. You can judge how much time has gone by with June's pregnancy and the age of Nicole. It's only been a couple of years since the first episode. But they've used the same actress for Hannah, who has continued to grow (of course) in the years it's been since they last filmed. They used a different actress for younger Hannah in the early seasons, for flashbacks, when the actress aged out of the age they needed her to be. Part of me loves that kid, but part of me thinks not recasting was a mistake.

[@bengalkityy2594]

Maybe it's Maybeline

[@TheKanyinsola]

Considering the fact that it’s the same actress and there has been break in between seasons .. she’s aging normally

[@dontbeuhdummy]

@@TheKanyinsola this. Time change in the seasons almost match up to the break lengths in such a way that it makes it perfect.

[@lissafinn4235]

I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a character as much as I dislike June. Yes she’s been through horrible sh*t that no one deserves but she’s also a manipulator. She does stupid, selfish, and reckless stuff without ever once thinking of the consequences. Too many innocent people have died because of June.

[@caborabassa696]

Finally, someone who shares my opinion! I am watching season 3 and just now I am watching the episode where she tries to kill Nathalie and her baby in the hospital! Even Janine, who is always nice to everybody, called her out on her selfishness. She is disgusting. Starting by having dated a married man and moving on to so many things.

[@lissafinn4235]

@@caborabassa696 , I honestly don’t understand why everyone likes June so much. Have you watched the fourth season ?

[@caborabassa696]

@@lissafinn4235 I never really liked her but she just becomes worse day by day. Nothing justifies her behavior. Look at Janine. She has been through much worse than June and she is still kind. I am still watching the 3rd season.

[@lissafinn4235]

@@caborabassa696 , Wait till you watch the fourth season and you’ll understand why I can’t stand her so much. She leaves death & destruction everywhere she goes and just continues on her merry way without a thought or care for anyone else.

[@caborabassa696]

@@lissafinn4235 I watched it. Now I just have one episode left. My goodness! She calls Serena a sociopath, I think June is the sociopath. She wanted to kill the commanders and didn't leave with the other handmaids and because of that, she was caught and then disclosed their location. When Janine confronted her about it, instead of apologizing, she just said "I should've left you a long time ago". And what she did to Eleanor, leaving her to die when she could have saved her. Also, she says to Mark Tuello that she saved the children because she wanted Gilead to suffer. So, she didn't even do it really for the sake of the children.

[@sarastarzdesignz]

I didn’t think Serena couldn’t have kids because of the attack. I was confused as to why she would help build this world and put up with her husband. I didn’t know the women were handmaids because of sin. I just thought they were kidnapped randomly. If they were sinners you’d think the men wouldn’t want sinners creating their babies. I was confused as to why all the men couldn’t make babies. Please tell me which episode mentions why they can’t have kids. I must have missed that entirely. If the chemicals are affecting the men, why wouldn’t it affect Serena “Joy” also….why didn’t it affect the commander…He came later? As an Eye and can still have kids…? I didn’t think Auntie enjoyed torturing women. I was literally confused as to why she didn’t change her ways earlier in the series. Seems after “Eye Patch” was hospitalized perhaps she her character will change..? So does she really enjoy hurting women? I just figured she grew up abused, and I was waiting for an episode to explain that. Seems like she was told to play a female Hitler…… What you got wrong is that just because we love the show it does not mean we read the book. I still don’t want to read the book. To me it will alter my view of the show and what should have/could have been done different. I’ll stick to the show. To me it doesn’t seem like the show is happening in todays time. After hearing the book was written about a legit group that practiced this mess the story feels historical to me…yes it can happen anywhere…in any time frame…is probably happening in a different version of this exact story line but always seemed like it was about an older period of time re enacted in todays time. Why didn’t you explain the night club????

[@jenniferodonnell2394]

I believe that all people are able of evil. June has been to hell and back so of course she has changed. It will be a hard recovery for her and the nameless others that had gone through what they have.

[@briannamorrison380]

The people defending aunt Lydia are making me sick. I can't even read the rest of the comments. You need your heads examined. "Oh, poor aunt Lydia, she's actually so kind." 🤮 Give me a break. She likes her power; she's delusional in thinking that she's doing a good thing, and if she is suffering, it's nowhere near what her poor handmaids are suffering. She chose to do what she is doing. Any kindness she shows to anyone is always twisted. I have yet to see real, genuine, untainted compassion from her.

[@felicitasboesch1471]

aunt lydia is not a sadist because we see her face crack sometimes- that she disagrees with some parts of Gilead. If you look at her character in a psychologic way, you'll see that its complicated. In the book she had an abortion which is also important. Serena is a sadist

[@CollateralDamage93]

THese were all things I noticed, but some of the background meaning behind them was new to me! Im still working my way through the novel. Thank you for Sharing! :D

[@amanluthra2490]

When the loudest voices triumph over the voices of reason, bad shit happens. Like Gilead. 😡😡😡

[@ProPhile]

@Jennifer Eichelberger No... not like that at all. More like perpetuating a lie about a stolen election and undermining democracy. Covid is real and has killed nearly 3.5 million people worldwide.

[@prole2554]

@@ProPhile EXACTLY!

[@rosalinasnow7529]

You done my girl Aunt Lydia Dirty. She's my favorite character. So complex.

[@megen-ellenelson7711]

The fact that people still don't understand that The Testaments is set years in the future and will be adapted into its own show still bothers me :)

[@megen-ellenelson7711]

@Larry Shell I don't understand your question 😅

[@berniekatzroy]

I feel like most fans of the show have never read the books and even with more details in the show about the factors that lead to Gilead they still don't realize whats going on and forget the difference between reality and fiction.

[@susanhavens8692]

Aunt Lydia 😳😢😱 Someone needs to give her a taste of her own medicine.

[@geekylie]

I am not sure who is right and who is wrong, but would like to point out the nation Gilead was going to trade handmaidens with, was Mexico. We don't know if there's infertility issues in the (rebel occupied) Southern District or the (in conflict but majority-controlled by Gilead) South West Colonies, but the notion of infertility only being an issue in Gilead (and not the whole fka USA) isn't negated by Mexico wanting handmaidens. Mexico shares a border with the Southwest Colonies (in conflict but 2/3 Gilead), the Southern District (rebel controlled), and the Western Colonies (Gilead controlled) which sits between the two - any damage done to the environment in Gilead would no doubt also affect Mexico.

[@TeamMaddisonYT]

Listening to your videos makes cleaning so much more enjoyable. So thank you.

[@MovieAddicts]

Thx, sounds good :)

[@Thundergod213]

Aunt lydia is not right, she actually cares about those women, in a weird way. at least thats how ann dowd explained it in a interview

[@iamwhoiambecausethelordlov3893]

In the Handmaids tale movie, they rounded up all the black ppl, I'm guessing from Detroit and either killed them or took them straight to the colonies.

[@tedwarden5803]

It says in the book that the sons of Ham were deported to the outlands.

[@susanhavens8692]

I remember seeing a black handmaid.

[@tedwarden5803]

@@susanhavens8692. Try reading the book.

[@susanhavens8692]

@@tedwarden5803 I'd rather read my Bible. Thanks.

[@tedwarden5803]

@@susanhavens8692. I’d rather read entertaining fiction. But you are entitled to read anything you wish.

[@HalfCrazy520]

The audio in A Handmaid's Tale is terrible. Background noise and music are louder than the conversation. The sound is muddy with lots of reverb/echo... and no closed captions.

[@eleanormason2647]

I watched it on Amazon prime and every episode had subtitles, where did you watch it?

[@HalfCrazy520]

@@eleanormason2647 HULU

[@rebecca7245]

@@HalfCrazy520 I watch it on Hulu, with subtitles. 🤔

[@domjay]

Yeah, I had no idea this wasn't the first adaptation.

[@CatLover7112]

I really like Handmaids Tale Show... Still looking forward to watching the New Season.. It Tell's Sooooooooooo much.! Enjoyed your Video on this.. Thanks. 👍

[@TommyMaverick]

Aunt Lydia makes me feel the way that the Nemesis does when he randomly appears in Resident Evil 3, but you can’t run away if you’re a handmaid. She’s scarier because of that. It also feels like she’s the only one that believes any of the shit she says

[@TommyMaverick]

Which is bad because she believes the worst shit

[@lady4191]

Why the Fu¢k does anyone think this show needs a hero or ever even intended on one. There's no hero in the kind of hell they live there are choices good choices and bad ones that's it there's never been a heroic superperson here just alot of people trying to make life better wether for themself alone or for themself and others.

[@appylee9942]

Why is it that the working class are not all infertile but the rulers are infertile?

[@jennifercovais9035]

I am thinking the same! And if there are fertile wives why do they have handmaids? And what if econowives are infertile? Those couples just don’t ever have children because they don’t get a hand maid?

[@kixi8033]

@@jennifercovais9035 From what I read, only commanders are allowed to have handmaids. So, I think any infertile lower status couples either have to adopt or just be childless.

[@8698gil]

In the book, the bonnets were to keep the handmaid's faces from being seen in public, sort of like the masks and veils in some Muslim countries. It isn't because they are sinners. Handmaids were taken because they were fertile, not because they sinned. Most of them had been professional women, which was no longer allowed. Also, women who had been married more than once, since all subsequent marriages after the first were invalid, and divorce was not recognized.

[@Zazz_Blammymatazz]

By making Gilead a multiracial society, the show's creators inadvertently made the regime less menacing.

[@berniekatzroy]

I think they made that change in the tv series because since its set to modern times you'd need every fertile women available as a handmaid vs the books where minorities are almost not present in Gilead society.

[@MissKashira]

@@berniekatzroy Do you think if Gilead was real these commanders and their wives would be content to raise babies of color? They wouldn't. There is no way you end up with Gilead without the genocide of people of color. You just don't. So while I understand why they wanted a diverse cast for their show, because of that they managed to create a society of Nazis with no racial oppression. None. There are no consequences to being black in Gilead. You can even rise to the ranks of commander and rape some women yourself. Gilead is less racist than modern day America. It breaks my brain when I think about it. They have literal slaves, but are less racist...

[@berniekatzroy]

@@MissKashira honestly, they'd off anyone who doesn't fit into Gileads framework. I'm not sure that you actually realize what a nazi is since that word gets thrown around too easily these days.

[@MissKashira]

@@berniekatzroy Yes, and they do. They kill baptists, but they don't kill based off race... And I was using Nazi as shorthand for fascist. But thanks for making me have to type it out anyway.

[@berniekatzroy]

@@MissKashira yeah bc Baptists dont fit into their framework

[@leahchamberlin9314]

Isn't the low birth rate and the sudden drop in fertility the same thing. You said the drop in fertility is not because of the birth rate dropping, but the toxic radiation???

[@leahchamberlin9314]

The drop in fertility is not because of the drop in fertility, but toxic radiation.

[@cpeterson6974]

Birth rates are counted as babies that are born. Miscarriages and abortions are not counted Fertility rate is counted as number of pregnancies. Miscarriages and abortions are counted.

[@leahchamberlin9314]

@@cpeterson6974 Thank you. I didn't know that

[@alyssapeterson2004]

I think he misspoke and was trying to reference the misconception that birth control led to a loss of fertility. Almost like people choosing to not have babies led to a physiological decline. However, if you watch the show, it is the toxic and environmental factors that caused the fertility rate to drop

[@alstound]

The real sadist is the Lieutenant. He enjoyed hurting June and killing her friends like they’re flies to get her to disclose the escaping handmaids’ location. I don’t think Aunt Lydia is a sadist, though. She may be ruthless and excessively hurting her girls like an abusive cop, but she does this thinking she’s grooming them to carry out their purpose in Gilead.

[@LilBeee85]

I would LOVE to see the ballet!

[@zezokh4754]

i want to see aunt Lydia choose gun or whistle in season 5 or see her get eaten by wolfs slowly

[@maiden1520]

This series is the modern version of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. 1975. Everyone who has seen that movie will agree. For everyone who hasn't seen it. Don't watch it lol.

[@SM-yd8hq]

Fred is the infertile one, not Serena.

[@Danicole87]

Then how did Serena get pregnant?!

[@dana-ky5mg]

If somebody is now watching season 4, can you explain to me please how serena could became pregnant?

[@jenniferodonnell2394]

Well you see when two people love each other they express their love in a certain way. The sperm meets the egg, 😝😆

[@marwah2324]

I think she cheated on Fred with Mark Tuello

[@dana-ky5mg]

@@jenniferodonnell2394 I am not talking about that😂

[@dana-ky5mg]

@@marwah2324 Yeh i thought the same thing, but it's possible that Fred doesn't know that he can not do it🤔 it's weird

[@8698gil]

Maybe Fred isn't completely infertile, but just has a low sperm count, which makes getting pregnant more difficult.

[@Supersquishyawesomeness]

I can watch the show because it takes a great novel and destroys it.

[@gamergirl101010]

I think the show is way better than the book

[@l.c.7955]

Then don't watch? Or are they making you?

[@Jacson_23]

Thank god I no longer have a uterus.

[@thiccredgyal3404]

Serena joy is pregnant though

[@cynthiavanteylingen7922]

And now serena joy is pregnant suposedly...

[@christina311uss]

There was a movie in 1990.

[@madinafaizullina8025]

why fertile women serving infertile women? And how women who lived in fear were able to give a berth a healthy child.

[@kevinrussell1144]

Be4cause this is made up, fear mongering crap.

[@mikemartin5073]

there has been no nudity on the show

[@leannaw207]

there has been alot but only with a few characters

[@mokshahum807]

Can anybody tell me why the wives are dressed in green? I already saw a video that explains why the menstrual red 🤮 But, why the greens in the wives' dresses and light green in the Martha's dresses

[@rebecca7245]

Marthas wear a very pale green like you said. Marthas make all the food by hand, so it’s an earthy hue..yet their color is made to blend in to the background just like they’re supposed to. Wives wear a deep blue, almost royal blue. I think it’s meant to be regal; a show of power - you’re with a Commander. Therefore you get to be a socialite and keep what little dignity women (and young girls) are allowed.

[@sfwelles2712]

Virginity and purity. If you look at biblical paintings, you'll see Mary usually being depicted in blue or green robes

[@calamityk2854]

Don't know if anyone has called you on this yet, but your take on Serena and infertility is absolute BS. I the novel, the future historians analyzing the handmaid's tale speculate that many of the commanders were sterile due to their exposure to toxins during the war. But according to official dogma men could not be infertile so women were blamed for any difficulties conceiving. THAT IS WHY when Offered can't conceive Serena arranges Nick as a stand-in. The commander is shooting blanks and they know it. They need another man to ensure a pregnancy. If that isn't blindingly obvious to you then you need to check your own assumptions.

[@thiccredgyal3404]

The evangelical church is more accepting on people of color so it's revenant to have people of different races.

[@sandracmyers]

Is more accepting opposed to who?

[@cyril8084]

well originally it wasn't the case in the books

[@sarmajere2866]

An interesting thing in the novel was that no existing church was responsible for Gilead. I remember specifically that the Baptists weren’t giving up their fight in the south. It was interesting to me that Atwood criticizes, not a particular religion, but an ideology.

[@Buttercup697]

The evangelical church is more accepting of people’s MONEY... they don’t care about any color, other than green! 🙄💵💵💵

[@caborabassa696]

@@Buttercup697 Exactly! That was the same thought that came to my mind. They are more accepting of those who can give 10% of their income.

[@JMV1616]

Why bother having her shot there if it’s unrelated?

[@genera1013]

Red herring?

[@cynthiavanteylingen7922]

To make us think its not possible for s j to get pregnant. And throw this bombshell on us in a later season.

[@TooEasilyAmused]

Of Fred

[@Kikilang60]

Margret Atwood likes to say her work isn't Science Fiction. She just doesn't like the label, because she thinks the title Science Fiction is inferior.

[@annas.5894]

No. She calls her work speculative fiction- a term borrowed from Robert Heinlein (and used of course not only by her). She has no objections to science fiction at all- it’s just not what she does.

[@sueecavanau]

I've heard some refer to it as apocalyptic or dystopian fiction. Speculative fiction seems to be a big umbrella term for many types of fiction, so I see why Margaret Atwood calls her work speculative fiction.

[@josiealiceblanton]

Also nothing in the creation of Gilead is fiction. It has all happened, just not in the same time in the same place. Speculative Fiction is a bit better term, but only so much as novels set around history are called Historical Fiction. We are completely capable of creating Gilead. We also are able to make Mayday.

[@sueecavanau]

@@josiealiceblanton Anything not based on real events is fiction. The Handmaid's Tale can't be put into the "non-fiction" category.

[@josiealiceblanton]

@@sueecavanau it isn't non-fiction but it isn't Sci-Fi or even Fantasy. Those genres depend on a world where the rules of our world have been broken. In The Handmaid's Tail everything in the world building has happened in reality. So the world isn't a fictional construction. The events in the world building in Atwood creation is an amalgam of human history. The characters are fictional, but their interactions have assuredly been played out dozens or hundreds, even thousands of times in our world. Only the names have been changed.

[@alexmcgill9618]

I've often wondered how the women get picked, I know it is fertile women. What if you are a fertile woman, you are married to a high ranking men in Gilead.

[@sarmajere2866]

They’re women who committed a “crime” against Gilead, who happen to be fertile. It “justifies” their treatment. There was the commander in the episode where June had false labor whose wife had given birth, but it’s extremely rare!

[@lindagiddes4551]

Then you’ll be a handmaid, that’s what will happen if Serena goes back to gilead, she will walk in the shoes of a handmaid

[@SJ-xx1xj]

There’s an episode where women who are fertile but not “sinners” and are married wear gray and live kind of like stepford wives. When June is at large in an earlier season, she’s stays at one of those women’s houses and pretends to be one to keep going on her journey.

[@trishna_6815]

A fertile woman could be a) handmaid if they've been 'immoral' b) econowife is 'moral' but low class or c) wife is both 'moral' and high class

[@MissKashira]

Handmaids are being punished for crimes like adultery, practicing a different religion, practicing the wrong kind of Christianity, being gay, trying to escape the country, etc. If you're a fertile woman convicted of a crime you're given the option of being worked to death in the colonies or becoming a handmaid.

[@mrsmendy3845]

I don't think Aunt Lydia is a sadist. She has a very difficult job to do and to get unwilling women to that point she has to scare the shit out of them. With some it's easier, others harder. But I have seen many times how much she loves her girls and stands up for them.

[@ShyShyTheGem]

Loves them but rips out their eyeballs and clitd

[@beewest5704]

Aunt Lydia is a sadistic narcissist. Acts like she loves the girls but she just treats them like her possessions & she discards them very easily. She enjoys them swinging on the wall for disobeying her.

[@ajheartsong]

@@ShyShyTheGem exactly! she's evil and just enjoys the power. the religious righteousness act is just icing on the cake...

[@moonlily1]

No, she doesn't "love" them. You have a twisted, fucked up concept of love. They aren't people to her, she doesn't respect them, she does not care about their well being or happiness, and she enjoys hurting them. She wants to believe she does it for their own good, but she does it because it's personally gratifying for her. She loves the idea of making strong sexual women into infantilized little girls you can make do whatever you want and force them to enact an abusive mother-daughter role in which they treat her with reverence and abject obedience. She thinks she "loves" them the way parents who beat their children will say they do it for "your own good" because they "love" you when they are just doing it for their own emotional catharsis. Lydia has too much self hate to possess the ability to love anyone. You cannot 'love' someone while treating them as an object. What you said is just so unbelievably gross, that you frame the act of BREAKING people as "love". That. Is NOT. Love. And you content creator "loving" this sick, disturbing comment, you're fucking gross too.

[@eleanormason2647]

Anyone who thinks aunt Lydia is a sadist hasn't read the testaments. It's a great book and gives a really, really good reason why aunt Lydia had to appear to be all in, and beyond reproach from the leaders of Gilead

[@theresefleming4627]

Chaotic good

[@notrelevantanymore545]

Wow

[@roxannespindler8286]

Scary this book was out in 1985 and look what’s happened in the trump era. He and his cronies n cult. Blessed be TRUMPLICANS.

[@r.b.johnson5269]

@@PrairieChickenCO HAHAHAHA. Put on your teal dress, Serena Joy.

[@r.b.johnson5269]

@@PrairieChickenCO all you need to belong to your cult. Got it.

[@r.b.johnson5269]

@@PrairieChickenCO nah, I'm good. I already got myself out of a cult. But, good luck with that!!

[@brittanylevine2701]

Idk... what’s Biden doing about the gas? what is his vp doing going to South America instead of the border between Mexico and USA? Biden is president and we are still on lock down and mask mandates.... but it’s trumps fault

[@r.b.johnson5269]

@@brittanylevine2701 your comment didn't age well. We are no longer under mask mandate...thanks to Biden's aggressive vaccine program. And the gas pipeline was fixed. The permeable border has been that way forever. Your point would be....?

[@mistypatch8164]

Linda isn't a sadist she was abused by the founding members and forced to be an aunt or die. If you don't know what your talking about then don't make viedos until u know wtf u talking about it

[@bethhoyle3033]

This post is ironic... It's Lydia. Not Linda.

[@mistypatch8164]

@@bethhoyle3033 I'm sorry Grammer police

[@anyways1715]

@@mistypatch8164 grammar

[@mistypatch8164]

@@anyways1715 who cares really.

[@VelvetCat1]

@@mistypatch8164 a lot of people care. I mean, if you're gonna insult the show creators at least you could write it right

[@peterlane1391]

Aunt Lydia isn't a sadist. She's a true believer. She attacks June on the stairs because she is angered at being weak and receiving false compassion from someone who has gamed the system to flagrantly violate Gilead's rules. Lydia screams she should be on the wall for attempting a kidnapping. Her philosophy is shown when she defends the damaged handmaids: punishment is necessary to accomplish what needs to be done.

[@kevinrussell1144]

Pete: that's a sick, twisted argument. Since we, as individuals, can't know what another is truly thinking, by your standards we can never judge. If someone is NOT a murderer in their mind, they're not really a murderer, correct? So if we SEE someone has chain-sawed another and is smiling about it, we don't REALLY know if they are a sadist. They might actually believe it's for the good of all. Pete, that didn't work for the Nazis, for good reason. They knew what they were up to. Who cares what they thought about their motives. The Nuremburg judges hanged a bunch of the worst offenders. They should have hanged more. You shoot a rabid dog. Sadist is as sadist does. Lydia exudes the markers of a sadist. I don't care what she thinks. I'm sure the actress who plays her is a real sweetheart.

[@peterlane1391]

@@kevinrussell1144 There's a difference between say Batman who believes torture is necessary to protect Gotham and someone who enjoys causing suffering. Lydia doesn't enjoy causing pain so she's not a sadist. Still cruel and evil though.

[@kevinrussell1144]

Thanks. I think I see what you're driving at. I have NOT watched the show (just clips), but assumed she was receiving some kind of satisfaction or even pleasure from inflicting pain (I saw the clip of smacking someone with a whip-like object). You must ENJOY it to be a true sadist. Of course, she COULD enjoy it, but we don't know. She IS evil, however, so there we agree.

[@peggyhalter1]

Way too loud

[@pamelavidal4137]

I desagree

[@jenniferballinger4350]

Yeah I'll tell you how people get it wrong, by thinking the Word of God is somehow what these people follow. Crazy interpretation. But what bothers me most is the fact that you can't be accurate with black people because of the stupid diversity crap. It would have been better to show how the book has it. You would have had more black actors and a much better plot line if you would not have focused on thinking it wasn't inclusive enough. You would have had loads of black actors being sent to a separate place and they would also be in the free country. Anyway it's stupid and superficial to only have one black handmaid... Who ends up escaping...

[@WayneSmith-lo8be]

The Washington Monument is a PHALIC symbol representing the Freemasonic RELIGION of the Republic of Gilead. The Handmaid's Tale is very UNChristian and Unjewish.

[@danl9999]

Wasn't the book a response to dr. laura schellesenger? conservative vs collectivist/feminist/marxist? and more or less the abortion issue?

[@catsmom129]

The book came out before Dr. Laura was famous. It was inspired by a lot of things: events in Iran and Romania, American Puritanism and reactionary religious and political movements in the 1980s. In Romania, the Communist president was forcing women to have babies. Gilead is all about stripping away individual rights. So lumping feminism in with communism and collectivism doesn’t really apply here. Also the book is primarily about systemic sexual assault. I don’t think abortion is the central issue.

[@danl9999]

@@catsmom129 It was the author's own words. And feminism is a marxist movement.

[@jimmywebb4429]

What makes Handmaids Tale uncompelling for me is how deeply it fails to address basic cultural truths in modern America. There is no militant Christian organization that cares deeply about the environment. The series became laughably unbelievable at the point where it began portraying authoritarians who enslave poor women as baby machines to be environmentalists. As such, Handmaids Tale is deeply inaccurate on fundamental issues in the modern USA, and is less of a cautionary tale about destruction of democracy and more of a cautionary tale about trying to play two distinct $$$ markets and not take a side. I speak only for the series, not having read the novel.

[@8698gil]

How does the series portray the women to be environmentalists?

[@smorfnimda]

The show describes Middle East and Muslim society but the left wants to portray the show as Trump supporters and Conservatives.

[@WayneSmith-lo8be]

The Republic of Gilead is Anti-Jewish and Anti-Christian which preach that women are BLESSED. Husbands are REQUIRED to see to the needs of their WIVES before themselves, even unto DEATH. Gilead is a Freemasonry religion or possibly Muslim.

[@donniepatt9514]

I love this show but this shit would never happen. The women would cut their balls off way before the society happened. They would fight back right away and so would the men. I think some women would rather die than live like that..I know in the show they are fighting back now but it would've fallen apart WAY before that. The show is great so I suspend disbelief to enjoy the show. I like the direction the fourth season is going, almost setting June up as q villain. At least it seems that way to me now because I'm only on episode three, but the way they put the trailer clips it's leading that way too. Not a villain but fueled with hate and revenge and taking unnecessary risks to dish out some justice, but I could be way off because I'm so far behind that in the show

[@jillybean5159]

Ooh, I think you should enlarge your reading matter to include '1984' and especially Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' - the latter being scarily accurate about what's happening right now! Oh, and while you are at it, try Carl Sagan's 'The Demon Haunted World', especially pp 25 and 26. Try not to have too many nightmares!

[@yellowtulip4105]

Never say never; you'd be dissapointed when you realize most people can't be bothered to open their eyes and defend their liberties until it's too late.