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June takes the stand on a powerful Handmaid’s Tale

TV Reviews Luke
June takes the stand on a powerful Handmaid’s Tale

Samira Wiley Photo: Sophie Giraud/Hulu

From my extremely limited understanding of Emmy eligibility rules, “Testimony” falls under the “hanging episodes” rule that states that episodes aired after the May 31 deadline can still be considered as long as the screeners were available before that date. Which is great news for the cast of The Handmaid’s Tale because this is clearly the Emmy clip episode—especially for Elisabeth Moss, who has been treating this season like a greatest hits montage.

We have another banger on our hands in a very strong season of the most emotionally exhausting show on my rotation. Even Mare Of Easttown feels like a respite, thanks to all the vaping and Jean Smart’s antics. Still, even though I would probably hide from June if I were to encounter her on the mean streets of Toronto, I’m not the kind of viewer that bails on a show because the protagonist fails the moral rectitude test. I appreciate that the writers are forcing us to journey into this dark, dark, dark spiritual hell where we have to grapple with difficult questions. For example: Healing after trauma—should it involve the law of retaliation or does a gratitude journal suffice?

Whatever the answer may be, there is one generous consensus: reclaiming your narrative via (GASP!) testimony is a necessary first step. We bear witness to the many ways the victims of Gilead attempt to do this. There’s the Moira-led group therapy, where former Handmaids share the ways they’re coping–or not. There are the written statements presented to the court against the Waterfords. I would even say there’s the idea of compartmentalization, best exemplified by Moira who prefers to focus her energy on other topics of convo in the home.

The victims of Gilead are not the only ones, though, who want to speak their truth. There is the mysterious Iris/Irene, a former aunt who hounds Emily in the hopes she can explain her side of the story. The Waterfords too are prepped to the nines for their charges hearing. Serena, whose wholehearted belief in Gilead’s mission has been waning, might be dressed in her wifey best but believes that showing some deference towards the victims might be the right strategy. Fred, however, prefers to double down on the crazy, as we later see in the hearing.

But obviously the biggest testimony of all is June’s. She has cut her hair short, in the ancient female tradition of New Me, New Do. She is dressed like an Elizabeth Warren campaign staffer at the height of the race. She is ready to spit on a Bible if the Canadian court so much as hints at it, but it’s Canada and the court is as spotless as it is secular. She is not ready to make nice, she is not ready to back down, she is still mad as hell and she doesn’t have time to go ’round and ’round and ’round.

Her whole monologue is a sight to behold. First off, thank you for the massive recap of everything that happened to her since season one, ’cause I sure needed that refresher. There is even a nod to the 247 opportunities she had to escape Gilead, so at least there is an awareness that this was a CONSTANT theme. But beyond the info dump, every little expression, gesture, twitch on Moss’ face is its own discourse. The proud smile when she talks about hitting the Commander back. The restrained sadness as she memorializes Mrs. Lawrence. Breaking the fourth wall when she says, “I am grateful to be speaking to you today,” as if it were a very sincere PSA for a violence against women awareness campaign.

But if sharing one’s story were enough, then LiveJournal accounts would have replaced therapy a long time ago. What June is looking for, and what most Gilead victims want, is more. They want to dismantle the whole state. They seek accountability from those who have harmed them. Fuck accountability, many want outright retribution. And June, well, she is embodying the Elmo Rise gif in all its messy, problematic, unsettling glory.

In case the testimony wasn’t enough to put us in June’s side, despite all the AWFULNESS of her past actions (#freeluke), we also take a brief visit back to Gilead. Whose interiors, always looks like a cross between Grey Gardens and Northanger Abbey. Aunt Lydia is in trouble with Commander Lawrence because she has just been a bit too trigger-happy with that taser of hers. She is doing her best Blue Lives Matter impersonation during training, tasing Handmaids even if they are obedient and the other Boss Aunts despite their position of power. Lawrence is like, “Girl, listen, you need a new hobby” and offers one up to her: Janine.

Yup, Janine lives. But you almost wish that wasn’t the case. Broken down physically and emotionally, she begs Aunt Lydia to not turn her into a Handmaid again. The thing is sharing your story does jack if the person doesn’t want to listen—and Aunt Lydia does not. Still on her own pathological hunt for June, Aunt Lydia insists that it’s June’s corrosive influence that Janine is responding to. Clearly, Janine has every single valid reason to not want to be ritually raped by some religious freaks. June might only be a bleep factoring in that desire. But damn if Lydia doesn’t point to June’s very real ability to sway others, to become a leader wherever she may be. When she is at her best, we get the Angel Flight. When she is at her worst, we get a child assassin.

When she is in Canada, we get a freaking wild card. Tempered, levelheaded Emily reveals during group therapy that she is gleeful over Irene’s death. She hopes her lack of forgiveness led Iris/Irene to hang herself. The other Handmaids follow suit, voicing all their revenge fantasies. Moira tries to regain control of the group, insisting that living in anger isn’t the answer. But June asks, “Why does healing have to be the only goal? Why can’t we be as furious as we feel? Do we have that right?”

This is a very valid question and I’m sure mental health professionals and Rebecca Traister would answer that anger is fantastic, but it should be directed towards something constructive. June, though, is in pure destruction mode. Not only that, she won’t be satiated until others go down that path as well. Will this catch up with her? Will June ever be held accountable for her very real transgressions against the victims she has created?

Moira, the moral compass of the show, insists that we’re all better than the things we’ve done. This is an admirable sentiment to aspire to. But The Handmaid’s Tale holds a bleaker version of humanity, and it appears to be steering us to this: We all have our shadow selves and to resist them after all that trauma is difficult. Some would even say impossible.

Stray observations

  • We should all be listening to more Portishead.
  • Eyebrow Watch 2021: June paints him as another victim of Gilead in her testimony, which made me wonder if he’s being portrayed as another criminal or something murkier abroad.
  • Luke: Ugh, poor Luke, who is clearly aware that something very, very, very dark happened that night in the bedroom. He too wants to move forward, wipe the slate clean, but this is not a process that June wants to partake in. I suspect her motive to share with him the last time she saw Hannah is to drag Luke down into that same pit of anger she dwells in.
  • Most Canadian Thing to Happen this Week: I wanted to say something cutesy about the court robes but, given the heartbreaking discovery of the remains of 215 indigenous children, we have to confront the fact that Canada has its own shadow self. I mean, the freaks supporting the Waterfords outside the courtroom are not as far-fetched as one would think. There’s a reason Alberta is considered the Texas of Canada and it has nothing to do with their shared appreciation for prairie oysters.

82 Comments

  • lisarowe-av says:

    after seeing the supporters for waterfords, i’m surprised we haven’t seen anyone in gilead that purposely moved there from canada or have we and i don’t remember? why don’t all those supporters move to gilead. go away.

    • youralizardharry-av says:

      Canada: Love it or leave it.

    • yourmomandmymom-av says:

      They’re probably just MRA trolls and nothing more. Moving requires effort.

    • stevenstrell-av says:

      I thought this was a dream sequence, especially since I thought one of the protesters looked exactly like Luke.And I just have to add that those are certainly guilded cages for the Waterfords.  Are all prisons in Canada like this? 😉

      • redbeansandricedidmissher-av says:

        I honestly thought that they were giving them such luxury treatment in an effort to sway them to “flip” on Gilead and help take it down–but there’s been no indication of that and it’s getting ridiculous at this point. They’re accused rapists and war criminals, what in the actual hell is with their freedom of movement, private conversations, etc. None of that should be happening, it’s truly bizarre.

        • grrrz-av says:

          they don’t have freedom of movement though; they’re in a gilded cage. In this sequence they’re going to the tribunal I think. I agree this is far from what a prison is; but it’s a pretty good representation of what prison is for rich people.

        • ajvia123-av says:

          they’re not charged yet. They are basically in ICC grand jury wherein the ICC is considering indicting them for criminal charges against humanity, much like the Holocaust coordinators/criminals were after WW2/Nuremberg. Canada is holding the ICC tribune there but theoretically the Waterfords could be released w/ no charges, have minor charges brought, or be “arrested and indicted” for these and THEN go into a prison/pretrial holding center of some kind. 

    • feral-pizza-at-home-av says:

      That’s the first thing I thought too. If they support Gilead and their practices, why not move there?

    • roboj-av says:

      I mean, there are plenty of Canadians that are supportive of Trump and the GOP. The premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, would make a fine Republican. Far-right dickheads exist everywhere, its just that Canada has done a decent job so far keeping them out of power and control.

    • feral-pizza-at-home-av says:

      They’re similar to a certain person’s supporters in that they see themselves worthy of being commanders and wives or aunts if they move to Gilead. Realistically, the men without wealth or status will end up working for the eyes. Dig deep into the women’s pasts and a divorce, infidelity or anything that is described as adultery will make them handmaids or, if not capable of childbearing, marthas. That’s probably why they stay in Canada.

    • samursu-av says:

      Perhaps they’re patriotic Canadians? DUH.  And maybe they want Canada to go the Gilead route, in which case it makes a lot more sense to stay in Canada and go to rallies in support of the Waterfords.  

      • kumagorok-av says:

        Watching that scene, I had this dizzying presentiment that turning Canada into Neo Gilead is actually the showrunners’ plan to fill seasons 5 onward.

  • cinecraf-av says:

    Spoiler: In the season finale June is held accountable for her actions and sentenced by a judge to return to Gilead for three to five more seasons, er, years.

    • diedofennui-av says:

      I’m assuming this will end with Gilead offering up Hannah in exchange for June, and June returning to be hung on the wall. 

      • curiousorange-av says:

        Would be a downer ending, but could just follow it with a far future ‘happy’ epilogue like in the book.

  • feral-pizza-at-home-av says:

    I’m going to take a wild guess on what’s going to happen to Janine: she’s going to be made a Pearl Girl. I doubt Aunt Lydia would put her back in service since she was one of the favorites. Plus, how else would Janine be able to run into June in Canada while still be under the influence of Gilead?

  • lieven-av says:

    Anyone noticed how they used the scrubbing sounds in that first scene with Aunt Lydia? It really stood out to me in both a beautiful and very haunting way.

    • samursu-av says:

      It was beautiful.  But I just couldn’t get over the fact that they were in what was clearly a Catholic cathedral when Gilead is run by hardcore Protestants. 

      • lieven-av says:

        I didn’t even notice that. This is a stretch but there was no indication they use it now as a religious space, right? Theoretically, as the building is there from pre-Gilead days, it simply is still there but used for other things?

        • hrhduchessofnaps1-av says:

          IIRC, in the book, all the catholic churches were bombed out or taken over to use as other purposes. 

      • kiko1968-av says:

        I think it was filmed in a a university hall. It looks alot like Hart House at the University of Toronto. Many Anglican and United (Methodist in origin) buildings in Canada used gothic architectural styles.

      • c8h18-av says:

        They’re not Protestants, if anything they’re fundamentalists 

    • kumagorok-av says:

      It’s important for the precious, selected few women who have received from God the sacred duty of procreation to learn how to properly scrub a floor.

  • tgraves12-av says:

    Hi Strells,I too believed that the protestors were delusions of the Waterfords.   

  • cate5365-av says:

    Can we mention this was another Elisabeth Moss directed episode and boy, did she do a great job! So many magnificent actresses doing great work. I am also torn – is June going full Walter White or is her righteous fury going to lead to something other than disaster? Or violence? Will she channel her anger into getting justice and retribution for the victims of Gilead? How on earth can she rebuild her life and will Luke ever truly understand what she’s been through and how she has been changed forever?

    • grrrz-av says:

      I still think it’s a bit more nuanced than that. but we’ll see.

    • gildie-av says:

      Considering they want to make more seasons I expect Janine’s capture to be what makes June decide to go back into Gilead as a freedom fighter. 

      • feral-pizza-at-home-av says:

        I’m currently in the grays, but I’ll repeat my prediction: Aunt Lydia will gain Janine’s influence and trust. Janine will become a Pearl Girl (who recruit people from other countries to go to Gilead to become handmaids). She will be sent to Canada and face June (and maybe baby Nichole) at some point.I elaborated a bit more in this post.

        • merchantfan1-av says:

          Yeah we haven’t seen much (or any?) of the Pearl Girls yet! I don’t remember them being portrayed and would like to see that

          • feral-pizza-at-home-av says:

            They haven’t yet. Commander Lawrence was asking Aunt Lydia to stop being too aggressive and “find a new hobby.” I’m guessing Janine will be the first.

          • merchantfan1-av says:

            OK I definitely want to see them- they were a pretty crucial part of worldbuilding since they showed one of the ways Gilead communicated its propaganda to the outside world

      • kinjabitch69-av says:

        And Hannah.

    • merchantfan1-av says:

      Seriously, the framing and acting in that speech was amazing. It was just real enough that you could picture it as a real speech you might see somewhere 

    • c8h18-av says:

      I’m fine with that, actually after everything in this show I’m hoping for it

  • judyhennessey--disqus-av says:

    I’m curious about one point (perhaps it’s made clearer in the books). Fred claims that Gilead is the only country in which the birth rate is climbing. That is exactly the sort of propaganda a Gilead bigwig would spread.
    But earlier there were envoys from, I think, Mexico, negotiating with Gilead for healthy babies. So is it established that only Gilead has had some success there, as the result of handmaids and compulsory procreation? Or is that another big lie to justify Gilead’s many crimes and cruelties?

    • gildie-av says:

      Honestly I think if you scrutinize any of the worldbuilding it’s just going to make you crazy because it’s really inconsistent. Just take any episode at face value and don’t try to remember too many past details and it’s a more enjoyable show.Also, the original book is both intentionally vague and quite different so you can’t really lean on it to explain the show. 

    • fast-k-av says:

      The negotiations with Mexico could be just as inspired by Gilead misinformation about their birth rate as Waterford’s testimony. Why would they only lie in one setting but not in another? 

    • jonesj5-av says:

      There’s no way the birth rate is actually rising in Gilead, because their system is not an effective way of increasing the birthrate. It’s not meant to increase the birthrate. It’s meant to control the populace, mostly the women but also men who are not in positions of power (many of whom are sent to die in endless wars).My understanding from the book was that the problem with the birth rate was more or less limited to white people. This was not said explicitly, but there is no way you could take what the leaders of Gilead said as fact, and after Gilead’s falls there are still plenty of people around to study it. The human race did not go extinct. This is sort of like the idiots worried about decreased white male sperm counts now and thinking this means the end of the human race as a whole. One problem I have with the show is that they seem to take the statements of the leaders of Gilead at face value.

      • kumagorok-av says:

        “The human race did not go extinct.”A decreased birth rate would actually prevent the human race to go extinct from doomsday scenarios caused by overpopulation and resource depletion. You’d need a sustained planetary negative birth rate to face extinction in the very long term.

      • tokenaussie-av says:

        but also men who are not in positions of power (many of whom are sent to die in endless wars).Is this mentioned in the series?

    • daymanaaaa-av says:

      Honestly if they just did a bunch of IVF or had widescale surrogacy programs and offered big $$$ to said surrogates they’d probably have more success. I suspect this is just propaganda. 

      • jonesj5-av says:

        Yes. That’s how you know the system is not actually meant to increase the birthrate. One more thing from the book: a lot of babies are put to death for what may be minor imperfections (we can’t be sure what’s wrong with them). This is not a system that actually supports or promotes life.

        • nocountryforwellbehavedwomen-av says:

          You have a different interpretation than me. I just reread THT and distinctly got the impression that most babies being born (the few that were) were significantly deformed. At one point she describes an Unbaby with its insides on the outside. They make some allusions to this in the show too. 

      • chardonnayandswisscakerolls-av says:

        Didn’t they start with that? They knew Moira could get pregnant because she was a surrogate.

        • daymanaaaa-av says:

          I don’t think they did it like with huge incentives, or I don’t even think it’s on Gilead’s radar 

    • topherius-av says:

      It wasnt the  babies they were trading for, it was the handmaids…they are Gilead’s main resource and it’s a resource that replicates.  There was a final scene with the envoys where June explains exactly what a handmaid goes through in private to her and says something like” what are we being traded for, fucking chocolate?”.

  • judyhennessey--disqus-av says:

    Janine sounded as calm and sane as she ever has, as though she’s had time to process recent developments and is finally seeing clearly (no pun
    intended). She ignored nearly all of Lydia’s diatribe against June and
    instead repeated her direct appeals to be allowed to die in prison
    rather than be forced to serve as a handmaid again.

    I thought that the ending of that scene between Janine and Lydia showed that Lydia was in fact processing what Janine was saying — and that Lydia realized that she could not bring herself to return Janine to handmaid service.
    “Whatever are we going to do with you?”Two questions, though. Where was the prison? My thought was that Lydia had to do some traveling but that the prison would have to be in land Gilead controls, so somewhere east of Chicago. If that’s the case, which direction do Lydia and Janine head?

    Also — how calculated was that move by Cmdr. Lawrence? He framed it as an opportunity for Lydia to exact rightful physical vengeance (a lot of that going around) but he also seemed to know that Lydia cares deeply for Janine. But how would he know that?  Sure, he’s observant to a fault and he and June could have discussed it. Emily was also in his household and knew both Janine and Lydia. But that doesn’t seem as though it would have come up in conversation.

  • ben-mcs-av says:

    The recent discovery of 250 bodies at a Catholic school for stolen children took place in British Columbia, not Alberta. More like it happening in the Washington or California of Canada, rather than the Texas.

  • azurastars-av says:

    Eyebrow Watch 2021. My life is complete now thank you.

  • StudioTodd-av says:

    I was really hoping for a different arc for Janine, in which—after she was left behind—she finally understands the stakes and became focused and trained hard until she became a legendary bad-ass rebel leader who was feared by all of Gilead.Instead, we once again get this subdued, compliant, fearful victim who has to beg not to be raped.Regarding the very relaxed protocols under which the Waterfords are incarcerated, I gave up on expecting anything resembling reality the moment they allowed June to enter the “cell” of her tormentor and then LEFT HER ALONE WITH HER without any supervision or protection for several minutes until June decided she was ready to leave! I could ask why they wouldn’t be concerned that perhaps June planned to beat Mrs. Waterford to death with her bare hands and rip out her jugular with her teeth, but it would really be pointless at this point.

    • feral-pizza-at-home-av says:

      I’d rather have Janine return to that non-Mayday rebel group and hook up with the leader than be dead. But instead, she got captured and will possibly be under the control of Aunt Lydia again.Also, I don’t think of realism when it comes to this show, but you do have a point about leaving a victim full of anger and trauma possibly beating the shit of her pregnant abuser.

      • StudioTodd-av says:

        You’re right, “reality” was the wrong word. I should have used “believability—even within a fictional world” or “logical human behavior” instead.

    • evamarie4141-av says:

      I spent that whole scene worried she would kick Serena’s stomach and cause a miscarriage. 

  • bismitchen-av says:

    All that praise? Terrible episode, and painfully boring. The show spent 57 minutes telling us what we already know. This was filler. Not worth an Emmy. Not worth a Razzie, for crying out loud. It was the Army of the Dead episode of the series.

  • samursu-av says:

    Was this a good episode? Yes, it was. But let’s review a few things.1) The Waterfords are being tried by the ICC, not a Canadian court. This was made clear on several occasions. Furthermore, the Waterfords have not broken any laws in Canada, so they are not “under arrest” in the traditional sense, hence the luxurious accommodations.  The original arrest arranged by Serena and the US gov’t was to lure Commander Waterford into Canadian territory and then arrest him on INTERNATIONAL charges, not Canadian ones.2) The hearing we watched was whether or not to lay (“confirm”) charges against the Waterfords, not a trial. In American terms, it was a “grand jury hearing” except, of course, that this is the INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT. And this procedure is exactly the one they use in real life. Right this very minute, the ICC is taking testimony to decide whether or not to lay charges against Israel.3) The debate between healing and revenge is one that the survivors of Nazi death camps went through as well. I highly recommend reading Viktor Mann’s books (himself a camp survivor) for more on how this went down with actual, real-life survivors of state sanctioned torture and abuse. 4) I told ya that June raped Luke last week!5) If Gilead truly is the only country with a positive birth rate, then the Waterfords (and Lawrence/Lydia) really are gonna have the last laugh. Because in 50 to 100 years, all of their competitors (including “perfect” Canada) are going to fall apart due to lack of people.6) June better hope she’s never cross-examined at a trial because we all know she’s done some pretty rough shit, including telling that young Wife at the farm to straight up execute that guy in the barn. And god help her if Nick ever comes to Canada.7) After all these seasons, I’m still screaming at the TV going “What the hell are the COLONIES? What are they colonizing? What is the point of them??” Quit acting like everyone just knows what the dreaded COLONIES are!8) Literally, every single scene was DARK DARK DARK as hell except the angelic pure lightness of the ICC hearing. Luke’s house is darker than Lawrence’s, and that’s saying something. 9) Hey, are you a survivor of rape and systemic abuse? Cool. Let’s meet right in the middle of a giant library for ONE HOUR PER WEEK. You’re sure to feel better afterward! 10) In real-life news, the United States was too chickenshit to put up an LBGQT pride flag in front of their embassy in Saudi Arabia. You know, the country that uses cranes to hang gay people, Gilead style. Fun times!

    • samursu-av says:

      Also, Lawrence’s “June knows how to make people like her” line made me gag. Who likes June? Janine sure doesn’t, even if she supports her escape, and there are plenty of handmaids who suffered from June’s stupidity (including that grocery store shootout). Mrs. Keys is probably cursing her name from whatever dungeon she’s rotting away in. June is rude as hell to Moira all the time, and Oona obviously dislikes her too. June disrespects Emily on the regular. The “rebel Martha alliance” aka Mayday in Gilead hates her. She treats Luke like crap, ignores Rita Blue, and even Steven’s pathetic band of rebels in Chicago disliked her. June has turned into a murderous psycho, and everyone knows it. Pretty much only Nick is still 100% on Team June, and that’s because she’s just a fantasy in his mind.

      • kumagorok-av says:

        I think it’s more like June knows how to make people follow her. We just saw how she took control of Moira’s group. You don’t have to like your leader.

      • usus-av says:

        I’m wondering if Nick and Lawrence are now going to be in trouble because June outed them as helping her and breaking Gilead law. The hearing appears to be public knowledge.

      • heyitsmegeordie-av says:

        You must be watching a different show than I am, because while June may not be”likable” she certainly is charismatic as fuck.

    • pearlnyx-av says:

      There was an episode about the Colonies very briefly in season 2. I remember Emily and Janine being sent there. Women were getting sick because they were, basically, left in a toxic waste, radiation leaking farm. They had to fill bags with radioactive dirt so that, eventually, crops can be grown there.

    • pearlnyx-av says:

      The barn thing isn’t relevant to The Waterfords.

    • bismitchen-av says:

      Nothing happened in the episode.  It was filler.

    • kinjabitch69-av says:

      You’re a little too happy about 4).

    • kumagorok-av says:

      4) I would characterize June’s actions as some kind of a version of an attempt at raping Luke, but I wouldn’t really consider rape as the outcome, since we saw this episode Luke was fully capable of stopping her at any time. Luke was like, “I don’t want to have sex while she’s in this dark mental space, but I also don’t want to forcibly stop her, because trauma, so I guess I’ll just go along with it”.

      • indescribablehat-av says:

        That really, really doesn’t make it not rape. The victim doesn’t have to exhaust every conceivable means of escape for it to be rape, they just have to not consent. Luke said no, and June COVERED HIS MOUTH and didn’t stop. End of story. Maybe she was able to rape him because he didn’t want to hurt her or didn’t want to upset her or didn’t want to do something that felt like an escalation or was simply too stunned by what was happening to fight her off. That doesn’t change the fact that he unambiguously withdrew his consent and she unambiguously told him she didn’t give a shit.

      • merchantfan1-av says:

        I’d say it’s somewhere in between. He wasn’t enjoying it and he was definitely shocked and confused that first time, but at the same time you’d have to see more from his perspective to determine if he thought of it as rape rape or unpleasant, empty sex. It can get complicated when something like that happens in the context of a relationship. It was a real shame how Moira basically shot him down when he tried to open up to it. Her compartmentalization really hurts him here since it has to be hard to be a guy trying to talk about that kind of situation

      • ajvia123-av says:

        oh my lord you just defended it as “the victim was capable of stopping the attacker, so it doesn’t count as “real rape”. I hope you’re being deliberately obtuse, because the other option is you believe that.sweet jesus

    • SomewhereOverDewayneBowe-av says:

      8) Literally, every single scene was DARK DARK DARK as hell except the angelic pure lightness of the ICC hearing. Luke’s house is darker than Lawrence’s, and that’s saying something.Glad it wasn’t just me. I kept trying to up the brightness on my screen, very odd. 

    • SomewhereOverDewayneBowe-av says:

      8) Literally, every single scene was DARK DARK DARK as hell except the angelic pure lightness of the ICC hearing. Luke’s house is darker than Lawrence’s, and that’s saying something.Glad it wasn’t just me. I kept trying to up the brightness on my screen, very odd. 

    • pablo-carson-av says:

      The thing about 3) is, I imagine it’s less applicable to situations in which the conflict and the suffering is ongoing and has yet to be stopped. Channeling your anger to fight an ongoing threat is very different from revenge on the survivors after the threat is over.

    • wtfkinja--av says:

      Are you sure you don’t mean Viktor Frankl … ?

  • mattsaler-av says:

    She is ready to spit on a Bible if the Canadian court so much as hints
    at it, but it’s Canada and the court is as spotless as it is secular.Strange, because I read that scene in the context of past indications by June that she’s still got some faith—just rejects Gilead’s dogma. I saw it as her trying to claim some ground back from the Waterfords. Gilead does not have a monopoly on God, or the Bible, etc.
    Regarding secular Canada, that’s what we’ve more or less been lead to believe all along. But the presence of the pro-Waterford crowd indicates the reality in the show is more complicated. I do wish the show had laid the groundwork for it, providing some indication that the fertility crisis caused more than a subset of Americans to turn deeper into an apocalyptic religious expression. But I’m impressed the writers are keeping the underlying commentary on real life American society fresh, because we’re seeing similar drives to uglier forms of religion motivated by broader social changes.

    • bismitchen-av says:

      June does believe in God. Remember, she conflicted with her mother because she wanted to baptize Hannah. She wouldn’t spit on a Bible. I wouldn’t spit on a Bible, and I’m an atheist. The Bible is a book. June is a book editor. She obviously believes in the freedom and power of words.

  • StoneMustard-av says:

    June’s approach to the therapy group would be like if Bruce Wayne just hung outside funerals of dead parents talking to their orphaned kids like “You know I found a way to cope with my parents death that you should try, too.” But that’s not going to work for everyone and if we’re being honest, it’s not even really working for you.

  • hrhduchessofnaps1-av says:

    I feel like the show has missed an opportunity with Irene’s death. One thing that the show hasn’t touched on enough (in my opinion) is how women are pitted against one another in Gilead. What is your breaking limit when it comes to turning on your fellow womankind? Did Irene tell on Emily just because she knew she should? Or was her life at risk? Or was she trying to exert some sort of control over a situation she had little control in? Even the most privileged woman in Gilead has less rights than the least privileged Canadian woman (for instance), and when you take people’s resources and rights away, the most natural reaction is for them to fight each other to grab at what’s left.I don’t mind the Victim Revenge Therapy angle but I think the show would benefit from bringing it back to a metaphor for modern America.

  • luciliuz-av says:

    more Portishead for everyone

  • wiselass-av says:

    Ok, I can’t be the only one who’s noticed that the circular daylight accents, on June when she is there in Luke and Moira’s house, are reminiscent of when she was in the torture box? Emphasizing how she feels trapped still, though in a different way?

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