The Handmaid's Tale

[RumplesGirl]

Is anyone else watching The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu? Check out the trailer below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJTonrzXTJs

If you don’t have Hulu, you can get a month for free when you sign up for a subscription (and cancel as soon as you finish the series!). New episodes will drop every Wednesday, I believe three at a time.

The series is based on the novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, a book I read quite some time ago and it’s one of those books that has shaped my relationship with the world and how I view politics, the media, gender dynamics, and more.

I watched the first three episodes and I think it’s exceptionally well done. I have some passing thoughts:

–I think Elisabeth Moss is doing next level work here. I’ve loved her since her days on The West Wing and Peggy Olsen of Mad Men is a kindred spirit. But this is something different; Ofred can’t use her words–outside of voice overs–to really telegraph to the TV audience what she’s feeling at any moment so Moss is tasked with having to perform more with her body, hand clutches, fluttering eyes, breathing. She’s really doing excellent work.

–I was surprised how many “big moments” they opening episode had. I suspected the show would have The Ceremony (it’s the hook for the people who haven’t read the book) but I was shocked they gave Ofglen her resistance storyline so early and had The Salvaging.

–I like that they are maintaining some of the structure of the book, particularly how it jumps from present to flashback based on what Ofred is experiencing at the moment.

–The book was timely when it came out but it feels even more timely now. The flashbacks could be straight out of 2017 America. The protest June and Moria attend looks a lot like any BLM/political protest. Also, what do you guys make of the Moss controversy where she first declared that this story isn’t a feminist story, but a human one. She backtracked in the past few days but…her first reaction is still there. I find it be an odd statement given that the story is literally about a woman fighting for her right to be a person, to have her identity, and her agency. Small and big rebellions against a patriarchy that refuses to see women as individuals and instead group them into groups that are less people and more tools (wives, handmaid, maid, aunt).

–Thoughts on Serena Joy? She’s a bit of a sympathetic figure in the books, though obviously low on the sympathy scale when compared to Offred or Ofglen or Ofwarren. I think the series is making her more of a sympathetic figure, particularly during moments of the Ceremony and the Birth Day when you can tell she’s disgusted/aggravated by all this.

–Speaking of, the Ceremony was done really well, if such a thing can ever be done well. It’s so  horrifying–Serena Joy’s hands gripping Ofglen’s wrists like a vice–but the camera smartly stays mostly focused on Ofglen’s blank expression as her mind wanders to other things.

–The Birth Day was also done well, in all its absurdity.

–Ofglen’s final moments of episode three–I love Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore for life!) and the range of emotions over her mutilation…wow.

Okay, I’m sure I’ll  have more later.

[Gaultheria]

Rotten Tomatoes pretty much places the movie and the series at opposite ends of the spectrum, but I’m still scared to give the series a try. The movie went so far overboard with Woobieness that it became more like a self-parody than serious, thoughtful drama.

Gaultheria's fanvids: http://youtube.com/sagethrasher

[RumplesGirl]

Rotten Tomatoes pretty much places the movie and the series at opposite ends of the spectrum, but I’m still scared to give the series a try. The movie went so far overboard with Woobieness that it became more like a self-parody than serious, thoughtful drama.

Quote

I’ve seen both; I’d say the TV series is waaaaaay better than the movie.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[RumplesGirl]

There was a comment on a review I read for the third episode (the most disquieting one yet) that I’d like to post here for discussion and/or for anyone interested in watching the Handmaid’s Tale but still on the fence. It also speaks to the hesitant feelings I think @gaultheria is mentioning above in regards to the Woobie feeling of the movie vs the show.

Amazing episode. Not in the colloquial sense of the word, which, like “awesome,” has been watered down to the point of insipidity. “Amazing” in the sense that it creates a sense of being lost in something beyond one’s ability to completely comprehend. Being amazed isn’t an enjoyable experience–it’s overwhelming past the point of rational, objective response. This is not going to be an enjoyable show, and thank God, really.” — HRH Lifeless Husk

X

I agree a lot with this comment. I haven’t been able to get Alexis Bledel’s performance in the final few seconds of the third episode out of my head.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[hjbau]

I am not sure how i feel about this show. I guess i think it just isn’t going to end well. There is no way that any of the characters could trust one another ever. I think i also have a hard time believing that something like this would happen and they aren’t really explaining who started this yet and why someone didn’t just kill that person. I do think that the show is doing a great job explaining the harshness of the situation, but i doubt they are going to explain how such a situation could happen in a way that i would find in any way realistic.

 

[RumplesGirl]

I am not sure how i feel about this show. I guess i think it just isn’t going to end well. There is no way that any of the characters could trust one another ever. I think i also have a hard time believing that something like this would happen and they aren’t really explaining who started this yet and why someone didn’t just kill that person. I do think that the show is doing a great job explaining the harshness of the situation, but i doubt they are going to explain how such a situation could happen in a way that i would find in any way realistic.

Quote

Have you ever read the book? Even if not, it doesn’t need to end well, I think. I think story is perfectly set up to show that things don’t well a lot of the times.

(book spoiler in black below!)

I’m actually really curious how this season or next season ends. Will they take Atwood’s approach of throwing us several hundred years into the future and having a conference on Gilead trying to figure out who Ofred was

Second, as far as not explaining how it happened, Ofred does give some insight around episode two. She talks about how it began by blaming events on terrorists which led to a suspension of the Constitution and freedoms under the guise of “protection” and how Congress was eventually slaughtered. And then finally Gilead (Ofred’s current home which is the former East Coast of America) was born out of these events, a theocratic military dictatorship.

Third, as far as realism…I’m not trying to open this to a political debate but given the current American situation, American President, and certain executive orders, ideologies…well. I can easily see the threads of a Handmaid’s Tale scenario coming about *now* more than any time in the past.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[hjbau]

Have you ever read the book? Even if not, it doesn’t need to end well, I think. I think story is perfectly set up to show that things don’t well a lot of the times. (book spoiler in black below!) I’m actually really curious how this season or next season ends. Will they take Atwood’s approach of throwing us several hundred years into the future and having a conference on Gilead trying to figure out who Ofred was Second, as far as not explaining how it happened, Ofred does give some insight around episode two. She talks about how it began by blaming events on terrorists which led to a suspension of the Constitution and freedoms under the guise of “protection” and how Congress was eventually slaughtered. And then finally Gilead (Ofred’s current home which is the former East Coast of America) was born out of these events, a theocratic military dictatorship. Third, as far as realism…I’m not trying to open this to a political debate but given the current American situation, American President, and certain executive orders, ideologies…well. I can easily see the threads of a Handmaid’s Tale scenario coming about *now* more than any time in the past.

Quote

I would agree that the show doesn’t have to end well. It just feels more pointless to me that way. I have watched the first three episodes and seen some of the explanation to what happen. I just find it extremely unrealistic, especially based on what is going on in the United States right now. I am quite certain people aren’t sitting in a corner just letting things happen. There are constant protests. The park service. The judges stepping in on those executive orders.

Though this is a different situation in the show, in that, something catastrophic has happened. People aren’t able to have babies anymore which is world ending. I just think the ritualistic bizarre thing that is happening here is not what would happen. Descending into chaos, maybe, but not this. Violence, sure, but this. I just don’t know.

I think people are trying to equate this to current things going on in the US, but people not wanting tax payer money to fund an organization that does abortions because they believe that is wrong, seems a long way from ritualized sexual slavery. Maybe it is because i am from Ohio and i know people that voted for Bush and for Clinton and for Obama and for Trump and that doesn’t seem weird to me. Even if i may disagree completely with who they voted for.

That not allowing one group to have control for too long is more of the game then all of these social issues. I don’t know. There have only been three episodes and i have enjoyed them for what they were.

[RumplesGirl]

I am quite certain people aren’t sitting in a corner just letting things happen. There are constant protests. The park service. The judges stepping in on those executive orders.

Ah, but I think that’s Ofred’s point in the book and show. These things happened slowly, and there were protests (we see a protest in the third episode) by the time people realized what was going on. There were things being done and still the tyrannical patriarchal government rose up because it was too late to stop it. Ofred talks about how everyone was “asleep” for so long, how when the big events happens–like suspending the Constitution–it was already too late . It’s the most famous line in the book:

“Nothing changes instantaneously: in a gradually heating bathtub you’d be boiled to death before you knew it

People aren’t able to have babies anymore which is world ending. I just think the ritualistic bizarre thing that is happening here is not what would happen. Descending into chaos, maybe, but not this. Violence, sure, but this. I just don’t know.

Very few people have babies, yes, because of what happened to the environment. Like, say, rolling back federal regulations on the EPA and clean drinking water and promoting toxic waster/coal dumping. That sounds awfully familiar to me.

And this ritualistic Ceremony thing that’s happening is religious based, from the Bible. How many times do you hear people making rules or regulations or come up with treatment of others based on religious readings? Like, say, denying to make a cake for a wedding because the couple is gay? Is the Handmaid’s Tale extreme in the depiction of Biblical interpretation and the affects it has? Sure. I don’t deny that but again it goes back to Ofred’s boiling water line. Slowly, surely, bits and pieces of freedom are hacked away until you end up with an extreme situation like this.

Maybe it is because i am from Ohio and i know people that voted for Bush and for Clinton and for Obama and for Trump and that doesn’t seem weird to me. Even if i may disagree completely with who they voted for.

Well I’m also from Ohio. Still live there and on my street alone this past November there were Clinton an Trump signs almost every other house. I also think you’re underplaying the ideologies behind some of the things people are protesting, like funding Planned Parenthood. But while one side is decrying abortions the other side is talking women’s rights and equal health protection for the female sex. And I’m not trying to open a can of political worms or get into right/wrong of abortion or PP itself but instead trying to show how the things that happening right now in this country have deeper roots than not liking one aspect of a program.

It’s about treating certain sets of people–women, LGBT, non-Christians, non-Caucasians–as “other.” They are un-people. That’s the driving through-line of Atwood’s novel and what some would say is happening in America every time people in power–President or Congress or the Supreme Court–attempt to otherize citizens (these people can marry, but these people cannot. these people can have total agency over their bodies but these people cannot–this one in particular is absolutely the main plot of Handmaid’s Tale, both in the novel and in the series. these people can enter the country but these people cannot).

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[nevermore]

Ok, I finally got to watch the first episode (it’s crazy at work right now, so not much free time, sadly). So far, my impressions are based on this first impressions/first episode sort of thing.

So, first of all, there is something about the pace and cinematography that I find profoundly (and very effectively) unsettling. The narrative pace is really slow, but somehow it makes it quite effective — the best analogy I can come up with is the feel of Tarkovsky’s or Lars vor Trier’s work, where the irritation at the slow pace is part of the visceral experience of discomfort that the work tries to produce. There’s an incredible bleakness to the slow pacing and over-intimate close ups that capture minute changes in expression — or their lack.

The other thing that the series makes really obvious is the role of other women in perpetuating oppression. I think it highlights that the patriarchy isn’t simply about men/women in the particular, or gender, but about a system of distribution of power with specific contours. Aunt Lydia’s commentary on the normalization of totalitarian violence is incredible, and terrifying — this will soon feel normal to you feels very much a propos, but it should also feel intensely familiar if we take into account the history of the 20th century. But then it struck me that what’s sort novel here is that in adult fiction, this trope isn’t always at the forefront unless the topic deals explicitly with race and/or class. But it’s totally there in YA literature. So this idea that women are not necessarily each others’ allies isn’t something I pondered when I first read Atwood in my teens — it felt obvious to me that this was the case based on generational rifts — but now that I’m an adult felt a lot more poignant (and also quite prescient of the times).

I’m curious about the political economy of the show’s world, though. As in, those supermarket veggies look a whole lot like the product of industrial agriculture — you can’t actually get such uniform fruits and vegetables without its practices of standardization (including pesticides, genetic lines, and just sheer massive scale that seeks to eliminate variation). So is industrial ag alive and well in Gilead?

 

[RumplesGirl]

Aunt Lydia’s commentary on the normalization of totalitarian violence is incredible, and terrifying — this will soon feel normal to you feels very much a propos, but it should also feel intensely familiar if we take into account the history of the 20th century

The “this will soon feel ordinary” line was bone chilling. And I think Elisabeth Moss goes such good work in showing how it does become ordinary, particularly during the Ceremony when her thoughts aren’t on what’s happening to her (institutionalized rape) but the mundane procedure of it all and just wishing the Commander would finish.

I also note here that in the novel Ofred doesn’t actually consider this rape. She’s not sure what to call it but she’s says that it’s not quite rape because, of course, she’s not a person. She’s an object.

I’m curious about the political economy of the show’s world, though

Yeah I was too because I don’t think it quite jives with what I remember from the novel. Or at least how I pictured it while reading the book the first time. I almost suspect that they went a more modern route (grocery store style) in order to enhance the realism factor and make it that much more terrifying. Everything looks normal; it still looks like a New England quiet village until you pull back and notice all the horrors.

I haven’t gotten to watch episode 4 yet but hopefully soon! I have some other passing thoughts as I continue to reflect on the works.

–I really should have noted this in my initial post but the fact that Offred names herself (My name is June) is actually really different from the novel. People–the readers and what happens in the epilogue–suspect she’s June because you’re essentially given a list of 6 women in the beginning and the story more or less tracks the location of everyone except June so it stands to reason that Offred is June but it’s never confirmed, IIRC. For Offred to give herself a name–an identity–so early on, and really at all, is shocking.

–One of the themes in the novel is control and this comes across in the Salvaging when control means tiny controlled rebellions that let the inner fear and anger surface just long enough to ensure that it doesn’t surface on the home front. It’s very cleverly designed by the Aunts that they accuse the man of rape, something that on some level the Handmaids know they are experiencing on a monthly basis, even when they can’t call it that (again, my note about Offred in the novel not being able to call it rape). They are given free reign to tear into one rapist who serves as the collective rape society and rapers who are violating them. I think this also speaks to what @nevermore was saying about women not necessarily being allies. I mean what Aunt Lydia does to Ofglen is…monstrous and it’s shocking not only in the crime itself but in the fact this is a woman doing it to another woman.

–The show was already renewed for a S2. I’m…hesitant about this. This isn’t a book that can easily turn into a multi-seasonal show. The book leaves it *very* up in the air about Offred’s fate.

–Really hoping to watch episode 4 before the weekend.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[Author]

Posts