I decided to start the series all over again bcuz it’s been years since Season 1. Now I can’t help to think why didn’t June and her husband just leave as soon as they took her bank account and her job? I know it wouldn’t be a show if she had but do they ever explain this and I missed it? Then when the soldiers literally gun down protesters in the streets… I’m just so confused now. I can’t look at the show the same way.

I always think about the women in Iran before the revolution in the 1970s.

Where would you go?

I would most definitely be sent to the colonies. I am not fertile. I cannot cook. I am a sinner.

I just started watching the show and I'm only up to S2E4, so please no spoilers. But I watched the baby shower and still can't understand how these Commander's Wives don't malfunction. They're so obsessed with getting babies. But the entire society they've built is utterly devoid of joy.

No one smiles. No one laughs. There's no sense of playfulness. They nominally respect the trappings of childhood, like when they pass around the little toys. But can you imagine any child sitting in that house, playing with any of those toys and having a good time? Everyone is tense, everyone whisper talks, no one exudes the kind of unbridled happiness that you usually want kids to see. The Wives do move their mouths into something approximating a smile sometimes. But it's so cold and mechanical and obviously fake.

Don't these wives remember life before? When having a kid meant taking goofy pictures and doing silly things and having belly laughs? Don't they want those moments with their children? Instead they made a society that completely precludes that from happening.

I think of that on the Commander's side too. Can you imagine any of them throwing the ball in the yard with their kids? Laying on the floor and letting the kid crawl all over them? You know, the fun parts of being a parent?

Upon rewatching the show, and making it to this episode in the first season, in which the banquet is held that “honors” the handmaids and showcases the children of Gilead, I notice just how much diversity is displayed among the group of handmaids… One of the “damaged” girls who is removed before the dinner is Asian, and several handmaids are black. This, in and of itself, is not so surprising. However, there’s a scene from the banquet during which you can see this wife, who is black, holding one of the black children of Gilead. An Asian wife can be seen as well, but she isn’t ever in direct view holding any child or baby. I haven’t read the book, so I’m curious if any of this is addressed in the book at all? While I realize that the fertility crisis has led to the preservation of every fertile womb and any child at all, I also find it difficult to believe that an entire nation built on such STRICT “traditional values,” to the point at which they’re cutting off WIVES’ fingers for reading (even reading scripture!) has no qualm or quarrel with biracial children, or interracial relationships and families. Do they purposefully place black children or Asian children with black or Asian families? Is Hannah/Agnes being raised by a white family, or a black family? It is beyond just “difficult,” but totally impossible for me to believe that any interracial marriage between a commander and wife exists in Gilead. Side note: I was also under the impression that being a Martha had a bit of a racial component, but the Martha that was executed for being in a relationship with Emily was white? Maybe race just means a whole lot less to these evangelicals than it does to most (if not all) of the IRL ones who I’ve had the misfortune to meet 🤷‍♀️ but again, I figure maybe it’s addressed in the book and not in the show.

Mine personally is the end of the episode “The Crossing” season 4, episode 3. When the Handmaids are running for their freedom and most of them die. It chills me to the bone every single time, and replays in my head often.

So we know that at the end of the last season Canada is no longer as excepting of refugees from Gilead and the U.S is now just Alaska or Hawaii. If you had to choose a state to live in what would it be?

Early in Season 4 one of the handmaids mentions fleeing to the people’s republic of Texas. I was beyond surprised to hear this since that state has a full on boner for Christian nationalism as it is and would naturally make sense for it to be a more than willing part of Gilead. Can someone explain more of the geography and history of the territories that Gilead clearly does not have control of?

Whenever we see handmaids in a group, walking, at the grocery store, etc. None of them ever have an obvious belly of any kind. They never look pregnant. Wouldn't that be more accurate to the story and paint a better picture of the situation their in if many of them were seen in various stages of pregnancy?

THT is already so dystopian to watch as a viewer (because it's meant to be), and I feel like that would be the cherry on top (not in a good way obviously, but you get what I mean).

Edit: Did Gilead claim that their "handmaid program" was successful to the Mexican ambassador? It's been years since I watched that episode (and I currently don't have a Hulu subscription) but I remember the Mexican ambassador showing interest in their way of trying to increase the fertility.

I’ve been wondering this and yes, I know it is weird. We know that Handmaids can have children for many different households in their district. This means that a lot of children will have biological siblings in different households than them.

Is it possible that these children will end up marrying and having children with their biological siblings when they get older?

Does Gilead have a way to prevent incest from happening?

it just seems odd to me that all these “sinful” women who became handmaids had children but very few of the wives did. you’d think just statistically speaking there had to be more women in “wife” status who were fertile if enough fertile women existed to make so many handmaids

Every other post is one that’s bashing the shit out of it. People who actually enjoyed this season, and don’t think the show is garbage? Do you exist? Let’s hear it.

in season 2 when the putnems baby gets sick serena calls in for a martha who used to be a doctor to check out the baby. i’m confused because i thought any woman with that kind of education was sent to the colonies or got put on the wall.

i know emily was excused because she is fertile but that doctor was a martha so gilead didn’t need her. so why would they keep her as a martha?

I’m on S2 Ep 4. I have read the books but not for a long time. Is it assumed that all women are fertile until they cannot conceive? I thought that only ‘fallen’ women proved to be fertile became handmaids, and if so, how would Moira have been known to be fertile?

Why do so many people think Nick deserves better/ he’s a good person?

Nick contributed to the making of Gilead and it’s culture. He saw no major issue with the violence and rape until a handmaid killed herself.

When he was approached about joining the group. He was told they were trying to clean up the country and he might get a job then invited to a meeting. You can’t be brainwashed in one meeting. He went, and resonated with their sentiment enough to keep going. Eventually, being given the eye job.

He doesn’t deserve anything. I’m glad he’s trying to be better now and is helping the women. But no amount of atonement can negate what’s happened. Plus, i don’t think he ever would’ve helped if he didn’t love June. That speaks volume to his character. Falling for someone should not have been the thing to snap him out of it.

All he can do now is be better for the future , but at his core he will always be a bad person for this. It’s too big of an offence

Edit: because I feel like I’m repeating myself a bunch and I know It must be annoying to see me reply the variation of the same thing a million times. But I do not see how him having a hard life excuses him joining an extremist group. A group he joined as a MAN (this is important because patriarchy) that viewed women as less than. Him being young doesn’t excuse it either. Neither does needing a job.

As many have pointed out, they think it was less ajout him believing than being desperate for a job. I can see that. But to me, that also doesn’t excuse anything. It still makes him a bad person. If that’s the case, he cared so little about morals that he joined anyways. That’s just as bad, to me anyways.

I've watched the series twice and this has always bugged me.

Presumably, their new crops of handmaids have to come from children who grew up in Gilead. How do they know which girls/women are fertile and which aren't? Does every girl get a run at being a handmaid? And, if not, how do they even define who's sinful? I mean, obviously a 13-year-old girl who grew up in Gilead isn't going to have the chance to be a lesbian or have an abortion or commit adultery or any of the other things that causes fertile girls to end up as handmaids.

Do handmaids simply stop existing and the girls just become econopeople or wives? If so, who provides children for those poor commanders and wives?

(Also, I hate uttering the phrase "fertile girls" as it sounds gross but clearly Gilead does use minors for sex.)

We know that the President’s Day Massacre occurred in Sept 2014 in the show’s universe, and the show starts when Gilead has been around for awhile. How did everyone who remained in the continental US/couldn’t escape in time know when Gilead became Gilead? We know that they suspended the constitution, so there couldn’t have been like a press statement or televised announcement.

How did people learn/know what kind of lingo they were forced to adopt?

How did people get their new clothes according to their caste?

How/when did people have to surrender contraband like in Serena’s flashback episode in season 1?

I get that since the show is in June’s POV, we have a limited understanding of Gilead’s rollout & structure, but it seems disorganized from the getgo to me.

Edit: yes, I understand that Gilead came to power because people weren’t paying attention to what was going on and acting accordingly. What I mean is, at what point in the show’s universe was some high-ranking commander like, “people of the world, what you used to know as America is no longer, we are now Gilead” etc.

I've noticed since the new season aired, every time someone mentions racism (the lack of major POC leads not directly related to June for example) everyone downvotes those posts but are never willing to say why they don't agree. Why is that?

I'm watching handmaid's tale for the first time, just started season 3.

Why don't the mistresses breastfeed their children? - Clarification Mistress is the formal title of the Commander's wives. It's what all the Marthas call them. They are the Mistresses of their household.

We know non-pregnant women can lactate with proper stimulation and possibly some hormone therapy.
As the mistresses are apart of the pregnancy process literally from conception and seem intent on cosplaying every aspect of the pregnancy, why not perform the one biological aspect of motherhood they are capable of doing?
Why I imagine it would make sense:

• The wives seems to valuable mimicking every biological aspect of motherhood to feel like they are the biological mother and bond with the baby. Breastfeeding any amount of milk would be the single biological aspect they could achieve and would concretely form a parent-infant bond. The handmaiden's supply would supplement any deficit in supply from the Mistress.
• Commanders that are able to naturally conceive with their wives are given promotions and have a higher social status. Wouldn't being able to breastfeed be considered along the same vein of social capital? Even if a wife doesn't want to attempt lactation, I can imagine Commanders pressuring their wives to do so to advance his career.

Although Gilead seems to minimize their use of technology, they have the means to induce lactation. The mistresses have an entire 9-10 months of gestation to at some point induce lactation and stimulate their bodies to build up their milk supply.

I know in the past of the real world, breast feeding was seen as a poor person thing to do and slave master and wealthy families would have enslaved women or maids breastfeed their children.

Class doesn't seem like it would be a deterrent in Gilead as having a child is a class symbol and being able to breastfeed seems like it would be golden status.

Edit - Additional Points + Clarifications:

• Someone pointed out that the books were written in the 80's and western knowledge on inducing lactation probably wasn't expansive enough for Margaret to think about the possible of induced lactation in Gilead.
• If wives can't produce enough, the infant would still be able to supplement with the handmaiden's milk supply.
• Hormones aren't necessary for inducing lactation which is why I thought of it. Hormone therapy for lactation predominantly works to increase the likelihood of the non-adoptive mother producing enough supply to sustain the baby. Women have been inducing lactation for centuries to feed orphaned children or help supplement the milk supply of someone else in their community. Lactation can be induced with nipple stimulation via baby suckling, breast pumping, hand expressing. Lactation just means secreting any milk, it's not indicative of supply.

i’m not sure what i would be i’m a young adult, single, fertile woman who hasn’t done anything sinful that they would have record of, i originally thought handmaid but then i saw they are only sinful women - just curious