I'm not really sure why they pay those producers and directors so much when they could just get you for a fraction of the price to create a recognisable and competent episode.
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The Handmaid's Tale Season 4 | OT | Now streaming on Hulu
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To be fair,
we thought that after the suicide bombing on Rachel and Leah Center and ultimately that amounted to jack shit
My main issue is this doesn't feel any different than season 2 or 3. She escapes and then somehow ends back there. She's tortured, rinse and repeat. This is just misery on film. I'll be in the room when my wife watches this but can't say I'll tune in. I just don't have the mental capacity to watch horrible things happen to these women over and over.
And for fucks sake, this shit with nick is DISGUSTING.
And for fucks sake, this shit with nick is DISGUSTING.
Exactly the same way that I feel, like the show is just spinning in place yet again with no actual forward movement. It feels like torture porn and they are doing two more seasons after this!? I hate how these great shows are just dragged out too long.
Canada only got the first two episodes so I'm trying to avoid spoilers for episode 3.
I love this show, even with flaws. But I'm just not as enthralled as previous seasons. I also feel like I missed something because some of the narrative conveniences appeared out of nowhere, mainly the following 2:
Just some missing pieces that are difficult to set aside when they are so glaring.
I'll stick with it because overall it's an important story, I'm invested in the characters.
I love this show, even with flaws. But I'm just not as enthralled as previous seasons. I also feel like I missed something because some of the narrative conveniences appeared out of nowhere, mainly the following 2:
1) Where did this farm come from? They say it was Mayday but it was never mentioned in the last season nor is it explained how it was orchestrated.
2) Last we saw Nick he was on a train to the frontlines in Chicago. Now he's back, and has been charged with hunting down June? And seems to yield a lot of power. I get he was secretly an Eye in the previous episodes...but he was just a chauffeur and now is head of the secret police for Boston?
2) Last we saw Nick he was on a train to the frontlines in Chicago. Now he's back, and has been charged with hunting down June? And seems to yield a lot of power. I get he was secretly an Eye in the previous episodes...but he was just a chauffeur and now is head of the secret police for Boston?
Just some missing pieces that are difficult to set aside when they are so glaring.
I'll stick with it because overall it's an important story, I'm invested in the characters.
So I'm debating whether to watch it all in one go or every week. What determines that is:
Do they spend half the show doing zooms and angles of characters faces or them looking at something in the distance?
I've spent so many times just fast forwarding previous episodes just because of this repeated action
Do they spend half the show doing zooms and angles of characters faces or them looking at something in the distance?
I've spent so many times just fast forwarding previous episodes just because of this repeated action
But seriously, what else can be done at this point? It's the same cycle of running away, getting caught, rinse and repeat all the time. Things seemed hopeful, and then they didn't. Frustrating... (I guess this is kind of the OT?)
EP 3 was just an unrelenting barrage of misery.
The kiss made no sense, unless she is manipulating him but it didn't fit with the music. The ending felt forced. Like I was certain the man in the car would be part of the resistance and that this whole train stop was planned, but they really had just 1 driver and an old Martha guarding 6 of the most rebellious handmaidens in the country with no other means of backup?
I mean, yeah. It's always one step forward, two steps back with this show (or two steps forward, one step back?). They keep teasing big changes but always revert to the status quo and only slowly inch towards actual progression. It kind of reminds me of Silicon Valley in that respect, but made worse due to the fact that the show is so bleak.
A very poor ending to E03. Poorly written, poorly directed, and with actions inconsistent with the character's arcs. Makes me hesitant about the ultimate resolution for this show.
There's a shitton that could be done that they aren't doing.
There's an entire warfront in Chicago (even pre "we're invading Canada" that they're on now) that we are neither shown or even told about. There's a bunch of factions and players that aren't handmaids that could be focussed on. There's a Free USA in Canada that is being largely ignored. Like what have we gotten out of that over 3 episodes so far? A bit of June's husband (note that I'm calling him that because I can't even recall his name atm), Moira and Rory Gilmore's adoption adventures, and Fred-stares-into-space-while-his-wife-smokes-cigarettes-and-government-lad-does-exposure-dialogue and that's about it.
This world should be huge, and yet they make it so entirely small. Which worked great for the first season or two because the story was oppressed handmaid being held captive and tortured mentally. But after that story was concluded, they should've moved on to the rest of the country and world. Hell, this whole global infertility angle alone is being completely ignored as well.
Man, the potential in this universe is enormous, but they don't tap into it at all because Elisabeth Moss close-ups get Emmy nominations.
I was hoping this season would move away a bit from the torture porn but I guess not. I thought they where building up towards some sort of guerilla warfare angle and was into it, but now I have no idea where this is going. Ending of ep3 was all sorts of weird. Kiss felt off, and leaving those 'maids alone with one driver...???
Yeah good points. Stuff IS going on (in the background...), but nah, let's keep focusing on June getting tortured mentally and physically over and over again. There IS stuff they could shift towards more of, but they really do keep it on a small scale. It's to the point where I find it hard to believe that Gilliad rules so much ground that it does, because you only see pockets of locations at a time.
The ending of Ep. 3...I'm out. I just can't.
That was Walking Dead car flipping over on a bright sunny day on a straight road level of nonsense.
That was Walking Dead car flipping over on a bright sunny day on a straight road level of nonsense.
LOL you just described my life. My wife is watching it right now but here I am browsing era. The constant torture fest and overbearing atmosphere is too much for me. I see the show is kinda spinning in its wheels at this point.
OP
OP
They really lost the plot with Nick. Having him entirely absent for the most part of S3 wasn't a great choice... the emotional connection doesn't feel there anymore. Nothing about their relationship seems genuine now. You would think him becoming a powerful commander would've also strained it, but then comes that kiss.
I thought for sure the driver was with Mayday and it was a setup for them to escape. Why else would he leave the doors unlocked?
It seems like June and Janine are going to Canada then.
It seems like June and Janine are going to Canada then.
At least the "protect the handmaids at all cost, torture never kill, they are too precious so keep giving them reassignments and chances, and capture them alive" made some sense. The ending of episode 3 though:
A single guard in a van? Who just unloads a clip on them when they try and escape? Uh, what?
That latest episode, ouch. Shouldn't watch that kind of stuff late at night. Not good, not good.
Yeah, I cringed/winced from the moment she started running to him.
Yeah, I cringed/winced from the moment she started running to him.
It made sense at first, considering the circumstances, but now it just seems weird :/
Single van driver/guard. And the backdoor was unlocked too.
This is basically how I feel. Season 1 was incredible. Season 2 was great up until the very end of the last episode. Season 3 was mediocre. Season 4 is just bad thus far.
A big portion of the issue is the writing, with the main character making stupid decisions that leads to all the drama.
The pacing isn't great. And as others have mentioned, they haven't explored the expanded universe outside Gilead nearly enough
(the whole Stockholm Syndrome thing with the kids from Gilead is fascinating and they've barely spent any time on it).
I had forgotten the part before that, which was even worse.
Something's not right. Why don't we get out the van with the headlights still on and make a slow, dramatic, and super obvious entrance in front the lights back to the farmhouse.
How did they even find the farmhouse June was going to and get a small army there ahead of her, but had no clue where the rest of the handmaidens were? I probably missed something, but the whole thing was just weird.
i hate nick i jope he dies lol. saying that.
i dont know if book spoilers are allowed. but 2 things according to the show runner the new sequal book has already shown up in this season
#2. is this nick really part of the risstance? in the book he was a leader in the resustance/ mayday, we have yet to see that yet. did they change his character or is there a big payoff coming soon?
#2. is this nick really part of the risstance? in the book he was a leader in the resustance/ mayday, we have yet to see that yet. did they change his character or is there a big payoff coming soon?
End of episode 3
I like the earlier seasons of this show, but this is just getting too silly to take seriously as a drama. Just so much poor writing and everything running in circles all the time so they can show more violence for the sake of showing violence.
The whole Nick story arch is just incredibly silly at this point when looking at what his character was in earlier seasons.
I like the earlier seasons of this show, but this is just getting too silly to take seriously as a drama. Just so much poor writing and everything running in circles all the time so they can show more violence for the sake of showing violence.
The whole Nick story arch is just incredibly silly at this point when looking at what his character was in earlier seasons.
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Not only did they only have one guard protecting them, he was also seemingly trained to shoot them in the back rather than calling for help to round them up later.
Was really enjoying the new setting at the farmhouse and the potential prospect of a serious guerrilla warfare, Mayday revolution from within Gilead then
Glad to see everyone else here is disgusted by creepy, poor acting Nick too. I'd like to think June is manipulating him but they need to give us an internal dialogue stating as such because it's getting too weird.
fucking June just gets captured again. Seriously?
How the fuck did they even find them? If Gilead can find anyone with some mysterious new tech and there is no hope for any semblance of revolution being in this show at this point, not sure how much more I want to see.
And now potentially June will end up at this rape farm? Not what I wanted to see. At all.
How the fuck did they even find them? If Gilead can find anyone with some mysterious new tech and there is no hope for any semblance of revolution being in this show at this point, not sure how much more I want to see.
And now potentially June will end up at this rape farm? Not what I wanted to see. At all.
Glad to see everyone else here is disgusted by creepy, poor acting Nick too. I'd like to think June is manipulating him but they need to give us an internal dialogue stating as such because it's getting too weird.
I was saying this to my wife, like if Gilead can do that and then
The handler in Canada talking to Luke saying they knew where June was and had all of the other details about who she was with etc. Get some sort of surgical strike team to get her the hell out if you know where she is. Granted Luke is getting about as tired as all of us at her decisions that keep her getting captured.
Getting major Claire Danes Homeland vibes.
That's not a good thing. I dropped that show, too.
I'll give it a few more episodes. The show needs to wrap up soon.
Yeah, same.
When shows fall in love with one of their actors too much it is almost never better for it.
Plenty of examples, I'd name Dexter but that show had a whole 'nother level of problems to go along with it, How I Met Your Mother when they fell in love with Barney Stinson is one of those in another genre.
I gave up midway through season 3. Looks like I'm not missing much lol. Everything I'm reading are my exact issues with the show and sounds like nothing has changed.
Unlike TWD, I don't think this has NEARLY the size of a global audience to keep going that long. I don't know what else they can do for season 5, before getting into the sequel novel (which sounds like they already touched on a bit?) Pretty much would have to end on S5 because I can't imagine too many people keeping up with the melancholy.
jesus christ this show, not sure how much more i can handle.
They can't keep doing the same shit forever. It's so damn frustrating and boring at this point, just end. June escapes, gets captured again, gets tortured again, her friends die...again, and then she stares at the camera with determination...again.
Of course now she escapes again in a way that makes no sense whatsoever. The guard can just wait out the train, catch up to two women who have just been through hell and tired as fuck. Really?
Of course now she escapes again in a way that makes no sense whatsoever. The guard can just wait out the train, catch up to two women who have just been through hell and tired as fuck. Really?
After Season 3 the show has basically just become June taking on Gilead, rather than seeing what life is like when a power like Gilead takes control. They went from having each season show just how awful Gilead is and to what lengths they will go to keep power, to June leading a revolution basically lol. Im assuming thats what this season is about, May Day getting a foothold and establishing themselves. So next season they can deal a huge blow.
But they cant destroy Gilead with a sequel show coming. The only thing they can do is lose ground probably.
There is a super short gif they were sharing on their twitter account hyping up this season that shows June and the read head running through a battlefield with a jet overhead blowing up the city. So apparently they are going to a battlefield somewhere, I assume Chicago though, not Canada.
But they cant destroy Gilead with a sequel show coming. The only thing they can do is lose ground probably.
There is a super short gif they were sharing on their twitter account hyping up this season that shows June and the read head running through a battlefield with a jet overhead blowing up the city. So apparently they are going to a battlefield somewhere, I assume Chicago though, not Canada.
I'm enjoying it. I'm surprised to see so much hate here.
I think they'll have to lean into the geopolitics of it all more, but they seem to be setting that up quite well.
Moderate spoilers for the first three episodes... My predictions for the rest of Season 4:
So yeah, I'm upbeat. It's been fucking brutal so far, but I'm optimistic about the direction of the show.
I think they'll have to lean into the geopolitics of it all more, but they seem to be setting that up quite well.
Moderate spoilers for the first three episodes... My predictions for the rest of Season 4:
My prediction is that, sometime soon, June just has to escape Gilead. With her daughter now being afraid of her and the remaining handmaid friends thinning out, she has no real reason to stay. They've already tortured her, so I'm not sure what else they can really do with her there.
She's perfectly set up to become an icon for the rest of the world. Gilead is obviously a military superpower. Other nations seem to be very cautious with them. Some of the trailers appear to show her testifying as a non-prisoner, which I'm presuming to mean she's going to testify against the Waterfords while exposing Gilead's evil to the world.
And meanwhile, we have an interesting story to follow in Gilead: Commander Lawrence and Commander Blaine. After June's escape and turning over of the other handmaids, they seem prime to continue to gain power and influence.
She's perfectly set up to become an icon for the rest of the world. Gilead is obviously a military superpower. Other nations seem to be very cautious with them. Some of the trailers appear to show her testifying as a non-prisoner, which I'm presuming to mean she's going to testify against the Waterfords while exposing Gilead's evil to the world.
And meanwhile, we have an interesting story to follow in Gilead: Commander Lawrence and Commander Blaine. After June's escape and turning over of the other handmaids, they seem prime to continue to gain power and influence.
So yeah, I'm upbeat. It's been fucking brutal so far, but I'm optimistic about the direction of the show.
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