r/TheHandmaidsTale 23h ago

SPOILERS ALL Was Fred equally obsessed with his previous handmaid?

164 Upvotes

We know she committed suicide and it was implied by Serena it was his fault. Although we do not have much context about what all in went on, it was implied she probably went through the same. The only difference is the fact that even after June leaves he continues to finds way to see her. I've taken my ambien so I should be out soon, but love to hear your thoughts and opinions. He obsession with June baffles me.


r/TheHandmaidsTale 7h ago

Discussion S1-S5 How did Serena Joy knit baby clothes when women aren’t allowed to read?

53 Upvotes

Hello all! My first time posting on this sub. Hope nobody’s asked this question before lol.

I knit and crochet, and am very familiar with both crochet and knitting patterns. All of the patterns i’ve seen and read/used have writing on them, whether it be stitch abbreviations or how to attach pieces or if to leave a tail/weave in ends.

In the book and in the show Serena is shown knitting baby clothes and other things. So, my question is, does she self-draft all of her pieces? Has she memorized patterns? Or am i reading into it too much because authors and showrunners don’t usually pay attention to accuracy when depicting fiber arts….

Hopefully i’m remembering all this correctly, finished the book a while ago.


r/TheHandmaidsTale 4h ago

Discussion S1-S5 Appreciation post for Janine

19 Upvotes

I think Janine has to be one of my fav characters so far. (s4e5).

The actress who plays her is really amazing, being able to play on vulnerability.

I like her character progression too. She goes from this badass, I don’t care kinda girl, (who I thought was gonna be a big part of the revolution, as much as June.), to this precious vulnerable girl who has almost been enfantalised. She has become soft and very manipulated from both June and Aunt Lydia. I think she portrays how a lot of us would be in their situation. She is always terrified but does what she has to, to survive.

But she is one of the stand out characters for me. I think it’s really easy to get attached to her as a character.

What are your thoughts on her?


r/TheHandmaidsTale 17h ago

Season 3 Episode 13: Mayday Spoiler

18 Upvotes

Junes a legend. A badass. A Goddess. The moment. The way she just rescued all those children ‘of Gilead’..praise fucking be!!
I’m sorry but i just needed an outlet for thy at episode because it was just too emotionally riveting. Be prepared to cry happy ugly tears of joy.


r/TheHandmaidsTale 22h ago

Season 2 Radiation damage to Handmaids

17 Upvotes

When Emily and Janine were brought back from the colonies, I’m very curious on the impacts on their fertility. Clearly Emily was having symptoms of radiation poisoning, so how did Gilead plan to handle the possible birth defects of using radiated handmaids?


r/TheHandmaidsTale 2h ago

Discussion S1-S5 What type of foods do you think Marthas cook?

16 Upvotes

i notice while watching the show that of the marthas are woc. I always wondered if they would cook dishes from their own cultures or backgrounds. Like if a commander lived in a historically black or Asian community and had Asian marthas, would they cook Asian food? Given that gilead is a racist and white supremacist society, would the enjoy eating foreign foods or food that they might consider too "ethnic"? Would more diverse cuisines simply phase out of existence?


r/TheHandmaidsTale 23h ago

Season 3 A scene that still stays with me

12 Upvotes

This may be really silly but in S3E6 Household when we see Christopher Meloni for the first time gave me chills. Like that’s Elliot. That’s a member of an elite team known as the Special Victims Unit. HES A GOOD GUY!

I’m just wondering if anybody else feels the same way. I’ve been on an SVU kick recently and it all feels tainted.


r/TheHandmaidsTale 5h ago

Season 3 What do you think about Elisabeth Moss’s acting?

10 Upvotes

Just finished S3 so no spoilers please <3


r/TheHandmaidsTale 6h ago

Season 4 June makes it to canada whole

4 Upvotes

I feel so much sympathy for all the survivors of Gilead and their families..God I cant imagine how difficult it must’ve been. And ik this is just a show but I mean when actors play their role too good, what difference is acting from reality? Ik of course a whole lot but June Osborn is an amazing character (and actor) and i don’t think she has received much credit or respect for.
Anyway, i digress. I just wanted to ask if anybody else sympathize with Luke and how he has been dealing with all of it in the shadows? Ik June has been through worse but Ive got this feeling that they will end up separating..because of all their differences now and idk ig at this point in the show it seem as though June is still really traumatized and dealing with her own losses that her husband ‘before’ Gilead cannot possibly understand let alone help—as much as he tried. So it seems that she is still emotionally attached to Nick and feels ashamed for her brief past so she’s hiding the parts of herself that was bred in her by Gilead but instead thats causing an even bigger rift between her husband (Luke). Does anyone sympathize with him coz hell I do. Also i am not looking forward to discovering that after all that, Janine ends up dead like majority of Junes close friends from Glead..
In retrospect, I deeply sympathize and would understand both povs (Lukes and Junes) as they are both trying to navigate an impossible weight of pain and suffering. So ig some wounds need time to heal and that cant possibly happen overnight. However, Its just grievous how much ill Gilead sows in peoples hearts..not so different from the real world.
I have alot of thoughts on this show but safe to say it’s by far my favorite. The way the characters are so well played (or atleast for Junes character) and the way the story is just so humanistically gravitating, like some elements of the storytelling is just reality enacted on screen for many people around the world which is why it has a way of clinging to your heart.
Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts and thanks for reading my rant.


r/TheHandmaidsTale 23h ago

Season 6 Season 6 could've been called the "profile shot, reverse shot"'s Tale

5 Upvotes

Finally sitting down to watch it- is anyone else seeing this? Lmao every time the characters talk it's a close up of one talking face and then the camera cuts to a shot of the other person. I miss S1-3's tableaus...


r/TheHandmaidsTale 2h ago

SPOILERS ALL S5E3 What was Serena’s expectations of Lawrence

3 Upvotes

I am a bit confused about this storyline. At the end of the episode, Lawrence asks Serena if she has expectations of him, and she answers no. (But I believe it is implied that she does.) What was he referring to? What would be her expectations? And I will be honest I didn’t really grasp why she and Lawrence spent so much time regarding Fred’s funeral, was it because Lawrence was the one most involved with Fred (and his death so he was interested)?


r/TheHandmaidsTale 22h ago

Season 2 Mr. Fred Waterford

0 Upvotes

Waterford is fine ass hell but such an ass. A fine as though.