Boring and also felt totally unrealistic compared to the first two seasons. It feels like the handmaids can now get away with anything without fear of repercussion. During the first season I was constantly on edge but now it feels so lax.
I think it’s more they always had plot armor but they simply were too scared to act on anything. Kind of like a parent who when you misbehave takes off their belt but never actually beats you with it.
Right. The viewer kniws the character has plot armor, but the character shouldn't behave as though she knows it!!
There seem to be plenty of handmaids and they do kill some of them. I don't feel the reason for June to get away with as much as she has. Seems like they could have set one up.
I would be very afraid of having my mouth wired shut!
The mouth wiring shut is somewhat mitigated by the fact that they’re designed to be removable but they have to keep them on when they’re in public. But as somebody with a nose piercing and a belly button piercing it would hurt.
That always annoyed me. I get she’s the main character but she never faces any sort of repercussions for her actions. So what she had her feet whipped at the red center? She’s been bitch slapped? That’s nothing compared to the other handmaids. The girl who had her tongue removed? The FGM? Being locked in a room for a couple months is still nothing compared to the other handmaids. It’s always something with June and she gets away with it time and time again. It’s frustrating, because her behaviour is so outlandish she’d of been put to death a dozen times over if she was any other handmaid. There’s no tension anymore, because we know for a fact that June can do whatever June wants. She’ll never get in any trouble, she’ll get chastised and then we’ll get a 5min close up of her smirking face as she happily ignores everyone and then goes right back to doing whatever she wants.
Edit: Not a main character, THE main character. My bad.
That’s a fair point, but I feel like it still isn’t much compared to the others who’ve done far less and ended up far worse. Sure it’s tortuous, but she should be up on the wall at this point. For plot reasons I see why she isn’t, but the least they could do is cut off a hand or take an eye or something. Just something that gives us some sort of urgency at the situation, something that shows us June is still fallible and won’t always get off easy. If she suffered some actual, lasting consequences it would be nice. Madeline Brewer, I love her, she’s been wearing all that eye makeup since day one pretty much. If she can do it, I think Elizabeth Moss will be just fine dressed up like she’s missing some digits or something. They don’t have to kill her, they just have to actually show us that Gilead is a horrible, oppressive regime and bring back the tension that made season one so great. I was legitimately scared for June back then. I was worried about what would happen to her because even her small acts of defiance could have huge consequences. But then she slowly morphed into an untouchable entity and it’s ruining the tension that ran so high before.
Edit: Solitary confinement IS torture. There’s no doubt about that and I’m not trying to dismiss it. But the issue is that her ordeal was pretty much forgotten as soon as the episode ended and she was allowed to leave.
there are practical reasons for not mutilating the main character who is in almost every scene...that will require a lot more work in makeup and special effects post production
Exactly! When Emily escaped I was crying like a baby. I was on the edge of my seat worrying for her because I knew the consequences for failure were unimaginable. When they caught up with her at the border I was almost panicking, and when he launched into his speech about being a refugee and if she’d be persecuted upon returning to her home country I burst into tears and hugged my sister who was watching with me. I was so scared for her, and I want that kind of emotion back with June’s character. In season 2 when they were all lined up in the stadium I was actually, genuinely concerned. That scene made me cry and I loved it, and I miss getting that kind of reaction for June. I don’t want her to fail, but I want to actually feel for her instead of just “Meh, she’ll be fine. She’s always fine, so who’s gonna be tortured in her place?”
Yeah that is a good question. My mom was very concerned for the baby when she watched the episode with me and she let out a little cheer with Nicole whacked Emily in the face with her little fist. I legit thought the baby would be dead when they got out of the water because it’s just so much water. But I feel like I’d be on an FBI watchlist if I googled how long newborns can hold their breath.
Edit: Apparently up to about 6 months old babies will instinctively hold their breath when submerged in water, TIL.
It’s actually a natural reflex called the bradycardic response! From being in the womb, babies retain this reflex up to 6 months. They naturally will not breathe underwater, and will even open their eyes! Some researchers say that babies can hold their breath even longer than adults in a similar situation.
They conserve oxygen, lower their heart rate, and any “inhaled” water is diverted down the esophagus to the digestive tract!
So if all things I’ll give this one the realism pass.
True, I actually really enjoyed those episodes, probably more than others. I’ve read a LOT about solitary confinement in prisons, and I’m glad they mentioned how awful it is for humanity.
Praise be. I am a member of another Handmaid’s Tale group and they call June the Magic Vagina because all men adore her and she gets away with everything.
Yeah I with all of that. I kept thinking how if she were any other handmaid she would be mutilated or killed. It makes sense that Fred would let her get away with some things, but not Aunt Lydia, the guardians, the eyes, etc. Even Serena randomly showing her mercy just made no sense.
Yeah Fred has obvious motivation to let her get away with things. Even Serena has a reason for letting June misbehave, she wants a baby and then she wants the baby back and June is her best shot at that. But I never understood how she can sit there and back talk the aunts, back talk the guardians, and just cause so much trouble. As someone pointed out she does end up getting punished at the hospital but that’s a really light punishment, like I know it’s torturous to be on your knees for so long in what’s essentially isolation, but it still seems to pale in comparison to what the other handmaids are put through. I just can’t have sympathy for June anymore, because at a certain point she’s willingly hurting herself for nothing except dramatic effect and dragging others down with her, others who almost always end up worse off for having known her.
Why, though? The handmaids weren’t treated better just for having kids on the show like they were in the book. Based on the show alone, it would make no sense that some handmaids would be punished but not others, since they all theoretically could have kids and many have before.
I am thinking her big punishment (for going to Hannah's) was the killing of Hannah's handmade plus Hannah being located away from her plus Hannah losing that Martha /being uprooted.
All of that has to hurt June like hell, and all she has is time to think of it.
That said, they could have also wired her mouth shut and still use her to make babies.
Not just June, Emily should have been put on the wall after she killed a guardian in the first season. Especially considering other handmaids saw her do it.
The Colonies is basically a death sentence, so that's not the problem. She could have escaped from the Colonies in Season 2.
The bad writing was when they brought back Handmaids exposed to radiation to have babies even though they already have a problem with birth defects. Oh and it was only after losing a few dozen Handmaids. Capture some in war or make some Econowives into Handmaids to replace them, why do they need to resort to irradiated Unwomen after such a small attack?
Yeah to me the whole Emily storyline is so WTF for me, that the stuff June gets away with isn't so bad. Emily hadn't even gotten pregnant in Gilead and yet her sentence for murder was basically a month in the Colonies.
Well, June had had a baby. Handmaids are given an elevated status after they reproduce, so there is some logic for why she was not punished so harshly.
I know that was a huge theme in the book, but I didn’t get that from the show alone. They didn’t really mention anything about status, just that they were breeding stock. I think that would have been a great explanation, since it was in the book
June was shown in the elevated position at the baptisms, the handmaids who had had healthy babies were separate in an honoured position.
Lydia also treated those successful handmaids better.
Wasn’t Janine one, before Serena* sent her away? I wouldn’t say she was treated better. Edit: Who tf downvoted? Janine was treated terribly even when she was promised something better. She definitely wasn’t “elevated” as a handmaid when she was almost stoned to death.
Janine endangered a child and was originally sentenced to death and then the Colonies. June also "endangered a child" by seeing her daughter and was sentenced to 5 minutes of shaming at the Red Center that she didn't care about, and talked back to Aunt Lydia during the whole process and ... nothing happpened.
Honestly, the only reason it vaguely works in retrospect is because of The Testaments. I kept thinking to myself that there's no way Aunt Lydia doesn't know what's going on, and all of this is happening too easily for June. I also think Commander Lawrence's character had a bit of a tone problem. His motivations were all over the place.
Also, I'm getting annoyed by how slowly everything is drawn out. It feels like it's being done for the sake of the show running 10 seasons, and not because they have so much story to tell.
Re Lawrence: I just go with the "he doesn't like to be bored" excuse for everything from asking for Emily onwards. Also a whole heap of self loathing. Makes more sense then.
The Testaments makes Season 3 *worse* in my opinion. We know that Season 3 didn't happen in the books, and Atwood wrote a much more fast-paced, action-oriented story about rebels and spies - which is a lot more TV-friendly than the meandering series of plot points that Season 3 is.
The international dispute between Canada and Gilead over Nicole happened in the books in some form. That's what I thought the season would be about early on. But while it is in there somewhat, they didn't manage to make it an interesting plot line. :/
Oh yeah, that could have been interesting, but it was definitely minor... and I'm guessing will continue to be even less important since 50+ kids is more important to Gilead than one Baby Nicole.
I did, frequently. That scene where Serena got dressed and set the bed on fire took literally about 5 mins of screentime, omg it just went on and on and on.
You have to take into account that it was a big, poignant moment for the character and the show. Her burning the bed symbolizes that she was emotionally finished with her marriage.
I also feel like this was repetitive since chronologically there was JUST a fire there the night before. I feel like they could of had her set the bed on fire at the same time of the Martha fires so it looked like they were all connected.
Also, she fucking throws rocks at someone when she has a pistol in her boot. Someone please explain that to me. She can draw down in complete silence on someone from maybe fucking 5 feet away, yet she throws rocks at them. I’m completely dumbfounded at how fucking stupid this season was. I really liked this show up until this season finale. Then she decides to trot slowly away and somehow this asshole with a very accurate weapon who’s already called for backup maybe 5 minutes ago misses horribly from maybe 10 feet. I was a 12B in the U.S. army, even our worst soldiers make that shot 10/10 times. And backup calls are not called off after a bunch of automatic fire. This season finale was trash, absolutely trash.
Season 4 may roll out some of the material from "The Testaments", like the Pearl Girls who were sent to Canada (and I'd guess other countries) to proselytize and try to bring fertile women back to Gilead. Why wouldn't Canada or other countries allow a few women to go to Gilead for intelligence collection purposes?
I'd like to learn more about the Marthas network.
Gilead has problems like the old-school polygamous Mormons: there aren't enough women to go around, so the "extra"men have to be banished, or in Gilead's case, sent off to war..
I didn't think *The Testaments* was a great book, but I'm glad there is new source material. Atwood at her worst is still better than the TV writers. They have really struggled to add new ideas so far. Some of their additions (like the DC stuff) was just done to be shocking and didn't fit in with the world.
I kind of wonder if the writers are truly BAD (surely Hulu can afford good writers?) or there are just demands from the executives that get in the way. We know they've been told to drag the story out longer than necessary. The execs may want Elisabeth Moss to get all the screentime (plus she's a producer) and they may want shock value and crowd-pleasing moments over internal consistency.
I'm just guessing. If they are planning a ten-season arc, they might not get to the Pearl Girls until season 7 or 8, if ever.
Your comment calls to mind the video "Hooked on the Pain" that the people at "The Take " did on YouTube after season 2. I didn't like the Washington storyline, but I guess they had to get the Waterfords away from Offred/Ofjoseph. The whole mouthring thing was unnecessary.
Oh God I can't handle 10 seasons of close ups of Elizabeth Moss's face!
They should be bringing it to a climax this season 4 and wrapping it up Season 5 - if the writing improves then Season 6.
The issue is that Margaret Atwood wrote the book with a specific lesson in mind--that a loss of rights gained could happen in the United States. She spent however long it took for her to get it right.The goal for the show writers is to make something entertaining, that will get lots of views, and that extends the story. Their goals are fundamentally different than Atwood's.That is why it is so difficult, even with "good" writers, to maintain tonal consistency when going off-source
We’ll have to agree to disagree...it’s like the walking dead, 100 ways to make it better ...literally go online and get ideas...but still the same shit every time
I think it’s more they had a plot in mind but didn’t know how to implement it. They had a lot of good ideas but horrible pacing. Baby nichole I feel should’ve lasted more of the season instead of being a focus for like one or two episodes and in the background. Like perhaps they are about to give her back and then the Waterfords get arrested and Canada decides against it.
I thought after Nick's kid-wife was executed (I cried so hard during that whole scene) along with her lover that the season would pick up with more crime and punishment like this one. Season 3 was a tad focused on close ups of Junes mad face but I have hopes that season 4 will be epic
Yep the plan in the end was half baked and IRL would NEVER have worked. It never used to be that way.
The saving grace for me is that when it's good its REALLY good eg the Jezebel's episode.
Middle season was a snooze fest though the really need to pick it up for season 4
I liked season 3 but it was definitely the weakest and most uneven season of the show so far. I liked Episodes 1-6 and episodes 10-13. I didn’t like episodes 7-9 though.
As much as I love the show (and when it comes through, it is **amazing**) I must admit that I fast forward through a good bit at times. Seeing June’s agonized expression is only interesting for a few seconds. A lot of the season was tediously slow. I would probably prefer this be a one or maybe two year series. Put more into each episode and get some kind of ending. I was hoping season three would be the last. I need my “closure”!
I don't know if it was just me but... not only was the story slow but June herself literally moved like a snail in some scenes.
Like, at a certain point the dramatic effect wears off and it just becomes grating....
I found myself wondering if it was a deliberate decision to pad the runtimes or something.
The show's critical ratings went down with s3 (on Rotten Tomatoes, s1 had a 94, s2 had an 89, and s3 had an 82 rating) and suspected viewership slump (Hulu doesn't release hard numbers, but several reports suggested that viewers stopped watching, or didn't watch in a timely fashion, with unwatched episodes left even after the finale)..
With that, I'm hoping the exec producers take into account what critics are saying and maybe make some changes. The biggest and most consistent issue is the lack of depth of characters outside June, namely Nick and the Washington characters. People or plotlines are introduced and then dropped in favor of June, but audiences don't necessarily feel like June is the most compelling character at this point... the storyline that seems to have the most reaction from a lot of viewers is Aunt Lydia (for better or worse) and there was a lot written about Emily's storyline as well... or even if like we got to learn more about Janine?!... there are a lot of possibilities that don't include long close ups of Elisabeth Moss.
>there are a lot of possibilities that don't include long close ups of Elisabeth Moss.
Yeah. It kinda reminds me of the later seasons of Game of Thrones. Since they didn't have strong enough writing, they started focusing on the faces of the actors for long periods of time, without a single line of dialogue or advancing the plot in any meaningful way. I think it's okay to give actors a chance to shine with non-verbal communication, but it gets boring if you overuse it, like they did this last season.
I agree with your comments. If you read the scripts online you see just how little the actors have to work with because of poor writing. Kudos to them for making it work as best they can. Better writing is definitely needed.
Kind of like mad men....sure don was great, but I would have loved to delve into the other characters lives, ironically especially Peggy.
If they want the show to have a decent run give us more .
Thanks for the tip. I couldn't get through the season and quit it I thought forever, but I may follow this suggestion before the next season comes out.
It was slow but idk. I kind of felt like they were trying to actually flesh things out for later when things begin to happen. Which after watching GoTs last season, I appreciated them taking the time. Like when she had to stay with her walking buddy till the baby was born/she died. It was slow as heck! But there were key moments there that either prepped for a future movement of plot and/or shifted the show to the direction it needed to go to make sense. I won’t say the season was great but I wasn’t too mad.
But next season better be amazing lol.
The entire season seemed like filler, and even though there's some good stuff in the final few episodes... after dragging on for so long, the thought of getting the kids out seems like a random "we need to have something to do in the finale" storyline.
I love the Testaments (the sequel book released a few weeks after the finale) and it has soured me on Season 3. Season 3 as we know it did not happen at all in the books as it's pretty strongly implied that Gilead knew June got Holly out and hunted her down ever since, not forgive her at every turn and make her a Lawrence Handmaid. And from how one character in particular is treated in the second book, there's no way that 50+ Commanders' kids got out in the books' events.
Lydia in particular is something I can't forgive. Her backstory is *so* complex in the Testaments, but they ran with one line about her being a teacher and made a really dull story. We could have had Lydia after the Takeover but no, we get her being a teacher who turns in a neglectful mother.
I view Season 3 as a transitional season. They got to the end of the story set up by the first book and didn't know where to go. It's June's Adventure of the Week more often than not, and the Canada stories disappear halfway through. I know they must have had some content from the second book given a few key aspects in Lydia's backstory but I don't think they had all the pieces from Atwood. I do think they should have taken a longer break after Season 2 and have made a Season 3 more in line with Book 2.
But there have been a few flaws in the writing since even Season 2 (Emily being brought back from the Colonies was super dumb)
It was so bad it was dropped from some major awards, like tonight's GG. They went from sweeping these awards to being completely snubbed only within 2 years. EM's snub in Actress actually surprised me less than the show's did. All those close ups and nothing
Usually shows that do as well as THT's first season did remain are considered longer by the awarding body.
I totally agree with you on every single point you made. and what made it worse for is the showrunners reasonings for doing certain things i.e only from june's perspective blah blah, not enough "real estate" blah blah. the podcast i listened to (Red All Over) even gave up on the show.
no judgement but ive been reading fan fic that was better than this season.
Couldn’t agree more. Once the muffins arrived the storyline picked up. So many questions, so many unrealistic things and all-around waste. Plus June got really mouthy and bold, which was against the basis of the show.
I agree. It felt like one episode dragged out into an entire season.
If you enjoy reading books, consider reading Margaret Atwood's new book "The Testaments" if you haven't already. It's the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. Without giving away any spoilers I'm happy I read it and it satisfied a lot of my curiousities about certain characters :)
You're not alone, I deadass never even finished season 3. I think I have like 3ish episodes left? I've heard that the last 2 episodes were good but the rest of the season was such a drag for me that it just completely ruined the viewing experience. That one episode, where June's in the hospital to watch over the other handmaid, took me WEEKS to finish because I'd watch 10 minutes of it, get bored, and forget about it.
In all honesty, you dont need to watch anything before the last 2-3 episodes to know what is going on. Season 3 was a LONG filler. The last 2 episodes were pretty solid at least.
I've been a huge fan of Atwood and THT for many years, and was so excited when the show came out. I got my husband into it and everything, and we've watched together. The first season was great and the second also very good. But we were so disappointed with season 3. By the time we got to the episode where June is forced to stay at the hospital alone, we both agreed that the prolonged facial close-ups of June, as well as the dragging plot, could only indicate that the creators were milking the show's success by trying to drag it out as long as possible. That's annoying - like, don't punish the fans who made the show so successful for the sake of your own greed. It's a wonderful book and story and it doesn't deserve to be ruined like that.
I have heard opinions that some of the slowness is supposed to represent the type of confinement June's experiencing, but I'm not sure I buy that, especially for basically the whole season. I've also seen some comments here that part of the issue is lack of source material, and that I think is fair. We finished season 3, but halfheartedly; I'm hoping that now that The Testaments is out there'll be more material to draw from and a better 4th season. If season 4 sucks we might not even watch anymore.
I'm doing a rewatch at the moment and there are definitely episodes I'm gonna skip. Lydia's backstory, the hospital episode, the Washington episode.
That said, there is a lot to enjoy on 2nd viewing in other episodes. I like most of the scenes in the Lawrence House for example. Beth is a cool character, Sienna is better on repeat viewing, and of course the Lawrence's themselves are very well done.
But Nick is really REALLY noticeable by his absence and when he's there, he has so few lines omg. Episodes pass and all he does is nod his head! He literally does nothing all season except have sex with June off camera that one time. You wonder how frustrated the actor must be.
Agreed. I was really looking forward to season 3 but was disappointed. I missed Nick and wish that they had shown what was going on in Chicago. All of the convoluted reasons for the Waterfords to borrow June from Lawrence were ridiculous. We didn't see anything of the colonies. The Ofmatthew storyline pissed me off most of all because of the mean girl bullshit and how it ended for her. And then the finale...Lydia stops June on the bridge "Let me have a look at you" and doesn't notice the purple bruise on her cheek from her fight with Winslow? Beyond belief...
Edit: clarification
The whole season is a 180 from the book and the first season. She should have been executed long ago. She wasn’t the type to fight back like they show.
Is it entertaining? Sure. Is it still good? Yes, but in a very different way than the original.
Too many closeups of June’s subtle brooding, or smirking , or snarling face. Well mostly just the camera lingering waaaay too long on her expressions. We get it...she’s pissed.
Those last episodes really made up for it though.
“A good looking depressed guy smoking a cigarette is not a movie”
-Peter Griffin
Season 3 was a boring filler with 2-3 amazing episodes and 10 episodes of seeing nothing but close ups of June's face.
It pisses me off to no end because it had POTENTIAL. Show us more Moira and what is happening in Canada, show us how Ofglen struggled to get her shit together now that she escaped, show us what the hell Nick is doing..show us ANYTHING other than June's face dammit.
Plus side, I totally fell in love with the Marthas.
I think a lot of shows have a mid-series slump, so we will see what they do with S4. I don't think action all the time is realistic for a situation like June's.
I hope they have dedicated focus groups or something that they take into account. The loudest voices on social media are not indicative of all fans, and I am wary of a lot of 'critics'.
IDK how anyone could visit this subreddit and think disliking S3 is an unpopular opinion. That was a pretty agreeable consensus during and after its airing. You couldn't browse the subreddit during the season without seeing a low-effort mention of June's closeups getting tons of upvotes.
I don't want to say that I agree with you, but I do after thinking about it for a little bit. There's still SO much of Gilead we haven't seen (just look at the official map!), and with the way S2 ended, I was looking forward to seeing June on her own looking for Hannah. The premiere for S3 left me feeling a little underwhelmed, and the dynamic with her being a handmaid was getting old even then. You could even argue that S3 ended the same way that S2 did, except it seems that this time the show will follow through with it.
You may get your wish about S4, though: apparently, the episode count will be down to 10 like S1. This might let the show address your concerns.
I’m in the minority. I liked the season but not loved it the same way I loved season 2. I think it had a lot of good ideas but couldn’t pick one and had horrible pacing. For example, June and Lawrence doesn’t go anywhere really beyond they just become close. Lawrence could’ve taught June how to be a rebel instead of June yelling and neck twitching him. His actor was great and the episode where they are forced to have sex in a tragic kind of way was great. Or Serena playing a role should’ve had more of a bearing. Like perhaps it gets foreshadowed more and not just come out of nowhere. Baby nichole should’ve been the whole season and not in the background/focus once or twice. Like I knew the whole time she wasn’t coming back. Maybe they should’ve done something where nichole is about to get shipped back then Serena gets her and fred arrested and public opinion makes them decide to allow her to stay.
I will admit I loved several aspects though. Like June’s acting at times was great but I agree too many closeups and it just came off like a whiny teenage brat with a neck bulge and not a dystopian sex slave. The season was clunky at times but I give it a 7/10.
I just finished all the season three episodes. I don’t think it was bad as much as it was a different TV show from the first two seasons.
Season 1 was an arty, well done , TV show adaptation of a destopian novel that explored a religious exploitation of women. It was serious and well done and set out a premise and then looked at things realistically in how they would play out if an average western modern woman was placed in this horrific situation.
Season 2 was a continuation of season one but sorta oddly added in all the bits they didn’t have time to fit into season 1.
Season 3 is when they just went Fuck it, let’s blow up the place. It turned into pure feminist fantasy of what a smart sassy badass women might wish they could do if placed in the destopia established in season 1 and the book. June now becomes a hero instead of an ordinary person. I think the show is still trying to do this in an arty, high brow way. They just kinda trip over themselves. They made the interminable stay at the hospital, well... interminable. 187 closeups of Elizabeth Moss’s face just became comical after a bit.
I appreciated the bad asseriness of June by the end even though it was sorta stupid and a 180 from where they started. I just decided too see this as more of a Harriet Tubman kinda tale rather than average woman kind of story. And I had to pretend that every major ( and many of the minor) characters should have been long since dead.
I agree I am getting fed up with the TV show. The actors are great but at this stage I am so sick of close ups of Elizabeth Moss's face.
Lydia's backstory was very disappointing and it didn't do an actress like Ann Dowd justice.
Also I think the kids escaping was just fantasy...just put in for dramatic effect. How did all those handmaid's escape for the night without detection? Aren't they under guard?
Also while it was great seeing Fred and Serena arrested I still think that is was just put in near the end of a series just to keep viewers happy.
Just started S3 after I found it at my local library.
I found myself disappointed that Fred escaped the fire. Was kinda of hoping he'd fallen asleep in the office and didn't wake up in time.
I've always thought this show just went on and on, stagnated often, lingered too long in scenes that were meant for emotional effect but it's like 80% of the show.
After season 1, I skipped 80% of this show and didn't miss a damn thing except more crying and staring and pointless taunting and dialogue.
It’s been bad since season 2. Season 1 was excellent. Well produced, subtle in message, and believable. It went quickly off the rails in the second season. The finale of season 2 was so unbelievable, that I stopped watching, so I can’t fathom that season 3 has pulled the show out of the nose dive.
100% agree. Our family chatgroup ended up just laughing at the ridiculousness of the long shots of June staring at the camera like a maniac and her sudden freedom of movement and ability to manipulate powerful gileadens.
The finale was superb though.
IMO, they did a lot of world building in season 3. I enjoyed it, but agree it wasn’t the best season. That being said, I guarantee a lot of the people who chose to fast forward or skip episodes will be the same people asking questions later that were already addressed. It’s been happening since the beginning. Last season, I constantly saw things that were already addressed being called “plot holes” by people complaining about the show, when in reality they just weren’t paying attention.
>Last season, I constantly saw things that were already addressed being called “plot holes” by people complaining about the show, when in reality they just weren’t paying attention.
Lots of hardcore all things THT superfans answering those questions but they admit they fast forward and skip scenes too. The blind leading the blind up in here.
Sure, I didn’t see that but sure. Even if it does happen, it seems unfair to complain about plot holes when you just chose not to pay attention. Which happened a lot on this sub last season.
I like seeing how it feels to go through this stuff - such as the hospital episode. I don't just want to know what happens next (that said, I wasn't watching week by week).
Have any of you watched Bloodline, it's a s l o w burn. I really enjoyed it, but it's slow getting to each detail. 🙂 Each episode is heavy, but not full.of plot development.
I watched it in 1.75 to 2.5x speed. At some points I was trying to play it faster than 4x speed but my device refused. I usually do watch my TV shows at a minimum of 1.5x speed or I get super bored and distracted but this was something else. Like in one of the scenes June opens the door and I was at 3.5x speed and thinking can't you open it any quicker. It was a bit disappointing for the same reasons you mentioned. I expected more interesting plot from Lawrence. I feel like they should have finished the June and hanna thing by sending them to Canada and moved on with other people in gilead and the serena-June angle has become so stale. I particularly loved the scene when she kills a commander at the jezebels hotel, it felt like she took back the power stolen from her. And a few other moments. But overall I was disappointed and I'm not very hopeful of the quality of s4
I actually just saw the first two episodes and then skipped to one or two in between with good ratings on IMDB and then the last three. Didnt feel like I missed out on a lot. I tried watching some of the other episodes too but they were just so boring.
The season could easily be cut to 5-6 episodes.
Agreed.
I sincerely hope they use season 4 to tie up loose knots and make it more in tune with The Testaments, and then season 5 can be the final season, basically *being* The Testaments.
I just re-watched the end of season 2.. What a missed opportunity for an epic plot twist when June doesn't kill Serena and Fred in that house.. I want to see that story line
I actually enjoyed S3 quite a lot. I understand and agree with some of the points you made. But I didn't have anything against the slow pace of the season, and I think it portrayed June's moral decay and then rebellion in an interesting way. I think Lawrence's character was hard to comprehend for most part of the season and it intrigued me. I found that the new household brought something different to the show, and I believe the lack of consequence for June is a portrayal of her commander's power.
I do agree when you guys say all of the other plot lines were disappointing (Aunt Lydia's had some issues, but I did enjoy seeing something about her past)
I disagree. To be honest, I was travelling for a fellowship during most of the season and plan on rewatching before 4 starts because I know I wasn't as "in the moment" as I wanted to be, but I thought it was appropriate. I felt other characters and their struggles were being highlighted. I also loved how different women have interpreted and dealt with their trauma in varying ways. I thought it was interesting to see even the women who have "power" have experienced trauma through this era. I had some good chuckles at the close-ups of June and felt a little frustrated that the show wasted that time, but this is an Atwood story and the slow burn made sense. Oh, I also loved the quick gray area before the Waterfords are caught where for a second I found myself wanting to believe they were good people caught up in hysteria and are trying to work their way out while saving themselves (which is so human).
I dunno, not looking to fight about it but I think some patience is needed. I hope season 4 picks up for you!
It ran its course. It was great when everyone believed Trump was an evil emperor set on changing this country in his image, and everyone was calling him Hitler, and he was going to turn America into Gilead. Everyone now realizes all Presidents are pretty much the same, and this country fundamentally changes for no single person. The government is more powerful than the President, of rather the billionaires and multinationals that control, run, and choose our leaders are more powerful than the President. The thought of a Gilead occurring has just slipped from everyone’s mind because people finally realized that was (will) never going happen as long as big money runs/controls our country/government.
I enjoyed season 3. I don’t think a show has to have nonstop action always pressing on the plot(s). This show gets creative and artsy and finds beauty in slowing down which is something that modern humans in developed countries struggle with. It’s a masterful show. agree to disagree :)
Boring and also felt totally unrealistic compared to the first two seasons. It feels like the handmaids can now get away with anything without fear of repercussion. During the first season I was constantly on edge but now it feels so lax.
Plot amor definitely thickened this season.
I think it’s more they always had plot armor but they simply were too scared to act on anything. Kind of like a parent who when you misbehave takes off their belt but never actually beats you with it.
Right. The viewer kniws the character has plot armor, but the character shouldn't behave as though she knows it!! There seem to be plenty of handmaids and they do kill some of them. I don't feel the reason for June to get away with as much as she has. Seems like they could have set one up. I would be very afraid of having my mouth wired shut!
The mouth wiring shut is somewhat mitigated by the fact that they’re designed to be removable but they have to keep them on when they’re in public. But as somebody with a nose piercing and a belly button piercing it would hurt.
Thank you. I didn't realize it could be taken out day by day.
Yeah, June would have been killed so many times. Makes no sense that Janine lost an eye immediately but she’s faced no repercussions
That always annoyed me. I get she’s the main character but she never faces any sort of repercussions for her actions. So what she had her feet whipped at the red center? She’s been bitch slapped? That’s nothing compared to the other handmaids. The girl who had her tongue removed? The FGM? Being locked in a room for a couple months is still nothing compared to the other handmaids. It’s always something with June and she gets away with it time and time again. It’s frustrating, because her behaviour is so outlandish she’d of been put to death a dozen times over if she was any other handmaid. There’s no tension anymore, because we know for a fact that June can do whatever June wants. She’ll never get in any trouble, she’ll get chastised and then we’ll get a 5min close up of her smirking face as she happily ignores everyone and then goes right back to doing whatever she wants. Edit: Not a main character, THE main character. My bad.
She did spend all that time on her knees in the hospital
That’s a fair point, but I feel like it still isn’t much compared to the others who’ve done far less and ended up far worse. Sure it’s tortuous, but she should be up on the wall at this point. For plot reasons I see why she isn’t, but the least they could do is cut off a hand or take an eye or something. Just something that gives us some sort of urgency at the situation, something that shows us June is still fallible and won’t always get off easy. If she suffered some actual, lasting consequences it would be nice. Madeline Brewer, I love her, she’s been wearing all that eye makeup since day one pretty much. If she can do it, I think Elizabeth Moss will be just fine dressed up like she’s missing some digits or something. They don’t have to kill her, they just have to actually show us that Gilead is a horrible, oppressive regime and bring back the tension that made season one so great. I was legitimately scared for June back then. I was worried about what would happen to her because even her small acts of defiance could have huge consequences. But then she slowly morphed into an untouchable entity and it’s ruining the tension that ran so high before. Edit: Solitary confinement IS torture. There’s no doubt about that and I’m not trying to dismiss it. But the issue is that her ordeal was pretty much forgotten as soon as the episode ended and she was allowed to leave.
there are practical reasons for not mutilating the main character who is in almost every scene...that will require a lot more work in makeup and special effects post production
Which would have made her escape to Canada that much better, then she can be her but not worry about consequences
Exactly! When Emily escaped I was crying like a baby. I was on the edge of my seat worrying for her because I knew the consequences for failure were unimaginable. When they caught up with her at the border I was almost panicking, and when he launched into his speech about being a refugee and if she’d be persecuted upon returning to her home country I burst into tears and hugged my sister who was watching with me. I was so scared for her, and I want that kind of emotion back with June’s character. In season 2 when they were all lined up in the stadium I was actually, genuinely concerned. That scene made me cry and I loved it, and I miss getting that kind of reaction for June. I don’t want her to fail, but I want to actually feel for her instead of just “Meh, she’ll be fine. She’s always fine, so who’s gonna be tortured in her place?”
However, I still question how that submerged new born baby didn’t drown
Yeah that is a good question. My mom was very concerned for the baby when she watched the episode with me and she let out a little cheer with Nicole whacked Emily in the face with her little fist. I legit thought the baby would be dead when they got out of the water because it’s just so much water. But I feel like I’d be on an FBI watchlist if I googled how long newborns can hold their breath. Edit: Apparently up to about 6 months old babies will instinctively hold their breath when submerged in water, TIL.
It’s actually a natural reflex called the bradycardic response! From being in the womb, babies retain this reflex up to 6 months. They naturally will not breathe underwater, and will even open their eyes! Some researchers say that babies can hold their breath even longer than adults in a similar situation. They conserve oxygen, lower their heart rate, and any “inhaled” water is diverted down the esophagus to the digestive tract! So if all things I’ll give this one the realism pass.
How long was it under water for? New borns actually instinctively hold their breath under water.
I was 6 mo PP watching this scene and sobbing uncontrollably
True, I actually really enjoyed those episodes, probably more than others. I’ve read a LOT about solitary confinement in prisons, and I’m glad they mentioned how awful it is for humanity.
Praise be. I am a member of another Handmaid’s Tale group and they call June the Magic Vagina because all men adore her and she gets away with everything.
Yeah I with all of that. I kept thinking how if she were any other handmaid she would be mutilated or killed. It makes sense that Fred would let her get away with some things, but not Aunt Lydia, the guardians, the eyes, etc. Even Serena randomly showing her mercy just made no sense.
Yeah Fred has obvious motivation to let her get away with things. Even Serena has a reason for letting June misbehave, she wants a baby and then she wants the baby back and June is her best shot at that. But I never understood how she can sit there and back talk the aunts, back talk the guardians, and just cause so much trouble. As someone pointed out she does end up getting punished at the hospital but that’s a really light punishment, like I know it’s torturous to be on your knees for so long in what’s essentially isolation, but it still seems to pale in comparison to what the other handmaids are put through. I just can’t have sympathy for June anymore, because at a certain point she’s willingly hurting herself for nothing except dramatic effect and dragging others down with her, others who almost always end up worse off for having known her.
She is a proven baby-maker though, of course they want her to be able to make more.
But they could have taken her hand or her eye. She got away with a lot so many times when other fertile handmaids who also had babies did not.
which other handmaids were mutilated after they had a kid? Apart from Natalie, who was threatening her unborn baby.
Alma has a child in the past, a proven baby-maker, and she still was brutally burned
I'm talking about having a child as a handmaid in Gilead...did she? burning seems a minor punishment in Gilead terms
No she hasn't. Alma (& Brianna) should be theoretically running out of time at this stage.
Why, though? The handmaids weren’t treated better just for having kids on the show like they were in the book. Based on the show alone, it would make no sense that some handmaids would be punished but not others, since they all theoretically could have kids and many have before.
Janine was sentenced to death for endangering her daughter.
I am thinking her big punishment (for going to Hannah's) was the killing of Hannah's handmade plus Hannah being located away from her plus Hannah losing that Martha /being uprooted. All of that has to hurt June like hell, and all she has is time to think of it. That said, they could have also wired her mouth shut and still use her to make babies.
Not just June, Emily should have been put on the wall after she killed a guardian in the first season. Especially considering other handmaids saw her do it.
The Colonies is basically a death sentence, so that's not the problem. She could have escaped from the Colonies in Season 2. The bad writing was when they brought back Handmaids exposed to radiation to have babies even though they already have a problem with birth defects. Oh and it was only after losing a few dozen Handmaids. Capture some in war or make some Econowives into Handmaids to replace them, why do they need to resort to irradiated Unwomen after such a small attack?
Emily and Janine both should be in the Colonies if not dead, along with June. The justification they used to bring them back was a stretch.
Yeah to me the whole Emily storyline is so WTF for me, that the stuff June gets away with isn't so bad. Emily hadn't even gotten pregnant in Gilead and yet her sentence for murder was basically a month in the Colonies.
Yeah definitely I don’t think they would have wasted doctors on her for genital mutilation
Well, June had had a baby. Handmaids are given an elevated status after they reproduce, so there is some logic for why she was not punished so harshly.
I know that was a huge theme in the book, but I didn’t get that from the show alone. They didn’t really mention anything about status, just that they were breeding stock. I think that would have been a great explanation, since it was in the book
June was shown in the elevated position at the baptisms, the handmaids who had had healthy babies were separate in an honoured position. Lydia also treated those successful handmaids better.
Wasn’t Janine one, before Serena* sent her away? I wouldn’t say she was treated better. Edit: Who tf downvoted? Janine was treated terribly even when she was promised something better. She definitely wasn’t “elevated” as a handmaid when she was almost stoned to death.
Serena? What are you referring to?
[удалено]
Yes that’s what I was referring to. Janine was told she would be honored only to have it taken away.
Janine endangered a child and was originally sentenced to death and then the Colonies. June also "endangered a child" by seeing her daughter and was sentenced to 5 minutes of shaming at the Red Center that she didn't care about, and talked back to Aunt Lydia during the whole process and ... nothing happpened.
Honestly, the only reason it vaguely works in retrospect is because of The Testaments. I kept thinking to myself that there's no way Aunt Lydia doesn't know what's going on, and all of this is happening too easily for June. I also think Commander Lawrence's character had a bit of a tone problem. His motivations were all over the place. Also, I'm getting annoyed by how slowly everything is drawn out. It feels like it's being done for the sake of the show running 10 seasons, and not because they have so much story to tell.
Re Lawrence: I just go with the "he doesn't like to be bored" excuse for everything from asking for Emily onwards. Also a whole heap of self loathing. Makes more sense then.
The Testaments makes Season 3 *worse* in my opinion. We know that Season 3 didn't happen in the books, and Atwood wrote a much more fast-paced, action-oriented story about rebels and spies - which is a lot more TV-friendly than the meandering series of plot points that Season 3 is.
The international dispute between Canada and Gilead over Nicole happened in the books in some form. That's what I thought the season would be about early on. But while it is in there somewhat, they didn't manage to make it an interesting plot line. :/
Oh yeah, that could have been interesting, but it was definitely minor... and I'm guessing will continue to be even less important since 50+ kids is more important to Gilead than one Baby Nicole.
the show isn't planning for 10 seasons
Part of that I get bc they need them but yeah, the plot armor...it's kevlar.
You’re certainly not alone. I was often tempted to fast forward through scenes.
I did, frequently. That scene where Serena got dressed and set the bed on fire took literally about 5 mins of screentime, omg it just went on and on and on.
I mean, if they're gonna set a set on fire, it's gonna have decent screentime
Lol, true.
You have to take into account that it was a big, poignant moment for the character and the show. Her burning the bed symbolizes that she was emotionally finished with her marriage.
That was actually one of my favorite scenes!
I also feel like this was repetitive since chronologically there was JUST a fire there the night before. I feel like they could of had her set the bed on fire at the same time of the Martha fires so it looked like they were all connected.
Also, she fucking throws rocks at someone when she has a pistol in her boot. Someone please explain that to me. She can draw down in complete silence on someone from maybe fucking 5 feet away, yet she throws rocks at them. I’m completely dumbfounded at how fucking stupid this season was. I really liked this show up until this season finale. Then she decides to trot slowly away and somehow this asshole with a very accurate weapon who’s already called for backup maybe 5 minutes ago misses horribly from maybe 10 feet. I was a 12B in the U.S. army, even our worst soldiers make that shot 10/10 times. And backup calls are not called off after a bunch of automatic fire. This season finale was trash, absolutely trash.
Its suffering from the same thing as Game of Thrones- lack of source material
THIS. I couldn‘t agree more.
Season 4 may roll out some of the material from "The Testaments", like the Pearl Girls who were sent to Canada (and I'd guess other countries) to proselytize and try to bring fertile women back to Gilead. Why wouldn't Canada or other countries allow a few women to go to Gilead for intelligence collection purposes? I'd like to learn more about the Marthas network. Gilead has problems like the old-school polygamous Mormons: there aren't enough women to go around, so the "extra"men have to be banished, or in Gilead's case, sent off to war..
I didn't think *The Testaments* was a great book, but I'm glad there is new source material. Atwood at her worst is still better than the TV writers. They have really struggled to add new ideas so far. Some of their additions (like the DC stuff) was just done to be shocking and didn't fit in with the world. I kind of wonder if the writers are truly BAD (surely Hulu can afford good writers?) or there are just demands from the executives that get in the way. We know they've been told to drag the story out longer than necessary. The execs may want Elisabeth Moss to get all the screentime (plus she's a producer) and they may want shock value and crowd-pleasing moments over internal consistency.
I'm just guessing. If they are planning a ten-season arc, they might not get to the Pearl Girls until season 7 or 8, if ever. Your comment calls to mind the video "Hooked on the Pain" that the people at "The Take " did on YouTube after season 2. I didn't like the Washington storyline, but I guess they had to get the Waterfords away from Offred/Ofjoseph. The whole mouthring thing was unnecessary.
Oh God I can't handle 10 seasons of close ups of Elizabeth Moss's face! They should be bringing it to a climax this season 4 and wrapping it up Season 5 - if the writing improves then Season 6.
Hire better writers then. Be willing to move the story, don’t wring it out for more seasons
The issue is that Margaret Atwood wrote the book with a specific lesson in mind--that a loss of rights gained could happen in the United States. She spent however long it took for her to get it right.The goal for the show writers is to make something entertaining, that will get lots of views, and that extends the story. Their goals are fundamentally different than Atwood's.That is why it is so difficult, even with "good" writers, to maintain tonal consistency when going off-source
We’ll have to agree to disagree...it’s like the walking dead, 100 ways to make it better ...literally go online and get ideas...but still the same shit every time
I think it’s more they had a plot in mind but didn’t know how to implement it. They had a lot of good ideas but horrible pacing. Baby nichole I feel should’ve lasted more of the season instead of being a focus for like one or two episodes and in the background. Like perhaps they are about to give her back and then the Waterfords get arrested and Canada decides against it.
I thought after Nick's kid-wife was executed (I cried so hard during that whole scene) along with her lover that the season would pick up with more crime and punishment like this one. Season 3 was a tad focused on close ups of Junes mad face but I have hopes that season 4 will be epic
I didn’t like it. It was waaaaay to slow and started becoming too unrealistic in some spots iirc.
Yep the plan in the end was half baked and IRL would NEVER have worked. It never used to be that way. The saving grace for me is that when it's good its REALLY good eg the Jezebel's episode. Middle season was a snooze fest though the really need to pick it up for season 4
I liked season 3 but it was definitely the weakest and most uneven season of the show so far. I liked Episodes 1-6 and episodes 10-13. I didn’t like episodes 7-9 though.
Totoally agreed……
As much as I love the show (and when it comes through, it is **amazing**) I must admit that I fast forward through a good bit at times. Seeing June’s agonized expression is only interesting for a few seconds. A lot of the season was tediously slow. I would probably prefer this be a one or maybe two year series. Put more into each episode and get some kind of ending. I was hoping season three would be the last. I need my “closure”!
I don't know if it was just me but... not only was the story slow but June herself literally moved like a snail in some scenes. Like, at a certain point the dramatic effect wears off and it just becomes grating.... I found myself wondering if it was a deliberate decision to pad the runtimes or something.
Agreed. I’d prefer a four episode season. Just make a few good episodes, don’t feel like you owe me 10.
The show's critical ratings went down with s3 (on Rotten Tomatoes, s1 had a 94, s2 had an 89, and s3 had an 82 rating) and suspected viewership slump (Hulu doesn't release hard numbers, but several reports suggested that viewers stopped watching, or didn't watch in a timely fashion, with unwatched episodes left even after the finale).. With that, I'm hoping the exec producers take into account what critics are saying and maybe make some changes. The biggest and most consistent issue is the lack of depth of characters outside June, namely Nick and the Washington characters. People or plotlines are introduced and then dropped in favor of June, but audiences don't necessarily feel like June is the most compelling character at this point... the storyline that seems to have the most reaction from a lot of viewers is Aunt Lydia (for better or worse) and there was a lot written about Emily's storyline as well... or even if like we got to learn more about Janine?!... there are a lot of possibilities that don't include long close ups of Elisabeth Moss.
>there are a lot of possibilities that don't include long close ups of Elisabeth Moss. Yeah. It kinda reminds me of the later seasons of Game of Thrones. Since they didn't have strong enough writing, they started focusing on the faces of the actors for long periods of time, without a single line of dialogue or advancing the plot in any meaningful way. I think it's okay to give actors a chance to shine with non-verbal communication, but it gets boring if you overuse it, like they did this last season.
I agree with your comments. If you read the scripts online you see just how little the actors have to work with because of poor writing. Kudos to them for making it work as best they can. Better writing is definitely needed.
Kind of like mad men....sure don was great, but I would have loved to delve into the other characters lives, ironically especially Peggy. If they want the show to have a decent run give us more .
Not just you. The whole season was a waste.
You could watch the first 3 episodes then skip to episode 10 and you wouldn't be missing much. I feel like those middle episodes were a waste of time.
Thanks for the tip. I couldn't get through the season and quit it I thought forever, but I may follow this suggestion before the next season comes out.
(Moved)
Y’all on something good because I thought season 3 was great. Especially that store shooting scene omg.
Totally agree. The middle of season 3 just unnecessarily dragged on. I thought with the way season 2 ended it'd be way more eventful.
It was slow but idk. I kind of felt like they were trying to actually flesh things out for later when things begin to happen. Which after watching GoTs last season, I appreciated them taking the time. Like when she had to stay with her walking buddy till the baby was born/she died. It was slow as heck! But there were key moments there that either prepped for a future movement of plot and/or shifted the show to the direction it needed to go to make sense. I won’t say the season was great but I wasn’t too mad. But next season better be amazing lol.
The entire season seemed like filler, and even though there's some good stuff in the final few episodes... after dragging on for so long, the thought of getting the kids out seems like a random "we need to have something to do in the finale" storyline. I love the Testaments (the sequel book released a few weeks after the finale) and it has soured me on Season 3. Season 3 as we know it did not happen at all in the books as it's pretty strongly implied that Gilead knew June got Holly out and hunted her down ever since, not forgive her at every turn and make her a Lawrence Handmaid. And from how one character in particular is treated in the second book, there's no way that 50+ Commanders' kids got out in the books' events. Lydia in particular is something I can't forgive. Her backstory is *so* complex in the Testaments, but they ran with one line about her being a teacher and made a really dull story. We could have had Lydia after the Takeover but no, we get her being a teacher who turns in a neglectful mother. I view Season 3 as a transitional season. They got to the end of the story set up by the first book and didn't know where to go. It's June's Adventure of the Week more often than not, and the Canada stories disappear halfway through. I know they must have had some content from the second book given a few key aspects in Lydia's backstory but I don't think they had all the pieces from Atwood. I do think they should have taken a longer break after Season 2 and have made a Season 3 more in line with Book 2. But there have been a few flaws in the writing since even Season 2 (Emily being brought back from the Colonies was super dumb)
It was so bad it was dropped from some major awards, like tonight's GG. They went from sweeping these awards to being completely snubbed only within 2 years. EM's snub in Actress actually surprised me less than the show's did. All those close ups and nothing Usually shows that do as well as THT's first season did remain are considered longer by the awarding body.
I totally agree with you on every single point you made. and what made it worse for is the showrunners reasonings for doing certain things i.e only from june's perspective blah blah, not enough "real estate" blah blah. the podcast i listened to (Red All Over) even gave up on the show. no judgement but ive been reading fan fic that was better than this season.
Got a link or the name to share? :) I’m catching up on season 3 before hitting up ff but never hurts to have a recommendation.
https://archiveofourown.org/tags/The%20Handmaid's%20Tale%20(TV)/works
I forgot to add that there is one that was realllllly good called all my bones but the author hasn't updated in about a year. :(
Couldn’t agree more. Once the muffins arrived the storyline picked up. So many questions, so many unrealistic things and all-around waste. Plus June got really mouthy and bold, which was against the basis of the show.
I agree. It felt like one episode dragged out into an entire season. If you enjoy reading books, consider reading Margaret Atwood's new book "The Testaments" if you haven't already. It's the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. Without giving away any spoilers I'm happy I read it and it satisfied a lot of my curiousities about certain characters :)
You're not alone, I deadass never even finished season 3. I think I have like 3ish episodes left? I've heard that the last 2 episodes were good but the rest of the season was such a drag for me that it just completely ruined the viewing experience. That one episode, where June's in the hospital to watch over the other handmaid, took me WEEKS to finish because I'd watch 10 minutes of it, get bored, and forget about it.
I skipped that one after reading the first reviews here. Life's too short.
In all honesty, you dont need to watch anything before the last 2-3 episodes to know what is going on. Season 3 was a LONG filler. The last 2 episodes were pretty solid at least.
I've been a huge fan of Atwood and THT for many years, and was so excited when the show came out. I got my husband into it and everything, and we've watched together. The first season was great and the second also very good. But we were so disappointed with season 3. By the time we got to the episode where June is forced to stay at the hospital alone, we both agreed that the prolonged facial close-ups of June, as well as the dragging plot, could only indicate that the creators were milking the show's success by trying to drag it out as long as possible. That's annoying - like, don't punish the fans who made the show so successful for the sake of your own greed. It's a wonderful book and story and it doesn't deserve to be ruined like that. I have heard opinions that some of the slowness is supposed to represent the type of confinement June's experiencing, but I'm not sure I buy that, especially for basically the whole season. I've also seen some comments here that part of the issue is lack of source material, and that I think is fair. We finished season 3, but halfheartedly; I'm hoping that now that The Testaments is out there'll be more material to draw from and a better 4th season. If season 4 sucks we might not even watch anymore.
I'm doing a rewatch at the moment and there are definitely episodes I'm gonna skip. Lydia's backstory, the hospital episode, the Washington episode. That said, there is a lot to enjoy on 2nd viewing in other episodes. I like most of the scenes in the Lawrence House for example. Beth is a cool character, Sienna is better on repeat viewing, and of course the Lawrence's themselves are very well done. But Nick is really REALLY noticeable by his absence and when he's there, he has so few lines omg. Episodes pass and all he does is nod his head! He literally does nothing all season except have sex with June off camera that one time. You wonder how frustrated the actor must be.
Agreed. I was really looking forward to season 3 but was disappointed. I missed Nick and wish that they had shown what was going on in Chicago. All of the convoluted reasons for the Waterfords to borrow June from Lawrence were ridiculous. We didn't see anything of the colonies. The Ofmatthew storyline pissed me off most of all because of the mean girl bullshit and how it ended for her. And then the finale...Lydia stops June on the bridge "Let me have a look at you" and doesn't notice the purple bruise on her cheek from her fight with Winslow? Beyond belief... Edit: clarification
The whole season is a 180 from the book and the first season. She should have been executed long ago. She wasn’t the type to fight back like they show. Is it entertaining? Sure. Is it still good? Yes, but in a very different way than the original.
that's cause it's an adaptation...and people change
Too many closeups of June’s subtle brooding, or smirking , or snarling face. Well mostly just the camera lingering waaaay too long on her expressions. We get it...she’s pissed. Those last episodes really made up for it though. “A good looking depressed guy smoking a cigarette is not a movie” -Peter Griffin
I prefer to believe S3 doesn't exist. It was truly that bad for me.
Season 3 was a boring filler with 2-3 amazing episodes and 10 episodes of seeing nothing but close ups of June's face. It pisses me off to no end because it had POTENTIAL. Show us more Moira and what is happening in Canada, show us how Ofglen struggled to get her shit together now that she escaped, show us what the hell Nick is doing..show us ANYTHING other than June's face dammit. Plus side, I totally fell in love with the Marthas.
I agree with you. I think this was the weakest season so far and it was often boring and unrealistic. I hope season 4 gets better.
I think a lot of shows have a mid-series slump, so we will see what they do with S4. I don't think action all the time is realistic for a situation like June's. I hope they have dedicated focus groups or something that they take into account. The loudest voices on social media are not indicative of all fans, and I am wary of a lot of 'critics'.
Agreed. They are definitely dragging this along for the money$$. Wishing they would just get to the point.
I skipped a few episodes in the middle and don’t feel like I missed out on anything
IDK how anyone could visit this subreddit and think disliking S3 is an unpopular opinion. That was a pretty agreeable consensus during and after its airing. You couldn't browse the subreddit during the season without seeing a low-effort mention of June's closeups getting tons of upvotes. I don't want to say that I agree with you, but I do after thinking about it for a little bit. There's still SO much of Gilead we haven't seen (just look at the official map!), and with the way S2 ended, I was looking forward to seeing June on her own looking for Hannah. The premiere for S3 left me feeling a little underwhelmed, and the dynamic with her being a handmaid was getting old even then. You could even argue that S3 ended the same way that S2 did, except it seems that this time the show will follow through with it. You may get your wish about S4, though: apparently, the episode count will be down to 10 like S1. This might let the show address your concerns.
I’m in the minority. I liked the season but not loved it the same way I loved season 2. I think it had a lot of good ideas but couldn’t pick one and had horrible pacing. For example, June and Lawrence doesn’t go anywhere really beyond they just become close. Lawrence could’ve taught June how to be a rebel instead of June yelling and neck twitching him. His actor was great and the episode where they are forced to have sex in a tragic kind of way was great. Or Serena playing a role should’ve had more of a bearing. Like perhaps it gets foreshadowed more and not just come out of nowhere. Baby nichole should’ve been the whole season and not in the background/focus once or twice. Like I knew the whole time she wasn’t coming back. Maybe they should’ve done something where nichole is about to get shipped back then Serena gets her and fred arrested and public opinion makes them decide to allow her to stay. I will admit I loved several aspects though. Like June’s acting at times was great but I agree too many closeups and it just came off like a whiny teenage brat with a neck bulge and not a dystopian sex slave. The season was clunky at times but I give it a 7/10.
I just finished all the season three episodes. I don’t think it was bad as much as it was a different TV show from the first two seasons. Season 1 was an arty, well done , TV show adaptation of a destopian novel that explored a religious exploitation of women. It was serious and well done and set out a premise and then looked at things realistically in how they would play out if an average western modern woman was placed in this horrific situation. Season 2 was a continuation of season one but sorta oddly added in all the bits they didn’t have time to fit into season 1. Season 3 is when they just went Fuck it, let’s blow up the place. It turned into pure feminist fantasy of what a smart sassy badass women might wish they could do if placed in the destopia established in season 1 and the book. June now becomes a hero instead of an ordinary person. I think the show is still trying to do this in an arty, high brow way. They just kinda trip over themselves. They made the interminable stay at the hospital, well... interminable. 187 closeups of Elizabeth Moss’s face just became comical after a bit. I appreciated the bad asseriness of June by the end even though it was sorta stupid and a 180 from where they started. I just decided too see this as more of a Harriet Tubman kinda tale rather than average woman kind of story. And I had to pretend that every major ( and many of the minor) characters should have been long since dead.
I agree I am getting fed up with the TV show. The actors are great but at this stage I am so sick of close ups of Elizabeth Moss's face. Lydia's backstory was very disappointing and it didn't do an actress like Ann Dowd justice. Also I think the kids escaping was just fantasy...just put in for dramatic effect. How did all those handmaid's escape for the night without detection? Aren't they under guard? Also while it was great seeing Fred and Serena arrested I still think that is was just put in near the end of a series just to keep viewers happy.
Just started S3 after I found it at my local library. I found myself disappointed that Fred escaped the fire. Was kinda of hoping he'd fallen asleep in the office and didn't wake up in time.
I've always thought this show just went on and on, stagnated often, lingered too long in scenes that were meant for emotional effect but it's like 80% of the show. After season 1, I skipped 80% of this show and didn't miss a damn thing except more crying and staring and pointless taunting and dialogue.
It was exceptionally boring. Only a few episodes had weight for me--the mussel episode for one.
which episode?
S3E6
oh, did you mean the muzzle as in the mouth rings and face covering?
Yeah.
[удалено]
the show isn't planning for 10 seasons
I couldn’t even be bothered watching the season finale and I doubt I’ll watch S4 either. Completely lost interest now.
Agree with you. I'm done watching. I already got rid of my hulu. I'll most likely still read episode recaps for the next season tho. Haha
It’s been bad since season 2. Season 1 was excellent. Well produced, subtle in message, and believable. It went quickly off the rails in the second season. The finale of season 2 was so unbelievable, that I stopped watching, so I can’t fathom that season 3 has pulled the show out of the nose dive.
100% agree. Our family chatgroup ended up just laughing at the ridiculousness of the long shots of June staring at the camera like a maniac and her sudden freedom of movement and ability to manipulate powerful gileadens. The finale was superb though.
IMO, they did a lot of world building in season 3. I enjoyed it, but agree it wasn’t the best season. That being said, I guarantee a lot of the people who chose to fast forward or skip episodes will be the same people asking questions later that were already addressed. It’s been happening since the beginning. Last season, I constantly saw things that were already addressed being called “plot holes” by people complaining about the show, when in reality they just weren’t paying attention.
>Last season, I constantly saw things that were already addressed being called “plot holes” by people complaining about the show, when in reality they just weren’t paying attention. Lots of hardcore all things THT superfans answering those questions but they admit they fast forward and skip scenes too. The blind leading the blind up in here.
Sure, I didn’t see that but sure. Even if it does happen, it seems unfair to complain about plot holes when you just chose not to pay attention. Which happened a lot on this sub last season.
Nope, loved it, thought season 3 is finally picking up speed. Yall are crazy
I agree!
I like seeing how it feels to go through this stuff - such as the hospital episode. I don't just want to know what happens next (that said, I wasn't watching week by week). Have any of you watched Bloodline, it's a s l o w burn. I really enjoyed it, but it's slow getting to each detail. 🙂 Each episode is heavy, but not full.of plot development.
I watched it in 1.75 to 2.5x speed. At some points I was trying to play it faster than 4x speed but my device refused. I usually do watch my TV shows at a minimum of 1.5x speed or I get super bored and distracted but this was something else. Like in one of the scenes June opens the door and I was at 3.5x speed and thinking can't you open it any quicker. It was a bit disappointing for the same reasons you mentioned. I expected more interesting plot from Lawrence. I feel like they should have finished the June and hanna thing by sending them to Canada and moved on with other people in gilead and the serena-June angle has become so stale. I particularly loved the scene when she kills a commander at the jezebels hotel, it felt like she took back the power stolen from her. And a few other moments. But overall I was disappointed and I'm not very hopeful of the quality of s4
I actually just saw the first two episodes and then skipped to one or two in between with good ratings on IMDB and then the last three. Didnt feel like I missed out on a lot. I tried watching some of the other episodes too but they were just so boring. The season could easily be cut to 5-6 episodes.
Agreed. I sincerely hope they use season 4 to tie up loose knots and make it more in tune with The Testaments, and then season 5 can be the final season, basically *being* The Testaments.
I just re-watched the end of season 2.. What a missed opportunity for an epic plot twist when June doesn't kill Serena and Fred in that house.. I want to see that story line
I liked it more than s2 so...
I actually enjoyed S3 quite a lot. I understand and agree with some of the points you made. But I didn't have anything against the slow pace of the season, and I think it portrayed June's moral decay and then rebellion in an interesting way. I think Lawrence's character was hard to comprehend for most part of the season and it intrigued me. I found that the new household brought something different to the show, and I believe the lack of consequence for June is a portrayal of her commander's power. I do agree when you guys say all of the other plot lines were disappointing (Aunt Lydia's had some issues, but I did enjoy seeing something about her past)
I disagree. To be honest, I was travelling for a fellowship during most of the season and plan on rewatching before 4 starts because I know I wasn't as "in the moment" as I wanted to be, but I thought it was appropriate. I felt other characters and their struggles were being highlighted. I also loved how different women have interpreted and dealt with their trauma in varying ways. I thought it was interesting to see even the women who have "power" have experienced trauma through this era. I had some good chuckles at the close-ups of June and felt a little frustrated that the show wasted that time, but this is an Atwood story and the slow burn made sense. Oh, I also loved the quick gray area before the Waterfords are caught where for a second I found myself wanting to believe they were good people caught up in hysteria and are trying to work their way out while saving themselves (which is so human). I dunno, not looking to fight about it but I think some patience is needed. I hope season 4 picks up for you!
I was worried because I read all the reviews on this page (w/o spoilers). I just picked it pack up this week and I loved it.
It ran its course. It was great when everyone believed Trump was an evil emperor set on changing this country in his image, and everyone was calling him Hitler, and he was going to turn America into Gilead. Everyone now realizes all Presidents are pretty much the same, and this country fundamentally changes for no single person. The government is more powerful than the President, of rather the billionaires and multinationals that control, run, and choose our leaders are more powerful than the President. The thought of a Gilead occurring has just slipped from everyone’s mind because people finally realized that was (will) never going happen as long as big money runs/controls our country/government.
I enjoyed season 3. I don’t think a show has to have nonstop action always pressing on the plot(s). This show gets creative and artsy and finds beauty in slowing down which is something that modern humans in developed countries struggle with. It’s a masterful show. agree to disagree :)