u/Prestigious_Page8098

I though the character dynamics, chemistry and delivery reached a whole new level in S5. I kept rewinding the paint can scene with River and Coe, as the way they delivered their reactions, cracked me up. So, just an added touch of humor throughout, as well.

The actors' demeanor and general appearance made them appear even more natural within their roles. It seemed like their skill level also went up a level. Didn’t think that was even possible.

I loved Coe’s progression,  but oddly I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off of  Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish. I’ve seen her in other roles but, imo, she is just outstanding in this particular role.

[PART 1 / 3] I apologize for any repetition as I’ve been building on this for a while now.
Confused by S6, after so many years of such amazing tight writing, or triggered by a comment on reddit, I find myself doing another deep dive into the details. 

What became clear, they did paint Nick as a good guy, several times, but blurred it in the fine details. They were more overt in attempting to paint him as a bad guy. Ex: Luke Labels Nick a N@zi, yet in the same episode Moira tells June ‘’Nick could’ve saved all of our lives’’. This included Mayday. There was no ‘’could’ve’’ with June/ Luke/ Moira. He did save their lives. 

Would the whole picture change if Nick remained in contact with Tuello after Wharton threatened to execute him? I now see that as the most logical/ reasonable behind the scenes action Nick would’ve taken. And that Tuello made the arrangements for Nick / June to go to Paris.

Wharton became highly suspicious of Nick due to the series of events that unfolded after he rescued Luke and Moira. It was highly probable Wharton would launch his own investigation, putting the American operation at significant risk. Making it vital and urgent information to pass on to Tuello. Also, it could leave June more exposed, as well as Mayday.

Nick believed June was safely back in Alaska. His agreement with Tuello wasn’t for his own immunity, it was that he’d protect June. June was not only still in Gilead but also involved in Mayday operations. This, obviously, would’ve deeply distressed Nick. it's only logical he’d demand answers from Tuello. Nick kept his end of the deal, passing information to the Americans. Tuello, in the end, did not.

Nick had passports and papers when he asked June to go to Paris. I found that odd, as I’m not sure why Nick would’ve had his own fake documents prior to the Paris plan.

I think Tuello passed those documents to Nick. It would make sense for Tuello to have them ready as part of their agreement to protect June. As well as any immunity deals to get one of his assets out, if things went sideways. And they did.

The arrangements had to happen quickly.  Gilead had shut down all airports, their airspace was heavily restricted. Mayday would be too involved with the rebellion to be smuggling people out.

Tuello broke his agreement with Nick. He owed Nick. Gilead already ran June down in Canada. And, It wouldn’t be easy for June to keep injecting herself into Mayday operations from Paris. Maybe the only place June could  be safe was on the other side of the ocean. Tuello was right there, preparing to take June back to Alaska, which would make it a safe and fast escape route for both of them..

I binged the first 7 episodes of TT. Then I literally forgot 2 new episodes had come out. I was in agony waiting between episodes in THT. 

But finally they did what, imo, should've done a lot sooner. They added some depth, substance and complexity to the show. This was the first time I stood up and took notice (maybe not the most believable, but still). Even the acting went up a level. Now that they added some complexity for the characters. 

If they were going to change the whole story at least give us something worth watching. Something to raise our level of anticipation.

For me, TT will never replace THT, but I’m now more willing to give it a chance and see how it unfolds, including whether they tie up some of the loose ends left in THT.

I have been using black liquid eyeling for years but want to transition to something less stark. I'm tired of buying makeup that looks good on the outside, but is totlly different when you open it up. Color preference is a dark brown, edging on black, which glides on smoothly.

As things are tight for most of us these days, I am for something budget freindly. I will appreciate anyone's suggestion

I had to fight back the feeling of being disloyal to the original Charles Dickens version, because personally, I really liked the many twists. Liked the surpise of being led down a different and unexpected trail. I found this interesting.

There is a large percentage of the THT audience, including many men and seniors, who loved Max Minghella and his character, Nick Blaine. My main point isn't whether people love/ hate Nick. Think he was good or evil. We are just not going to be changing our (or anyone else's) minds at this point.

I’ve often defended the Nick/Lawrence storyline because it reflects many historical examples of people working inside the system of an oppressive regime helping the citizens to survive. Much of their storyline was conveyed through subtle details, which made its significance easy to miss.

I immediately saw Nick’s character as being very stoic which seemed like the only way he could have been written given that he was not only living basically under the roof of a High Commander but also spying on him, at the same time. Very dangerous.

Rita was also shown as being stoic at the Waterfords as I don’t think there is much room for individual expression under those circumstances. It was almost a necessity to remain silent.

Many have said that they couldn’t tell what Nick was all about. But there was no other way to write his character, imo. I always thought that if he was out of that environment Nick would become a real boy. Which we saw a bit of in S6.

Nick was also spying on Gilead which would mean constantly having to keep your guard up. Remaining very cool at all times. We now see Garth presented in the exact same way, exuding that same stoicism. 

As a woman, I’m a little offended they seemed to have swapped out Nick for Garth, then added a bunch of romance. Was that meant to appease those of us annoyed at how they threw Nick under the bus. Did they just assume that for women (or gender neutral) it was always and only about the Nick/ June romance? Surely they acknowledge and respect we have a little more depth and intelligence than that. 

I could be wrong. I will see how this plays out. But to see Garth not only take over Nick’s story but actually mimic Nick’s own body language and mannerisms only made me feel sad.

Max Minghella along with a few other male actors are top calibre when it comes to the fine art of nuanced emotional expression. I really wished they had simply shown him more respect.