r/TheTestamentsHulu

I have read the book after watching both shows and it left me a bit underwhelmed… Like the story was too rushed in the second half. Agnes was just realising the degree of corruption through reading without any actual attempt to influence anything. Becka was given all the same information just for her to sacrifice herself. Jade was also literally just hanging out in Gilead. The backstories were great but the rest was lacking depth in my opinion.

Curious, unless I missed it we haven’t seen an update map in s1 of TT. Hopefully we see one in S2, but what do you think that would look like? It’s been years since the last map we’ve seen in universe and I really hope we can get a snip of what Gilead looks like a decade+ later.

So I just recently started reading the book after watching the testaments (I know bad order) but I’m curious why is the Audra hall school for wives called the “aunt Lydia” school in the show but it’s called the “aunt Vidala” school*s* in the books?

One thing I’ve been thinking about after finishing TT (and a rewatch) is how Gilead actually treats close friendships between the girls.In Episode 1, Agnes says best friends are forbidden. But as the season goes on, that doesn’t seem to be entirely true. Is it more nuanced than that?

My current theory is that Gilead doesn’t literally forbid friendships; it forbids exclusive loyalty. At school, the Aunts have to know that friendships will form. Maybe they tolerate them to a point but monitor them closely, stepping in when a relationship becomes someone’s primary emotional attachment instead of loyalty to Gilead/God/womanly duties.

That would explain why Aunt Vidala mentions trying to separate another pair of girls who were getting too close (can’t remember which ep, but it’s before the ball), yet Agnes and Becka are obviously very close, and no one really intervenes. Maybe it’s because they’re well-behaved Plums, maybe it’s privilege, or maybe the Aunts simply don’t realize how deep the bond actually is.

Even later, Agnes tells Weston that Becka killed her father to protect his future wife, and he doesn’t really react to the depth of Becka’s devotion. Likewise, the Aunts ultimately help Agnes and Daisy save Becka, even though Agnes is clearly distraught and emotionally invested in her. By Episode 10, Agnes has essentially chosen Becka over the future Gilead planned for her, yet no one seems focused on their relationship itself.

So is the rule really “no best friends,” or is it more like “no relationship can become more important than Gilead/God and their husbands”? That seems more consistent with what we actually see on screen.

Curious to hear some thoughts/theories!

just started season 1, episode 1 (haven't even finished the episode, bear in mind!), but Agnes describes her school as being named the Aunt Lydia School. Despite the otherwise convincing world building, this seemed a bit odd. Not only is aunt Lydia a woman, in a patriarchal world (admittedly one with a uniquely powerful position, as an aunt), but she doesn't seem to have much direct contact with any of the "plums" in a Handmaid's Tale. Even if she does now run a school, and even if she did have a big role in the intervening years, would the school be named after her? Doesn't feel very Gileady, given they don't even have statues of their leaders or figurative and graven depictions of God, anywhere that we have seen before (Aunt Lydia even says, "by tradition, only dead people are allowed to have statues"-highlighting how unique hers is in the school.) I was expecting something Biblical, like the Rebekah School, the Mary School etc. or otherwise a reference to a man. This strike anyone else as a bit "on the nose?" Perhaps this will be explained later.

Is her narration throughout the show actually the book she writes after getting out of Gilead? It could just as easily be witness testimony like in the book, but since the end of The Handmaid's Tale suggests that June goes on to write a book, who's to say Hannah doesn't write one too. And I mean, her prose is fire. Her narration is my favourite.

Please join us for the first three episodes of Season 2 in our official rewatch of The Handmaid's Tale

Tonight we will be watching the first three episodes of Season 2.

Season 2, Episode 1: June

Plot: Offred reckons with the consequences of a dangerous decision, while being haunted by memories from her past and the violent beginnings of Gilead.

Season 2, Episode 2: Unwomen

Plot: Offred adjusts to a new way of life. Soon, the arrival of an unexpected person disrupts the colonies. Meanwhile, a family is torn apart by the rise of Gilead.

Season 2, Episode 3: Baggage

Plot: As she navigates her way through Gilead, Offred reflects on her relationship with her mother. Elsewhere, Moira tries to cope with the intense trauma she endured while in Little America.

I’m reading The Testaments, almost finished with it. Jade/Nicole discusses the food a few times, and how bad it is. Some soup that tasted like dishwater, “fake Gilead cheese,” etc.

I would think that with Gilead’s emphasis on health, the food would at least be fresh and not processed. Even Aunt Lydia says that they have dry sandwiches with “something ruinous that had been done to tomatoes.” That’s just sad lol.

Is this all of Gilead? Or just the food that the Aunts get?

Hello, folks!

Today marks the beginning of our The Handmaid's Tale book club!

For July, we'll be reading the first four sections:

1. Night

2. Shopping

3. Night

4. Waiting Room

The number of chapters varies by edition, but the section titles remain the same. This month's reading is approximately 80–85 pages, depending on your copy.

This opening section of the novel focuses on world-building, character development, and Offred's memories, laying the foundation for everything that follows.

This is a relaxed book club. Whether you're reading The Handmaid's Tale for the first time or revisiting it years later, read at your own pace, join the discussion whenever you're ready, and enjoy exploring Margaret Atwood's novel together.

Use this thread for general discussion on this section!

I can't help wondering what the people at Estée Lauder, Dolce & Gabbana, etc, think about their brands being associated with Gilead ☺️

Hello, folks!

Don’t forget to get your copy of The Handmaid’s Tale for our book club starting July 1st!

Starting July 1st we will be reading the first four sections: Night, Shopping, Night, and Waiting Room. August 1st we will be focusing on sections 5-8.

The number of chapters depends on your edition, however, the sections remain the same. This covers approximately 80-85 pages, depending on your book.

This will cover world building, character establishment, and Offred’s memories.

This is a relaxed book club. Whether you're reading for the first time or revisiting the novel, take your time, join the discussion whenever you're ready, and enjoy exploring Margaret Atwood's work together.

Thought I'd share this here. So my mom is originally from Iran, and when she was growing up it was not at all uncommon for teen girls under 18 to be married off if a "good match" was offered. A friend of hers in high school married a doctor, and she told me how she and all her school friends went over with gifts too see her new household and baby (much like the Penny episode). And they all (at least her and her friend group) though it was cool - not having to go to school anymore and having maids to do all the housework!

My mom had her own almost-match, when she was around 15 an older army officer (she thinks he was in his mid or late 20's) took notice of her which she also noticed. For her part, she thought he was handsome and that the attention was not a bad thing.

One day at school, a group of girls came over to her and said word around town was that the officer had gone to her home to speak with her father, meaning a marriage offer was likely on the table - but that her father had sent him packing.

Long story short my grandpa (a pretty enlightened guy for his time) didn't want her to marry young, he actually wanted her to go to college abroad - my mom being a disappointed 15 year old asked if she could at least date him (in her culture it would be supervised dating, think like Michael and Apollonia being followed around by family in The Godfather) and grandpa said he would either pay for her university or wedding but not both and sent her to her room. My grandmother for her part (who would have agreed to any match just to get my mom out of the house) was actually upset but couldn't overrule her husband. And no, she never heard from the officer again so I guess grandpa scared him.

My mom did end up going to the U.S. shortly before the 1977 revolution and staying here, so yay grandpa.

But watching the show it makes me think "damn, that was almost my mom's story, she almost had a commander." Also goes to show how people can accept the world molded around them and think certain stuff is normal.

Between Agnes figuring out Daisy isn't there to become a Gilead wife in 1x09 and Daisy telling Agnes she's friends with Gilead Enemy #1 June Osborne, I find it hard to believe Agnes doesn't know the truth by now. But Agnes also hasn't fully unlearned her Gilead upbringing yet, so the fact that they're still clearly friends throws me for a loop. Look, I'd love for Agnes to join MayDay (especially as an Aunt working undercover), but... maybe it won't happen as quickly as it currently seems.

First of all, I want to preface by saying that this is by no means an occasion for homophobia or anything of the kind (even if I am sure that this is not that kind of fandom!). Also, I prefer using the term “queer” rather than outright lesbian for Becka as we don’t have a precise indication of her sexual orientation, and I hope that you are not offended by the terminology.

I have just finished binging The Testaments, and once I got over the “that wasn’t in the book” phase I really enjoyed it.

However, there is one difference from the book that bothers me, and it is the fact that Becka was not happy about getting married because she is queer rather than afraid of men as in the book. Being a queer woman myself I really appreciated the inclusion of this theme in THT, but for Becka I think it was a pity that they didn’t explore the question of this kind of education prompting a fear of men.

What do you think?

[Spoiler]

Daisy (and Agnes) go crazy trying to help out Becka and get her freed, but didn't lift a finger when Talia was dragged off.

Daisy seemed to have no issue with Talia, likely completely innocent, taking the fall to protect her secret. And Talia is likely going to be subject to extensive torture to uncover her nonexistent links to Mayday.

Becka on the other hand actually commits murder. Its arguably justified, though her Dentist dad would have likely suffered consequences eventually and of course innocent Becka's mom is hanged. That's a lot of collateral damage that no one seems to care about.

Daisy's inconsistency, at fighting like crazy for Becka but ignoring Talia really bugged me. I was loving the show until the last 2 episodes when it seemed like many characters were acting inconsistently for the sake of the plot.

Hey guys, I wanted to talk about the symbolism behind the title of the episode Marat/Sade.
In the episode, Becka kills her father in the same way that Marat was assassinated. In this scenario, Becka is therefore Charlotte Corday, who killed Marat because she opposed the violence he advocated (he called for the deaths of thousands of people he considered enemies of the French Revolution).
So you could think that, in this way, Becka/Charlotte Corday uses violence to stop the violence practiced by Gilead.
But I actually think Becka is much closer to Marat's ideology: violence is necessary against the oppressor. I am saying this because, although Charlotte Corday believed that killing the man she saw as the symbol and leader of revolutionary violence would put an end to the bloodshed, her act didn't really change anything. It kind of did the opposite, the famous painting was used as propaganda and the death was used to rile people up.
To me, in The Testaments, this death is going to be the catalyst for the people’s revolution in Gilead (or at least for the students)

In the play, the opposition between Sade and Marat isn't because Sade opposed the Revolution, but because he was an aristocrate, he believed that this violence would not change the system, and he remains deeply indivualidistic.
I'm actually trying to understand where the series is heading, because for me (sorry if this opinion shocks anyone, but I'm French lol), violence is necessary, and a dictatorship like Gilead can only be destroyed through violence. So I wonder why would they give Becka, Charlotte Corday’s role ?
Of course i don’t condone what Marat did but I do think without him the revolution couldn’t have happened.

I would love to know what you think about it.