Tonight, much to my pain and displeasure, I shall be watching the finale of The Handmaid's Tale. I know some of you have watched it already, but due to the time difference, I always see them a day late, I suppose it doesn't really matter.
It's the same awful show on Thursdays as it is on Wednesdays. And trust me, it pains me to say this. Last year, when I first discovered the show, I was thrilled, the first season really blew me away and I was eagerly awaiting to see what would happen. It even got me reading the book (which was and is a great read) and I learned a lot from that, I even wrote a post on it. Yeah, you can see how excited I was about the show.
And one thing that I truly hoped was that it would not take the same path as most shows and turn crappier the longer it gets. Well...when Mick Jagger said you can't always get what you want, he was very right, indeed.
The second season of this show has done wonders in erasing anything that was good about the first one. The first show was creepy and oppressive and it made you cringe and to people who love alternative futures – such as myself – it was Heaven. I watched with great delight and shock the trials and torments of the main character, Offred (that's her new name, that's the whole fucking point, so please quit with this June crap).
And you know why the first season was so good? It followed the book, it had a solid base to go by, so not much could go wrong, unless they decided to intentionally fuck up, which nobody does. But this season, they've been on their own, since the first one ended just where the book does, with a few pages that sum up what happened afterward. And between those pages, there is so much room for guesswork, it actually means the writers of the show have to write. Shocking, I know.
And they've managed to fuck it up oh so gloriously...
First, the show dragged on, showing us an Offred on the run, literally, for a long time, we'd watch her run up and down the stairs (much like the writers' minds must've been going, trying to figure out something else to stick in). Then, she didn't escape as you'd expect her to do and get to Canada and her long lost husband. This moment was meant to be shocking, I suppose, painful even for the viewers. Honestly, it was just anti-climatic after such a long wait. If she'd been running for half an episode, yeah, it would've been sad, but once you force me to watch three episodes of her trying to make it, it's just bad writing.
I won't bore you with the details of this crap season, but they then made Offred and Serena (the wife of her master, as it were) friends, then they made then enemies again. Then a heavily pregnant Offred jumped out the window and miraculously didn't lose the baby, then she tried to run again and failed (again). And now, we're here.
Really, she should give up at this point. As should the creators of the show, as it's full of badly written characters, who keep changing their minds and are extremely easy to bend. Not to mention the bad, unnecessary scenes, such as the one where Fred and Serena decide he should rape Offred, to induce labor faster so they can be rid of her. This of course is followed by the cliché rape scene, where she lies on her back, begging and twisting, and all that. It's pointlessly gruesome, and is there only for shock value. Or is it?
The Handmaid's Tale sets out to paint a world where the far right has gained power, where religious fanatics have spiraled out of control. The show has become something for lefties to point at and go 'see? See what they want to do?'
It's supposed to show an extreme, but in today's extremely political world, where there is no inbetween, it turns into propaganda. And the second season has been used as a prop by feminists and the LGBT community, as well as atheists everywhere.
Not necessarily because they'll use anything they can get, but because the show has really played up to the part it's supposed to play, a propaganda device. Throughout the season, it has introduced elements that are supposed to upset the viewer. There was the appearance of something that can only be described as child brides. In one of the episodes, the rulers of Gilead (note the Biblical new name of America) decide to reward their soldiers, bodyguards, drivers by allowing them to marry. This takes place in a strange hall, where the men are aligned and presented with veiled women, who then take their veils off to reveal young girls.
One of these girls (who can't really be more than sixteen, but looks more like thirteen) becomes the wife of Offred's main love interest and we then get to hear about her life as a simple farm girl, living with her parents. In the end, she fights back by falling for some guard kid and being drowned (in yet another gory scene) for disobeying her husband.
Another “moving” scene takes place not in Gilead, but in Little America, the part of Canada that houses refugees, including some minor characters. Huddled together, they celebrate a small victory over the rulers of Gilead by crying and singing the American national anthem. And how very touching that must be to the American public of the show...
I've already mentioned the rape scene, that is pointlessly violent. The main idea of Offred living in that house is rape and Fred had already raped her many times throughout the first season. And yes, it was a terrifying prospect. But only in mind.
Besides, in the first season, he seemed to genuinely like her and could be quite charming, so they needed some method to drive the point home. Otherwise, the public might get the silly idea that these fanatics can be charming or at least have a tiny bit of humanity left. We don't need that, do we? So on we go with the gruesome rape scene. Oh, and did I mention Fred becomes a way bigger jerk in the second season? Makes sense, huh...
But in my opinion, the key story used to brainwash the public isn't Offred's but Serena's. The second season expands on her back story, her life before she was a Wife and nothing more, we hear all about her dreams and hopes and how she was a writer before, and just how hard she fought to get where she is now – a woman with nothing to say or anything important to do, who must bend her back if her husband decides to beat her. A woman who should shut up and endure. (they did that, too, by the way, the beating scene...and it was painfully stupid)
And you know why Serena's is the most moving story? Because she was a sort of inbetweener. It's clear she was fighting for a different world, sure, but she didn't want it to get quite so far. She wasn't headed for the extreme that Gilead is now. Surely, when she fought and advocated for this religious rise, she was hoping for something more tame, where she (and all women) would have more rights. Maybe not as many as they do in our own world, but not as few as they have in Gilead, either.
And being an inbetweener, trying to back the right, trying to make a better world, she gets screwed.
The message here is very clear – sure, the right might have some worthwhile points, but there's no middle ground with these people. You back up some of their points, or worse, you back up a President who leans to the right, that's what you're going to get. You're going to end up in Gilead.
It's a scare tactic and it works. Because what they're showing you on the screen is an extreme. Surely, if you choose to believe in the Bible or whatever, if you're not a crazy-ass feminist trying to burn men's dicks off, you won't get to Gilead. Because that's taking it too far. But by making you think that such arguments might lead you to that world (and who wants that?), they force you to get with the left. To support feminism and all that SJW bullshit.
They send you to the other extreme. You know, I'd really like to see the Handmaid equivalent of the rising left. Okay, I get it, if we stick with order and the old world and religion and all that, we'll get to Gilead, but where will we get if we support this leftist madness? I'd get right on that, if I were them.
At least, let us see both sides, no?
But that's the shitty thing about today's world – you don't get an inbetween. You're either far out or you're in the monastery. Why? Well, let's say you think these women slamming birth and motherhood are over the top, let's say you think it's mad to celebrate Gay Pride at kindergarten. What do you do? You look around for people who can stop these guys, and that's the opposition, naturally. In today's world, it's not so much that you support the one, but that you dislike the other even more.
And that's very dangerous, because one of these groups will use this to their advantage.
Remember, right doesn't necessarily mean Nazism as the show would have you believe, nor does left necessarily mean “freedom”.
Find the in-between.
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My lifelong experience has always been
'the movie is worse than the book'
most of the time it's MUCH MUCH worse..
and times ten for TV shows.
Oh I know, and I usually make a rule of reading the book before seeing the movie/series whatever, but with this one I was just so eager to see it...I agree, alas they need to make the general public feel like they're getting the same deal, huh? With much less effort. After all, who wants to...read these days?
I hope you don't mind if I use your popularity to spread some anarchy?
https://steemit.com/anarchy/@evolutionnow/what-is-capitalism-what-is-non-anarchy
That was a really good post, one of the best I read in weeks.
I agree, I really enjoyed it as well.
I am following both of you like-minded critical thinkers. I will upvote and resteem your posts. I think it makes sense to support each other, as the counterbalance to communism ideology growing like a nasty cancer yet again. I think Voluntaryism is gaining on speed now. I really think we will be the "other half" soon... if we start organizing. I know... no herd mentality intended... just supporting each other in bashing ideas detrimental to humanity ;)
It's so frustrating how every single show has to have political undertones now. Even comedies. If they're not bashing the church or fatherhood or white privilege it's not getting made. And clearly we've got a huge population that doesn't agree with this agenda because - surprise! - they elected Trump, to the complete bafflement of the media establishment.
I haven't watched Handmaid's Tale. Stretching out a slim book into multiple series seems like too much, politics or no politics.
Ah I didn't know the first season covered the whole book until way after I'd seen it...I kept hoping to read more, you know, find stuff for the new series but nope.
Yes, but that's a problem, I think. Not that they don't agree (Who in their right mind would?), but that people are forced to adhere to an agenda, you have to choose a party, support someone. When really, nobody deserves to be supported.. We're trying to find the closest thing to what we want, but none is close enough, in my opinion, and so we make compromises.
Right. And it's the fact that everyone in the media portrays the world through these polarized lenses, until people are afraid to question the narrative for fear of being considered "crazy." It just drives genuine debate underground, because we're afraid to speak our mind.
I wonder about that, was Trump reverse psychology? Was he put in place to give the media something to write about? I'm English so I don't feel qualified to comment.
What I do know, all UK politics is fake. Political party MPs – Conservative (blue), Labour (red), Liberal Democrat (orange), Scottish National (yellow), Green (green), Ukip (purple) – are played by actors reading scripts. They might wear different colours, but they all work for the same party, under the same flag:
Do you see the joke, and why our overlords are constantly pushing 'Gay Pride'. God decreed on Sodom and Gomorrah, and they want to be justified to do the same thing to us. The Old Testament states pagans can be used and abused, so create an education system and main stream media to make us all pagan Sodomites.
When you cast the beam out of your own eye the truth is truly horrifying. But the Good News is...
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. – John 8:31-32
God Bless.
Thanks for posting this. I was considering watching the show, but was wondering how distorted it would be.
Sounds typical, spend first season developing characters, making it interesting, then second season pushing the agendas, and drive it into the ditch.
The first season's great, and as long as you're content with watching just that,enjoy :D
Hi honeydue,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
Thank you very much!
I wish I had longer to reply but about to dash to the airport. I agree some it was FRUSTRATING... like, she could have escaped.. but I have enjoyed it immensely. My husband has given up but im looking forward to finale. I agree they should have wrapped it up and got her to Canada by now. Down with Gilead already. Serena is great. Its violent and shocking and brutal, but then so is the world, and so too has been the oppression and assault of woman under regimes for a very, very long time. The program absolutely doesnt shy away from that.
Also, the entire reason it happens in the first place is in response to a nation in crisis... in this case its fertility. Whatever it is, left or right, fix social issues lest people choose sides out of fear and divide us all. ß
Oh just wait till you both watch the finale, which I finishing watching 5 minutes ago. All I can say is - WTF?
I thought it might be a wtf thing. Cant watch til tomorrow.. no spoilers please!
Have fun wherever you're going :)
Hmm, to me, there were some good parts, but too few to make up for the bad ones, but that's just me. It does reflect oppressed women, I know and I agree, that was the purpose of the book, back when it was written, but it's still playing to an agenda. If you look at most of the feminist movement today, it's long ceased being about women's rights, it's about the annihilation of men. You have women criticizing fathers, downplaying their role in society. It's funny how people seem to think that they can only gain their freedom by oppressing their former oppressors. Really makes one wonder if we've learned anything in our time here.
I think thats also dangerous talk, with all due respect, and a sweeping generalisation. Its just as important to fight for womens rights as ever - consider the breastfeeding debacle in America, for example. There is no way that equality has been achieved between the sexes and woman are STILL paid less than men and suffer from domestic violence and rape just as they ever have. Undermining this with a sweeping comment that 'some' feminists seek to remove the place of men in the home is just looking at one small part of a big and ongoing fight for womans rights. Stories such as this make people uncomfortable because its not so far from the truth. Thats what dystopuan fiction does.. takes the flaws in our worlds and magnifies them. In that way, of course it has an agenda - and why shouldnt it? Just as Sense8 had an agenda.