With that in mind, can people who have read the book please be more careful with the spoilers for those of us who haven't read it? Thank you.
There are places where the book differs significantly from both the movie and the TV series. There are plenty of things in the book I haven't mentioned, since to the best of my knowledge (being one episode behind), the TV series hasn't gotten to yet. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that there are differences among all three versions of the story, or to point out that some of the TV dialogue has been lifted word-for-word from the movie. I'm curious as to how many people here have started reading the book, if they hadn't before the series started. I do recommend that, since both book and TV series have a lot of Offred's reminiscences of her pre-Gilead life. The movie is more linear.
Here is a youtube proxy site a friend of mine from Canada uses, whenever I try to share media with her that is too dangerous and immoral for Canadians to view. I have already preset it to play the snl sketch. https://ca.proxfree.com/permalink.p...CCu3nd2oi9Tt3ixEv6wYJZfMzO9SUd9K+/Fh3O6&bit=1 If the result is still "will not show in your country" there's a clearly marked toggle that allows you to use dozens of other ip addresses, which may work.
Toggle the toggle. Where it says "IP Address Location" click on that. A drop menu falls down, pick a new location, push the "proxy free button" which is the "activate button" if the page does not refresh by itself.
"We had choices then." "Now you have respect. You have protection, you can fulfill your biological destinies in peace." I'm going to go vomit now... This episode was especially brutal. From the above conversation and double rape to Emily's car escapade and June's decision to sleep with Nick after their earlier not-actually-consensual intercourse, I felt like weeping at the end of the episode. I couldn't help but notice we didn't see nudity in the flashbacks of June and Luke's courtship, but we did see it in the final scene with June and Nick, which in turn felt much more passionate. I don't know what to make of that, especially since I can't get past the fact that June went from a double rape to consensually having sex with one of her rapists the very next day. While it was a bit on the nose, I thought the ominous little girls in red was a nice touch.
For me, the last episode dealt with the themes of defiance and liberation actually. From June telling the Commander not to touch her during the Ceremony (which I think happened in the book as well, or maybe I'm confusing it with the movie now), to Emily "stealing" a car and running over one of the regime's soldiers a couple of times until he's mush (which definitely wasn't in the book), to June choosing to have sex in the forbidden, non-aseptic way with Nick entirely on her conditions (which was almost certainly in the book).
I haven't seen the episode yet, but since I know the story pretty well anyway, I'll jump in regarding Offred and Nick (I find it impossible to think of her as "June"). The "don't-touch-me" dialogue was in the movie, when the Commander reaches up to touch Offred/Kate during the Ceremony, and Serena Joy grabs his hand and gives him a "death glare". Later on in his office, Offred/Kate tells him not to do that again, since Serena Joy can have her sent to the Colonies. Yes, she goes back to Nick in the book and in the movie. Yes, they were ordered to have sex the first time, but after that it was a matter of both of them being lonely and craving the ability to have someone to just talk to. It's the one thing in their lives that's actually normal. They're still not equals, but it's the closest thing Offred can have in that household. Ofglen stealing a car isn't in the novel or the movie. She's arrested after telling Offred about the Mayday organization (in the book; in the movie she just disappears with no explanation and there's a new Ofglen... and in neither novel or movie is she ever named).
After thinking about the episode throughout the day and reading reviews from women regarding it, I can now see how the final scene is about June seizing power and agency during her sexual encounter with Nick, particularly how she moves on top of him. However, I still think there's a disturbing element to June's decision to engage in sexual intercourse with Nick so soon after her double rape even in light of that moment of power.
I've found a website where I can see the current episodes (the one you're talking about won't be shown in Canada until Sunday), and am caught up now. As far as I can tell, the only part of this episode that is not disturbing is that the dog is behaving like a normal dog.
Well, if anything, it was Mrs. Waterford who raped her "by proxy", and not Nick. Neither June nor Nick seemed entirely comfortable with it in that scene (even though they had been attracted to each other from the start), but both did it out of pragmatism and/or necessity. However, in her voiceover prior to the first "arranged" intercourse with Nick, June explicitly stated that it felt like she's about to cheat on her husband Luke, something she never felt then the Commander tried to impregnate her. That indicated that she considers the intercourse with the Commander rape, while the intercourse with Nick isn't. Needless to say, the way sexual relations are handled in Gilead is completely "f**ked", to quote Moira from a previous episde.
At least in the novel and movie, Mrs. Waterford didn't stand there in the same room. I half-expected her to climb onto Nick's bed.
They are certainly going out of their way to make the TV adaptation even more disturbing than the novel. Episode 3, I'm looking at you.
True, from a psychological perspective, Serena Joy is the rapist but it was still Nick who performed the act physically. Yeah, but my immediate thought to that line was that June was operating under the illusion of choice. Serena Joy asked for consent from June about an alternative means for pregnancy, but don't think for one second she wouldn't forced matter if June said no. She would've had a bigger problem if Nick said no but I wouldn't be surprised if she found some way to coerce him. On that, we completely agree.
Normalizing self-interest over morality is a striking theme for this episode in light of current events in the United States. The very thought of the Handmaids, already treated as livestock and slaves, being Gilead's chief export good is horrifying. I'm glad June found the strength to speak up to the Mexican ambassador (even if it was awfully convenient they were alone for just long enough), but her pleas fell on deaf ears. At least the ambassador's aide is sympathetic, supposedly in contact (or able to be in contact) with Luke. I like the subversion of expectations: June thought the Mexican ambassador was a man (or at least played the role of assuming that for the benefit of the Gilead officials) and thought the ambassador for would be sympathetic to her dire situation. Conversely, she didn't seem to expect that the ambassador's aide, a man, to not only be sympathetic, but also be part of some kind of underground movement. While I appreciate the attempts to humanize Serena Joy (which I'm guessing is not from the novel), I cannot feel sympathetic for her. She help bring Gilead into being, both the good and very ugly, and I cannot feel bad for her lowly losses. Instead of "woe is her," I want to see action from her, but I do not expect it to happen. Sad there was no Moira in this episode. Likewise, Emily although I don't expect we'll see her again after what she did last week, fertile or not.