Maybe we were supposed to read it as another request by the wives. Seems like the wives' power is limited, but they have some influence over the punishments meted out. Helps sell the idea that Serena has some avenue by which she poses a threat to Hannah.

If the doctors refused to be involved, it's not like they'd stop administering these punishments. I would guess that a lot of them would tell themselves that at least this way it's done under anesthesia, using sterile technique.

Ah, well, the characters are the ruling class and are living in Cambridge. Not a whole lot of Duggar-types running around the power centers of this country either. Can't find many of them in DC, for example. (Josh tried, for a while, but you see what happened there.)

In the book, when Offred first sees Moira at Jezebel's she's out on the floor standing by herself waiting to be picked up instead of chatting up a man at a table. Offred thinks something like she looks like the last one to be chosen at a school dance and feels bad for her. Her outfit is in pretty bad shape—it's too…

They cut the baby chicks' beaks off so they don't peck each other to death later. I declined the job.

Just took the interaction to mean that society had somehow crashed in a big way. Doubt all the dumpster prostitutes you know would happily sign up for a lifetime of slavery and having children that they will be separated from forever.

I don't mind that they included a male viewpoint, but I don't
think we got any kind of insight into Nick in this episode. I just feel
like we got cheated out of seeing more of Moira.

They probably sold the show with "but there's this cool brothel scene, like Game of Thrones!" and worked backwards. Appointment television isn't ready for unshaven legs and lipstick that's the wrong tone.

I would like to spend an
episode with black market Martha. She seems fun. Was Nick recording her/setting her up? Is that why he threw that "Under his
eye" in there? I think I missed some of their interaction.

Your currency is about to collapse and you pulled down some buildings and built a park? That makes no sense!

The book never gives you the idea that they are anything but sincere about the religious aspects of their society. I mean, yes, they are hypocrites, but the conversation in the car was a strange departure for me.

We only have his word for it that he quit all those jobs to take care of his family. You notice he didn't have any problem leaving his precious family to join a cult…

I thought the writers were trying to paint a picture of total societal collapse and mass starvation when they introduced OfGlen II and her story about prostituting herself behind a dumpster. Here, they seem to think the male equivalent is striking out at the employment office. Nick even says his brother gets…

I might be mis-remembering. There were definitely Japanese tourists, but I thought there were a few different groups of foreigners at Jezebel's.

Yep, I've found this world where we all live in perfect multicultural harmony (but with sex slaves!) to be the hardest thing to tolerate about this show. I get not wanting to exclude great actors by limiting your cast to white people. I know they didn't know they were going to get another season where they might get…

Yep, I would have liked to see that, too. How does Canada feel about a bunch of Americans refugees coming in and flying American flags and not even trying to assimilate? Are people complaining about refugee women NOT having kids? Why aren't they telling people to go settle Alaska and whatever the other state is…

I was surprised that they gave a whole episode over to Luke's point of view, too. They've given interviews about how they can't even acknowledge racism exists because then they couldn't justify spending time telling a white woman's story.

Maybe they will just sell their eggs, the way China sells political prisoners' organs.

Biological warfare targeting specific populations was speculated on in the book. The academic at the end talks about how it wasn't as controllable as the Commanders thought and speculates that that may be why so many of them are sterile.

Ugh, that speech seemed like lazy writing.