26: "Promotion" (S6E4)

[00:00:00] Hmm? Ahh! Huh. I can see God! As we expand New Bethlehem, we will set Gilead back on God's path of light. No family should endure what we had to. Yes. I must admit I've had my doubts.

[00:00:30] But your faith in these reforms is a real credit to the place. And Lawrence is very lucky to have you out there selling it. I appreciate the platform in having a voice. I know that wasn't always the case. If I may, a better man would have encouraged your influence.

[00:00:56] Hey everybody! Welcome to our podcast. I'm Daphne. And I'm Wendy. And this is The Handmaid's Tale Podcast. This week we're covering The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 Episode 4 Promotion.

[00:01:20] I remember last week when we recorded our episode for the first three, we're like, who's getting promoted? I think I guessed Nick wrongly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we are joined by a special guest from Little Miss Recap, Amy Archer. Welcome to the show, Amy. Hi ladies! Thank you. I am not Jason. No. That's what I'm going to say. Hi, I'm so happy to be here. I've been listening to you guys forever.

[00:01:48] Like I said, it's really weird to see you and see the voices coming out of your faces. We're so happy to have you with us. Jason was not able to make it this week. We're super stoked to have Amy join us to talk about this amazing show. So I can't believe we're in the final season. I know. It's definitely getting real. I have to say that for many years I taught The Handmaid's Tale, the novel, and I always really loved it.

[00:02:15] I've never read The Testaments yet because I didn't want to spoil myself on The Handmaid's Tale as I was teaching it. But season five was so rough. I had to like take a break from it and I wasn't even sure I was going to watch season six. I'm really happy that I'm watching it because I do agree with what you guys said in your coverage of the first three episodes. This is the rebellion. Yeah. This is what we've been waiting for. This is so I do feel better about it.

[00:02:41] Even though my anxiety is ticked up a little bit by general anxiety, I feel good about it. It's a good season. I think it's going to be a good season. Did you teach it as a in an English class? Yeah, I used to teach first year writing at a university and I started teaching in 2011 and I always used this novel. And it really changed as when I left teaching it was 2022. And it really kind of the context around.

[00:03:11] Oh, yeah, changed a lot by the time I left. Yeah, it was really interesting. And have you read any of Margaret Atwood's other novels? Just curious. I've read some of her smaller stuff, but not. I really need to read the Testaments and I really want to read it before the show is made. Yeah. Yeah, I would definitely wait till the season's over though. That's what I would say. Yeah, I'm going to. That's what I'm doing as well because I haven't read it. I know a few things. Yeah.

[00:03:36] Character or two that's in it, but I don't know that much because I don't want it to affect what I'm thinking about this season. I have read it and it's, it's not really that spoilery for events, but it's definitely spoilery about who lives or dies. Okay. So. And I don't want that. I kind of. Right. Want to live in the moment with this show. I came to Handmaid's Tale very late.

[00:04:05] I did not watch the first three seasons when they were on. I didn't watch it until Jason invited me to be part of this team to talk about it. So I had a month to watch three seasons, which isn't a lot of time for this show. Yeah. With everything that happened, but I'm happy that we've gotten to this point in the story because I feel like it might be what we need.

[00:04:35] But I'm, I'm a little bit worried that we've had some of these reunion moments and happy moments so far. Is that foreshadowing that the last, you know, five or six episodes are going to be filled with heartbreaking moments? Cause I think it could. I think we have pain coming. We do. You always feel at this show that it's going to get worse before it gets better. Absolutely. And I feel like right now it's okay.

[00:05:03] And it's going to get worse before it gets better. So just buckle up. Yeah. Yeah. And I, I feel like kind of accepting that going into it is important, you know, to, to, to being able to weather those challenges. Yeah. Yeah. I know a lot of people who aren't watching it. They're like, I just can't do it right now. My sister's one of them. She's like, it's just too, I'm like, okay, well, I'll just tell you everything that happens. Yeah. No, no, thank you.

[00:05:32] I totally get not, not doing that. I remember, um, I, I think I've said it on the show before. I couldn't watch season two for like nine months because my mom had died and I just couldn't bring the more darkness in. Yeah. Yeah. I totally get that. Yeah. That's what happens. I mean, you have to be in the right frame of mind. And I was not when the first three seasons were airing and I knew that I did not want to see the oppression part of it. Mm hmm.

[00:06:01] So I just stayed away from it. And then things changed around the time that season four was coming out. So I decided it might be time to, to check out Gilead and see what was happening. It was definitely very rough to watch all in a month, but I'm glad that I did because I feel like the series is so well done.

[00:06:26] And yeah, writing and the casting and everything just seems so genuine. So let's kick into things. Um, Wendy, before we do that, would you reiterate how we're approaching the show again? Yeah.

[00:06:44] In case you haven't listened to, um, the recap episode and our first episode, we wanted to let everybody know that we are going to be talking about left leaning politics and how it, um, compares and contrasts to what we're seeing in the handmaid's tale. It's a personal decision that all three of us really, um, advocated for because of the current events that are happening.

[00:07:13] And it's hard to watch this show and not see the comparisons. So we, we are not going to be ranting about politics for the whole show, but if there is a point that we have that is really comparative to what's happening in our, um, world right now, we are going to take that opportunity and talk about it.

[00:07:35] And then we are also going to have a little session at the end called may day, where we're going to talk about a current event that has happened. Um, that's pretty, um, similar to the handmaid's tale. And we're also going to talk about what you can do if you feel similarly and are alarmed by what's happening in the world today and want to make a difference and try to help. And we totally get if that's not your jam. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:08:05] You know, we, we totally understand that. Yeah. As Wendy said, it was a decision that we made together. And so we're moving forward with it and hope that you will remain with us on this journey as we finish out the story of the handmaid's tale. So let's kick this off by talking about overall thoughts about this episode. Amy, what did you think overall?

[00:08:32] So I had a really strange reaction to it. As I watched it the second time, I realized that I am less. Well, I shouldn't say, okay. In the beginning of the episode, I'm less invested or interested in what is going on with June and the rebellion than I am in what's going on with Commander Lawrence.

[00:08:55] I'm so fascinated by what's going on in New Bethlehem that I find myself really riveted by those parts of the story. And June, I was kind of like, I don't really, you know, I'm not into this story. But their conversation at the end really brought me back into it. And I thought it was really beautiful. So I thought it was a good episode. What about you, Wendy? I agree. I agree.

[00:09:22] I thought those pieces were a bit of a setup episode for what we're going to see for the rest of the episode from the rebellion. And also for Luke and June to not return to Alaska is a big decision for them to make.

[00:09:42] And so I feel like they had to give their decision making process the decent amount of time because that's a big decision. They have a baby in Alaska. It's a good point. I agree with both of you.

[00:09:57] I am always enamored with whatever Commander Lawrence is doing because Bradley Whitford, he has injected sometimes this very subtle witty humor that has made some of the episodes more bearable, especially when something in another part of the story is really difficult to process. Because he's made it like you can actually.

[00:10:28] Palatable. You're able to consume it without as much stress or being freaked out or want to turn the TV off. I need that little bit of subtle and sometimes not so subtle humor. He's a delight. He's a delight. Definitely. So he's definitely a big part of this season so far. And I'm excited to see where things go with him.

[00:10:56] There were some things that we'll talk about in our points that happened with him that I was a little bit endeared to. I'm with you a little bit on the June and Luke stuff.

[00:11:10] But I also think that June doesn't maybe realize that Luke has probably felt like he's been on the sidelines this entire time and never had the opportunity to actually participate in the fight against Gilead or the fight to get Hannah back. Whereas June has been immersed in it all this time. And I just think that they're in two different places. He's ready to fight because he hasn't been able to fight.

[00:11:39] She's ready to step back because she's been fighting all the time. And I think that's why we got to see everything. As you said, Wendy, we had to have the time for that in this episode because it is a big decision to leave your child in Alaska and stay where you are, knowing that they could both die at any time. Yeah. I mean, truly, it's life or death here with this situation. June's right. Yeah. These people are not trained.

[00:12:09] They're putting together plans, but who knows if it's going to actually work? I mean, we'll see. We'll definitely see. All right. Let's go with our points. And I'm going to do this Run for Your Lifestyle. And since Amy is our guest, I'm going to ask you, Amy, if you will go first. I will. So I'm a newbie. So please provide me some space here to make mistakes.

[00:12:39] Absolutely. Now, we want to hear what you think. We're excited to have your viewpoint. So my first point is I wanted to talk about fathers and daughters. Okay. So the series traditionally focuses on maternal bonds, the plight of motherhood, the struggle of motherhood, whatever that looks like. But this season in particular, I feel like there's a shift coming to paternal love and paternal bonds and what that looks like.

[00:13:09] What does it mean to be a father? What does it look like to protect your daughter? Whose role is that? Right. Right. So we saw this with Serena Joy when she was talking with her dad. We saw that he gave her his love for gardening. We saw that he was supportive of her writing her book. And we hear her tell Commander. How do you say his name? Is it Wharton? It's Wharton. Yeah. Wharton. That she was very lucky and that she had a really good father.

[00:13:38] So we know that, you know, that was an important relationship in her life. And then and Daphne, you just touched on this. June and Luke are locked in this battle, this power struggle. And it's because Luke has finally found a way to father Hannah that he was not able to do previously. So he's felt inept for so long, perhaps choosing to father Nicole slash Holly.

[00:14:05] But now he has a chance to fight for Hannah and he's taking it. And he says, this is my chance to fight for her and I'm going to do it. Then later, there's a commander. I think it's Calhoun. Is he the guy who acts like a real asshole with Janine at the Jezebel? Yeah, I think you're right. I didn't know his name. I just called him douche canoe. I might. It took me like an hour to find out who this asshole is. I hate him. He acts like an idiot, a fool.

[00:14:34] He invites everyone to Jezebel's and he sort of chides Commander Wharton that he doesn't indulge in such things. And Commander Wharton says, your father's a revered leader and devoted to Gilead. His service far exceeds his vices. Again, you know, this idea of fertility and manhood. And when Nick is invited, though, and Lawrence is like, yeah, yeah, yeah, you should come, Nick. You should come. Probably he wanted to talk to him in a private space. Wharton's like, no, Rose is waiting at home for us.

[00:15:02] Like, again, protecting his daughter, protecting her marriage and being the good dad. Right. The quote unquote good dad. And then we see Commander Lawrence and we see his transformation from, ew, ew, ew, there's a kid under my desk. Get it out. Get it out to the juxtaposition of him at the end of this episode where he's lovingly holding Angela in his lap and he's softening to her. And then there's the conversation he has with Janine at Jezebel's. And Janine says to him, what will happen to Angela?

[00:15:32] And he says, well, hopefully she's going to learn how to pronounce apple soon. But then he says she has a good life. And Janine says, for now and later, for now and later, bad things happen to Commander's daughters, too. Are you going to help her? And Lawrence says, I'll do everything I can to keep her safe. And then she says, can I go now? And he says, wait a few minutes. I'm not a kid anymore. But there's this whole idea of fatherhood looming over these episodes. What does it mean?

[00:16:02] What does it look like? Like, is it, you know, it's kind of like and there's a parallel, I think, to what's going on in today's world where we have to say to men sometimes, like, imagine she's your mother or your daughter or your sister. Like, we have to humanize women to men sometimes. And I think that's kind of what's happening here. So that's my first point. Fatherhood.

[00:16:23] I have to tack on to that with I loved when Lawrence said, hopefully you'll learn to read this or you're going to be reading this by yourself someday. And I'm thinking, OK, that's a progression. Because Gilead, women don't learn to read. Nope. But we know Lawrence was never a stickler for the rules. No, never. Right. I also really appreciated he is still so devoted to his wife, Eleanor. I know.

[00:16:52] I loved it. And Naomi, like, is trying to get close to him. And he has no interest. Loves Angela. No interest in Naomi. And I mean, she was a bit of a bumbling fool in the last episode. I mean, some of the things that she said. Yeah. I wrote in my notes that she was trying to get to first base with him. And he was like.

[00:17:21] Do you remember how, as my girls would say, how cringey it was in season one where she was doing the fake bird? Oh, my goodness. Oh, yeah. It was so bad. I forgot all about that. It was so cringey. That was terrific. Yeah. Definitely not something I want to watch again. I'm not sure I'll ever rewatch this series anyway. But that is definitely a scene I would skip over in a minute because it was rough for so many reasons.

[00:17:51] It was rough. Yeah. It definitely was. Yeah. Lawrence is coming around on the kid thing, not so much on the wife thing. And I think he could see Janine as a daughter figure, too. I think he sees her as a daughter. And she's endeared herself to him in a weird way. And she could have been. I mean, he told her she could have been hung on the wall or in the colonies or whatever.

[00:18:16] And I think he did pull whatever he had to get her to Jezebel's to give her a fighting chance. He's the reluctant feminist, I like to call him, because he is going into this kicking and screaming. But he's doing it. Right. He usually chooses to do the right thing when it's in his power to do it. Yes. Yeah.

[00:18:38] And my first point is, what is a promotion and what was the heart of the matter for this episode? Lawrence is the one who got the promotion and he is now a high commander. And I'm thinking that he probably wanted Nick to come because despite getting punched in the face by Nick and all of that, Lawrence and Nick have worked together in the past on certain things.

[00:19:08] And I think Lawrence probably wanted to kind of debrief about the situation because this is a big step. He'll have more clout. There may be more things that he can actually do. I mean, Nick has a lot of pull as well, but Lawrence definitely does. Do you think that Lawrence trusts Nick? Because I go back and forth on this.

[00:19:33] I think he trusts Nick more than any of the other commanders. Yeah, that's what I was going to say, but not 100 percent or vice versa. I don't think they trust each other completely. I wonder sometimes if there's a little bit of like, you're going to think with your heart. You're going to, you know, your judgment is clouded on June and you're just kind of like a you're a kid kind of thing and let the adults in the room run it.

[00:20:01] But yeah, because if you make Nick choose between anything in June, he's going to pick June. I think honestly, that was from day one. The day he met her, I think he was always going to pick June. I know I've always been a little bit team Nick, but I'm warming up to June and Luke. Yeah, I'm team Nick as in I want.

[00:20:27] I hope that Nick has a satisfying conclusion to his story. As far as June being with whoever, I like both. And I'm kind of honestly, I don't think she needs either of them. But if she chooses one to be happy, then that's fine. This this show has always been more than that for me.

[00:20:57] It's it's. There's more to it than a relationship. It's it's about who a person is. And I think I said in our last episode that I feel like June is June is finally the daughter. Her mother was hoping she would be where she would rise up and be an activist. Her mother has no idea the levels that June has gone to, to be who she is and what she's actually undergone and survived.

[00:21:26] But I, I think that June has evolved in ways that it may not work with either of them. Right. So I'm going to ask you kind of a weird question. Who do you think sees June for who she really is more so? If you have to say. Luke. Okay. Yeah. I think when she first got back, he was. A little bit.

[00:21:54] Blown away, but by how different that she was. I think he was a little scared of her too at times. And then I think over the time they did get to spend together, he was able to actually see who she's become. Because it's more about who she is now. The June from before was just a different person. This is, this is not the June from pre-Gilead.

[00:22:19] This is a very different person who's undergone some horrific things and seen horrific things. And I think Nick met her needs when she needed them. Yeah. And I'm not going to say, I'm not the type of person who says like Holly, little baby Nicole, Holly, whatever, is a replacement for Hannah. But it definitely filled a hole inside of her. Yeah. That she had. And so I think she'll like forever love him.

[00:22:47] But I could see her, I see her falling back in love with Luke. Like really kind of rekindling what they had. Yeah, she seems very driven by the fact that he waited for her. He, he was there. But I also get the pull for Nick because when everything was terrible in Gilead, she had Nick. He kind of gave her a lifeline. And he was so hot in that first season. Yeah.

[00:23:16] When he'd be out on that porch smoking no cigarettes, you were like, I don't know how she could resist that. Well, and she had nothing else in her life at that time. Yeah. I think she's trauma. She shares trauma with both of them because. Yes. Her and Luke share this incredibly strong thing of having their daughter taken away from them for all those years and trying to get her back.

[00:23:43] You know, so, you know, I know she gave Nick those reasons, but I think it was more than that. Like, I think that that's why. Well, to finish off my point, I just want to add that I think. Lawrence may be seeing a power struggle between himself and Wharton when it comes to Nick. Because Lawrence is come on, come on, come on. Wharton is.

[00:24:11] Because, oh no, Rose is waiting and he sides with his father-in-law. But I also think that wasn't just Nick, you know, kowtowing to Wharton. I think Nick knows he needs to lay low a little bit for a while. And he's going to just go try to get under the radar for a little bit while he thinks about what he's going to do next. Because he's already been doing things.

[00:24:38] I mean, we saw with Rita in this episode that he had done some things to help her. So. We also see fatherhood looming there because Nick is really torn between the daughter that he could be fathering and the son or daughter that he will be fathering. And because I often wonder, like, why doesn't he just leave and go with June? That's obviously what he wants. I don't know if she would give him that option, but I don't know. I think he's going to try to do right by this child.

[00:25:05] Yeah, and I think there's some other pieces that really haven't ever been explained appropriately. But I've always been under the impression that Nick did some things that he might not be welcomed. Yes. Back in America, although Mark has offered that to him. Yeah. But we didn't really get to see what he did. But maybe we will this season.

[00:25:35] I would love to have a Nick flashback to really give us some more depth to his character. Yeah. What is it exactly that he did? Because we know that June was trying to get something arranged for him and they said absolutely not because of something he did. This was a couple of seasons ago. So I do have to wonder, hmm, what is it that he did? He's impossible to read. You just can't read him.

[00:26:03] He is stoic as anything. I mean, he just there's no he has no tell. I can't believe that he's at this point because honestly, I thought after what happened with punching Lawrence that he was in big trouble. But I guess his father-in-law got him out of it. Yep. Yeah. So, Wendy, what is your first point? I just wanted to talk about what we see of the rebellion.

[00:26:31] We see this kind of ragtag group of, you know, space rebels. No, wait, this is wrong. Wrong show? Not the Mandalorian? Not. Yeah, I know. No. And that's what we're going to keep calling it, right? The rebels, the rebellion. Yes. And so they're in this giant lodge. And we see lots of satellite dishes, which would be a big tell if you were looking for where they were.

[00:27:00] But obviously, they're in a safe enough area that they're, well, you know, isolated where they are. And I really liked this group. I liked the girl that was heading it up. She seems like she's aware of, you know, kind of Luke and Maura and June's kind of celebrity status almost. And so she's trying not to make any big decisions about them.

[00:27:30] She's definitely swayed by what June tells her because June is right in many ways. Like, she does have an inn in Gilead that no one else has. She kind of knows that if she gets into trouble and that information gets to the right place, somebody's probably going to come and save her. And so it's obvious that this woman doesn't want to lose any of these people.

[00:28:00] They went to great lengths to get Luke and Maura out of trouble. So, you know, they have these big ambitious plans. And but they don't they also don't want to lose people and end up in a bloodbath. Yeah. And when she explained the plans, they were that she they were going to go into a Jezebel's and they were going to take sharpshooters and kill all the commanders.

[00:28:27] And then they would set off a whole bunch of bombs and in different places. And and then that the military and I can only assume what they mean by that is the American military that's left because it's not Canada. Right. Canada is not going to invade. Right. It's the American military. Like they're just going to clear the path and the military is rolling and finish the job. And that sounded all lovely. Right. I want to watch that happening.

[00:28:51] But it didn't really seem like they had a firm plan on how they were going to get to through those steps. So I'm really interested to see what happens with this. But just the overall look of the group and their organization. I was really fascinated by all of that. Like, I really want to see this rebellion take hold and gather more people and more.

[00:29:18] You know, I can only assume like hopefully if they liberated places, they would be able to add to their group. And I'm really looking forward to this seeing this rebellion in action for the next few episodes. And I would think when I look at all of that, what their goals are, what their strategies are. It makes a lot of sense to me that Luke and June would both want to be front and center involved in this group.

[00:29:48] I mean, this country, these people that are in charge of Gilead have hurt both of them. They haven't killed them, but they've done just about everything else that they could do. I mean, they've they've raped June. They, you know, basically forced June to carry a baby to be given to somebody else. They kidnapped her daughter and torture.

[00:30:15] And again, they didn't kill her, but that's about the only thing they have left to do. I struggle with. I can only imagine. And again, I know June's not a real person, but June is struggling with. The goal is to be a family with my child. I have a child that I'm not being a family member with right now because I have to go fight for this other. It's like a Sophie's Choice almost like it's really a difficult decision to make.

[00:30:43] And I think she is a little more torn than Luke is about it, because for Luke, like I said earlier, like this is finally his chance to to liberate Hannah or to at least have a voice in that fight for Hannah. And he's found a real way to do that. And he even says to June at one point, like you go to Alaska, go to Alaska with your mother and be with Nicole. And so I wondered if June is torn between letting Luke do this. I love that they agreed to go together.

[00:31:12] And that is ultimately the right decision. But I can only imagine that this has gone through her head a million times. Like, should I be with Holly? I'm just going to keep calling this kid Holly slash Nicole. I don't know. I think Holly. I think now when I say Holly, I'm her mother's a character now, too. So it's like baby Holly, little. Yeah. Yeah. So baby Holly, like she probably is really torn between that. But I think Holly's safe and Hannah is very unsafe.

[00:31:41] I mean, Hannah's getting ready to have a life of misery and rape and awfulness. So what wouldn't you do to get your kid out of that? I mean, it makes a lot of sense to me to have them be willing to go in and do it. So forgive me if this has been explained, but the whole I'm assuming this is one of the first generations of children that are coming up in Gilead.

[00:32:11] Right. Hannah's generation. No, because Hannah was born before Gilead. And you figure there's been lots of other children. Of all ages that were taken from their parents and made handmaids or or made. Well, I think that's my question. So, like, how do they decide what Hannah is going to be? Because she's being sent to this wife school. Does that mean she's infertile and won't be a handmaid?

[00:32:41] Does it mean she'll be a commander's wife? Like, I don't know how that works. She's going to be a commander's wife. And they wouldn't know if she was fertile or infertile because they don't do medical testing on the girls. That's right. You know, we reject science. Yeah. Where does that sound familiar? Even though, doesn't Serena at one point say Gilead has the best maternal care in the world? Yeah. But again, just because you say that doesn't mean it's true. Right. Yep. Yep.

[00:33:11] Back it up with science. That's it. I believe in science. I am a scientific girl. I need to have things backed up that way. It's so bizarre to see our current rejection of education. It's just absolutely mind boggling. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. It's terrifying. And like, that's the point that I made. And our, you know, last podcast isn't out yet.

[00:33:39] But that's the point I made in the last podcast is like, if they truly wanted to work on fertility. Yes, they've cleaned up the water. They've supposedly decreased the pollution. But you would also be using science for that. Right. If you truly want, if that was truly your goal. But that's not really the goal. The goal is to control. Mm-hmm. Yeah. All right.

[00:34:08] Amy, we are back to you. Okay. I wanted to talk about the book that Lawrence reads Angela. Oh, yes. A Little Princess. Mm-hmm. So, my point is kind of the power of art and words as connection, connective tissue. So, Commander Lawrence takes Angela on his lap, reads from A Little Princess. Were you guys familiar with that book? Yes, absolutely. Okay.

[00:34:38] I had never heard of it. Yeah, it's great. Never heard of it. It's great. All I knew is Shirley Temple was in the movie version. Yeah. They've made a couple of different movie versions. Oh, yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. The most recent one was Lovely. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't see it. There's some memory versions. I didn't connect the two in my head until just now. Yeah. So, he takes Angela on his lap, like I said. He says, this was Eleanor's favorite book when she was a little girl.

[00:35:08] And maybe someday you'll read it on your own. Yes. Or soon you'll be reading it on your own. The plot of the novel, and Daphne, please fill in anything that I kind of overlook here. But the plot of the novel basically involves a young girl who comes from wealth. Her father's a commander or something in the British Army. They live in India, and they live a very wealthy life. The mother dies. So, the father decides he's going to take her to a boarding school because he can't.

[00:35:34] He's concerned about the environmental conditions in India, which I thought was interesting parallel to Gilead and their environmental crisis. So, he takes her to a boarding school, and he pays the headmistress to be really nice to her. But then when he dies, she does the Miss Flanagan in Annie and starts treating her very poorly. And she's eventually saved by a friend of her father's. So, it's kind of this rags.

[00:36:04] It's riches to rags to riches. But as he's reading the first chapter, it's called Sarah. It's about Sarah and her dad, and he's riding with her in the cab. And it's just this beautiful, emotional moment where the father's reassuring her, and it's raining outside. And it's like you could see him welling up as he's reading it to her. And then I loved what they did with the credits when they just played the credits and he was reading the rest of it.

[00:36:34] Yes. I thought it was really beautiful. And then, you know, we also know, obviously, that Serena Joy used the power of the written word to get where she is. And it's kind of the opposite. She found power through it. And we know that Fred used reading as a way to seduce June by letting her read a little bit in his office. And Lawrence does it with his handmaids as well and some of his staff.

[00:37:02] And then, finally, just to kind of extrapolate it out to art, it's when Angela presents Lawrence with the drawing. And he says, ah, I see you've been influenced by Helen Frankenthaler. And my wife would be very proud. And he goes, my real wife. Yes. Eleanor is his soulmate and always will be. And that is who was in his heart. He does not want to be with anyone else in the way he was with Eleanor. It's just how it is.

[00:37:32] And I just had to read this little tiny piece about Helen Frankenthaler, if no one knows who she is. So she is a very famous abstract expressionist. And because of her focus on forms latent in nature, she's identified with the use of fluid shapes, abstract masses, and lyrical gestures. Her style is notable in its emphasis on spontaneity.

[00:37:58] And as Frankenthaler herself stated, a really good picture looks as if it's happening all at once. And I just loved that. If you're an artist in Daphne, I know you are. It's beautiful. That is a great description. Yeah. And if you look at one of her most famous works, it's in the National Gallery of Art in D.C. It's called Mountains and the Sea. It kind of looks like what Angela drew. So I see that, those linear shapes and stuff. It's really interesting.

[00:38:27] And I just thought it was so, I think it's in that moment that Lawrence is like, I need to father this child. Like, I need to do this. And I just thought it was really beautiful. And, you know, as a writer, I appreciate the power of the written word. So there we go. Yeah. I think that Lawrence has decided he will deal with having Naomi in his life.

[00:38:50] And he will have Angela be one of the bright spots in his life as a result of this. Yeah. Yeah. Well said. Yep. Okay. Well, my next point is going to be about Moira. Because I think Moira in this episode, her interactions with June, we've always seen them not afraid to like talk to each other about.

[00:39:20] Whatever they're dealing with. They've been through a lot together. But I really appreciate it, especially when Moira said to June, she's tired of living her life. Like, she doesn't want to live her life. Meaning, she doesn't want to live June's life. Right. She's been the companion for Luke. Like, she's been the one that's been there picking up the pieces when June had to leave.

[00:39:49] Like, Moira's been there. She's been the stand-in wife for him. And remember, in season one, she didn't like Luke. No. Right. She didn't like Luke at first. She didn't. And she's had to be the one that's there when June went off in the middle of the night to kill Waterford. Like, Moira is the one that's taking care of Luke and Nicole. Like, she's the one that's been being the companion to him.

[00:40:14] And I like and appreciate how she and Luke have grown closer because I think they have been bonded by their love of June. And having her not in their life and wondering if she was alive or dead or what the situation was. And I feel like together they have been thrust together and have formed this close relationship. But I totally can see where Moira is coming from in this situation.

[00:40:44] And then June does nothing to make it better by going and trying to take her place in the Jezebel's recon operation. Which, I mean, there's a lot of June has a lot of arrogance here because Moira lived at Jezebel's. She knows Jezebel's. I just found that, you know, one of you said it last episode and I forget who it was.

[00:41:12] One of you was like, of course, June has to save the day because June has to do everything. And there's a little bit of that here. Like, I have to be the one to go into Jezebel's. I also think she's so afraid of losing them. She is. I think it comes from a good place. Yes. And she thinks no one can do it but me. And that does have arrogance in it.

[00:41:37] But I do think it comes from a place of like, I would rather die than lose either of these people. Yeah. Yeah. And I think she also went through those periods of time where she thought they may not be alive anyway. And so for her to have them back, the last thing she wants to do is let them out of her sight. She wants to protect them.

[00:42:00] So she thinks if she does it, then it's okay because June's had to rely only on herself a lot of the time. That and the relationship she had like with Lawrence or Nick, she's had to utilize those relationships. But a lot of the time she's had to do it herself. She's the one that's had to like take these huge risks. And so for her to be faced with, well, if I go and do it, they'll be safe.

[00:42:30] Right. And I can trust myself to do it. Yeah. And I think that is a lot. It's a lot of weight to carry. A lot of weight. Right. And she, like I said earlier, I think she and Luke were not in a place. And even Moira in this episode for a while. The three of them were not in a place where they were really understanding where each other was coming from.

[00:42:58] And I do love that Moira doesn't hold back and is, you know, open and honest with June about I need to do this. And why she needs to do it. Yeah. And I think Luke needs to do it, too. And that's, you know, June is sort of ready. Like we were saying earlier, like June is sort of ready to rest, to go into her shell a little bit, to protect herself from what she's been through.

[00:43:24] I'm not saying that she's given up on the idea of getting Hannah out. I just think she needs to take a breath after all that has happened. But Luke's not Luke's just at the beginning of this fight. Yeah. He's had his head in the shell. He's ready now. And she needs to give that to him. Yeah. I think she does. And I think she needs to give it to Moira, too. I think she needs to remember that they've been living in Canada. They've had very few opportunities to do anything to fight back.

[00:43:53] And they need to be able to do that because they need to, I think, feel that they're doing something. I think that's one thing that Luke took from being confined in jail in Ontario is that he was confined and he could not do anything except sit and wait. And I think he had a lot of time to think about what his life looks like and what he's been able to do.

[00:44:22] And I think as a father, he probably feels like he's failed in so many ways because he couldn't save Hannah. And so now he's looking at this opportunity as I've got to do this. It may work. It might not work. We might get closer. And June even tells him we could do this and it may not. We may not get Hannah from this assignment, from this campaign.

[00:44:53] But they have to try. Right. And I'm going to go even a step further and say not only does Luke, you know, need to try to do something to save Hannah, but he still thinks Boston was his fault. Like he says that to her and she's like, that was not your fault. He still feels I should, you know, it's it's the the the thing we teach our men and boys. Right. Like you're supposed to protect the women.

[00:45:21] He feels like he did not protect his wife and his daughter in that moment. And June does not feel that way at all. But you can't shake that out of him. Right. So I think he wants to atone for that in some way, even though he does not have to. It was not his fault. He wants to, though. He wants to do this. He wants to. He needs to do this. And so I don't know how this is going to end for them.

[00:45:44] I'm hopeful that maybe as a trio going in, they'll have a better possibility for success of the mission. However, I don't know that the success of the mission means that all three of them make it out. Yeah. And that is what I'm concerned about, because we've gotten so close to these characters and their plights. And now we're faced in the final season with what's going to happen.

[00:46:12] And I think we're probably in for a lot of tears through the next six episodes. I think so, too. And just just one more final point on Moira. The idea that she was like raising this kid and had a husband and was like putting dinner on the table. She's like, I did not sign up for this. She did not. I did not sign up for this. I'd rather go into Gilead and fight. Thank you. Wendy, what do you have for us?

[00:46:39] This whole episode was really peppered with little mini reunions. Yes. We see, first of all, all our main people are back together. We have Nick, Moira, and June all together with Mark in the Rebellion headquarters. I'm all for it.

[00:47:03] They're an exciting, really incredible foursome. Like I would not want to be up against them, the four of them. They're smart. They're motivated. I mean, don't get me started about Mark. And we also see Rita reuniting first with Serena and then also with Nick.

[00:47:31] And then, of course, which was heartbreaking and wonderful and sweet all at the same time. We see her reunite with her sister. Her sister seems to be an aunt, right? Isn't that what we take from her costume? I thought so.

[00:48:16] She's sincere crying with each other. And as soon as Rita saw her sister, no one else around her existed. And she doesn't want to give that up. You know, she so that's why she's considering going to Gilead. And Nick kind of assures her and says that it's safe and also makes promises to her about getting her family out, who I assume is their sister. He said it might take a couple years.

[00:48:47] Can can. And Serena seemed genuine. Genuine. Like, you see her misty-eyed watching the scene with Rita and her sister embracing. Can we trust them? Is this real? I think it's as real as anything can be in this situation.

[00:49:05] I did find it sweet that Serena and Nick both pulled the strings to make that reunion happen, which makes me think maybe Serena isn't the Grinch and she does have a heart in there. Just a little one. I don't know. Because when you say pulled the strings, I felt like that was just a manipulation tactic. Like, they wanted her to come back. Right.

[00:49:35] I'm like, what strings did she pull? I think that they did because it looks good for them. Yeah. At least for Serena it looks good. Yeah. For Nick, I mean, I feel like he's that. Yeah. Yeah. He doesn't care. He doesn't care. But Serena needs things like this because if you look at it from her perspective, as long as she continues to make things look good in New Bethlehem, the longer she can stay in power.

[00:50:03] And she has that power right now. She doesn't want to lose it again. Although I'm concerned for her. Yeah. I think she's going to come into a little bit more power pretty soon. Potentially. Mm-hmm. We'll get to that point. Okay. All right. Yeah. And I thought it was manipulation. And, you know, because Serena has that personal connection to Rita and so does Nick.

[00:50:30] Like all one big happy family again living in the Waterford household. But I want to believe. I do. I love Serena. You know, I love her character. And so I want to believe. I want to believe that the good will win over the evil. But I'm not sure. I think the jury's out. I hate the things that Serena has done. Yeah. But her character is fascinating. I agree.

[00:51:01] Watching her is fascinating. But I get so angry because of the things that she's done. It's really hard. I have to balance that. And I know I'm probably not even the only one in this room that feels that way where you are so fascinated by her. But you reconcile the horrible things she's done, too. And it's kind of like. You almost like your part of you is like, oh, I just want June to forgive her and they'll be friends. No.

[00:51:29] She was terrible to June and she's a horrible human being. I don't want them to be friends. I really don't. But I would like and I don't know if it will happen if they cross paths again and Serena needs to help her. I hope she does. But I don't know that she will. I do, too. We can never trust her fully. But the two of them together do light up the screen. They really do. Like they are so good together.

[00:51:55] Episode one of this season mostly took place on that train. And I have to tell you, I don't like episodes that are like that where it's so condensed into one place. But I did not mind it in this case. It's so good. Because it was so good. The only problem I had, it was so dark. I couldn't see anything. I had my little volume or my little brightness all the way up. I'm still like, what is going on? I couldn't see anything. That's funny.

[00:52:25] That's what Jason said, too. But I didn't think it was. I'm going to watch it on my MacBook next time. It might be a little better. Yes. Because I watch it on my computer, not the TV. Because I have a bigger screen. So it's like, yeah, it's a computer screen. So that may be it. Yeah. Yeah. That might be it. All right. Amy. Well, this is perfect. Because my next point is about Serena Joy. Excellent. Okay. Okay.

[00:52:53] So I want to talk about Serena Joy's only child syndrome. So I know before anyone yells at me, I know only child syndrome is not really a thing. It's been debunked by scientists. But it was a thing for a long time. And just the sort of the characteristics that these psychologists thought that only children had explain a lot about Serena Joy to me.

[00:53:20] And it didn't occur to me that this could be going on until I saw her watch Rita's reunion with her sister. And I was like, Serena Joy really has problems connecting with anyone. She just never has been able to form a connection. So Rita arrives in New Bethlehem, sees her sister. Serena Joy's standing there, assuming Rita is going to be so happy to meet her.

[00:53:45] And there are several reunions throughout the series where this happens, where Serena's like, oh, June is going to be so happy to see me. And no, we want to murder you. So she has this like sort of social awkwardness. And we saw it even among the commander's wives in season one. Like she always seemed to kind of be on the outside of things, which in a weird way.

[00:54:08] And there's something kind of pathetic about her just standing there trying to have this conversation with Rita, reminding her how many strings she's pulled. And Rita just immediately is like, oh, my God, my sister and takes off. And so just a quick note on the only child syndrome. It didn't come into existence until the late 1800s. Psychologists Stanley Hall and E.W. Bohannon used a questionnaire to study and categorize children with a number of different traits. Hall oversaw the study and both men had ideas based on it.

[00:54:37] Basically, this guy Hall was widely quoted as saying that being an only child was a disease in itself and that like only children were determined to be just cruel and couldn't form social bonds. It's been widely debunked and it's a terrible theory. Yeah. OK. I know many only children who are lovely, well-adjusted people, but I just feel like Serena Joy exhibits a little bit of this.

[00:55:05] Like she is so lonely in her own life and she tries to create these bonds with other women that aren't real because she can't genuinely get close to somebody else. And I was like, is it because she never had a sibling or like a cousin to play with? Like she just striked me.

[00:55:26] She struck me in that moment when I saw her standing there as like this poor little girl all alone wishing she had a sister to run to or that anyone would be happy to see her. And she never is. And I think that's why she gets sucked into these bad situations. And here we see her possibly going down another road with Warden at the end. Oh, yes. Yeah, I have more to say about that when when we if somebody brings that up as their point. Mm hmm.

[00:55:56] But she's pretty ostracized, like even though she's back, she's not really back. She's unmarried, which is completely taboo. So. Um. But she does have a little newborn baby, which is very coveted by that society. So. She's like, you know, she's the same as maybe she ever was, like she's up on this pedestal with this little baby, but she's isolated.

[00:56:27] Yeah, I don't I don't think she knows how to be friends like she really thought that her and June were friends. In in like season two, she thought they were friends. Yeah. June was like, no, I'm not your friend. Yeah. Never going to be your friend. It's not happening. Yeah. I think she recognizes with everything that she's been through with June that June is a good person. But she can't recognize that she's not.

[00:56:57] I don't know. I know. I'm forever flip flopping on her. I'm forever like she's redeemable. No, she's not. Yes, she is. No, she's not. I just I can't. I really thought when she had the baby, I was like, OK, motherhood is going to change her. She will be redeemed. And supposedly she is. But we don't know if we can trust it. We don't know if it's real. It hasn't been tested yet. No, you're right. We need to wait and see because I think that is coming.

[00:57:27] And I think it's coming soon. And Wendy, I am going to bring up Water because I have to tell you, I do not trust him. I think there is some ulterior motive. I'm not even sure what it is. I think. Is he enamored with Serena Joy? Yes, I think he is. I think he finds her beautiful. I think he finds her strength intriguing. Fertile. Fertile.

[00:57:56] Talked about that last week. But part of me wants her to run the other way if he asks her to marry him. I mean, she I know, like, Amy, you said something about her gaining more power. I don't think in this society marrying a man is going to give you more power.

[00:58:21] I just see her getting sucked back into the role of the commander's wife and what power that has. I can see her thinking that. I think that she is not she doesn't have enough autonomy or enough. I don't know the word I'm looking for. It's not autonomy, but she doesn't have enough core strength, if you will, to resist that. And I think if we saw her resist that, that might I might be like, OK, maybe. Yeah, I think.

[00:58:50] She might be drawn towards that again. But I also think, given the other things that she's been through, that jumping back into that, she may be a little skeptical. Because when she became a commander's wife. She didn't believe that they were going to go as.

[00:59:16] Extreme as what they did and and make it the way that she did, where she she couldn't speak. She couldn't do anything. She couldn't even read like none of these things. She suddenly cared because it was happening to her. Exactly. Which is also parallel to today's world. It is. It is like I'm all for inflicting this pain and this suffering on this group of people. But when it comes back on me, like, wait, wait, wait, that's not what I signed up for.

[00:59:45] Oh, wait, I'm losing my state job, too. Like, yeah. Yeah, exactly. So it's not OK for that to happen to you. But it's OK to happen to someone else. So I have to wonder, even though he's kind of plying her with these, you know, comments like. A better man would have encouraged your influence. Mm hmm.

[01:00:10] So I look at that and think, is he trying to get her under control and thinks, well, if I marry her, I can kind of restrain her. Restrain her influence or modify it or influence her influence. Like, what what can I do? I mean, it was kind of his idea. You know, why haven't we brought Serena Joy? And I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong.

[01:00:37] Maybe he fell in love with her and he wants to be with her. And it's genuine. But part of me is just like, she's got some power and I have some power. And if I can get her power with my power, it'll be my power, not hers. And I'll be able to influence all of these things. I don't think he's really bought in to New Bethlehem. OK, that's my question. What? Because I had him as a point as well.

[01:01:06] And I had what is it? Seinfeld reference here. What is the deal with this guy? Is he the better man he pretends to be? So I don't know what I learned about. What I learned about him is that he bucks traditional gender roles by saying that he did not let the Martha's in his house wait on him. He was the cook. He taught his daughter to cook. So he's a good father in Serena Joy's eyes and probably in his own eyes. His wife, Beth, died. He never remarried, which I thought was unusual.

[01:01:36] Strange, too. Yeah. Unusual because, you know, these are men who take what they think they are owed. Yes. Well, and Lawrence married because he felt pressured, too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He seems to genuinely care for his daughter. Like I said, he makes a reference to Fred taking Serena's finger. Serena says you were certainly part of creating a nation that turned that into reality.

[01:01:59] So he makes this statement about class where he says every child deserves a chance, not just children of privilege, which is also a theme in that book. A little princess of class and who, you know, who deserves fathering and all of that. So she says you were certainly part of creating a nation that turned that into reality. He said we both were. And then she said, as we expand New Bethlehem, we will set Gilead back on God's path to light.

[01:02:27] No family should have to endure what we had to. And I wanted to throw something through the screen. Yes. What did you have to endure, Serena Joy? But that's always how she is. Yeah. On the train, she wants to like pit herself in with the other victims. And yeah, no one's buying that. It's kind of that sociopathy that I don't know.

[01:02:52] But later they're walking home and he talks about the dance and seeing her at the dance so many years ago. And he was too shy to confront her. So like, I don't know what this guy's motive is here. Deal. Because he doesn't act like a commander. No. So is he flippable? Is he turnable? Or is he playing everyone? Or is he playing everyone?

[01:03:18] Is he so bought into Gilead that he's, you know, he's immovable? I just have this feeling. So they made it a point for that scene where they're all trying to get him and Nick and Lawrence to go to the rape fest. Yeah. And he pointedly turns them down and kind of calls them out on it.

[01:03:45] Because the one is trying to peer pressure him into like, oh, they told us you don't go to those kind of things. And he says, well, that particular person, his merits, you know, make it so that we can look the other way for those few bad things. Almost as if he was saying, but you don't have those merits, dude. Right. Right. And then he also pointedly makes sure that Nick knows he's not going either. Yeah.

[01:04:14] But at first glance, you think, well, that's great. Like, he doesn't want to join in on the rape fest. That's great. But but is it or is it that he thinks those things should be kept in the privacy of his own home? Right. That's what I was thinking. Because we kind of if you think about when we first met Fred Waterford and we saw him, you know, bringing June into his office, talking to her like she was his equal, playing games with her. We knew what it was.

[01:04:44] But like I could see how Serena thought, well, Fred's not that bad. You know what I mean? Or June, June even thought for a little bit. Like maybe he's not that bad. Like, I think he this guy has the potential to be real nefarious. And I don't know if Serena Joy adding her to the equation is going to help or hurt. Like, I don't know if she could turn him or if she's going to be turned by him. Either of them want to be turned. Like, I don't know.

[01:05:12] It's a it's very much a gray area for now. Yeah. But it's something that I'm monitoring. Through my watching of the show, because I. I'm curious, like my curiosity is peaked. I'd like to know what's going to happen with that. So I'm like, OK, we're putting a pin in this until something happens and maybe nothing will. Maybe it'll just be we're getting married and everything stays the same. There's no big whatever. But I just this is Gilead.

[01:05:40] OK, it's not going to be that simple. It just is. And nothing is simple. With this. Wendy. Wendy. Anything you want to tack on to that or are you ready with your point? I might have talked about all my points. Yeah, I think I just have some notes. A little bit more about. Luke and the rebellion. We find out that his case was dismissed.

[01:06:11] Oh, right. Yeah. Between the intel that they were able to give Canada, my man Mark Toella's negotiating skills and and also the video camera evidence of this truck trying to kill June. And maybe would have if Luke hadn't been there. Yeah. So so Luke's case is dismissed. He's now a free man. He could go to Alaska. And try to build a new life with Holly and baby Holly in June.

[01:06:42] And they all seem to want that in a way. But, you know, Luke wants to fight. He is tired of standing on the sidelines. He needs to act for Hannah. And it seems like he can no longer live with himself with his daughter being in captivity. He has to act. Wrong or right, sane or crazy. They're going in together. And I love it. I'm just here for it.

[01:07:11] I loved that last scene. That was one of my notes. It was so beautiful. So beautifully written. Yeah. And who said it? Who said two lunatics going into Gilead on a wing and a prayer? Was that Luke who said it? She says I have it because I'm a dork. OK. She says I had this idea. I wanted us to be a family again in Alaska. But the truth is it's not possible. It doesn't matter where we are, Canada or Alaska, because she's not here.

[01:07:39] It feels like when we lost her that it broke us and broke me. And I feel like it breaks us every day. And Luke says, yes, we're a broken family and we may be beyond saving. But I already got one impossible dream. I got you back. You're alive and I'm alive. So this is who we are now. Just two lunatics going into Gilead on a wing and a prayer for her. And June, this is where June says, you know, that even if this plan were to work perfectly,

[01:08:06] which it will not, you know, that doesn't mean we can necessarily get to her. Right. I need to know that you know that. And he says, yeah, but we're going to try. And she says, yeah, we're going to try. Yeah, they have to act. Yeah. Yeah. That's the important. It's a beautiful scene. It really is. And it's not just a recommitment to to the actions they're going to take and to Hannah, but it's a recommitment to each other. Yeah. And yeah, I you know, that's I think more than anything. That's what has kept me team Luke, you know.

[01:08:36] And it's also like when I had this as my point, I had June's finally saying the quiet part out loud, like this idea that they were pretending that they were fixed as a family again. But like, no, Hannah's not there. Right. And they are broken. And this is the first time they're saying that since they've been reunited. Admitting and accepting, acknowledging that this is not perfect. We have. Yeah. We're fractured here. It's not.

[01:09:05] That everything is unicorns and everything is happy. It's not. And there's got to be some part of Luke that as as much as he loves Nicole, there's got to be some part of him that's like, I am raising another man's daughter when my own daughter is in Gilead. And I'm sure like he loves Nicole like she's his own. I'm not saying he doesn't.

[01:09:28] But there's got to be something there that just is driving him to act on this finally. Yeah. And for the longest time, I feel like Moira and Luke just expected June to like, you're safe. You're free. You're safe now. Yeah, it's over. Live a normal life. And for a long time, they just couldn't understand why she couldn't.

[01:09:54] And it took like last season's events where, you know, they put Hannah up on the big screen and Luke got to really see her because otherwise it's a child he hasn't seen in what, five, six years? Yeah. A little girl, almost a toddler that he left behind who's now, you know, this beautiful young woman, girl. She's still a girl.

[01:10:21] And I think it didn't become real to Luke until he had to go through what he went through last season and this season. And now I think he gets it more. I don't think he could ever understand exactly what she went through because he didn't go through it. But he can understand what he himself has had to deal with and watch happen. Yeah. And now he's acknowledging, okay, I get it now. I am fired up.

[01:10:51] I need to do something. You've done it all this time. It's my turn to feel like I can have an impact on this. Yep. Because they, other than that one little adventure they had when they went to the bowling alley, they crossed over into No Man's Land and went to the bowling alley to get some intel a while back. I think it was, it might've been season five, but it honestly could've been season four.

[01:11:17] He hadn't really been out in the wild to do these things and to realize what was possible. And now he does. Yeah. So I think he's ready to work on that. Plus he likes having a role in the plans. Yeah. And he's good at it. They look to him. Yeah. You see other people are like, Hey Luke, help us out. And he's like, these are my bombs and I'm taking them in. Yeah. They're going to the places that I picked. Mm-hmm.

[01:11:48] He has a leadership over these people, not in like a hierarchy, but he's a leader for them to look to for answers. Yeah. I actually, that was one of my points I had. I'm really enjoying Luke's bloodlust. Yeah. Luke is suddenly like, let's kill everybody. I'm here for it. Me too. And I love kind of watching the two of them.

[01:12:16] As I imagine, there are like hyper ambitious type A couples out there, you know? So you can really see them kind of, they're, they love each other, but they're, they're competitive and they both have different motivations and it's kind of nice to see them playing off each other. And they're equals. Yeah. They're equals. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think we're getting to see things that maybe never came out before in their relationship,

[01:12:43] but are probably underlying personality things that drew them to each other in the first place. Yeah. And so I'm really, like I said, I'm really glad we had that final scene. I actually, at the end of my notes where I talked about that scene, I wrote, gee, I don't think I'm team Nick anymore because now I see it, you know, now I see it. Yeah. I love it. Luke saying, if you have to fight, then fight with me. Yeah.

[01:13:09] And they just really, finally, now, we're in the same place. We're mentally, physically, we're on board together. Right. And it's always good to see them come to that place. Mm-hmm. Don't underestimate a pissed off pair of parents. Mm-hmm. You know, trying to get their kid back. They will move heaven and earth. Yep. Yep. So I have no other points. Everything that I have are little notes of things.

[01:13:39] Same. Same. So I think we can start to go through them. We can just go in the same order. Amy? I have a little note about Lawrence. Again, he's like my favorite. I don't know what's going on here. Just, you know, the role of sex in Gilead and in New Bethlehem and in this show, you know, it's weaponized. It's with, and Lawrence withholding sex sort of becomes his weapon, I think, with Naomi.

[01:14:09] And it's going to be really interesting to see what happens as she's continually shooed away from him, because I think she came into this marriage thinking she's going to perform the duties that are bestowed upon her. And she's going to, you know, act like a quote unquote wife should act in Gilead. And so it's going to be interesting to just keep an eye on her to see what is she going to do here? Is Lawrence going to be able to rebuff her advances?

[01:14:39] Because I don't know. Keep this up. Or is he going to have to bang her? Like, what is going to happen? I just don't know. She is trying to seduce him poorly. And she says, you know, the other commanders derive their sense of power from their virility. And he says, power will come from reform and they know I'm their man. And she's like, whatever you say. So I don't know if she's she's going to be interesting to watch because she's kind of the wild card here. She is.

[01:15:07] He I think he I think is trying to do the right thing. And I don't know if she if she somehow sabotages that it's going to it's going to suck. Yeah, it definitely will. So my next point, Lydia is in New Bethlehem. Yes. Yes. I'm not sure how she got there when she got there, but she happens to catch Serena Joy

[01:15:32] and Wharton dancing in the street and not like Mick Jagger, but he's but they're dancing. Didn't they tell her at the end of last episode, like Serena Joy's back? And she was like, oh, yeah. So, yeah. So this might be she's there to explicitly see Serena Joy for some reason. Find out. It just was really interesting the way that she addressed them, like just not what she said, but the tone in her voice.

[01:16:02] Almost in some ways, like I've come across kids making out behind the bleachers. Yes. Yes. And that just made me laugh. I was like, oh, Lydia. Perfect time. There was like a principal from Teen Wolf situation happening there. Like a yeah. Like you've been caught doing something you shouldn't be doing. And they were they were just dancing. It was lovely, actually. It was.

[01:16:31] And the story that Wharton told about watching her dance with her husband at one of the balls and being too shy to speak to her. I mean. And her fertile womb just whipping around there. That's all that matters, right? I mean, really. So, yeah, that that's what I wanted to bring up. Yeah. What is she doing there? Like, what is her business with Serena Joy?

[01:16:56] I think she wants to to get with Serena to change things. Maybe. You think Aunt Lydia is going to join the resistance? I think. Oh, I think. I would love to see that, really. But I think they'll probably try to change things the way like it seems like we're we're we could have a Serena and Nick and Lawrence and maybe Lydia. And they're trying to change things from the inside.

[01:17:25] Maybe. Yeah, that'd be great. Yeah, I think there's potential for that. I also think she might meet with her about Janine and the handmaids that were sent to Jezebel's and maybe because she seems so intent on getting them out of there. I'm not sure, honestly, that Janine really cares anymore. I think that, you know, I'm either going to get it here or I'm going to get it as a handmaid. So in the novel, Moira is a Jezebel.

[01:17:57] And I remember her saying there was a layer of honesty about being in the Jezebels, like there's no more pretending. And she found that a little bit comforting. But again, she was also tortured and beaten so that she would stop trying to escape. Yeah. OK, Amy, I think it's your turn. My note is kind of dark. It is.

[01:18:25] Did Janine have a Jezebel glow up or is it me? The hair. She looked great. Perfectly curled. Oh, my God. Even in the picture that they said that they faxed over. I was like. OK, um. She looked like a badass with the patch on. Yeah. It was a mugshot a little bit. And then you see her in Jezebel's and she's like just bathed in this golden light.

[01:18:53] And her hair is like kind of she looked gorgeous. I was like, wait, did she have a glow up here? That sound it seems not right. Yeah. Here we are. She is beautiful. Like she's a beautiful. She's gorgeous. The actress is incredibly beautiful. And I think. You know, that was downplayed for a lot of the. Seasons, you know, and and they're covered up in these red nun outfits. Yep. So. Yeah.

[01:19:22] But I but I I was struck by her beauty. I was. Yeah. Yeah. And and sort of to build on that, I did have the question of does she want to leave Jezebel's? Like, is this what is what? Like Lauren said, you're either on the wall, you're in the colonies or you're here. Right. They're not just going to let her go. I mean, maybe they could get her out. Maybe. But is she still she did she ever get pregnant after Angela? I can't remember. No, I don't think so.

[01:19:51] But was was it ever attempted? Yeah, she was placed in other. Yeah. Was she? OK. I just wonder what her value is to them, because unfortunately, that's what you have to think about in those terms. Yeah. So I want to point out that the director for this episode was Natalia Light. She also directed No Man's Land. That's where Serena gave birth to Noah and Motherland, which is where Serena is in the

[01:20:18] detention center and June and Luke get the video. That Hannah's at the wife's school. She will also be directing two more episodes this season. So I think overall, the packaging. The cinematography, the acting, it's been really consistent. So I'm excited to see what happens through the final six episodes. I can't believe we're at this point already.

[01:20:47] We're four episodes in and we're talking about there's only six left. Like that doesn't seem like a lot. So this is the last season. I think we're going to have deaths of important people. I think the action is really going to ramp up. Yeah. And I'm here for it. Yeah, me too. Yeah. Me too. Not the deaths, but I know it's going to happen. Yeah. Well, that's my other question.

[01:21:14] So the way I need this show to end is I need people who've been horrible all long, like Serena Joy, to really get their comeuppance. But if they're working from the inside as part of this, that's not going to happen. So then what gives us the satisfaction? Is it just the crumbling of Gilead? Wouldn't the crumbling of Gilead taste even more delicious if like evil Aunt Lydia and evil Serena Joy and those people were kind of dealt with?

[01:21:41] I think we're going to get that, but I don't think, you know, I just don't think this series is going to end happily ever after. No. But I think we are going to get, we are going to get some satisfying moments and probably some heartbreaking moments. Yeah. I have a lot of faith in Bruce Miller and the vision that he has had throughout

[01:22:05] this series and I think we're going to have some joy and heartbreak, I think, is what's going to happen. This was never going to be one of those stories that was going to end with a rainbow and a pot of gold. Right. It's not going to do it. So now we have to buckle in, get the tissues ready and see what we get. Yeah. Okay.

[01:22:35] Wendy, do you have any other notes? Well, so they have, they have opened up the borders a bit with Canada and they talk about how they are attempting to also open up the borders with Mexico and France. Is it France? Or it might be France. Or the European Union, I think they said. Something was happening because of fashion. Like there was a fashion.

[01:23:05] They said the UK. Gold watches for everyone. Everyone grab a gold watch on your wheel. Well, in France, right. You're right. Because Naomi specifically said they have all the wives have new jewelry from France. From Paris. Yeah. From Paris. And I just thought that's just so funny. Like it's just bread and circuses. Like we're just going to give some new baubles to the women and they'll be really happy about this situation.

[01:23:31] And I thought the rituals surrounding Lawrence getting his promotion were interesting. It kind of reminded me of the Mormon religion a little bit. Some of the things that they were doing. But also like only men in the room. It also seems really odd to have those rituals. But again, I'm not a very religious person.

[01:24:02] Me either. I was raised in a very contemporary Methodist church. So, you know, we didn't have rituals or things like that at all. But I know some faiths do. You know, I'm going to a Hindu wedding this weekend and it's going to be full of that because there's like four different events and all of them have very traditional significance.

[01:24:30] So I'm looking forward to being a guest at watching all of that. But it was interesting to me the silly rituals that they seem to have with just all the men in the room. And then they go to the rape fest right afterwards. You know, the after party. Nothing good comes from a bunch of rich men in a room screaming, grab a gold watch on your way out. Yeah. And then heading over to. Right. Yeah.

[01:25:00] It makes me think of something like, you know, the Rotary, which is like a large organization in that. Not that the Rotary does anything like this, but like some sort of like a ceremony that would be had at an organization similar to that. Less religion, more like service oriented. I was thinking like the Freemasons. Yeah. Like that kind of situation. Yeah. That's what I'm getting at. But again, I looked at it.

[01:25:29] Honestly, when I was watching it, I laughed because all I could think of is and you're a good guy and we're such good guys. We're so awesome here. And isn't this wonderful? That's what I took from it. And I was just. Self-congratulatory. Yes. Yeah. Had ourselves on the back. Aren't we amazing? Yeah. When I think about it, it also sort of reminds me of like sororities and fraternities. They have some weird stuff too. Yeah. Yep. It's kind of strange to be honest.

[01:25:57] I think it's interesting that none of us have talked about what happened at the Jezebels. Like how that was with Janine and the horrifying commander. I didn't want, I fast forwarded through the second watch. It was so awful to watch. I could not. Honestly. I talked a little bit about it. It was, it was hard to watch. That guy is, he's a douchebag. I also figure he's going to die horribly soon, right? Yes. I hope so.

[01:26:25] That's part of the comeuppance that they are going to give us. I feel like he's got to go. Yeah. He's the, the Putnam. Yes. The new Putnam. Yeah. He's definitely got to go. Capital letters. The only note that I took about that scene was capital letters disrespectful. Like just the disrespect toward Janine, the women. It's gross. All of it. It was disgusting. Yeah. It made me ill to, to watch it.

[01:26:55] It, I just, the depravity of these commanders that think that they're so far above everyone else and they're acting this way. It, it makes me think of people who talk a good game and think that they're holier than thou about things.

[01:27:20] And then they go and don't follow what they're supposed to, what they say they're following. Yeah. Like you're basically, I'm a good Christian and then you're mean to so many people. The Catholic priest scandal. Well, that's what it really reminded me of. Like at the end, he slaps her on the ass and says, now go with God. And that really kind of brought me back to like, have you, have you, have you guys watched the keepers? Oh yeah.

[01:27:48] So that's about a Catholic school in Maryland that I'm pretty familiar with because I'm here in Maryland where priests were sexually abusing multiple girls and they were, it was the way they were doing it. Like they were using their faith and their position as, you know, the second only to God position in their lives. And they were using religion to abuse them.

[01:28:15] And then we wonder why people have religious trauma in the world. These closed patriarchal societies, nothing good ever comes to us, especially if you're grabbing gold watches on your way out the door. Well, and who invented the idea that young girls would need to go into a confessional with old men? Who invented that? Old men. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah.

[01:28:41] And I don't mean to offend anybody if that is your faith and you believe. Right. And we're talking about the priests who committed these drugs to be clear. Right. And as a nurse, I have seen, especially as a hospice nurse, I have seen a lot of good come out of religion. And I've talked about that before. Like I see the sense of community that it can bring and the good that it does, you know,

[01:29:09] be kind to your neighbor, take care of your parents. Those are all good things to believe in. And so I'm not saying the faith. I'm just saying, like you said, the patriarchal systems that we're setting up leave us ripe for abuse and especially who gets abused. It's generally young women. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[01:29:35] I have a similar feeling, Wendy, about religion where I've seen the good. I watch my brother who is religious and his wife and the community that's around him and the church that he attends and all of the good that being in that world has done for him. And then I have to reconcile it in my head with people who say they're the same as that

[01:29:59] and say and do things that are definitely not following the principles at all. And that's why things get so confusing, I think, to people. Yeah. Is that they can see the good, but then they also see the terrible things and they just can't reconcile it. It doesn't make sense to them.

[01:30:25] And I have friends, too, that are deconstructed and do not believe anymore. And the way that they look at things, it's just different. And, you know, it's a process. Yes. It's something that takes a lot of faith to go through when you're deciding that this is how you feel or what you believe.

[01:30:47] And I can see why more and more people are doing it because they lose their faith in what they've been taught their whole life. Right. Right. I agree.

[01:31:35] Okay. We are back with some listener feedback. Our first one comes from Janelle K. Lodge and she's from Santa Cruz. She says, Hi, Daphne, Wendy and Jason and more. I've been listening to you for years now, finding you originally covering The Handmaid's Tale. I also listen to your Yellow Jackets and White Lotus podcast. I just can't thank you all enough for your stimulating, often deep dives in your discussions

[01:32:02] on profound subjects that these three particular shows bring up, especially for me, The Handmaid's Tale. The unfortunate, applicable subject matter, as alarming and distressing as it is, is good for me to have your podcast as my sort of outlet. I don't really have friends or colleagues. I'm an RN in a very busy, stressful hospital to talk to you at length in regards to these shows.

[01:32:26] I've just rewatched season five of The Handmaid's Tale in preparation of the final season, starting on April 8th. Thus, I re-listened to your podcast on each of those episodes, and the subject matter couldn't even be more astoundingly relevant now. I'm terrified, stressed, and horrified every day with this disgusting person in the White House and those he's surrounded by. I'm just astounded by the scene subjects that are too close to what's happening now,

[01:32:56] and The Fifth Season was written and produced probably in 2021 for the release in 2022. I so hope the showrunners and writers will be attacking the current relevance in this last season even more than they could have ever imagined. I could comment on each and every episode like the ones you read from other people's emails, but I wish I could go out to dinner weekly with the three of you so I could be part of

[01:33:22] your very thoughtful, vigorous, concerned, and incredibly intelligent discussions. I'm so appreciative of each of you applying your personal experience and knowledge to the content of your discussions, and I wholeheartedly support your decision to be open with your political views in the discussions following the episodes in this last season of The Handmaid's Tale. Those of us throughout this country that desire and care for democracy, women's rights, human

[01:33:49] rights, the climate, earth, social justice, safety for all, and science, and listen to your podcast can feel like we're part of a strong group. Maybe it will stimulate people to do more than they thought they could do to make a difference, like yesterday's hands-off rallies. Thank you again, and please know there are so many of us, I'm sure, that listen to you that are so grateful for your incredible insight and perspectives. Wow. That's amazing.

[01:34:20] Janelle, thank you. I just have to say, like, when somebody takes the time to write that amount to a podcast, like, that is so beautiful. Such a gift. That's really nice. It really is, and I speak for myself. Thank you so much, Janelle, for taking the time to do that because it means a lot to us. And this is... We appreciate the feedback that we get. Yeah.

[01:34:45] Even if it's on the show or if it's on us covering the show, whatever, we really appreciate it. So thank you for taking the time. And this is probably a good time to talk about if you're looking for that sense of community and maybe a step further. Like, there's a couple different options. So we specifically just made a new Facebook group, and there's not a lot of members in it because it's brand new. And it's a Facebook group, and it's called... Is it Handmaid's Tale Mayday?

[01:35:15] Handmaid's Tale Mayday. And it's a place where, obviously, we can talk about the show and talk about the podcast, but also talk about, you know, the concerns that we have for the current administration and the things that are happening around the world that are quite worrisome. And so that's a... You know, it doesn't cost you anything. It's just a Facebook group. That's a place where you could come.

[01:35:39] We also have a group with Podcastica that is, again, you do have to ask to be, you know, asked to be invited or applied to get in, but it's free. It doesn't cost anything. And Jason will post a lot of... A post for every single podcast that we do. And so that's where we get a lot of our feedback is from that group.

[01:36:08] And there's also, like, people will just randomly talk about movies that are coming out or interesting articles or, you know, we're all kind of like the same genre, and there's nothing that's really not able to be talked about. And then there's also the Zedheads Facebook group. And in order to join that, you have to join Jason's Patreon, which to be at the level where

[01:36:36] you get to be in the Facebook group is $10 a month. And that sounds silly, like just to be in a Facebook group, but really it's you're joining this community. You're joining the good cult. And it's been really life-changing for me. Like, I've made lifelong friends that I know, regardless of the status of Podcastica, I will keep forever. And people like Daphne have come into my life, and I can't imagine it without...

[01:37:02] I can't imagine I've gone through the pandemic without Daphne and my friends. So, you know, just some thoughts about that. Like, it really is great. And most people that join are really, you know, they just, they add so much to it. We're very welcoming to new people. So just some thoughts about that. Yeah, we hang out in the Zedheads. We have game night sometimes. We'll get together for the call-in show.

[01:37:29] We'll, yeah, we just do lots of different things. We usually at least have one annual meetup where we all meet in person. We had ours this year in Galveston, Texas. We're going to Chicago next year. And there's lots of little mini meetups. Our co-host for Yellow Jackets, Penny, just went to Australia and is meeting with our friend Jonathan. She met Jonathan.

[01:37:58] And then she's going to meet Anwen in New Zealand. So it's really been wonderful. Yeah. And there's regional Zeds. I had no idea that there were like three other Zedheads in my state. And so now I get to see them on a regular basis. It's very, very cool. And with, like Wendy, I don't think I would have made it through the pandemic without this group of friends. And they were not my friends so much at the beginning of the pandemic.

[01:38:28] It was just something that I just opened myself up to by becoming more active in that group. And we do have these amazing adventures together doing fun things. And it's, yeah, it's a game changer. It's lifelong friends. It's changed everything. So that's just a couple of things you can do. All right. Lizzie, who actually hosted this podcast for a season. Hi, Lizzie.

[01:38:57] She wrote, I won't blow anything. Handmaids episode one. I was crying out of sadness and horror one second. And for a person that has problem making tears, I joyfully had them in abundance. Oh, I know that the ending of episode one was honestly, I think the heartwarming, uplifting moment we needed. And I'm grateful that they gave it to us because I think we needed to see Holly.

[01:39:26] I think it gave us something positive in a show that has a lot of negative. Yeah. We didn't see her in this last episode. No, we didn't. But we know that that Holly is with her. Holly and Holly are together. The Hollies are together. Speaking of Holly, Holly Dutton has written in here. Dylan, I'm sorry. I really feel for Luke.

[01:39:54] He wants to go to war for Hannah, and he probably feels like he hasn't had the chance to do slash risk enough for her sake, like his amazing wife June has. Serena is becoming her own woman, for sure the queen of New Bethlehem. Her faith never wavered, which is both infuriating and admirable. I agree. Because these things do go her way often. Aunt Lydia seems fatalistic, trying to help where nobody is asking, and her faith may be wavering.

[01:40:23] I could see a Jezebel's bloodbath in the future. And that's Holly Dillon. I'm sorry, Holly, that I said your name wrong. Yeah. What's going to happen at Jezebel's, I feel like we're going to get in the next episode, maybe, or after, like five or six. I'm concerned because we have many key people in the same place in a dangerous situation. So let's see what we get.

[01:40:50] So Jess Scorbalo says, and I hope I pronounced that right, I've only watched the first episode, but that ending, dang. Exactly. Yeah. I wasn't expecting it. Yeah. We were all little girls in that moment. Yeah. Chelsea Abraham says, I binged all three episodes as soon as it dropped last night. I won't lie, I had tears through them all. Intense, but so good.

[01:41:19] Can't wait for your podcast episode as it is very therapeutic for the show and the world we are living in. It really is a different feeling watching a new season with the stresses we are dealing with daily now. I look forward to the thoughts of you, Daphne and Wendy. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for being supportive. We do appreciate it. This is from Jennifer Ringham. Five minutes into the first episode and I'm already so freaking annoyed at Serena. We'll check back in. All right.

[01:41:49] Spoiler alert, that won't end. Jennifer, let us know where you're at now. Check back in. Definitely check back in. So Lisa Spur says, someone needs to explain the geography of it all to me. June's in Alaska. Luke and Moira are somewhere around the Canadian border east of Mississippi. And New Bethlehem is on the water somewhere sunny. And Nick and June meet up in the woods around the corner from the water park. I was so distracted. Be great to have a map. Where's New Bethlehem?

[01:42:17] I thought it was like in Maryland. Am I wrong? I thought it was like Long Island. But I could be wrong. Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. Oh, New York. It does seem awfully sunny. But maybe it's summer. I don't know. Again, I'm not. Let me see if I can find it on Google. I'm not going to accuse regions of being cold. Situated near Boston. They say it's near Boston. Yeah, it's awfully sunny for that. Is it Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard?

[01:42:48] Maybe. It does have a New England feel now that I think about it. Hmm. Okay. I don't know. All right. So we're moving into the May Day briefing. And this is the part of our episode where we're going to talk about something that is currently happening in the world that is similar or contrasting to The Handmaid's Tale.

[01:43:12] So if that's not your jam, you probably want to stop the episode now. And we do really appreciate you bearing with us and listening to our episode. So the May Day briefing. Today I want to talk about Kilmar Amando Arrego Garcia. So he is a Salvadorian citizen who resided in Maryland in the United States. He's been here since he was a kid.

[01:43:41] And he was deported to a maximum security prison terrorism confinement center in El Salvador in March 2025, which I believe our current administration is paying El Salvador to take these people. So we're giving El Salvador millions of dollars to do this. And so he's a father.

[01:44:11] He has a child there. He's married. His wife and his child are both U.S. citizens. He's been here for a long time. He's never been convicted of a crime. He's and in 2019, a judge specifically wrote an order protecting him from removal to El Salvador. He didn't protect him from deportation.

[01:44:36] He just protected him from going back to El Salvador because it was dangerous. That's why he left. It was dangerous for him to go back. Despite all of that, the Trump administration sent him there. He's, again, never been convicted of a crime. And so a judge ordered that the Trump administration had to get him back. And they gave a deadline.

[01:45:05] And I think it was a couple days ago by midnight. But the Trump administration petitioned the Supreme Court to tell that judge that they don't have to do that. And in fact, that a lower court cannot dictate anything to them. And so Daphne just let me know during our little break that the Supreme Court just about an hour ago

[01:45:32] did say that Trump has to return or Trump's administration has to return that gentleman to Maryland. So that's great. That's a really good sign. And I'll count that as the good thing. That's a really good sign that our Supreme Court is, you know, drawing a line somewhere. Yeah. So, yeah, it popped up on NBC News.

[01:45:57] And the title is Supreme Court says Trump administration must facilitate the release of a man wrongly deported to the El Salvador prison. I mean, the Trump administration had said that it was a clerical error that caused him to be deported in the first place. Right. But yet they didn't want to bring him back. Like, they weren't making any move to bring him back.

[01:46:24] Or at least get him freed from that prison that he has no reason to be in. So you brought up his case up today. There are others that have also been sent to the prison that shouldn't be there. Yeah. They're just acting. Yeah. They're not there. There's no due process. There's no investigation. There's no auditing. Yeah. They're just. Yeah. The cruelty is the point. Yes. The cruelty is the point. And due process is a right. Right. Right.

[01:46:54] Yeah. It is a right. And to lose that when it is so fundamentally crucial to our democracy is a very scary thing. Because it just makes it so much easier to jump to the leap of U.S. citizens not having due process. That's what I was just going to say. Like, if we think this is going to stay there, it's not.

[01:47:16] And also, it's just so embarrassing and shameful that I have to say that, you know, we're having a meetup in Chicago later this year. And we have friends that wanted to come that are from overseas. And I don't know if I would come. Not right now. If it was me. No. And I'm worried for their safety.

[01:47:40] Like, the United States is becoming a place that isn't safe for people to visit. Where are we? I know. Yeah. It's crazy. And, yeah, it's definitely scary. I was just in Boston. I think I mentioned this, like, last weekend or the weekend before. And I had friends that came in. I was really concerned. It was a sporting event. And there were athletes coming in from all over the world. And I was concerned for them coming into the country.

[01:48:10] Sure. And then also leaving the country. Like, it's not even just getting here. It's leaving. Like, and it, yeah, it makes me very, very nervous. I'm sending my daughters to college. And I'm in all these school groups. And they're reporting that student visas are being taken away. Like, kids are just being deported the middle of the semester. Yeah. And they've done nothing wrong. And given zero time. Like, you just got to go right now. Go.

[01:48:38] He has a real axe to grind with higher education. They're getting hammered right now. Yeah. My daughter-in-law is a resident. She's a physician resident. And, you know, they have friends that are in grades below them and are trying to get into residency. And it's causing chaos. Because a lot of those students are from other countries that come here and be doctors. And guess what?

[01:49:08] We need them. We do. There's a shortage. If you think that Americans are going to fill all those gaps, they are not. No. Especially if you're stripping resources out of education. Right. I mean, I know what it took my daughter-in-law, who did not come from a wealthy family, to become a doctor. It took everything. And they have hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to pay off.

[01:49:38] Yeah. And it is not an easy process. And if you think Americans are going to completely fill that gap, you just don't. You just haven't educated yourself on the system. It makes me think of during the COVID-19 pandemic, during and after that, a lot of people left the medical profession because it was a very difficult time. A lot was expected. It was incredibly stressful.

[01:50:08] Replacing those positions is already a problem. Right. We need immigrants in this country. Yeah. It's what makes America, America. Yeah. And also, med students, they don't want to go to red states with crazy abortion laws because they don't want to end up in prison and they don't want to let people die. So that's making a big difference, too. So red states generally have the worst health care.

[01:50:37] And now you're ostracizing health care professionals. What do you think is going to happen with that? More of your women, more of your children are going to die. That's what's going to happen. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, what can you do about this? I have been enjoying the five calls app. So it's an app on the app store.

[01:51:01] It lists if you all you have to do is put your zip code in and it lists all the current problems. It will give you a script for each one and it will tell you who your representatives are and all you have to do is push a button. It'll make the phone call for you and hook you up. I've been calling my I live in Maryland. It's a very left leaning state, but I do have a Republican representative in my area. Andy Harris.

[01:51:30] Hi, Andy, if you're listening. And I've been calling him a lot. And like I said, they'll give you a script. You can go word for word. But I find it's probably best to go off script, which I have no problem with. And so, you know, make your voice be heard. It's it's the one thing you can do. I also will add to that vote.org is a really good resource to check your voter registration. Do it every couple of weeks.

[01:51:57] This is where we're at, because if we get down to the the midterms and your registration got purged or something, you're not going to be able to vote. So keep checking that so that you have enough time to straighten out whatever kind of chaos they give you. That's a great idea. That's great advice. Yeah.

[01:52:34] All right. That's our show. Thanks for listening, everyone. Next up is Handmaid's Tale Season 6, Episode 5. Janine. Wow. And her blow up. If you want to write in or send us a voice message about it, you can find all our contact information at podcastgood.com. Just also want to thank Amy for coming on. It's been lovely. I mean, you just slid right in here. Oh, thank you for having me.

[01:53:04] Well, I've been listening forever. So I had a full advantage. Amy, do you want to share where folks can find you? Yeah. Sure. I'm at Little Miss Recap. We do a lot of reality shows, but we also do a lot of documentaries, some scripted. And you did Yellow Jackets, right? Little Miss Recap. Yeah. Yeah, we did Yellow Jackets. And we just finished a Mad Men rewatch. Oh, boy. We just did Season 1, but then my husband and I just kept going. So we're going to come back to it on the pod.

[01:53:34] Another Elizabeth Moss show. Yeah. You know, sometimes you can see that Peggy Olsen stare. Yeah. The way she would stare at Pete Campbell. See her doing it in this show. She's one of the best face actresses of our time. So yeah, I'm at Little Miss Recap. Thank you for asking. So Wendy mentioned Podcastica. If you visit Podcastica.com, check out some of our other shows. I believe, what is that TV show, Wendy? Oh, The Last of Us is coming out. Or should be out now. So excited.

[01:54:03] So you should be checking your feeds for that. The cast of us will be covering that this season. I can't wait. We have dropped our final episode. Not of the season, because we're going to come back and do a feedback episode on Yellow Jackets. Because we know that you guys are going to have a lot to say about the finale. But by the time this comes out, you should have our episode on the season 10 finale. Full circle. That should be in your feed, so be sure to check that out.

[01:54:32] Let us know what you think. We have thoughts, as you can imagine. So we're sure that you do as well. There's a lot of other things coming out. Andor is coming out. And I know there's more that I'm forgetting. But definitely check Podcastica.com for that. All right. That's our show. Thanks for listening. Every child deserves a chance, not just children of privilege.