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glasskey · 8 days

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THT True Love and Double Trouble Remix Part 1.

Over the next few mixes I’m going to talk about the embodiment of themes and concepts in character constructs, in particular for the participants of our infamous Handmaid’s Tale love triangle, Nick, June and Luke. I first wrote about Nick and June’s character concepts in Nick’s Playlist last year, but let’s face it ALL of these characters are intimately bound to one another and it’s finally time to talk about how and why. Welcome to the True Love & Double Trouble Remixes.

JUNE

In general when constructing a character for the purpose of telling a story, they’re written with themes and concepts in mind which form their history, motivation, journey and final destination. In Atwood’s text June is meant to represent the everyday woman, nameless, caught up in the whirlwind that is Gilead. She acts as an unreliable narrator, providing her unique perspective that seems simultaneously fantastical and horrifically true. She is propelled from a life of relative peace and tranquility into one of slavery and subjugation. Gilead’s expectations and restrictions are used throughout to not only contrast against our understanding of basic freedoms, but also highlight an existing undercurrent of societal gender bias in June’s pre Gilead life. She engages in acts of rebellion that give her a sense of freedom and ultimately launch her into unknown territory. In the series June transforms from someone who’s “not that kind of person” into Gilead’s worst nightmare….hope.

Those stolen from a free country and forced to live in slavery, still recall their liberty and therefore relentlessly seek it through constant acts of rebellion. A generation born into it however, may easily be taught to accept it as ordinary, as Aunt Lydia observes in S1; given time the abnormal will become the new normal. When June smuggles out a plane load of children, she steals Gilead’s ability to normalise its fascist ideals in the next generation. It gives those trapped in Gilead hope and in S4 and 5 we see Gilead’s relentless campaign to eliminate her, extinguishing her legend and therefore any ensuing acts of rebellion.

In S4 when Osborne is recaptured as a handmaid her notoriety and subsequent incarceration is used to create a loss of hope amongst the Handmaids. If June Osborne a handmaid of such repute can be bridled by Gilead, their power must be complete. By the same logic, once June Osborn escapes their grasp, her freedom cannot be tolerated. June represents the spirit of rebellion who along with Nick Blaine, gives birth to her countries future liberty; Holly. June reclaims her sexual freedom in the form of her relationship with Nick, but it’s not just sex, it’s the seeds of rebellion, liberty and love that are being sown here. Her bond with his character is a clear statement about her need to journey into deeper personal uncharted territory, in order to achieve freedom. It’s a message about the necessity of love to sustain us as human beings, the need for community and family, and how intimately these are tied to free will. As their relationship crystalizes his sense of freedom and her power grows.

“No one dies from lack of sex, it’s lack of love we die from”, “Grab love wherever you can find it” June states as her relationship with Nick deepens. The tenor of these statements and the recording to Luke “I am ashamed……..He helped me to survive” speak loudly of a sense of guilt that she has found love somewhere else, painting it as a matter of sheer survival. Despite this when June returns to Canada, Luke becomes increasingly aware that far from being merely a matter of necessity, this bond is actually something much, much more. He grows to understand that his wife’s view of him as a “complete” partner has been permanently changed and that he would actually never be enough for her. Luke epitomizes the country June left behind, a landscape she now finds alien and uncomfortably unfamiliar.

Instead of grieving acceptance, we see June’s growing desperation and distress that the daughter she conceived in a once free country is now slowly being swallowed by Gilead’s maw. In the S4 bridge scene, Nick assures her that Hannah still loves and remembers her but it’s debatable as to whether this is true, or she is much like her country slowly falling under Gilead’s spell. Throughout S4 and 5 there are several moments that Nick and Hannah are mentioned, together they represent the figurative “reward” June will receive once Gilead is defeated. Lawrence flaunts Nick in an attempt to have June submit to Gilead but it’s nothing but Fools gold, for neither of them will be truly free.

June is like a barometer, an indicator of the shifting winds of change. While she stays in Canada with Luke, the spirit of rebellion lies dormant, like the gun she buries in the snow. Lawrence observes that she is “losing her edge”, meanwhile Gilead grows in strength and the people she left behind are bent to its will. We see Hannah begin schooling to be a wife, Janine demonstrating a new level of compliance and Nick is swallowed by his surrounding influences, “groomed” by Lawrence to become a dutiful and brutal fledgling commander. These characters say a great deal about Gilead’s power structures. Hannah represents a new generation of believers, Janine; the walking manifestation of all the horrors Gilead visits on the Handmaids. Nick represents the next generation of the power structure, its ability to exercise will and force, he’s “a puppy” in training.

As June breaks her bond with Luke and Canada, we see these influence of Gilead’s power begin to crumble. Hannah remembers her name and writes it down. Nick rejects his allegiance to Gilead completely, sacrificing everything for those he loves. And Janine refuses to comply with Aunt Lydia’s demands no matter what the cost. June’s relationship with both Luke and Nick are designed to signify two separate states of grace (passivity or rebellion) and as the season’s progress, and she develops her relationship with each counterpart, we see a distinct shift from one state to the other. The nature of the love she has for each is noticeably different too; her love for Nick is romantic, passionate and enduring, while Luke conjures feelings of devotion and commitment. Throughout S5 we watched June attempt to return to her “home” finding instead distant memories and simmering tension, which comes to a boil in ep10 as we hear her say “America wasn’t Gilead until it was. We have to run. Now.”

In Ep 10, Luke bids June farewell, finally acknowledging her autonomy in the form of her maiden name. It signified a breaking of this bond with her former life and a return to her original state of independence. S5 Ep 10 is the metaphorical Tabula Rasa for all of these characters. Everything they have attempted to build is rubble, their homes are gone and they have been scattered to the wind. June tells Holly on the train “we’re going to a beautiful island”, Hawaii the recurring elusive destination of idyllic safety. But she is shortly confronted by Serena, promptly reminding her that the ghost of Gilead will follow her, no matter where she runs to. As Nick so succinctly says “they’ll keep coming for her….”

Back soon with the second installment in our latest remix.

#handmaids tale #june osborne #june x nick #nick x june #the handmaids tale hulu #osblaine #elisabeth moss #max minghella #hulu streaming #nick blaine #THTplaylists&mixtapes #love triangle #the handmaids tale #hulu tv #tv series #analysis #luke bankole

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glasskey · 2 months

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Nick & Lawrence Mixtape

Ever since June wreaked havoc in Lawrence’s household in season 3, he’s been hanging with our boy Nick. Welcome one and all to the season 4 and 5 Gilead Boss mix

Thank you for your service to Gilead.

Thanks to June’s shenanigans, Lawrence is now due to be executed, Gilead has politely sent Nick Blaine to say “Thanks ever so” before the final curtain call, but unwittingly they’ve also sent Lawrence his exit strategy. Nick may be crafty, but Lawrence is a true strategist. He’s a brilliant psychoanalyst, who took all of 3 seconds to realize Blaine was in love with Osborne and that there was no way on God’s green earth, that baby was Fred’s.

Nick had the audacity to hook up with a Handmaid, is sporting a rebellious streak a mile wide and yet SOMEHOW he’s still alive. It’s obvious to Lawrence that Blaine’s extremely cunning and very, very useful. Lawrence is a cynical and astute political animal, soaked in Teflon, with more lives than a cat. He’s the quick witted, dodgy “friend” who talks you into all manner of shit. While he conceived Gilead he’s not really responsible for the ritualistic bullshit that seems to have been constructed out of his theories. As a result he greets any of it with utter disdain, and it is this same hatred for the religious ceremony of Gilead that Lawrence can sense in Nick Blaine.

At first Nick appears compliant and servile but when nudged in his June Osborne Achilles Heel, Lawrence is surprised to find how malleable and resourceful the young commander can be. Blaine turns up touting not only a free ticket out of death row for Lawrence, but also a chance to regain his previous powers.

Lawrence realizes immediately what June always knew; Blaine is an invaluable ally masquerading as nothing more than the resident “fetch and carry”. These two immediately set up an enchanting marriage of convenience in which much political back scratching may take place. For the next 2 seasons we remained glued to our screens as we watched Lawrence use Blaine’s deadly abilities to precisely maneuver pieces across the board, pulling himself out of the noose and all the way back up to the top.

She is never coming back to you.

“You’re getting very comfortable here” Nick says to Lawrence, it’s not just his house that he’s referring to, it’s also his somewhat apathetic acquiescence with the powers that be. “She changed you, she changed me” Nick says reminding Lawrence of the newfound purpose that June brought them both. Here we see a bit of a battle of wits with Lawrence trying to convince Nick, June has lost her value now and Nick not so subtly threatening to kick Lawrence out of his house and possibly back to the chopping block, if he doesn’t save her life. While Lawrence thinks it’s “nice to want things”, Blaine isn’t playing; he wants what he wants and he fully intends to get it. “You owe me”, Blaine states not once but twice, refusing to be denied.

Here in the dim light, Lawrence and Nick strike a deal that echoes throughout season 4 and 5. Lawrence has already realized he simply needs to push the June Osborne button and the resourceful young commander will do exactly as he’s bid. Conceding to Blaine’s demands to merely keep June alive, is a small price to pay for what he knows is Nicks lasting loyalty.

“She is NEVER coming back to you, why would she?” Lawrence says. There’s a deep connection between Nick and June of liberty and rebellion and here Lawrence tries to convince Nick that freedom has forgotten him and it’ll be better for everyone if he just gets comfy right where he is. Let’s give credit where credit is due, throughout season 4 and 5 Lawrence almost gets away with it. As intelligent as Nick may be, he is consistently emotionally vulnerable and it makes him easy prey. There’s part of me that wants to believe that Lawrence isn’t entirely opportunistic, he’s been uncomfortably close to the noose because of June and there’s no doubting he’s kind of got a soft spot for Nick, at least enough to want better than a sharp drop at the end of a rope for the young commander. As a result Lawrence suggests he move on, and Nick having lost hope, gets married. Lawrence may have the best of intentions, and his observation that June’s love “fucks people up” is not entirely wrong, but let’s face it ultimately he has got to go.

In Fred’s absence Nick is sorely missing the father figure he constantly craves and without June he’s feeling somewhat lost. Conveniently Lawrence has become a tad lonely ever since June departed his gloomy abode, and consequently he takes Nick under his wing like some kind of cuddly Darth Vader. Despite the illusion of a buddy comedy gone Gilead, the reality was that this relationship signified Nick’s deepening commitment to Gilead and the widening chasm between himself and June. Lawrence, the Architect of Gilead encourages Blaine to set up a new life complete with a house in the burbs, a compliant Gilead wifey who lives to knit and make coffee, and a leg up in government. It’s the peaceful home Blaine always wanted, always searched for and yet, there’s something not quite right. It’s nothing but a cheap illusion, a mere shadow at best, and despite his best efforts to assimilate, he aches for his true family.

I’m constantly watching Blaine cling to a compromise, ANY answer no matter how painful, that doesn’t involve inconveniencing June’s life. Here we see him try and inevitably fail once again.

Would your heart glow?

Here they’ve come straight from a meeting where Lawrence did his darndest to secure a cease fire and get some aid to the border, naturally he was shocked to find that Nick didn’t help him out with that one. Lawrence is a touch miffed, and as a consequence it earns Nick a nice dry as fuck pay out to let him know that he’s been a wee bit cold blooded, and maybe, just maybe he’s not as smart as he thinks he is. Lawrence’s cute, cutting quip also made light of Nicks deep affection for June, casting it instead as nothing more than a school boy crush. As usual Laurence is being a bit mouthy here and he definitely knows that’s not the case, but his point is valid: The Eyes don’t see everything.

If Nick thinks that he’s got a beat on June’s whereabouts by simply relying on them as a source, Lawrence is here to tell him he’s sadly mistaken; his devotion to her is not some sort of psychic GPS. “Very funny” Nick replies with some well-earned derision, but as we all know he’s constantly making mental notes and he promptly follows up by checking with his Mayday contacts. She’s in Chicago and he didn’t have a fucking clue, worse still is that in no time at all Lawrence has made a deal that involves Nick having to bomb it, with no guarantees she or ANY of the refugees seeking aid will actually survive. Nick does his best to side step this one but it’s to no avail, and he’s left looking like he’s about to return his breakfast to the desk in front of him. It’s Commander Putnam in particular who sticks the boot in here, forcing him to get a wriggle on and bomb his girlfriend and a bunch of innocent civilians. Blaine’s chillingly precise look and almost audible mental note, made me wonder if it was primarily this that earnt Putnam that bullet in later episodes.

At least part of Nicks journey involves being a military commander and this was done precisely to demonstrate the progression from simple recruit to an aggressive higher power that can be manipulated for the purposes of war and accumulation of power. Throughout the seasons we see Nick fulfill his commitments to Gilead with increasing reluctance, as he begins his journey from Gilead stooge to rebel fighter. It’s an awesome and complex journey that highlights personal growth and the desire to change in the face of great adversity. The bombing of Chicago is one of those moments that’s meant to illustrate Nick’s personal loss amongst the civilian casualties of war. “It’s the cost of doing business” Lawrence says to a sickened and cornered Blaine; the sacrifice of others for the greater good, or at least Lawrence’s version of it….even if it’s June.

I've been grooming Nick.

Technically a Lawrence and June moment but I’d like to take a moment and embellish on exactly what Lawrence had been up to. “I’ve been grooming Nick. Not sexually of course.” Lawrence says to a gob smacked June.

No shit. He’s convinced him to marry a nice girl in the burbs, back up his plot for New Bethlehem and be his personal assassin to get it done. Lawrence is a master manipulator, he wants what he wants, and Nick is simply no match for his human puppetry. As a reward for his continuing compliance, Lawrence assures Nick that he and June will be together again. Lawrence intends to get New Bethlehem completed, he likes to cover his bets and he knows that his best chips in this game are Nick and June. If he can get the young commander to back him he’s sure to have June getting cozy in New Bethlehem in no time. I’m sad to say that in S5 we nearly lost Blaine to the forces of Gilead, he simply lost hope when he “tried to let go” of June. In the dark he clings to the smallest ray of light, Lawrence’s dream for a better version of Gilead, some semblance of freedom.

I was never more conflicted about Lawrence than I was in S5, the moments of sheer manipulation of these two for his ultimate goal made me absolutely livid, but I also applauded his attempts to at least try to improve the cesspool that was Gilead. He was determined to “wrestle a better future from an unchangeable past”, but New Bethlehem wasn’t ENTIRELY just Lawrence attempt to make amends, it was also his best effort to “Kill off America once and for all” as Tuello astutely observed.

Audiences wondered why Nick would ask June to go along with Lawrence’s plan and actually go to New Bethlehem, the truth is he was fucking clueless. By this point he was so far under Lawrence’s sway, he couldn’t see the wood for the trees. He’d managed to convince him that it was some sort of Gilead version 2.0 that the UN would immediately embrace with open arms, in which Blaine could live happily ever after with the love of his life. June was devastated, but let’s face it how could she have known that Lawrence had turned Nick from “a puppy” into his lapdog over the last year. Lawrence had already admitted to June that he’d used religious nut jobs as a delivery system to save humanity, so it should have come as no surprise that he would use the two lovers to bring New Bethlehem to fruition. Many years ago Nick Blaine dug himself a hole and sadly he just kept digging. You want to “stay out of trouble” in Gilead, you’d best pick up a shovel. The way he saw it; June had a family who loved her, a family to return to, so he let her go and got settled in the pit. Nick and June’s meeting in 5 09 was one of those moments that made it painfully clear, not only how much Blaine loves her, but how desperately he needs her.

You could have killed her.

“It wasn’t my decision” Lawrence yelps at Nick as he takes a vicious right hook from the young commander. Personally I’m not sure if I believe him or not, suffice to say he knew about it, he did nothing to stop it, he purposefully hid it from Blaine, and MOST importantly, he should have known better. June has left a trail of dead commanders in her wake and it was only 10 episodes prior that she and Blaine dragged Fred into a forest to die. Usually I’d be giving Lawrence snaps for his intelligence but it was just one episode prior that June had officially “broken up” with Lawrence, with the understanding that they were “Never ever ever, getting back together”. This was a massive blunder. We’re 5 seasons in, because the plot demands it June’s basically unkillable and the word on the street is always, ALWAYS keep your fucking hands off June Osborn. It tends to make Blaine a tad bit grumpy.

Nick Blaine is, for all intents and purposes, a trained assassin obsessively in love with the mother of his child. Lawrence knew this, he’d just spent the better part of the last 2 seasons pushing Nick’s patented Osborne key whenever he wanted him to comply. Why the actual fuck did he think he’d get away with it? At the start of 5 10 we saw a massive red flag, a verbal tussle between the two about Osborne, it was clear; she was the rock that would break them apart. Up until that point he’d been compliant but now Blaine was starting to get that look in his eyes; deadly, detached, focused.

Stupidly Lawrence had recruited a bagman and assumed it would make him immune from getting very, very dead. Lawrence spent the entirety of S4 and 5 trying to set up a cushy life for Blaine, it even looked like he might be able to lure his precious June back for him, but it was all for naught. As Lawrence so eloquently put it “Gilead’s gonna Gilead” and despite his best efforts, ultimately it did. In Ep10 S5, Blaine strides unresponsive past his pregnant wife, striking his mentor on his wedding day in a room full of commanders, protesting June Osborn’s assassination attempt. This singular act is a violent and decisive rejection of Gilead’s guiding hand, its binding social contract, its hierarchy and its influence. It is one massively definitive statement, all condensed into the space of 10 seconds. This scene transported me all the way back to S1 when June cried incredulously to Nick that she couldn’t believe she told the Ambassador she was happy. “You’re being too hard on yourself, you were in a room full of commanders” he replies. June’s first act of rebellion is to share her true name with the other Handmaid’s and it is at that point that she share’s it with Blaine. It is here he takes his first small step as a rebel when he chooses to keep her secret and never use her slave name again.

This blow and his march across the border marks the final step in his journey to true rebellion. Where previously his loyalties had been somewhat divided, he now belongs completely and utterly to June and Mayday. Throughout the seasons Blaine has constantly displayed a need for guidance from a father figure and it’s been interesting to note how the personality of this father figure changes over time as his loyalties shift and he regains his freedom. Waterford is cold and brutal, conditioning Blaine to be servile and militant. Lawrence is a cunning, political animal, who tutors Blaine in the Machiavellian like maneuverings of the Gilead upper echelons. Ultimately though it is Tuello, the gentle diplomat who will teach Nick his individual worth and offer him sanctuary. Season 6, I can guarantee, the Nick / Lawrence bromance will officially be well and truly over.

Next time we'll be looking at our love triangle and character themes. See you then.

#handmaids tale #june osborne #hulu streaming #june x nick #max minghella #nick x june #nick blaine #the handmaids tale hulu #osblaine #elisabeth moss #bradley whitford #commander lawrence #THTplaylists&mixtapes #hulu tv #tv series #tv

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glasskey · 2 months

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Lawrence & June's Mix tape Vol. 2

This mix tape contains easily my favourite Lawrence and June moments and it takes us all the way from the shadowy hallways of Lawrence’s abode to the far reaches of Canada.

I'll bet that felt good.

From the moment we meet Eleanor, she is seen constantly stifling a mouthful of secrets and covering up improprieties, like dead bodies with a pretty new flower bed. She’s the voice of Lawrence’s conscience and he does just about everything he can to keep her out of harm’s way. In the episode Unknown Caller we learn that Lawrence was once young and sensitive, partial to making Eleanor mixtapes, far from the shell of a man who now keeps her hidden.

After June and Eleanor’s jaunt down to Hannah’s school, Lawrence notices the fresh air and sunlight has done Eleanor the world of good. Consequently he asks June to start spending some time with her to hopefully alleviate the effect, the horror show he calls home, is having on his wife.

Never one to miss a trick, June takes the opportunity here to really stick the knife in Lawrence and give it a nice deep twist. Given the delicate state of his wife, why hasn’t he gotten her out? Doesn’t he realize he’s killing her with his own creation? June’s not asking questions, rather confronting Lawrence with the truth of what he already knows. Lawrence looks like he’s been hit, she’s found a deep painful recess where his guilt festers every single day. There’s no rage, no threat, nothing except suddenly the appearance of a deep wound as Lawrence chokes out the words “I bet that felt good”.

It seems both a dig at her for being so underhanded and an acknowledgement that June has so very many, many justifiable grievances. I mean who could blame her for wanting to indulge in a little knife twisting after so many years of abuse? June’s stay in Lawrence abode is simultaneously therapeutic, illuminating and empowering to say the least. Prior to this Gilead had been a nameless, faceless construct. Now June’s like Dorothy finally discovering what a huge liar the Wizard of Oz actually was, just a sad old man with a slight of hand and a world full of regret.

It came for you.

Lawrence has constantly argued the merits and rewards of Gilead with June, always assuming that he would never have to bear any of the costs, but this is the moment that he finally has to pay the piper. Lawrence is extremely skilled at psycho analysis of all those around him, but he can barely stomach the hideous reflection in the mirror. The fact is he’s a whole lot of talk and not much action, in other words, Lawrence isn’t a TRUE believer. If he was he would participate in the ceremony and he would demand compliance from Eleanor. From the get go their relationship appears different; he loves her, dotes on her, fiercely protects her and Junes attempts to manipulate him through acts of infidelity are brutally rebuffed. Eleanor is the figurative voice of conscience calling from beneath the floorboards, and it’s no coincidence that Lawrence goes to great lengths to keep her away from official guests lest she blabs.

During the forced ceremony she screams and wails loudly, Lawrence pleads for her to be quiet, pledging his undying love and begging for her forgiveness for doing the one thing he swore he would never do. It’s all for naught, Eleanor is absolutely inconsolable, he promised this would never happen. It’s fucking heartbreaking to see Eleanor’s incredible distress at what is about to happen to June, she’s fragile, helpless and utterly cornered. Ironically it is June who soothes her and leads Lawrence through what must be done.

This ceremony engineered by Fred, is the moment that directly results in Eleanor’s death in later episodes. This scene elicites the devastatingly cool and casual “at least it wasn’t you” mic drop from June, and undoubtedly earned Fred a blind eye from Lawrence as Nick dragged him off to die. During S3 we observe a growing if not begrudging respect for June from Lawrence and the idea that he now has to rape this woman in front of his beloved wife is utterly horrifying. June sits waiting calmly for the inevitable, she understands this moment of panic and trauma all too well, and above all the absolute futility of fighting it. This is the moment that Gilead in its full walking womb, horror show glory “Comes to his door”, and rips the veil off Lawrence’s illusions. His wife is the voice of empathy and conscience and he finally understands, his monstrous creation will surely kill her sooner or later. As Lawrence and June share a drink, he offers June a way out and a means of escape for his wife, but as we later learn, tragically it’s too little too late. The deed is done and for the remaining seasons Eleanor will haunt Lawrence’s every step

You really think this is still your house?

The beginning of the episode Mayday scares the absolute shit out of me, June is just getting her first introduction to Gilead, watching women being brutally categorized as she is herded into the back of a truck. June begs for help, the guard remains indifferent. The entire scene reeks of desperation, fear and dark unknown territory. Deep trauma lives here. “To the ruthless go the spoils” June muses, so what is she willing to do to get 52 children out of Gilead? Everything it seems, for her power now lies in her willingness to die for her cause. June officially has nothing to lose and everything to gain; she doesn’t know where Hannah is and Nick is very likely dead. For a dictatorship like Gilead that relies on fear to maintain order, individuals like these that inspire leadership, are a fucking nightmare.

The minute June returned from the hospital, super twitchy and scheming gleefully about escape plans openly, Lawrence should have known his power was a thing of the past. From the very first shot of this end of season showdown between June and Lawrence, it’s obvious he’s not going to win this one. June sits at the head of a long dining table with a gun in the center like her sword laid out for battle. Lawrence ever the expert in human behavior, senses June’s dangerous instability. He tries to gently navigate her and wrestle back control without enraging her further. She plays with her gun like she’s twirling her hair, musing over the brutal injustice of being a woman in Gilead.

“This is still my house, young lady” he stammers pathetically in the face of her frightening new found power. “You really think this is still your house?” she scoffs, his home is festering with rebels and his previous authority now means nothing. As Osborn so eloquently warned him at the start of the season “they’ll put you on the wall, even a commander”. With the words “get me a fucking map”, Osborne makes it clear that not only will Lawrence be steering clear of their plans, he WILL help facilitate them. The reality is Lawrence willingly relinquished his control the minute he adopted the most notorious handmaid in Gilead and turned his home into a half-way house for rebels. “You’re not going to be any trouble are you?” Lawrence asks June when she first arrives “No sir” she replies, but make no mistake, news of June Osborne had reached his gilded prison long ago.

Gilead's gonna Gilead.

In S5 the boundaries between Canada and Gilead began to get a little hazy, with audiences wondering why Lawrence was able suddenly to stroll in and out of Canada. As we later discovered this blurring of the lines was an intentional device used to demonstrate Gilead’s ability to seep across the border. At the inception of New Bethlehem, Lawrence shows up on June’s doorstep to ask for her help to make it look legit. She’ll get to live there with Nick, Luke, Hannah and Nicole, like one big Gilead sized Brady bunch, but there’s just one catch; Hannah still has to do the whole “child bride” thing. She’s seriously conflicted, understandably she is desperate to be with her child but this is a bridge too far. She pleads with Lawrence to stop it and he shrugs it off with an almost resolute “Gilead’s gonna Gilead”. June launches into a blistering attack about how he’s responsible for all of Gilead’s horror but apparently she’s not telling him anything he doesn’t already know.

“I was trying to save humanity…..and I did it, I fucking did it, then it got away from me….it went septic”. Lawrence is calculating and manipulative, however June always manages to pry out his emotional core and here he finally breaks down admitting the incredible weight of his conscience. He can barely live with himself; Gilead’s like a wound and Lawrence is desperately trying to stop the rot. Currently Gilead looks like a U.N. nightmare, but perhaps given a generation or two the fanaticism may ease up just a wee bit, he argues to a skeptical June. Hannah might get the short end of the stick but Nicole won’t. He needs June’s thumbs up if he wants to actually get any outside residents to pull up sticks and move there.

But Lawrence also needs HER, he knows that in the larger scheme of things Osborne gets shit done. Lawrence may have built the village, but he’s certainly smart enough to realize that it was the gutsy little handmaid who managed to smuggle out a planeload of children, when all he’d done was sit around in his dusty old house for nigh on a decade.

Cups of sugar

Make no mistake, this IS the Lawrence and June break up scene and it’s no coincidence that next episode Nick and Lawrence break up too. Here the gloves are off, Lawrence tries to lure her with the promise of Hannah and Nick, but in exchange he demands she relinquish her pride and forsake her beliefs. June is enraged that they are being used as bartering chips. It’s crystal clear in this moment that just as Lawrence has the power to withhold Hannah from June, so too he holds Nick firmly in his clutches.

Lawrence’s reference to Nick and June’s relationship to “a cup of sugar” is dropped as a humorous quip but it’s insultingly reductionist and he knows it. Just as living next door to her enslaved daughter should be enough, an affair with the man she loves should also suffice. As far as Lawrence is concerned, June should be grateful, just as Nick should be grateful for his pseudo family in the burbs, why can’t they just be happy with the scraps?

June doesn’t pull any punches, here she tells him point blank that his dear departed wife had died from the heartbreak of the man he’d become. She reveals she’d watched Eleanor die and did nothing to stop it. Despite his existing suspicions, Lawrence is devastated by June’s admission none the less. I was reminded of the June and Serena break up scene in S3 in which they both collapsed into a smoldering, teary wreck of raw brutal truth. Lawrence spent both S4 and 5 trying to become “a better man” but ultimately he couldn’t help himself. He’s a political animal, and after losing Eleanor, giving Gilead a nice little make over was pretty much all he had left to live for. Lawrence knew that Nick and June were desperate to be a family again and he used it for currency to bring one of Gilead’s most notorious rebels to heel, and hopefully his own life some meaning.

Instead of thanking him for his offer, June promptly disintegrates into an inhumane fit of furious rage. Lawrence’s proposal of a life half lived in New Bethlehem is nothing but an attempt to bend June to Gilead’s will once again, and a way to hopefully finally ease his conscience. I was always confident in Lawrence’s abilities to maneuver pieces across the board, but watching June literally frothing at the mouth and seething with venom, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Lawrence hadn’t gotten just a tad bit greedy this time, and bitten off more than he could chew.

Join me next time for a Mixtape from our favourite S4 and 5 bromance: Nick and Lawrence.

#handmaids tale #june osborne #hulu streaming #june x nick #max minghella #nick x june #nick blaine #the handmaids tale hulu #osblaine #elisabeth moss #commander lawrence #bradley whitford #THTplaylists&mixtapes

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glasskey · 4 months

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I've been working on several versions of this drawing over the last few months and it finally feels complete. Happy New Year :D

As always, when it comes to artwork: share, don't steal. You may not print, reproduce or sell without express permission.

#handmaids tale #june osborne #hulu streaming #june x nick #max minghella #nick x june #nick blaine #the handmaids tale hulu #osblaine #elisabeth moss

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glasskey · 6 months

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Nick's Playlist

This one’s moody listen and it seems our rebellious hero, June Osborne, just can’t stop hitting that replay button no matter how hard she tries. It’s okay June, neither can we. Today I’m going to look beneath all the romance to try and decode our mutinous young commander. Welcome to our Noir resident bad boy playlist.

Everybody Breaks

This is possibly Blaine’s most famous line and it’s a confession, a warning and a prediction all in one. It sums up the Nick Blaine we first encounter and the one who ends up delivering that sweet right hook to Lawrence in the middle of his marriage festivities, yet somehow they’re a world apart……track 1; Everybody Breaks.

Nick’s realised something; June doesn’t seem to care about or understand the rules. Now the Eyes have been called and Nick thinks it’s time for a little Gilead truth bomb “it’s not about being tough or brave, brave isn’t a part of any of this……Everybody breaks….Everybody.” This is the first time we see Nick speak to June with an unmasked honesty, and while he may have intended to warn her, it’s now abundantly clear that Nick has some ghosts of his own. This is Nick version 1; afraid, alone, distrustful and broken. This is Nick resigned to servitude, to the inevitability that his cage means “it’s going to end the same way no matter what you do”. This is Nick, unwilling to step out of line, and yet here he is sticking his neck out making a bid on June’s behalf with the Eyes, to keep the wolf from the door.

While Nick may be full of reproach, he’s unintentionally told her something personal and as a result, the first chink in his armor appears. His warning to comply and resign herself to her inevitable fate is reflected beautifully when Blaine looks in his rear view to see her defiantly glaring back at him, she not only won’t be broken, but she’ll show him what real fighting looks like.

The cracks start to appear almost immediately, first he’s coming to her room alone, next he’s fessing up to being an Eye, then he’s secreting her away at The Boston Globe, before you know it he’s dragging her rapist out into a forest to die and finally in season 5 he’s laying down the law in a room full of Commanders. “Everybody breaks”……how little he knows at that point how prophetic that will be for him. June is for all intents and purposes, his breaking point.

I should've Just driven away with you.

Is it hot in here? Nick comes to June’s room with a handful of ice and instead of handing it to her he cups it in her hand and strokes it. This is one of those instances where touching hands is enough to raise the temperature by about 20 degrees.

This method of the intimate but almost casual touch is often used in period dramas where any type of incidental physical contact is a big deal and pashing someone is something you only ever do with your intended. June may have previously flirtatiously flashed a bit of knee but this right here is where it all begins, it’s the first time he’s actually touched her and it’s no coincidence that it’s the start of all their hand brushing. From then on all the hand brushing is like a secret message between the two, a reassurance of love and support.

From the second half of season 4 and most of season 5 all the hand brushing business was gone, granted there wasn’t much of an opportunity but that really was the point, the two lovers were separated. At the end of season 5 Nick visits June in the hospital and for the first time in almost 2 seasons we see him brush her hand and she stirs in her sleep, somehow she feels him there….here we go.

This sentiment of running away together, echoes throughout the seasons. These two are the very definition of “love through the barricades” and their impossible dream reveals the excruciating reality of war. This is the first time we hear Nick express his desire, it’s just a foundling idea of escapism with no solid destination at this point, but this “voice beneath the floorboards” grows increasingly louder and louder throughout the seasons. Here we see that Nick’s officially started to figuratively flirt with the idea of freedom, and as he walks out of the room he looks back at her and sighs, she’s trouble, the whole thing is trouble, but he just CAN’T help himself.

I'm just a driver

This is the first and only time we have seen Nick and Luke together and their exchange is gripping from start to finish. This few minutes provides us with an insight into how different and similar these two men are at their core:

Nick the portrait of stoicism, downplays his importance in everything, he’s wary and reluctant to engage, but he can’t leave Canada without sending June’s family word of her well being. Luke tries to be rational but he’s sensitive and becomes emotional, having said that, no one should blame him for his response to Nick’s news. The first and only time he’s laid eyes on Nick is when he was opening the car door for the Waterford’s, so as far as he knows they’re all in cahoots.

One might argue that Nick telling Luke that he and June are pals should be good enough and initially it is, but add to this the devastating news that his wife is now pregnant to the New wave version of Hitler, he understandably becomes a little emotional. It’s not an unusual reaction, in our everyday lives it’s those in closest proximity that usually bear the brunt of our frustrations. So why doesn’t Nick admit to the parentage of his own child? As horrifying as it is, a commander is expected by Gilead law to impregnate the handmaids, but what the fuck would a driver be doing impregnating his wife? It’s up to June to tell Luke about this and he knows it.

The first time Nick sights Luke he’s holding a huge picture of June with her family, for the first time Nick is confronted by the reality of her stolen former life. The three of them look blissful in the photograph and holding it is her enraged husband, Nick understands Luke’s love and grief all too well. He does the one thing he can do; brings news of her to her desperate, mourning family. At first Luke doesn’t seem particularly grateful, he’s gutted that Waterford is using his wife as a walking womb and pushes Nick out the door. Suddenly realizing that Nick is his only link to his wife and daughter, he takes after him with questions and a message for June.

The shot in the doorway is bathed in red light, there’s a certain sense of intimacy and closeness in this moment, reflecting the bond these 2 men share in the woman they both love. “You tell her I’ll never stop” Luke says, but unconsciously he speaks for Nick as well. Ever the enigma, Nick minimises his importance to June, referring to himself as “just a driver” and disappears into the descending shadows, but it won’t be long before Luke will learn the truth about the man he met that night.

I'm trying to keep you alive

Beneath the romance lies a deeply symbolic connection between Nick and June and despite its incredible importance, it’s one that’s easily missed. Ever notice how June is constantly bathed in a glowing golden light around Nick? Well that’s because June Osborn represents freedom, a breath of new hope, and in season 1 and 2 Nick Blaine falls deeply in love with the incarnation of his own liberty and that of his country.

While he sacrificed this dream for the sake of June and Holly’s freedom, and acquiesced to become the good little soldier throughout seasons 3, 4 and 5, his constant longing for freedom could clearly still be seen beneath the veneer. Nick Blaine was introduced as a character disillusioned by the political landscape of his country and deceived into a fascist dictatorship. He for all intents and purposes is the personification of the imprisonment of America’s masses, while June represents freedom and rebellion. Together these two conceive the embodiment of what will become the liberty of their country. Almost everything that Nick Blaine does and says, and the entire landscape of Nick and June’s relationship, can be reframed to match this analogy. If this is true, then the Nick and June endgame is a self fulfilling prophecy, for The Testaments tells us that one day Gilead will fall and America will be free. It is no coincidence that just as he holds Holly in his arms, his eyes filling with tears of joy and June tells him she loves him for the first time. This symbolic union is concrete evidence that Nick and only Nick could be her father, for Fred would NEVER have the capacity, nor possess the desire to give life to rebellion.

“I’m trying to keep you alive” Blaine says dressed from head to foot in military commander garb, June lies helpless on the ground and at the front lines a war is raging. In his heart he tries to keep the dream of liberty alive. June slowly rises to her feet, their eyes meet and a blinding light surrounds them. As he kneels in the van pleading with June to allow him to help her, he is literally begging for that dream of freedom not to die.

Ultimately the Handmaid’s must be given up for June to survive and freedom to prevail, like troops being sacrificed in battle for the greater good. Blaine understands sacrifice all too well, before he was Military fodder he was the Waterford’s whipping boy and before that he was the forgotten bottom of America’s working class. There’s not a day he’s lived that he’s known actual freedom and he’ll do just about anything to keep the one person, who gave him a glimpse, alive.

God is not to be mocked

Ever notice how Fred is always showing up to ruin all those special Nick and June moments? Well this is officially the last time that’s ever going to happen. You see dear old Fred’s about to have a very, very bad day (or night as the case may be) and it is undoubtedly one of the most satisfying things you will ever watch. Nick Blaine spends so much time standing in the shadows and playing fetch and carry, that people lose their ever loving minds when he finally steps up and becomes a bit of a boss. Just prior to June chasing Fred down like a dog and tearing him apart, comes one of the most gratifying Nick moments you will ever see. Nick comes and collects Fred from the border and gives him THIS look....

I think it’s fair to say that right there, Fred should have already known he was dead AF. Marching his belligerent former master through a cold dark forest, Nick delivers a vicious back hand across Fred’s whiny mouth sending him to his knees. It’s a call back to a slap Fred gave June in season 2 when he’d been helpless to act. Aside from holding his child for the first time, it was also the closest we ever saw Blaine to tears. In that dark forest it is not only June, but Nick who reclaims his power back from Fred. Fred has stolen his pride and laid claim to the woman he loves, and at last it’s finally time to make him bleed for it. When he kisses June in front of him he blatantly exposes Fred’s sense of control as nothing more than delusion, he’s been duped by the two lovers. As June comes over the hill towards them, she is surrounded by light and Nick stares at her with adoration.

“God is not to be mocked, whatever a man sows, so shall he reap” Blaine says, delivering his most notable “fuck around and find out” speeches to date. This entire scene is a stunning callback to the Noir sequence at the end of Nightshade, and it’s evident that here Blaine’s also speaking for himself, for throughout the seasons we’ve seen Nick sow the seeds of freedom again and again. Now he’s brought liberty and rebellion herself a blood sacrifice to feed the soil, she looks at him with love and thanks him…..inevitably these seeds must bloom.

In season 1 Nick attempted to sever ties with June, but this is season 4 and June is everything to him, she is the lover, the leader, the creator and the destroyer. Fred is about to find out exactly what that last one means.

I'm nothing

Easily my favorite track on the whole Nick Playlist, this is where Blaine finally crosses over and tells Gilead to go fuck themselves and IT IS AWESOME. Being the finale this was of course a stand out episode for season 5 and Blaine’s walk across the bridge was a huge season highlight.

It signified an incredible moment of growth for his character, the attempt on June’s life being the catalyst for change needed to push him over the edge, or the bridge as it were. Nick finally made the choice we always knew he would: he would prefer to die at the barricades for freedom, than live in slavery for the rest of his life. Tuello and Blaine finally strike a deal for June and Nicole’s safety and his eventual immunity, in exchange for becoming a government spy. Tuello and Blaine stand together looking in on June framed in the hospital windows like eyes, a sign of their burgeoning partnership. Nick gets 5 minutes alone with June, the hospital room is silent and ghostly and he watches her sleep. He strokes her hand and she gently rouses, it’s time to fight again.

“It’s best she doesn’t know I was here” he says and while Tuello acquiesces, you just KNOW come season 6, June’s going to find out and personally I cannot wait. Tuello has increasingly become the voice of reason in the last few seasons and there’s one thing he is dying to know, Why the Hell didn’t Nick run away with June when he had the chance? “She doesn’t need me. I’m nothing.” Blaine says to a visibly gob smacked Tuello. His face softens and his voice cracks just a little as he reassures the young commander “No you’re not Commander, not to her.” June is his liberty and she has not forgotten him, one day he will be free.

“You will never let her go will you” Rose asks Nick, having witnessed his act of dissent in a room full of commanders, “I can’t…I tried, I really tried” he sighs. In The Handmaid’s Tale, freedom and true love are the highest rewards, for Nick and June these are intimately intertwined. Where 4 09 had left me a crushed wailing mess, 5 10 gave us a glimmer of hope and it came in the most unlikely of places. In storytelling, one hallmark of earning the reward of true love is to humble yourself before it entirely, to fight for its namesake with no expectation of reward. When Blaine signed Tuello’s contract and said those two words; that is exactly what he did.

#handmaids tale #june osborne #max minghella #the handmaids tale hulu #nick x june #june x nick #nick blaine #hulu streaming #osblaine #elisabeth moss #the handmaid's tale #THTplaylists&mixtapes

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glasskey · 7 months

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The Boston Globe Episodes

Today I’m going to talk about The Boston Globe episode and how it paved the way for Nick, June and Holly’s journey. The Boston Globe episode is a powerful statement about the break down of truth in the face of dictatorships, and the threat of it in current political climates. In regards to the future of these characters, the episodes featuring the Boston Globe are extremely pivotal.

It’s telling that Nick and June spend the first 3 months of their babies life together at the now haunted and abandoned Boston Globe. Its the place where knowledge and truth once flowed and it’s where we truly begin to see how Holly is used as a vehicle to tell a larger tale. Here the printing presses are all painted in handmaids red, nooses hand from the rafters and bullet holes punctuate the walls like the final word in the resistance. It’s no coincidence that Holly undergoes her most formative months in this broken down home of free knowledge and information, as she will be fundamental to the restoration of democracy to her country.

It’s also the place where Nick and June begin to truly fall in love with one another. Nick and June have sex, at last unrestrained by the boundaries of the Waterford household, and there’s a lustful abandonment to it bred by years of captivity. We’re finally given a glimpse into their somewhat free life away from Gilead. Blaine’s always been somewhat of an enigma, stoic, dutiful and domesticated. But here in the semi free world we see the layers are almost instantly stripped away, he becomes immediately emotional and vulnerable….years of service have suffocated him.

These are their child’s most developmental months and it is the most formative moments of their relationship, where their feelings grow into a lasting bond. By the time she returns to the Waterfords, their child is well on its way to being fully formed, just as is her relationship with Nick. By the time their child is born, their bond will be forged and they will love each other entirely. It’s no coincidence that when Nick is married off to Eden, June almost miscarries.

June wanders around the secret location dressed in Blaine’s clothes, she’s in her first trimester, she’s wearing the t shirt she took off him the first night they were together and very possibly the night they conceived Holly. His clothes act like some kind of personal shield, it’s the best he can do in his absence. Later as she makes the Globe her home, she jogs between the small cities of presses to a shrine she has erected, an assortment of mementos and photographs from the surrounding desks. Just like the Handmaids letters, she intends to keep their stories alive, their voices heard.

Upstairs she gathers old editions and pieces together the story of the The Sons of Jacob and their rise to power. As Holly grows in her womb, rebellion grows in her heart and June returns to the Waterfords with a crystalized intent to destroy Gilead. Nick looks at the wall of clippings reconstructing his past and begins to truly understand, this is the moment when Blaine’s loyalties truly turned. He tries to convince her to go, he’s understandably worried about her future and the future of his unborn child….he should be, it’s a girl.

The two share a morning cup of coffee and there’s the facade of a normalcy as we get a glimpse of Nick and June as a couple in the real world. “If I wake you then you leave, how is that a win for me?” She asks him. Atwood’s text describes June as no longer wanting to leave Nick, June’s caught in a dream from which she no longer wishes to wake. The rare moment of domesticity in this moment is so brief, but overflowing with contentment. Just a flash and then it’s gone, like all the other precious moments of peace these two get.

#june osborne #hulu streaming #june x nick #max minghella #nick x june #nick blaine #osblaine #elisabeth moss #bruce miller #the handmaid's tale #handmaid's tale #handmaid's on hulu #hulu tv #s2 #margaret atwood #tv series

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glasskey · 7 months

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Nick & June's Mix tape Vol. 2

With season 2 comes volume 2 of our Nick and June mix and it’s an interesting one. Nick and June fall in love, await the arrival of their new bub, fight off numerous enemies and we learn that true love requires absolute sacrifice.

Rebel Handmaid Commander

Watching Nick and June fight at the Boston Globe is absolutely mesmerising. These two have been locked up and forced to behave for so long, now they have the freedom to actually argue (amongst other things…. cough cough) it’s like shaking the can and ripping off the lid. This scene is supercharged from the word go. The sex scene here is raw, real and by ordinary standards, it’s seriously graphic. These two are finally taking a deep breath of one another, instead of whispering sweet nothings and secreting themselves away in clandestine corners. June bites Nick, it’s antagonistic, a sign that they’re not going to be playing nice today. She’s still slightly pissed off and she wants no part of the lawn boy bit, so he’d better bring his A game. Well okay then.

There’s an incredible sense of relief at watching June being able to argue with Nick, the Handmaids hood and its accessories are ashes, and at last after years of being made to be quiet, she’s allowed to actually yell at a man for being an idiot. She’s also not this delicate precious thing in the tower anymore, and Blaine’s finally got the opportunity to have a few choice words of his own. Essentially both of them have grievances and they’re not pulling any punches. It’s clear from June’s new nickname that she’s already earning herself quite a reputation amongst The Eyes as a bit of a trouble maker. As the mother of his child, Nick’s understandably feeling a little antsy about her sticking her neck out so readily for the noose. Given Gilead’s somewhat unforgiving laws, Blaine seems to be a touch vexed that he’s spending a lot of time playing “stubborn or stupid” when it comes to June. But it’s exactly this relentless recklessness that enables her to be the kind of leader, he already sense’s she will become.

June’s rightfully annoyed that, while yes she has been extricated from the Waterford’s clutches, Nick doesn’t seem to have much of an idea as to what’s next. At this point Nicks still finding his feet with Mayday, no doubt he’s always known where to find them when he needs to, but up until now he’s never needed to. In Gilead you need to think two moves ahead and June’s allegation of Nick wanting “to play the hero” is a crack at just how unprepared he is. There’s a definite dig here at his status in the Waterford household as the resident whipping boy who’s suddenly decided that he wants to level up. As with June transitioning from “not being that kind of person” to our Rebel Handmaid Commander it all takes time. Heroes aren’t born, they’re forged through struggle and battle and Blaine’s not even close to being fully formed yet. It’s not until the end of Season 2, when he finally holds his daughter, that we see him begin this journey and it’s only the end of Season 5 that he truly earns a place by her side as a warrior.

Blaine’s definitely not thinking straight, he’s a freshly minted baby daddy who’s freaked out and gone against all of his instincts of self-preservation, to help June make a break for the border. June’s no better, she’s all heart, no head here too. Her love for Hannah completely outweighing any reasonable argument that Nick may have for the remotest chance of success. Ultimately his options are limited to letting her go with a gun or without one. Make no mistake, she was always going to get those keys.

Corinthians

In season 2 we see Blaine cite Corinthians 13:4, a psalm espousing the pure nature of love in front of Fred, Serena and his newly arranged wife, as he looks at June. “Love is patient” according to Corinthians 13:4, in Gilead it has to be, marriage is transactional and love is an inconvenient obstacle to a servant’s higher purpose.

If you were ever under any illusions that Nick was a “free” man, the whole Eden debacle should clarify things for you nicely. A free man doesn’t have to marry a child bride while the woman he loves and the mother of his child watches. That’s just not a thing. Nicks selection of this psalm is a message to June that’s designed to serve as an assurance amongst all the recent emotional rubble, but he’s also hoping to God that some of its actual meaning will penetrate Fred and Serena’s thick skulls. Unfortunately it’s to no avail, to the Waterford’s Corinthians is simply just pretty words and no message.

When Nick reads Corinthians, Serena understands exactly who it’s for and promptly sends June to her room…….like that’s actually going to make a difference. Serena’s maneuverings in this arranged marriage and Eden’s ensuing death are an eerie reflection of her forced conception of Holly and the ultimate theft of Nick and June’s dream for a family through the appropriation of their child.

Eden’s death is a metaphor for the destruction of paradise, her recitation of Corinthians 13:4 just prior to her death brings into sharp relief Gilead’s ruthless annihilation of beauty. Eden’s refusal to apologise for, lie about or relinquish Isaac, speaks loudly of the absolute unselfish sacrifice of true love. Nick may not give a fuck about himself but he loves June entirely and refuses to see her dead, however painful, he resolves to give her up.

Serena has observed the progression of Nick and June’s relationship and decided enough is enough, it’s now reached threat level 9 and needs to be stopped before it hits critical mass. Corinthians 13:4 speaks of love as something that is earned, treasured, abides through trials of great suffering, heals and humbles. If Serena had any inkling of what this meant, she’d know it was already way too late.

He's the one who got them out.

There’s selfless, and then there’s this next level shit that Nick pulled in season 2 when he smuggles out a bunch of handmaids letters and then credits Luke with getting them out. Okay so maybe not completely incorrect after all Luke and Moira did flood the internet with them. But seriously the statement “got them out” implies some type of serious effort or danger like let’s say a trip across the border with them, rather than a simple post on Insta or Twitter with a few choice hash tags.

At the very least Nick should get a bit of credit here right? RIGHT? The fact that he DOESN’T take any is absolutely intentional. Nick returned from Canada asking for nothing and giving June everything. It cost him a huge part of himself and the fact that he gave it away so readily was designed to illustrate his pure self-sacrifice for her. This is the moment, right here that’s designed to show that Blaine loves her, like LOVES her, and officially doesn’t care what it costs him.

The very act of passing these letters to Luke and then crediting Luke with them, is a veiled metaphor for the passing of messages back and forth between June and her family. While ridiculously selfless it’s necessary for Blaine to credit Luke in order to complete the actual construct of the metaphor.

Blaine is June’s conduit, her messenger, guardian, guide, lover, but with the words “I met your husband” he reminds her and acknowledges that in the ordinary world he will have to relinquish these roles. There are three words contained in this scene that perfectly capture Blaine’s sentiment and they’re heartbreaking in their simplicity: “I should go” he says and as he leaves he tells her he loves her for the last time that season.

Blaine looks crushed and limps away visibly wounded, June is so overjoyed by his news about Luke and Moira, it’s as if she is blind to his pain. For both of them there is the realisation that not only CAN she leave but she inevitably WILL. It’s not long after we see him arrange for June to leave and for the next three seasons he keeps his distance. This is a crucial moment for Blaine, the letters home and meeting Luke face to face form the basis of his attempted growing separation from her as he tries to do “the right thing”. The only problem is, the more that Blaine sacrifices for her, the more her love for him grows.

I wish I could hold her

No exaggeration, this fucking wrecked me. There are a few moments on THT that choke me up spontaneously and this is one of them. It’s absolutely gutting to see a usually stoic Blaine suddenly dissolve into a puddle of vulnerability, heartache and tenderness.

Blaine doesn’t often talk about their baby, he doesn’t dare, it’s altogether too much to hope for that they might one day be a family. Here he can’t contain himself, “Our babies so beautiful” he says, his joy over the birth of his new daughter and his love for the mother of his child, spilling out of him. “I wish I could hold her” he says with the heartbreaking revelation that Nick has been stripped of any claim to his own daughter, including the ability to hold her for the first time. Tears well in June’s eyes, her usual sassy cynicism completely melting away in a single heartbeat.

With the birth of Holly comes the first time we hear Blaine actually mention the possibility of leaving Gilead, for the first time he has something that might make him try. The two of them fantasise about an idyllic escape from the Hell of Gilead. The golden glowing leafy window makes it hard to believe they’re not already standing on a sandy beach beneath lush green trees.

The Waterford’s window contains a gingko biloba, the most ancient of all trees, a symbol of their lasting love and growing family tree. This is one of those incredible THT moments that will stay with you throughout the seasons, where two parents bond over the birth of their child and dream of a better life together…..in Hawaii. I’m not crying, you’re crying…

Before I get into our 3rd Nick and June Mix tape, I’ve got a second Lawrence and June Mix. In the future Nick and Lawrence will be getting a separate Mix tape, and Nick, June and Tuello will all be getting their own playlists. See you then.

#june osborne #max minghella #hulu streaming #june x nick #nick x june #nick blaine #the handmaids tale hulu #osblaine #elisabeth moss #bruce miller #THTplaylists&mixtapes #endgame #romantic #tv series #hulu series #s2 #the handmaid's tale #handmaid's tale #handmaid's on hulu

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glasskey · 7 months

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Lawrence & June's Mix tape Vol. 1

With the end of season 2 came the introduction of one of our favorites: the cynical and witty architect of Gilead, Commander Lawrence. Whenever a quick quip is needed, Lawrence never fails to deliver and coupled with the patented Osborne eye roll, it’s a comedy duo not to be missed. Today we've got some essential Lawrence and June tracks from Season 3.

Spunky

“Are you insane? You didn’t get in the truck” Lawrence seems bewildered and mildly inconvenienced when he comes back for June at the start of season 3. “Thoughts?” asks Lawrence scolding her for being so reckless, back at the Waterford’s Nick echoes Lawrence's sentiment, asking “What is wrong with you?” With that, it’s easy to see how Lawrence and Nick align so perfectly in later seasons.

June is an enigma to both of these men, she seems determined to meet her own end, those who help her often end up dead, and yet she’s wildly successful at conjuring their service and devotion. June state’s she CAN’T leave without Hannah, Lawrence argues she CAN, forcing her to admit that she WON’T. This won’t be the last time we see this debate occur, Lawrence and June seem to constantly explore and discuss themes of individuality and freedom of choice in the face of societal good and human decency. But as Lawrence himself admits, Gilead overlooked the element of maternal love in its conception, undermining his argument about June’s ability to choose. June’s barely met Lawrence and yet she’s fearless, he’s obviously influential enough to get someone out, morally malleable, and she now has him over a barrel.

As one of the most powerful men in Gilead Lawrence is expected to be an ardent believer in their theocracy and yet he’s just arranged the smuggling out of not only a handmaid but a child, the most valuable of their commodities. It’s an opportunity not to be missed to retrieve Hannah, but when June threatens Lawrence with the noose, he’s more intrigued than fearful. “Spunky” Lawrence mocks her, she’s obviously unhinged and despite Gilead’s rigorous disciplinary tactics she remains defiant. Has he finally met a worthy adversary? Someone decent to spar with in this boring AF hell hole? Or maybe even someone who can help tear down the horror show he thoughtlessly constructed? This scene sets the tone for the progression of June and Lawrence’s relationship throughout season 3 and beyond. When all is said and done, despite Lawrence’s bravado, he will do exactly what he’s told

The Descent of Man

Frustratingly for all who dwell in his house, Lawrence is the world’s best lie detector, his observations of those around him are surgically accurate to say the least. As an indication of how frighteningly perceptive Lawrence actually is, it takes him all of 3 seconds to clock the connection between Nick and June.

The Martha’s are constantly trying to slip one past him with absolutely no success whatsoever, but ironically there seems little need to lie; Lawrence himself encourages and in some cases demands that many of Gilead’s rules are either flaunted or broken under his roof. Aunt Lydia seems to be a bit sus on the whole ceremony thing, but Lawrence assures her that all is ship shape, and who is she to question a man of such power? June is hardly through the door and already she’s picking out a favorite plotting corner, she’s no idiot, she plans to stay alive and that means staying ahead. Lawrence seems happy for the Martha’s to conspire for their rebel operations in his household as long as it never actually makes its way to his doorstep.

June’s a wee bit overzealous about her newfound freedom, demanding she be included in the resident rebel activities, resulting in a dead Martha in the flower bed. She’s made the fatal error of insufficiently assessing her home ground, acting without proper forethought and not surprisingly Lawrence decides to put her back in her place. In a crowded room of Commanders he initially points out that June was an educated woman who edited books pre Gilead. Lawrence then demands she fetch him a copy of The Descent of Man and kneel at his feet, thereby illustrating how she has now been utterly reduced to their mere tool.

By first making a point of demonstrating June has the knowledge to give an educated opinion, and then assuming her answer to his question, he insinuates her thoughts are valueless. Lawrence tops it all off with a patronizing “good job” and sends her on her way, their laughter echoing behind her. You can see the bile rising in her throat and her hatred boil, but while the act itself is humiliating and degrading, with this single display Lawrence convinces a room full of Commanders to save the lives of other women. His point is devastatingly clear: these men can crush you, learn your place or others may die. This scene demonstrates how precarious the lives of women are in Gilead, their chances for survival reduced to whether or not they can be “fun”. While Lawrence may subscribe to the greater good philosophy, June has no intention of living under an oppressive regime that robs her and others of their dignity. By the end of season 3, Lawrence will have to learn some hard lessons of his own about power and sacrifice.

Transactional

“You seem like you’d be good at making friends, influencing people, good at intimacy” Lawrence taunts, he’s just caught June buttering Fred up and gazing adoringly at Nick, it’s pointless trying to sneak anything past him.

He scoffs at June’s attempt at her usual shenanigans, which had proved so effective with Fred, demanding she stop lying and outwit him honestly. It’s genuinely uncomfortable watching June’s attempt to unbalance Lawrence this way, his intelligence dooms any chance of success from the very beginning. June also never anticipated that Lawrence would actually love his wife, and unlike Fred, finds the idea of infidelity extremely unpalatable. It’s clear from his rant that he knows quite a bit about June and her dealings, she’s earnt herself a considerable reputation and Lawrence is intrigued as to just how she managed to reduce the Waterford’s to literal ash.

To be honest he’s not particularly impressed so far, accusing her of being “transactional” concluding that she relied solely on her feminine wiles to get what she wanted. June’s retort “men become easily distracted” articulates that male power structures are easily disassembled by the presence or absence of mere validation and approval. Lawrence’s Gilead logic concludes that June is a woman who had no worth until his new world gave it to her and she should be grateful. June believes her value is inherent and being the man who created this horrifying existence is far worse than being useless. Lawrence is determined to demonstrate to June the sacrifices that are made for a greater good and that achieving this is a thankless job.

It’s at this point that we get a glimpse of the terrifying reality Lawrence has created for himself, driving June out to the cages and demanding she chose 5 women to be Martha’s while the rest be sent off for slaughter. Their value is determined by everything contained in one file and it begs the question, how useful would June look on paper? What intrinsic purpose does she have in this world if not as a Handmaid? Would she survive her own selection?

Before I get into volume 2 of June and Lawrence or start up my Nick and Lawrence Mix, I’ll be back with the Nick and June Mix tape volume 2.

#june osborne #hulu streaming #max minghella #nick blaine #osblaine #june x nick #nick x june #elisabeth moss #bradley whitford #commander lawrence #THTplaylists&mixtapes #bruce miller #handmaid's on hulu #the handmaid's tale #handmaid's tale #hulu tv #tv series

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glasskey · 7 months

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Nick & June's Mix tape Vol. 1

Today I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite Nick and June tracks that have us all hitting rewind over and over and over and over……..after all, who doesn’t love a good mix tape?

Oranges & Tuna

This is the first time we meet Nick but given June’s familiarity, it’s not the first time she has. In Atwood’s text, Nick sounds like a bit of alright and the POV camera shot when June comes down the stairs IS a touch pervy.

Nick’s working with his sleeves rolled up, sweating and judging by the wanton looks it seems June’s in no particular rush to go shopping. She also seems to know quite a bit about him already, including the fact that he’s single. In her head, June’s already inviting Nick down to the oyster house bar for a drink, a subtle reference to a well-known aphrodisiac. It takes all of 10 seconds for Nick to start flirting with her, by telling June a gag about not being a pescatarian. It’s a fact which June purposefully ignores, in order to return his flirtation, and that’s it, that’s all it takes…..Nick’s fucked.

Throughout the next few episodes we see that Nick can neither believe nor resist June’s audacity. Nick knows he should say something when he sees her legs uncovered but he says nothing and simply stares. The sound of the lid closing on the box in front of him is like a trap snapping shut.

He can’t resist standing waaaaay too close and stroking her hand when he brings her ice, the heat is palpable. Nick now knows he’s in serious trouble and June is left reeling. Throughout season 1 these two are constantly measuring and testing each-others boundaries, but honestly from the second Nick told his tuna fish gag, he may as well have waved a white flag.

You shouldn’t wear anything for me

Sweet mother of Mercy. Apparently the sight of June’s naked body has turned Nick Blaine into the master of the double entendre overnight. Season 1 sees Nick pulling the jokes out left and right, first with the tuna fish gag and now this. Nick can hardly keep a straight face as he delivers it and June barely stifles a chuckle. This casual comment is not only a statement about June never changing her appearance to please him, but also one about how desirable he finds her, naked and unmanicured.

This is also the first time we see these two perform their infamous hand brushing and it’s literally breathtaking for the both of them. It’s a moment steeped in danger, electricity and passion, as you sense them both recalling their previous night together. Glowing lights seem to follow these two around like a spell, and as they intertwine their fingers a luminous orb appears between their hands.

I’d like to say that June ever stood a chance at resisting the foxy driver’s charms but I’d be lying. He’s hot AF, lives less than 200 feet away and flirts with her shamelessly, this was all a done deal long ago. In Atwood’s text, these two can barely keep their hands off each other and Nick is described as absolutely fascinated with her. Not surprisingly then, this scene is closely followed by a knee trembling, face melting kiss that sends June straight from “it can never happen again, sorry Nick” to a dazed mess spelling saucy words during her scrabble game.

Is This It?

Nick thinks that breaking up with June is going to be simple, in fact he seems to think he won’t need to explain himself at all. June is having none of it, this is her one small ray of light in an otherwise dismal existence so Nick had better have a good reason.

He does, he’s already seen one handmaid die and he’s starting to get seriously attached to the new one. Seeing June on the wall just because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself is more than he could bear. This is Nick doing Nick: keep your head down, step aside, stay out of trouble and keep your mouth shut.

June rightfully calls him on his shit, accusing him of being a coward who wants only to be Fred’s whipping boy for the rest of his life. How could he want to live such a small life? It’s a gut punch that leaves Blaine looking suitably ashamed.

Their individual attitudes to “ending up on the wall” speak volumes about who these two are at heart. To June death is everywhere, living in terror isn’t living and the reward is worth the risk. Nick is a survivor, sacrifice for duty and self-preservation is second nature, a small life is better than no life at all. Unfortunately for Nick, his aspirations for a life half lived died the moment he met June Osborne. Before I get into Nick and June volume 2, I’ve got volume 1 of the Lawrence and June mix up next. Back soon.

#max minghella #nick x june #nick blaine #june x nick #hulu streaming #elisabeth moss #osblaine #june osborne #THTplaylists&mixtapes #bruce miller #endgame #s1 #hulu series #romantic #handmaid's on hulu #the handmaid's tale #handmaid's tale #hulu tv #tv series

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glasskey · 8 months

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Serena's Playlist

I’ve got to hand it to Yvonne Strahovski, watching her play the duplicitous and vicious Serena is like receiving a master class in how to be a perfect villain. I loathe and love Serena, I’m absolutely transfixed by her and with that in mind I’m rolling out my all time favorite Serena moments to date, in seasonal order.

Do you understand me?

Yes Serena. Yes I understand. Strahovski is breathtaking in this display of utter viciousness, going from zero to a hundred in the space of less than 10 seconds. One moment she’s gushing over June as the living embodiment of motherhood and the next her face deteriorates into a picture of utter rage. As a totally reasonable and completely logical punishment for not successfully getting knocked up, our protagonist is indefinitely locked up. Yes, because there’s nothing quite like isolation, depression, lack of vitamin D and fresh air to encourage fertility. Even Nick is stunned at Serena's cruelty when she puts the partition up between them in the car…..too little too late sweetie.

It isn’t yours

Imbued with the happy spirit of being a new pseudo momma, Serena performs a spectacular mic drop on Fred when she announces their happy homes new addition, followed by an icy “It isn’t yours”. Serena then delivers a blistering speech about how God would never let him father a child because he’s so incredibly weak. Its a verbal kick to the nuts of epic proportions and after Fred’s patronizing and dismissive “go to your room”, it is absolutely delicious to watch her crush him so entirely.

As long as my baby is safe, so is yours.

If you ever thought redemption might be on the table for Serena, this single sequence will convince you otherwise. Serena taking June to see Hannah, without letting her actually speak to her, is by far the cruelest shit I have ever seen done to a mother. The ensuing verbal bloodbath in the car is a spectacular display of Moss's acting abilities that's not to be missed. Up until this point June had been quite polite and addressed Serena as “Mrs Waterford”, but as the litany of insults June unleashes suggests, that shit was all over now. The whole “as long as my child is safe, so is yours” line that Serena lays on June, is beautifully referenced after June is recaptured in S2 and Serena nearly throttles her. June has effectively denied Serena experiencing the first 3 months of the pregnancy and she’s fucking livid. The veil is down and these two are officially mortal enemies. Let the games begin.

He looks handsome doesn’t he?

Oh no she didn’t! Here Serena takes her most powerful swing at Nick and June’s relationship to date. Nick’s a bit more heart than head here, he just can’t help himself when he see’s the woman he loves starting to lose it, and unwisely steps up to Serena. As a consequence he unintentionally earns himself a shiny new child bride and later finds his girlfriend broken and bloody in the garden bed. It’s a mistake of colossal proportions on Serena’s part and it’s a perfect example of what happens when she gets just a wee bit too greedy and gloaty for her own good. It’s also a beautiful example of how the Waterfords like to dress their revenge as reward.

You’ve left me with nothing

This one kind of breaks my heart a little, it’s not often that you get to see a vulnerable Serena, and to witness her being reduced to smoking rubble was almost more than I could bear. Seeing Serena weep with such anguish and helplessness was absolutely revelatory to her characters dimension. Serena assisted the construction of an entire dictatorship just so she could get a bub and even that had failed her. It’s the first time we get a glimpse of an utterly defeated Serena and it’s not pretty, even a rage filled June can’t pull the trigger. It’s right here that you also realize Serena will never truly love Fred ever again….like ever.

You will never be free of me

I can’t go past the notorious Serena and June “break up scene”, its a rare piece of television, the likes of which we won’t see for many years to come. The entire DC episode is spectacular and this sequence is utterly breathtaking. Serena mistakenly thinks she can hit and run with her little Nick / Sons of Jacob spiel without incurring a scratch, and she honestly believes that all she needs to do is retrieve Nicole and she can wash her hands of June forever. June is incredulous, how could Serena be so naive? Far from being a quick and clean divorce, June intends to make this the single most excruciating experience of Serena's life.

Never touch my daughter again

This was just straight up stupid of Serena. June had JUST torn her husband apart and here Serena was parading Hannah and Nick in front of her in all her devastating glory, reminding June they were both still well within her talons reach. Unfortunately Serena was given the heave ho by Gilead, and came home to a seething June who attached herself to Serena's car like a hissing rabid bat. Seriously If you can’t bring it, don’t step to our girl. It won’t end well.

Next time I see you I’m gonna fucking kill you myself

Luke really walked into this one. From the very beginning Luke underestimated exactly how capable an adversary Serena was and here he gets a nice big juicy dose of reality. This honestly was like watching a cat play with its food, Serena doesn’t even break a sweat, stopping just short of calling him a coward and twisting the knife about Nick's involvement with June. Luke’s fucking wounded, his eyes fill with tears, his hands tremble with rage and he chokes out the words “Next time I see you I’m gonna fucking kill you myself”. Serena’s not even remotely scared, she is LOVING it, gloating from the protective throne of a mother who’s a gazillion weeks preggers. I’ve noticed that If Serena wants to hurt June, she makes a bee line for Nick or Hannah, interestingly she never seems to bother much with Luke. Comparatively Luke’s a poor adversary and here she lets him know it, when she crushes him completely without the slightest bit of effort or care. Next time Luke, don’t underestimate Serena, it’s bad for your health.

#hulu streaming #nick x june #june x nick #max minghella #june osborne #nick blaine #osblaine #elisabeth moss #serena joy #serena #THTplaylists&mixtapes #bruce miller #handmaid's on hulu #handmaid's tale #the handmaid's tale #hulu series #hulu tv #tv series

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glasskey · 8 months

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THT : A Gothic Fairy tale Pt 3

I’ve been digging down into THT fairy tale themes and tropes and last time I discussed our villains, this time we’ve got the Hero and the Quest. Let’s get started.

There’s no debate sitting around in the Waterfords tower prison can be boring AF, but the view DOES include the resident servant boy Nick who’s a bit of alright, so it’s not all bad.

Nick actually has several roles throughout; apart from lowly serf and handsome prince, he also plays the galant Knight and faithful guide. In classic literature his characters job is primarily to fall in love with, rescue and run off with the maiden. However the real world can be kind of shitty so while Nick does fall in love, it’s with another mans wife. When he tries his best to rescue the maiden it all goes sideways and she refuses to leave. While he dreams of running away with her, he’s trapped and forced to make the best of it.

This destruction of classic idealism and conservative constructs has purpose, THT seeks to portray a reversal of conventional gender roles as a statement against outdated tropes, therefore we’re given a fiercely independent protagonist and a deeply flawed Prince who requires some rescuing of his own. Prince’s are meant to be brave and strong, a “hero” if you will, Nicks not. Far from being the ideal picture of valor, he’s broken and a coward when she meets him, it’s only with her assistance that he gains the mettle required to fight Gilead.

In classic tales this character always undergoes some kind of transformation into a much “better” version of themselves, for example Nick was poor now he’s wealthy, Nick was a servant, now he has power, Nick was a coward, now he’s brave etc….say hello to the hot AF frog ala handsome prince. Fast forward to end of season 5 when THT goes full Sleeping Beauty and Nick does this:

Nicks not the only one undergoing transformation, our “helpless” maiden gradually becomes the bane of her captors existence. June’s mother Holly reprimands her for marrying and not joining the fight against the patriarchy, but the darkness of Gilead transforms our fair maiden into everything her mother envisioned for her: a warrior with iron like fortitude. Traditional constructs would determine that Nick be the hero of this story, but conventional gender roles have been flipped, thus this role belongs to June. Hero’s are usually given a quest, all this one has to do is survive and manipulate the inner workings of a deadly patriarchal right wing authoritarian state, so that she can retrieve her daughters, free her country and be reunited with the love of her life….simple.

Never one to rest on her laurels, June is so diligent in her efforts to retrieve Hannah, that the pseudo parents actually up and leave town, yes that’s right June made a High Commander and his family move house….to the country. Interestingly each of June’s children languishes in separate countries as do Nick and June, a small part of one another for each of them to hold close, like two halves of a heart.

From her red riding hood cape to her Rapunzel locks, June is more nightmare made manifest than fairy tale, to her captors. The red hood used in Red Riding Hood was a metaphor for the beginning of women’s journey into womanhood and sexual awakening. June’s red hood represents passion, death and the cycle of life.

Like most tales, references to things forbidden or hidden find their genesis in existing taboos. June’s hair is part of her physicality intrinsically tied to her consent and freedom. In Rapunzel the maiden lets her hair down voluntarily for her suitor and on demand for her captor and so it is for June. In S1 June takes down her hair and throws it back as she makes love to Nick. At the start of Jezebels her hair cascades down her shoulders freely as she watches him sleep, later Fred takes her hair down himself before taking her to Jezebels and raping her. In S3 as June runs to Nick in the snow, her hair streams out freely behind her. Its forbidden that Nick sees it, just as it’s forbidden he touch her.

In captivity June doesn’t have a choice but to grow her hair, her terms of imprisonment state that she doesn’t have access to scissors. So when Nick hands her scissors and tells her to cut her hair, it demonstrates the beginning of her freedom and not only his role in its realisation but also his understanding of the terms of her captivity. He gives her new clothes, she sheds her handmaids robe and ear tag and burns her hair along with them.

It seems almost inevitable that given the plight of her suitors and the shifting dynamics of our traditional tropes, our protagonist will be busy in the coming season performing some much needed rescuing of her own. The fairy tale theme seems a perfect backdrop to THT as Gilead’s fascist regime is intent on the perpetuation of trad idealism. However June Osborne is the type of woman that leads a nation, incites devotion and kills conventional endings stone cold dead.

#june osborne #hulu streaming #june x nick #nick x june #max minghella #nick blaine #osblaine #elisabeth moss #bruce miller #hulu series #tv series #fairy tale aesthetic #fairy tale vibes #brothers grimm #gothic aesthetic #the handmaid's tale #handmaid's tale #handmaid's on hulu #hulu tv

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glasskey · 8 months

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THT : A Gothic Fairy tale Pt 2

THT is a bloodthirsty gothic fairy tale made flesh. Last time we discussed our classic fairy tale opener and the cursed kingdom that is Gilead, today it’s our villains.

We last left our protagonist languishing in her tower alone, no books, no music, no 5G…..nothing. Her jailers: Fred and Serena, are for all intents and purposes your basic Evil King and Queen. The character of the Evil King is generally cold, distant, selfish and greedy…..everyone please say hello to Fred Waterford. Our resident Evil King is kept busy, for the most part, with day to day Kingly duties such as paperwork, meetings, diplomacy and general maintenance of the iron fist that governs his kingdom. He’s not overly concerned with the various maneuverings that occur under his own roof, so long as they don’t cause a scandal or endanger the throne. Fred allows Serena to run the household, but takes her finger the second she oversteps outside the family “castle” and causes a ruckus.

He’s the one who carries the keys, he determines who gets to taste freedom in however many increments, as demonstrated by his nightly scrabble tournaments and jaunts to Jezebels. These dominant evil characters always have an achilles heel, a weakness that serves as a kind of karmic retribution in the end, and for Fred it’s June. By S3 he’s lost all control, his obsession has made him reckless and blind, consequently the forbidden lovers have now made off with the keys and gone full Prison Break.

Serena is our Evil Queen, this job description entails kidnapping, imprisonment, torture and general plotting. All of this is usually as a result of insecurity, vanity or just your run of the mill greed, and as season 1 - 4 clearly demonstrates, Serena is an absolute rockstar at it.

The very first thing Serena does is assert her dominance and threaten severe repercussions if she’s not entirely satisfied with every little thing. Our Serena may not have had a magic mirror to cackle madly into, but she does spend a good deal of time playing “who’s the fairest?”, only to be bitterly disappointed when Fred’s male gaze repeatedly tells her it is June. To add insult to injury by the end of season 1, the fair maiden has stolen her loyal knights fealty and try as she might, it seems there is absolutely NOTHING she can do to get it back.

There’s a tradition of these villainous characters wanting to deceitfully acquire something that the innocent protagonist rightfully possesses. Kiddy napping sits comfortably in the top five evil acts of any plot line playbook and lo and behold here we have Serena’s endless battle to wrestle Nicole from June’s vice like grip. This is where Serena enlists the assistance of our resident “witch in the woods”, Aunt Lydia and her dubious coven. It was interesting to note that Serena’s endeavours to acquire Nicole for herself ceased in S5 just as the writers sought to gradually redeem her character. Unfortunately I can’t forget that this is the same woman who used our protagonist as a breeding mare, held her down to be violently raped while heavily pregnant and threatened to put a ring in her mouth.

Things don’t generally end well for these power drunk machiavellian characters, they’re usually killed or suffer great misfortune. In some tales we see them serving out a life of servitude to the ones they have mistreated, so while Fred was rightfully murdered, Serena may be spared to live a life of sacrifice and service to June.

Next time I’ll be discussing the “hero” and the quest.

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glasskey · 8 months

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THT : A Gothic Fairy tale Pt 1

If you haven’t realised it by now The Handmaid's Tale is a bloodthirsty gothic Fairy tale..…with a twist. It may be littered with timeless figures, tropes and classic story lines, but these are not the traditional tales of yesteryear anymore.

THT is the Brothers Grim made flesh and let me just say this, some of their stories are fucking terrifying. They’re riddled with murder, cannibalism, kiddy napping and the dark arts at every turn, a “Fairy tale” they are not.

I don’t know how “magical” Gilead is, but there’s definitely something other worldly and timeless about it, a cursed mystical land, trapped in amber. Its governed by a deadly authoritarian regime and populated by a mix of terrified robotic citizens and homicidal fanatics. Like any respectable cursed kingdom, a constant sense of mystery surrounds Gilead and once you go in, you’re likely never heard from again.

Places like these never have an open door policy and they always require supreme effort and / or a personal guide to leave them. There’s always a bridge, a river or a forest that must be navigated, signifying the transition from one world to the next. S2 Emily and Nicole barely survived crossing a freezing river to Canada. S3 saw children led through a darkened forest to board a plane to freedom. In season 4 June crossed a bridge, a railway line and a river to freedom.

We are first introduced to Gilead by a chaotic chase through a forest where the protagonist is caught, torn from those she loves, knocked unconscious and dragged into its deep dark heart. It’s a classic opener reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty or Alice in Wonderland. Her beloved flees, forking over his wedding ring for safe passage across a river and reluctantly abandoning his wife and daughter to Gileads evil clutches.

Once successfully snatched, our protagonist is promptly imprisoned in a tower of the castle that is the Waterford house. Much like any good castle it has iron gates, spacious gardens and guards at every exit. June’s figurative “tower” consists of the highest room in the house at the top of a winding staircase with a single window, from which she stares wistfully out of day after day.

The tower is essentially glorified solitary confinement, its boring AF with literally nothing to do but stare endlessly out of the window and wait for release…..welcome to Rapunzel’s Hell. Flash forward to season 5 and once again our June is living in a room at the top of the stairs with an eerily familiar window seat. One might well ask, has the Handmaid traded one tower for another?

Next time I’ll be discussing our resident villains, stay tuned for part 2 and 3.

#june osborne #max minghella #nick blaine #hulu streaming #nick x june #june x nick #osblaine #elisabeth moss #bruce miller #hulu series #hulu #tv series #gothic aesthetic #brothers grimm #fairy tale vibes #handmaid's tale #the handmaid's tale #handmaid's on hulu #hulu tv

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glasskey · 10 months

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Just a little something to celebrate Lizzie's Emmy nod and Max's HCA TV nom. I’ve gone classic cinema / shameless fairytale with this one. Nick and June…..spread the love.

Artwork copyright of Jess Pensa and 3glasskeys. Feel free to share, tweet, post etc....credit to artist must be given. Permission not granted to print, copy or reproduce. AI databases not permitted to use artists name or images of their work as a prompt to "create".

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glasskey · 10 months

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S4 of THT contains one of my favourite noir sequences of all time. “I’m trying to keep you alive”….. intense danger & secret devotion in just 6 words. Magic.

Copyright Jess Pensa & 3glasskeys. Feel free to retweet, share etc. Credit must be given to artist when posting. Permission not granted to print or reproduce.

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glasskey · 10 months

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Tuello & Serena

I’ve noticed something recently, Mark Tuello has suddenly become the coolest kid on the block. Fair play, since the beginning of S4 Tuello has basically been the Nick Blaine of Canada, the similarities are undeniable. He’s fine AF and he’s proving himself to be an invaluable asset in the battle against Gilead.

Ever since Serena went on her first jaunt to Canada and ran into Mark Tuello the rumour mill has been burning up. Some have even gone so far as to say that Serena’s baby was Mark’s. No people, this is not Days of Our Lives, there are no surprise twist baby reveals to be had here. You may recall that there were similar mutterings that June’s baby was actually Fred’s and not Nicks, again no, just N0 (but we’ll get to that another day).

There’s no doubt Mark Tuello has a thing for Serena, even the dear departed Fred could see that. Whenever he’s around her his voice softens and cracks just a little, Tuello looks at Serena like she’s a caged beautiful monster that just needs some love and care to unmonsterfy her. A part of Tuello still sees a Serena from a time long gone who is passionate and strong but remains untwisted by the regime she helped build.

In Season 5 the gloss started to come off significantly, particularly after their trip to Gilead. He’d done everything humanly possible to protect her only to be constantly rebuffed. Returning to Gilead Serena seemed to be obsessed with having someone “put a ring on it” and that’s where it all went sideways. Mark reasoned with her, pleaded with her but nevertheless came up empty handed. What’s a sensitive new age boy to do but fly home on his private jet in yet another beautiful suit?

I’m a bit baffled by those who wish to see these two paired, I’m not denying that there’s tension between Mark and Serena, but it’s the same kind of tension you get just before a snake eats a mouse. Lawrence assured Serena she’d appreciate hockey given that it was both “elegant and brutal”, say what you will about Lawrence but his observations of others are frighteningly accurate. Wishing her upon Mark is like wishing your best friend gets sucked into a toxic relationship with an opportunistic egomaniac.

When Serena finds herself standing over Freds dead body, terrified and backed into a corner. She cries to Tuello “Are you going to protect me?”. Its a real plea for his personal sanctuary. Like Blaine, Tuello wants more for the woman he cares for than Gilead’s gender oppression. When she asks for his personal protection he doesn’t try and “save” her, he offers her help but still demands that she stand on her own two feet and take responsibility.

Time after time Tuello tries to encourage Serena to embrace a life with free agency only to see her resist, she believes in the righteousness of those shackles. He’s bewildered by this to say the least and given his emotional investment he does put a fair bit of effort into trying to lure her over from the “Dark Side”

Speaking from strictly a storyline / character construct perspective: true love is one of the highest rewards in any storyline, and the idea of Tuello and Serena “falling in love” without her achieving proper redemption would be the same as Tuello giving her a free pass for all the horrible shit she’s done.

Sometimes the act of being in love can redeem a character, but Serenas crimes are so horrific that she’d be asked to sacrifice it as penance anyway, leaving Tuello miserable. Call me crazy but I’m thinking maybe, just MAYBE there might be better dating options in the WHOLE of Canada for Tuello, than just Serena.

Glasskey

#hulu streaming #max minghella #nick blaine #serena joy #the nick blaine of canada #mark tuello #sam jaeger #bruce miller #hulu series #hulu #tv series #elisabeth moss #yvonne strahovski #handmaid's on hulu #handmaid's tale #the handmaid's tale #hulu tv

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