The Handmaid’s Tale.

Who in their right mind can watch this harrowing stuff?

My daughter was watching it tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm as she had seen a previous series of it.

I started to watch it and saw some horrible things, I had to go out of the room!

I didn’t think l was such a softie but this and Game Of Thrones are too harrowing for me!

Did you, or did you ever watch, The Handmaid’s Tale?

Re: The Handmaid’s Tale.

I'm glad you said that Art, I thought it was just me, but I turned it off too.
Far too much gore and horrible stuff for me.

Re: The Handmaid’s Tale.

I have watched it because I loved the book and read it decades ago in the 80s. Margaret Attwood is a hugely insightful, intelligent and sensitive author. The series is not the book, it's far more violent and horrific (and far less intellectual). It's really stretching the plot in weird directions. Attwood was focusing on misogyny, but the series focuses on something far darker. I watched it tonight because I read good reviews for season 2. I will likely carry on watching it because I like Elisabeth Moss as an actress. But it's nothing like the original story.

Re: The Handmaid’s Tale.

By the way if you want something that's between the book and Hollywood then watch the 1990s film with Natasha Richardson and Aidan Quinn (yum yum yum!). That's possibly closer to the book but a little less gritty.

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Mups, Were you like me, expecting a pleasant historical series?

l don’t know how people can watch it. I had to get away from it. All those nooses did it for me! Oh, and the masks they have to wear!!
Not to mention the woman who’d had her eye cut out for swearing at someone.

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Yes, I just thought it was an historical drama, I like those, but not with atrocities like that.

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Actually I have just listened to the audio book read by Clare Danes. I read the book long ago but by the time I saw the TV series I had forgotten most of it. On the whole I thought the book was marginally better than the series especially the end.

The TV series does say that it is only "Based" on the book by Margaret Atwood but it was obviously written to have a sequel if the ratings were good.

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I hadn't watched series 1 so watched this with an open mind. As soon as I saw them putting the gag on her I began to feel uncomfortable. Then as I watched more women being gagged and the scene where they were made to think they were about to be hanged, I decided I had had enough.
Watching women being debased like that was something akin to 'torcher porn' as one person described it, and is not what I want to see on a Sunday night. I changed channels and will not be watching again.

Re: The Handmaid’s Tale.

The book is a classic

Season one is from the book

Margaret Atwood says there is nothing in the book that hasn't happened for real somewhere in the world

Season Two was made with Margaret Attwoods input, but she never wrote it

Im halfway through Season two and yes its gruesome but the true terror is watching Offred be broken

Re: The Handmaid’s Tale.

After reading the other day that 75 complaints were received about Emmerdale, when Lachlan bashed Jerry over the head with a rock, I can't help but wonder whether the Hand Maiden received any complaints?