TVSTRANGERTHINGS
Origami Around
Show & Tell
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
noise dept.
Misplaced Lens Cap
No title available
祝日 / Permanent Vacation
trying on a metaphor
oozey mess
#extradirty
Jules of Nature
occasionally subtle
wallacepolsom
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
Cosmic Funnies
hello vonnie
pixel skylines
Kaledo Art
seen from Croatia
seen from United States
seen from United Arab Emirates
seen from Indonesia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Belarus
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Türkiye
seen from Italy
seen from Chile
seen from Italy
seen from Türkiye
seen from Spain
seen from United States
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from United States
@afanelena
Character’s arc analysis [outside the love story context]
I finished a new essay. JOIN ON MEDIUM
“Nick has his task as a real part of the revolution.” These were the exact words of the showrunner who created five seasons. It’s against the words of those two co-showrunners, who were trying to burn the character to the ground in three episodes of the final season. They ruined everything.
It's nonsense—there are female Guardians in Gilead. What a shameful disrespect the new series shows for the source material...
NICOLE BLAINE: The spare girl for June.
My essays are also part of a longer analysis. New chapters will be published.
The essay, despite its short length, was heavy to write. We never got to see Nick and his daughter together, and I'm still grieving about Nick's death.
The final season destroyed the lore
The first chapter of my lengthy essay, called "The plot holes and bad writing. The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6’s critical analysis. The Grand Execution," has been rewritten. I have kept only the best parts and trimmed the text from thirty-one minutes to eighteen minutes.
And several more new chapters are almost ready in drafts. Quotes from all chapters of the essay will be published on my fan IG account mara.reedy :)
The most significant reunion happened in the last minutes of the final episode. The Waterford House. In s3e01 starting 36:40, the house begins to burn… The fire is merciless! June’s room is destroyed right on the screen: curtains, armchair, chair, table, and bed are on fire… A beam collapses from the ceiling onto the bed… At 40:06, the audience sees the house from a bird’s-eye view — the house burned down. “You’re never going to see it [house] again.” (Elisabeth Moss) & “The place is burning to the ground.” (Bruce Miller) for Entertainment Weekly, June, 2019.
The sixth season shows the house… otherwise.
In the existing attic, on a table that has burned, there is a music box that Serena once gave to June…
It might seem that June was executed in episode 9, because everything in the show after that is literally beyond reality…
"Different levels" of Gilead were clearly displayed through the Commanders' updated uniforms", in 2019 said Natalie Bronfman.
"Nick [is] a newly minted Commander, he has no star because he’s still a junior," Bronfman said about of Max Minghella's character. "Then you see Commanders that had one star. And then, in Washington, you saw some Commanders that had two stars. So there are different levels and clearly in Washington [with] it being the hub of the universe for Gilead, the real upper echelon would be in Washington."
Nick died without ever receiving a single star... But, yeah, he enjoyed an unlimited power! And he didn't take Hannah away from Mackenzie—who wears two stars— just becase Nick is not a good man... Surely.
F*** season 6.
we are ready to join the WINNERS ❤️❤️
What nuances did you notice about how Max played in season six?
It is obvious to anyone who has read the scripts (courtesy of nickblaine) how few descriptions they contain. And this season, I don't think anyone cared about the details at all…
Therefore, the way Max plays, knowing that this is his last opportunity to save Nick, is sometimes fascinating. I'm impressed with how much Nick flinches when Wharton hits the table… It's a small movement, but there's so much behind it…
And what did you notice? What moments can you remember?
Where's the third corner of triangle, hulu?
Has hulu left Luke's huuuuge fanbase without fav moments? How heartless hulu turns out to be… But wait, will these fans at least be happy when Lizzie reveals that her favorite scenes with June are the ones with Luke? Yes! That's right, it will be!!
But…. wait…. Oops. Three of Lizzi's favorite moments are associated of course with Serena Capulet, one with Hannah. And #1 is a kiss with Nick Blaine!! (I'm disgusted that she already knew that June would betray and kill Nick… And she wanted osblain's fans to film it…)
I'm even a little embarrassed that Luke was forgotten not only by hulu, but also by Lizzie… But why am I lying?? I don't care about Luke. I just want to remind us all once again that THIS WAS GASLIGHTING!!!
You're blind if you think that our show is about love too!!! It's a coincidence that Max and Lizzie have the same favorite scenes with their characters' stunningly filmed kiss!!
You are teenage who are dazzled by Max Minghella's looks!! Nick means so little to the show that we'll kill him even without closure the character's arch, and no one will notice!! And let him also say that those four commanders (are the only survivors in all of Boston after 37 others were just killed) are the "winners"? Cool, right? And this single phrase will finally show his true Gilead face!!
Of course, it was convenient for you to forget what we didn't show you! But what can we take of you, you're just women, and we have a sharp show about feminism here, you're stupid to understand that.
IT's still there, right on THT's official accounts!! They WERE SELLING us a show that HAD LOVE IN IT! And at the same time, they kept saying that we were jerks. THEY CAME UP WITH THIS SLOPPY PLOT TWIST with June killed Nick. And at the same time, they were making posts with the Nick "see you later" and "do you know what it's like to be in love with you?" They were REPEATING that the show was about the power of women, but gaslighted thousands of their women viewers over and over again…
I wish all of us to heal as soon as possible!!! BUT DON'T FORGET THAT THE SHOW DID TO US!! It's not about Nick's death, but about how meanly, filthily and cruelly they sent it in an envelope with a heart next to the recipient's name… Your name and mine…
Here is a link to tumblr-post with 7-hours-video owned entirely by Nick and June (s1-5) . Trademarkblue has done an incredible job putting everything together!! I was sure that I would never be able to watch the show again… But then I thought that I would not let s6 take away my favorite moments… I've already watched the entire first season... and I will always consider that the s1-2 is the best thing that could be on the screen! I won't give it away)))
#boycottthetestaments .
Maybe I'll never be 100% okay about it… BUT...
It felt so cold, as if a hundred needles had been stuck under her skin in an instant. Her throat tightened even more painful than when they'd tried to hang her.
He was moving slowly. As if at the behest of an invisible director. Was there supposed to be a camera somewhere filming him approaching the plane, wasn't it?
It couldn't have been more than a minute since Nick got out of the car. It couldn't have been more… It couldn't… But June felt every second. Every half second. On a physical level.
He froze on the ramp.
Did he heard? Had he somehow heard the thumping of her heart? June even thought that he was about to turn to her.
Nick didn't do it.
And then she was jolted — just at the moment she finally realized WHAT IT ALL REALLY MEANT.… … …
Afterward, when June stood in front of Luke and her mother, in front of Tuello and everyone else who looked at her with dozens of different expressions — from contempt to disbelief, from disappointment to condescending pity — she was silent. Her chin was stubbornly upturned, and her back was straight. Her hand was tightly gripping the hand of Nick, whom she had brought with her. He was standing nearby. Shoulder to shoulder. It felt damn right.
"You're fucking selfish, June! Holly said with cruelty. "You could have ruined everything — because of him!" — The mother, it seems, could even spit on Nick, she was so full of impotent rage.
June bared her teeth. Luke even flinched, looking at her. Did she look crazy? Her adrenaline was still pumping to the brim, so a smile could be scary.
She turned to Nick, and he immediately reacted by looking at her too. He looked worried. But his hand didn't shake in hers. And the way he looked AT HER was an anchor.
She called out to him then — before he stepped onto the plane. And June wanted to be honest with herself for once — she'd too selfish to do otherwise. Even if the damn plane hadn't taken off after that. Even if… anything!
Calling him wasn't a choice. And it couldn't be a choice because Nick belonged to her, and June was going to possess him in any way she could. Always.
She swayed towards him and bit into his mouth with a kiss. Somewhere Luck gasped, and other people's voices began to hum even louder, like a swarm of disturbed wasps. June was not gentle. And that wasn't what the kiss was about.
The mark on Nick. A loud statement for anyone who dares to ask.
He belongs to her. Point.
And Nick… kissed her back. He recognized her. And her rights to him.
She had no idea if there was light or darkness ahead of them in the future. But she was going to fight. Perhaps before her own death. But that never meant for June that she could be somehow give up on love.
After all, love as stronger as death.
...
Maybe I'll never be 100% okay about it…
But most likely, I will learn how to review only the first seasons, and after them, to read fanfiction. Fanfiction really heals. Try it if you haven't already...
#boycottthetestaments
Miller shouldn't have left. But in the end, Season 6 was meant to show the true faces of everyone involved, right?
And I probably would wish — I really would! — express some support to Miller, because in any case, he was the one who gave me these magnificent first seasons of the show! But what about some nihilistic view of the current situation, eh?
Miller wasn't as eloquent as Tuchman and Chang, but he was still involved in Gaslighting of loyal viewers. Right? That viewers who have remained loyal to the show all these years. Reviewed it. Commented on it. And, in the end, to simplify things, these viewers paid Miller a salary.
Anyway, Miller was standing shoulder to shoulder with ET & YC, when all these bloodthirsty interviews and other rubbish flew into the confused audience. Was he trapped? Did he have the autonomy to change the situation? Could his certain gentleness have been caused by the fact that in his soul he still loved at least some of the loyal audience?
And then my next question is simple — can love atone for complicity in bulling and premeditated murder? A murder committed with deliberate cruelty towards the audience. Meaningless to the character. Moreover, destroying the canon. A murder that sacrificed not only Nick, but also June, and all for the sake of shock value.
Or maybe it's simpler? Maybe I'm blinded by Miller's previous achievements and looking for excuses for him? Maybe I'm still looking at him through rose-colored glasses?
Despite the love that probably still lived in his heart, did Miller instead give preference to the power that the sequel promised him?? We didn't see what he was doing 95% of the time that passed between the s5 and s6, right? Did Miller probably benefit from how high he was in the hierarchy? Did he like it? He did not want to risk his position, and therefore, when the execution of the spectators began, and when the ropes tightened around their necks, he did not stand up for them? FOR US.
And yes, Miller did not shoot at the heads of those spectators who miraculously survived the hanging.
But he was handing out the cartridges.
His presence was supposed to give legitimacy to the madness that was going on. And his speeches were meant to silence those who would dare to object.
Surely Miller wanted to do the right thing, right? He wasn't a ”bad" guy, was he? And perhaps he hoped that if he “wouldn't kept his head up", it would save him, and he would not get hurt because he chose the side of the “winners"?
But the truth is that the world in which the plane broke out — and broke out, I must say, cinematically; colorful flashes against the background of the night sky and runway lights it was oh highly art.… — So, that world stopped being something that happened “only on screen” — because June, who chose to kill Nick, destroyed the “fourth” wall.
The point of no return for the audience was close before that. It was like walking on the edge of a precipice. 1) The deterioration of drama from season to season; 2) In imposing actions and thoughts on the characters that are not typical for them; 3) Instead of devoting time to the development of the plot forward, the script was stuck in a triangle for three whole years. In a triangle that hardly made sense. 4) With each passing season, Gilead became less and less like itself, turning into a theme park where you can go after lunch.… And although the stakes and risks should have increased over time, instead the characters only acquired the story armor of invulnerability.… 5) Season 6 became a candle that was lit on the top tier of a previously poisoned cake: it was such a weak and lazily executed job that loyal viewers refused to admit until the last moment that the writers had screwed up. Hope was beating desperately in their hearts — surely such a grandiosely launched series could be sent to ruins, repeating the experience of GOT? Well, as they say, hold my beer.…
Well, if the plan was to bury a sequel that hasn't even been released yet, then in my humble opinion they did a great job. Audaciously. Boldly.
But I'm still doing what many people call mental gymnastics, trying to figure out who Miller thinks is The Testaments' target audience?
Maybe these are the extremely aggressive radical feminists for whom the legacy of THT was trampled into the mud? I don't think so, because I don't understand what could interest these women in a sequel.
Maybe TT's target audience is random viewers who switch streaming services and watch episodes with the back of their head while they cook in the kitchen? Or who scrolling through the IG tape, glancing at the screen with one eye?
No matter how hard I try, the task doesn't seem to be solved. Because it is absolutely certain that TT's target audience cannot be viewers who loved June and Nick with all their hearts and, according to the canon, naively waited for a sequel that would tell them about their daughter and Hannah. About two sisters. And about the LOVE AS STRONG AS DEATH.
Until the last minute, until the very end of episode 10, I was naive, believing that the writers after all will show respect to those viewers who remembered all the plot lines, knew the characters, devoted dozens of hours of their lives, discussing their motives and wondering about the possible development of events. Oh, that was really naive.
Whoever came up with the idea of comparing season 6 to a “love letter to fans” deserves to have his name spoken out loud. Is it fair that the real “heroes" remain unnamed? I'm sure fans would love to send copies of this letter back. Shove in throat.
There were about a hell of a lot of ways to finish Nick's arc satisfactorily. And in most of these ways, he even didn't stay with June; if the writers were desperate to drag a dead horse named Luke to the finish line, then to hell with them. We wouldn't like it, but we would respect it anyway.…
However, instead, the show chose the way to burned the entire story to the ground. THE WHOLE STORY. From s01ep01 to the last frame: — My name is Offred…
Miller, putting THT in the hands of the new showrunners, seems to have given them weapons, but didn't teach them how to use it? What a misunderstanding to kill two shows at once with one shot.
On the screen, the revolution was pathetic. Could it have been different if everything AGAIN happened behind the scenes?
The real revolution began after the final episode — in the comments. It's impossible to ignore the fact that almost no one has written about June (seriously, writers, how did you manage to “kill” the character so much?). Instead, thousands of comments revolved around two huge — HUGE ones! — questions.
What the fuck did you do to Nick?? And where the hell is Hannah?? Bittersweetly, neither question adds new viewers to the sequel.…
Obviously, those who had no idea that Hannah couldn't be saved in THT didn't know anything about TT's existence. Will it be possible to lure them to watch the sequel now, after they waited six seasons and were ruined? Well, you can try.
The second category of viewers is much more ruthless. Those who knew about Hannah's fate and were really WAITING for The Testaments are now sending the sequel to hell. And Miller and his team should really hope and be happy if everything ends up just being ignored by this part of the audience. Which, to be honest, I soooo doubt — the wicked irony is that it was this show that told us that WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO FEEL RAGE. Oh, and we have the rage, you can be sure.
At first it was mute disbelief. It was replaced by passionate denial. Then, in an instant, we were engulfed by an ocean of pain, anger, and resentment.
After that, many needed real medicines to cope with it. No kidding. I was one of those people who took pills to deal with the grief of losing a character. And I'm still not okay if I spend my time typing all this text on the keyboard. So what will be my next stage?
Obviously, I'll move on to accepting the situation next. Yes, the show killed Nick. It turned 180 degrees, suddenly announcing to me that this man was a villain, ate kittens for breakfast and washed his hands with the blood of virgins. OK. I heard you. This is complete bullshit, of course. But I really heard you.
The most important thing begins after the Acceptance stage arrives. This is the stage of experiencing grief when a person finds the strength to move on and helps others to do so. As for what's going on in THT's fandom, that's exactly what I'm seeing RIGHT NOW. The audience gets to this stage one by one. And they are no longer alone! I can see from the posts here and the comments on IG, TikTok and other apps that hundreds of us have not shown ourselves in all previous years. We had a favorite pair of characters who got a great love story on screen.; And even though their love continued to be tested, we knew exactly where everything was heading. We had a CANON of books, damn it! Which, as we were assured, the show really follows. I already have a sore spot on my tongue from repeating this endlessly, but in the books, Nick is alive. Nick is Mayday. Nick reunites with his daughter and can hug his grandchildren.…
But if the show used me cheaply to grossly and filthily violate the canon in order to make a political statement, well, then I think my hands are free. I HAVE THE AUDACITY TO SAY THAT MOST OF NICK AND JUNE'S FANS WON'T BE WATCHING THE TESTAMENTS. Moreover, very, very many of us will spare no time and effort to contribute to sinking this ship. TT without Nick and June's fans, this is just ANOTHER of the hundreds of shows that are released weekly.… TT could have received our support, but I remember perfectly well how they showed me where my place was. SEVERAL MONTHS OF GASLIGHTING, INSULTS, AND DELIBERATE BULLYING. Would you like to receive a video of my reaction to ep 09?? Well, I shouldn't have trusted sadists. But how was I supposed to know? Rose-colored glasses and all that, right?
The rating of season 6 of THT on IMDB is only 7.6 versus 8.4 for season 2. The final episode of the series was rated at 5.6. And the figures steadily continue to fall … On Tomatoes, season 5 was rated by viewers by only 23%. Season 6 is still holding a 42% level, but it's absurd to hope that these numbers won't equalize sooner or later. Metacritics: Season 5 is 4.5, season 6 has already dropped to 5.4. Viewers are not idiots. Have the writers probably forgotten about this?
I'm not saying that my feelings are objective. Maybe Miller couldn't have done anything. I don't know. But if the show is telling me that Nick deserved to die for being an “accomplice," then why shouldn't I use the same rule against Miller? In the end, after all these years, HE CHOSE POWER instead of telling a good consistent story and being respectful to his audience.
Bruce Miller made the mistake of letting Nick get on the damn plane and letting June watch it. Oh, it's definitely a betrayal. Which is impossible to forgive.
Surely Miller was asked to give up? Most likely many times?
Well… now he's going to reap what he's sown. #BOYCOTTTHETESTAMENTS
Miller from 2022 says about Nick in a podcast Above the garage
It was posted on November 2022 (after final episode of season 5 was shown). Active link to podcast's youtube. Thus, this recording is part of the evidence base in the investigation of the murder of Nick Blaine. Bruce literally says that:
The actors are so well integrated into the roles that their opinion is important. When an actor says that a character couldn't do something, then the script can be fixed right during filming (However, season 6 allowed Max to think that he doesn't know and doesn't understand Nick?)
Nick HAD FALLEN INTO Gilead'S TRAP. All he does is try to survive, which is based on the rule of "avoiding trouble." BUT Nick definitely has connections to Mayday. His work as an Eye really helps him gather information without being questioned by Gilead.
His crush on June makes his life very difficult and puts his life at constant risk, but Nick goes for it because taking care of those he considers his "family" is important to him.
Nick says "I am nothing", implying that he is not important to June (this refers to June, not to the context that was later added in season 6).
Nick has low self-esteem in general, and he blames himself for every wrong choice. He believes that he is unworthy of happiness, so he does not fight for it. When he chooses Rose, that her illness is one of the reasons (if she wasn't Wharton's daughter, she probably would have been destroyed as defective. It certainly affects Rose's character.)
Nick is really trying to love Rose. They have an honest relationship (she knows about June and their history. Not everything, but a lot). But NICK is A SLAVE to HIS EMOTIONS towards June (Miller's quote). No matter how much he tries to heal, he still loves June and returns to her.
Nick is COMPLETELY SELFLESS towards June (which is why he tells her Luke's words in season 2). And Nick is ready to die for June.
Miller also discusses the Serena. He thinks SHE's THINKING she's doing the right thing by doing all these terrible things to June. Including the rape. And Miller doesn't believe in redemption arcs for villains - that's never be realistic (hello season 6, huh?)
By the way, Max is cute, and he's like Nick, but without the gloominess. Max is very sunny and pleasant :) It's almost surprising that Miller doesn't mention that Max is an attractive man or compare him to Rihanna.… Or did it become relevant only in season 6?
For some reason, Miller DID NOT MENTION that Nick has some HIDDEN side from the audience... Have he forgotten?.. OR WERE THERE NO PLANS TO MAKE NICK A VILLAIN AFTER the season 5 finale??
It still hurts. Fuck u, season 6.
the June & Nick cut
osblaine master cut s1-s5.mp4
A couple years ago, I started working on a big project to edit together all the Osblaine scenes, Nick scenes, and any moments where it’s conceivable that June was thinking about Nick throughout the entire Handmaid’s Tale show.
The file above is everything from seasons 1-5. I started working on season 6, episode by episode, but stopped after episode 6 for obvious reasons… I may return to it and finish the whole thing for the sake of completism, and I was also working on cleaning up a few transitions to make the audio smoother. But for now, here’s my link to everything through 5x10.
I hope this helps anyone who is considering rewatching the show to have an option not to give Hulu any more views from our fandom. ♥️
So, I've heard from a few people that they're receiving an error when trying to play or download this file because there have been too many plays/downloads already.
First of all, cheering for the way we have turned my Google Drive into Alt Hulu. ✨
But for anyone still having trouble, here's a fresh link to try! If you still run into errors, let me know and I'll figure out a workaround. WE WILL FIND A WAY! *slams fist on desk*
❤️ 7 hours of Osblaine........ s1-5..... ❤️
