Shifting Allegiance
With brash arrogance and oily smugness Oliver punches justice into people. Oliver prances around Russia attacking people and declining to supply any rationale for his actions. Renee, Curtis and Dinah are all incoherence and staggering incompetence. Diggle tries for hidden menace. All characters are especially grating. This is not deviously dark. WTF is the Quadrant? Oliver is hugely detestable.
This season has been an unmitigated disaster and this ep is really bad. Why is Black Siren servile to Diaz? He’s utterly infuriating and useless. Black Siren calls Quentin her father. This ep is a wheeling spinning mess of hoary clichés. All women have mall hair. This is a painfully terrible morass that lacks logical storytelling. Oliver causes a miasma of irritation, hostility and tension.
Why is this crap visited upon us? Oliver is morally defensible and justifies casting off his team. Is The Glades still a thing? Black Siren confesses with regret. This is a calamitously misjudged ep. Diaz is not a master of chaos despite everyone saying he is every 5 minutes. Will Lance die already? His embarrassing servility to Oliver is just ill-defined devotion.
Oliver rationalises his moral decline. The plot is all barely believable coincidences. What are M4s? Curtis is undignified. Ill-thought through things are done. Where is William as Oliver is menaced? Diaz is not uncompromising just eye-rollingly obvious. How did Oliver leave the country, go to Russia and come back without the authorities noticing?
ARGUS annoy in this painfully terrible ep. Diggle apologises to Renee and co. Oliver has an extremely negative impact on things. This carnival of egos achieves nothing. Oliver made poor moral choices. This was absolute garbage and Oliver has an unfortunate manner. Diaz has malign influence and sinister purposes. Quentin can’t see that Black Siren isn’t his daughter. Why is Black Siren cowering before Diaz?
Quentin throws Black Siren out and howls with misery and is irate and promptly forgives her because he is a sad sad sad little man. Nobody has a complicated thought or compelling purpose. Oliver is moderately vengeful and is continuously rationalizing his crapulence. Diaz is not a menacing presence. This show seems to be made by a committee of idiots and the plot is a collection of myriad implausibilities. This show went from season 1’s retributive action and sense of jeopardy to this season’s dispiriting grating sentimentality and low expectations. This show has lost all human decency, dramatic competence and robustness.
Best Lines:
“Strapped up.”
“Still humble I see.”
“Scared of a thug like Diaz?”
“Don’t even think about getting bail.”
~
Other Women
Offred is retagged and chained in the basement and her humanity subverted to the desires of monstrous men. Aunt Lydia has guileless glee. Offred continues her show of dissent. What does she think will happen to her once the baby is born? The Waterfords take Offred back into their house. Offred has an appalled visage as she is transported in a red curtained van. Offred doesn’t have signature fearlessness she’s just annoying.
Nick shows up after there was an ominous silence about him. Offred broods in the Waterford’s high end design house facing the warped possessiveness of the uncompromising Commander and sneering Serena Joy. Is Rita safe? Does Offred care? Serena Joy is excessively punitive. Offred’s options are incredibly limited and she’s still being annoying and mouthing off. Why was there a power cut? This was brutal nonsense. Offred acts unwisely.
Aunt Lydia lurks, Rita still has the letters and Serena Joy throws a baby shower. The sour faced Offred has to watch as the other Marthas and Handmaids hang around as Serena Joy is fawned over by the wives. Marthas sneak booze. Handmaids have to move chairs. Baby Angela is mentioned. I guess on the show, she is not an unbaby. The Commander who lost a hand joins the Commanders shooting things as they plan things to do with Canada.
There is some mystique and intrigue about Aunt Lydia and her motives. Offred encounters hostility and faces critical scrutiny. Be pragmatic Offred! Mayday won’t help burdensome Handmaids anymore. A Handmaid lost a tongue and Offred is blamed for what she set in motion. The wives and Handmaids do a weird ritual. There is an Asian Handmaid. Blue and red pillows are kneeled on. Who makes these things? Offred faces admonishments.
There are flashbacks to Offred facing off with Luke’s wife who asked her to back off. Offred has direct responsibility for ending Luke’s marriage. She lacked moral principles. Luke hurled abuse at his wife and defended his mistress. I hate Luke.
There is moral ambiguity. Offred has to be complaint. Where did the mountain of baby gifts come from if there is a war and an embargo on? Who made them? Serena Joy slaps Rita and stomps around the Commander’s study. Serena Joy hates Offred. As for Offred her oppression is enforced by other women. Aunt Lydia finally breaks Offred to her will by revealing the fate of the family from 2x03. Offred promises better compliance and attitudes. She has cracked under the moral responsibility.
Best Lines:
“Very very good girl.”
“By his hand.”
“Let the little children come to me.”
“You didn’t ask them.”
“Free from blame.”
“Placed with new parents.”
“You are a fallen women. I am trying to give you the best chance you can have.”
“The wife will redeem herself be serving as a handmaid.”