@@lisahuber9329 yes, the arm thing seemed to have diminished him in the subsequent seasons-in fact, it was putnam who went against his wife’s wishes to let janine see angela. i had thought the plan was that naomi would be the bad guy in that house (the fact aside that, as gilead’s architects, they’re both terrible people). all this is to say that i was surprised by this development, but its a fine one nonetheless
Remember you guys: if you read the book, the epilogue states that sinful commanders were killed in a purge towards the end of Gilead’s era as Gilead started fighting with itself. What we’re seeing is a rapidly approaching conclusion to this theocracy. Even Serena Joy’s twist at the end of the episode marks a realization that Gilead has done more harm than good.
Serena only went along with the bits that served her to her own ends (which has somehow only been to have a baby of her own and to some extent seeking acceptance stemming from her own mommy issues). Lydia has done things arguably more directly heinous to so many women, but at the very least she buys into her own insanity and follows the code (despite it being evil, ofc). We are definitely seeing purge elements and we could very well witness it crumble from within (since Canada is losing interest in fighting them and they gain more international support and acceptance globally). Ultimately, we should be in the transition stage where elements of "The Testaments" are supposed to come in, no?
Great... in fiction we're seeing an end to a theocracy.. and in REAL LIFE we're seeing the rise of our own in this Country thanks to the Religious Reich!!!
It will be interesting. To see Lawrence and Nick leading a conspiracy to take over Gilead. That way June's daughters won't have to suffer like in the sequel
@@amitkenan3878 I think Commander Lawrence is going to die, though. The writers will do this either by season 5’s finale to give Serena redemption arc and not kill her off or it will happen in season 6 when Gilead (specifically commander Mackenzie) catches onto Lawrence. Characters like him don’t make it 🥺
@@nastynat2002Even before that, in the previous scene of that episode, you can tell how he was talking about it; him bragging about raping Esther to Lawrence and Nick like a high school or college guy who just got laid for the first time. He was a predatory creepy man.
Lawrence is a double agent and he has helped June and other Handmaids out several times and he secretly refused to rape June or Emily. But he has to act like he's on Gilead's side bc then he could get killed and has to stop helping others
I mean, that's just most countries on Earth until the 20th century. Rape was a crime against the father/husband of the woman involved, not any kind of violation of the woman's personal rights.
Anyone who didn't understand why Putnam was put to the sword are ignoring the fact that Gilliad, though evil, has very specific ideals to uphold. What you do at Jezebel'd or even your actual handmaid means nothing. But Ester was not yet given to anyone. It was during a wake, and let's not forget, Gilliad is trying to appeal to a broader audience. If they dont uphold any standards, it can look terrible. So yes, this scene was true to the source material and believable to this world.
That's not the whole story. You explained the justification, not the reason. He was killed because he got in Commander Lawrence's way. Commander Lawrence doesn't care about this religious shit and doesn't like Putman. This was personal and an opportunity for Lawrence. That is a huge theme that your analysis lacks. Most of the men don't actually care about "God's will/rule/whatever..."
@@jammzy2959 just because “most”of the men don’t care certainly does not mean all. So the op comment is not completely invalidated by what you just said
@@angelwut469 thank you Captain Obvious, I wasn't aware of what the word "most" meant. I thought it meant "all." 🙄 Stop manufacturing arguments to argue against, it's silly. Bon voyage Captain. 👩🏿✈️
@@jammzy2959 I’m still right and so is the op comment tho. So call me captain obvious all you want. I suppose we’ll call you the king of loosely based points
Have you noticed throughout the entire series that every time when a commander is pleading for his life, they're always trying to throw children into the mix in a pathetic desperate attempt to save themselves. Warren Putman is definitely no exception to this. In fact they should make a remix video of that scene especially when he's saying "I got a baby on the way".
@@icanbreathe9161 That was my first thought too. When Esther said this happens all the time, I wondered how many of Winslow’s children were from handmaids, adoption or r**e.
Like THEY are so special.... it made no bloody difference that most captured handmaids already had children when they were forced to be sexual slaves.. or when they were executed.. the list goes on.
This was satisfying. Reading the comments on this video and on other videos you can tell who hasn't watched the other episodes/seasons. Nick is being nick. He wasn't exactly a standup guy in his past life. Putnam had it coming.
Absolutely. Nick was never a boy scout. He made it up the ranks doing exactly this. Personally, I think it's about time they showed who he really is despite how much we may like him.
Cheryl Figueroa also it can’t be forgotten he’s resistance as well and they can be rather brutal them selfs. I think people get confused about what men like Nick actually are like in reality.
@@jacobdenness8659 I totally agree Jacob. I think the execution we saw was Nick in his element. It surprised viewers because this is not the Nick they've seen. In actuality, we saw the real Nick during the execution scene. Reminds me of how he didn't blink in taking Fred into custody and handing him over to June. He knew a brutal death was coming to Fred and he played a part and I thought it was fantastic. I really liked how both Nick and Lawrence had zero hesitation in eliminating Fred.
I think Lawrence and Nick are trying to reshape Gilead. Remember in the last episode, we saw Lawrence had a plan that would completely reshape Gilead as a more sympathetic government that would offer amnesty to those that decided to return. Putnam only cared about his power and keeping Gilead off the world stage.
@@MAnuscript421 Change or not, Lawrence’s plan does not make any difference to the sexist oppressive regime. The best plan is for Lawrence and all his commanders to eat leads. One thing frustrating me about the series is that the rebels never go on offensive towards Gilead
@@rangodeldiablo In almost all systems, people only care about their own power. And that usually works. The reason why Gilead does not work is because the commanders do NOT care about power primarily, but see power as the means to an end to increase the number of handmaids and thus children they can have (as you could see with the high-ranking commander Winslow having 6 children), because they are ideologically obsessed with their descendance, which is also why they marry their daughters off young in order to ensure the continuation of their line as grandparents. It's all about reproductive success.
Apart from the fact that they have twisted scripture to suit themselves and is the whole reason there should always be a separation between the state and religion....This is very close to the way people especially women living in Iran
I don’t think I’ve ever been so filled with rage at a completely fictional scene than the scene with Putnam and Esther. Then him bragging about it later like a high school kid who got laid for the first time. I smiled when the eyes came and grabbed him and smiled even harder when Nick shot him dead. His actor did a fantastic job making him look like a complete creep, even down to his facial expressions and mannerisms.
@@SpydeyDan But his wife is there? If it was a private place for commanders then none of the wives could be there. I’m sure they have restaurants I mean don’t they have a chef or they did.
I know what you mean. Considering most types of socialisation can and will be scrutinised under the eyes' watch and are actively discouraged to the point where the handmaidens are expected to not even talk to one another while shopping? It just shows more of the double standards. More perks for the upper echelon of society. They get access to whatever passes as restaurants and parties and the benefit of more freedom (the most if you're a man)
@@kaysmith8992Yes, but she did write the law that bans women and girls from reading and writing or having any kind of education. If they are caught, first offense is a finger gets amputated, the second offense is the entire hand.
The execution of Putnam here reminds me of how ISIS would punish soldiers for raping captured Yazidi women before they were sold to their new slave owners who would often then proceed to rape their new "property". There's a sadistic logic to all this.
I've always thought it's no coincidence this show came out during the peak of ISIS. I know it takes place in the Christian USA but it's so relatable to those of us brought up in fundamentalist Islamic households too.
They weren’t executed for raping the women, they were executed for spoiling the woman and stealing her virginity from her owner. Rape does not exist there, nor does a woman’s rights to her body, only ownership of the woman matters.
So enjoyable seeing him getting exactly what he deserves. Four seasons overdue. And it’s funny because to the end he thought he was completely untouchable. That even a high-ranking Commander is punished. And the shock of the reality all sinks in before the bullet does.
The character of Naomi Putnam has been slowly undergoing a transformation since Season 1. In the beginning, she had an imperious, intolerant attitude that one would expect from a powerful, privileged true-believer. However, by this Season she's shown signs of increasing dissatisfaction and even disgust with Gilead's practices. She knew her husband was a pig, and privately disdained him. I'm predicting that she will end-up with Commander Lawrence, and be converted to his perspective that Gilead must adapt or die.
I feel like we're going to see more of her in Series 6, as she's already taking over Serena's former social position and is constantly accompanied by Aunt Lydia.
@@nceBdonim.-_1 Did she? Janine really took a risk by going after her that way. It will be interesting to see what they have in store for both in Season 6.
I liked the storyline with her ending up with Lawrence. But just like Commander Putnam's character; I found her almost cartoonesque. In the earlier seasons her 'prim and uptight demeanor was subtle enough to take it seriously and hypocritical enough to make you smile at how she's trying to hold it together. That scene when a marriage with Lawrence is being offered, is almost slapstick comedy. Lawrence has gone from a snarky cynic to a stand up comedian. Every second line from him was a joke. We get it: he has dry humor. It was like a scene from Friends. Where Mrs. Putman is acting like Rachel and Lawrence acting like Chandler. I hope season six isn't going to be so ham-fisted. Seasons 1-3 were amazing for its unrelenting bleakness portrayed in such stark reality that it seemed unrealistically 'real'. This season is almost indulgent in its own myth. Shame, because the storyline and the acting is stellar. The writing and directing was a bit "meh' for me. This concludes my review nobody asked for
I’m not a sick person. Normally, I cringe when people are killed in movies/tv… even bad guys. But this one…. This one and Fred’s I laughed and cheered! Never been more deserving men to face the deaths they deserve!
@@chrissymcnamara5416 Nick beating up Putnam means that Putnam may fight fight. Better to use a firearm to kill the commander instantly than to drag out a fight and risk someone else intervening.
Lawrence came up with an hypothetical thesis about the economical structure of a society such as Gilead. After the wars they found him and offered him a commander role because they needed his expertise, there's nothing to say he supported them before the take over
@@christinesentman5437 I have thought this since day one, even before her suicide. Waterfords meeting with other commanders to pressure the Lawrences into more orthodoxy started her descent, and the other sleazy bastards did not make his widowerhood any easier.
Lawrence is a climate nut, basically an adult male version of Greta Thunberg. He basically came up with the economic system, structuring Gilead around low emissions, reduced environmental impact and sustainability.
That’s funny how the commanders always justify they have children like if it’s a good reason to let them alive. The commander June killed in season 3 before he died he said « my children » and Fred last season his last words were « I have a son » and now putman « I have a baby » and it’s more ironic when you know Lawrence said last season to June they don’t give a fuck about kids it’s only about powers…
Exactly, they just hide behind their fatherhood. The more kids you have the more power you have. That's the way it appears. It's so cowardly and ironic cuz they really just use the kids as pawns like every time they rape someone, it's "God's Will"". COMPLETE BS. Good on LAwrence and Nick for trying to take down Gilead from the inside.
I disagree. Those commanders really do care about their kids. They've created this entire horrendous system to ensure them the possibility to have kids. That is their primary concern, and I think it's exactly those moments that you mentioned that showcase their fixation on getting offspring - while of course not out of love for family or humanity or their kids as persons even, but for the metaphysical concept of having descendats,. This is why their justification for the insane system they built works. The power is the means to an end, namely to ensure their descendance in a world of infertility. They are not power-hungry sociopaths, they are much worse; They are insane ideological psychopaths. You miscredit them as stalin-esque, while they much more reminisce Hitler.
it's because it means they're fertile and can produce children and their children will likely produce children. but the reality is that now they're fertilizer.
As weird as it might sound, Putnams surprise is kind of justified, since rape happens so often in Gilead, him getting executed for it because it happened outside of the ceremony is pretty insane logic
Yeah, you’re spot on with this one. Rape is literally the foundation and success of Gilead’s society and Handmaids are being raped constantly but the fact that the rape happened outside the Ceremony is what suddenly makes it a problem.
Well, he wasn't executed for raping his own handmaid outside the Ceremony--although that's also a crime, and Putnam had already lost an arm for doing that with Janine. Esther, though, hadn't been formally given to him yet. "Unassigned property." (Ironic that this is the same punishment that Nick himself could have gotten for, uh, repeated sex with a handmaid not assigned to him. All the laws of Gilead are pretty insane logic, as you say.)
@@karenw942 Yeah, and that’s why Lawrence said what he said to June that summarizes the entire logic of Gilead back in season four: “Gilead doesn’t care about children. Gilead cares about POWER.” They force order and control over everyone else and children are just used as pawns so they can hold onto power for as long as they can. And before when Putnam was bragging about raping Esther to Lawrence and Nick he implicitly confessed that he didn’t rape her with the thought of conceiving another baby but because he wanted to and he knew that he could. To him it was an “accomplishment” and a “pleasure” he was welcomed to.
It will be interesting to see what happens to mrs Putnam now. She won’t be able to live as a single mother in Gilead. Either she loses Angela, or she has to remarry fast.
Maybe she will marry Commander Lawrence. I have a hard time seeing him stay single since being unmarried and having no kids is always brought up with him.
It will be interesting. I don’t think the series would have spent so much time making her at least kind of likable to just kill her off or send her to the colonies. Even June thought she was alright.
This is the beginning of one of the purges which marks the transition from early Gilead to middle Gilead. It's a sign the series is at an end. There is a sequel series called the Testaments based on Atwood's eponymous novel which takes place 15 years later in what would be late Gilead and let us see how it all came to an end.
Putnam finally got what he had coming! He abused Janine and lost his arm as punishment yet didn't stop his deviant behaviour. Commander Putnam was a predator...a nasty, entitled, bullying predator. I wonder what will happen to Naomi and Angela...I'm guessing that Angela will be placed into a new family and Naomi will be shipped off to the colonies like Mrs. O'Conner from season two...?
Colonies are for sinners who cannot reproduce. Naomi is not a sinner. She will remarry after a reasonable mourning time. I'm guessing she will be keeping Angela.
Even if she was posted to him, its still against the rules for him to have any kind of sexual relations with her outside the monthly ritual and without his wife present. He was maimed for having a relationship with the mother of his first child.
@@DragonflyandTheWolf That's true, but raping of an unposted handmaid carries immediate death. What you say might get him another slap on the wrist cause he was a higher ranking commander at the time.
@@LunaMizuki8806 true, if Esther was assigned then I think Putnam would just lose an eye, ear or whatever he could miss in their eyes. A commander without single hand would be useless. Here they also had to make an example to the rest about what would happen if another commander is taking liberties that weren't his to take and flying too close to the sun
Exactly. And just like Fred, the very system he helped create made him a casualty. Men like them believe that just because they played a role in building a totalitarian regime the rules don’t apply to them.
He never learned. They took his hand before and that was Gilead showing "mercy". That's a constant reminder to play by the rules but his stupid self did it anyway.
I love the way in which Commander Putnam's dead body juxtaposed against the inlaid angel wings on the pavement echoes historical artistic images of the angel Lucifer being cast out of Heaven for the sin of pride. It's such a strong image that I think this tableau must have been deliberate and intended to evoke that image.
The commanders were getting killed one by one bit by bit thru the sesons so had and have a feeling Giliads weekness and end is the commanders and rulers themselfs they wipe themself out
and the cinematography, is always amazing, superlative . there's the part where it could be seen as a fallen angel, true, but also, it could be seem that he's been pushed out, ejected, from the womb - the blue semicircle being the waters, abd the white semicircle, being the womb itself. also, there's the maiden mother and crone, he has done thus to a woman, and has been pushed out, finally, putnam has been aborted.
1:10 -- "But I have a baby on the way!" -- Nope, *Gilead* has new property about to be created (being how he helped create it, you'd think Mr. Putnam would have understood that 🤷)
I find it funny how all of these characters that abuse the women, after knowing they’re going to die they always say “but I have a baby” “but I have kids” “but I’m going to be a father” they use this excuse like somehow the people must feel guilty … like they didn’t took their children like nothing happened
I think this just proves that the ideals that these men had about Gilliad will never work! People will be people and all this lust and sin that they are trying to flush out will never happen because it’s human nature. There will always be someone doing what they are not supposed to or going against Gilliads practices because it’s just not realistic. This place was destined to fail and the reality is they will be their own downfall!!!
The death didn't shock me, I knew they would kill him for breaking the rules. What shocked me was that Nick killed him, he is vastly becoming a darker character.
0:55 Idk what it is. The plain, frank-bánal normalcy of the statement and the look with that colour suit. It reminded me how you see Nazis speak and carry themselves when talking about human beings as if they’re less than that.
Absolute best moment in TV history! This actor should get (is it an Emmy?) an award for being so convincingly sleazy and hateful. Two actors who were so good they make you forget it's a story (the other was good old "Two Slice Hilly" from The Help.
I am curious about the color variations in the clothing. We know handmaids wear red, wives wear teal, aunts wear brown, and so on. I am wondering about the color variations among members of the same social class. Some Wives wear straight-up teal, some wives wear a bluish color (like I saw on Mrs. Calhoun), and others wear a much lighter teal than the other wives (like Mrs. Putnam). I have heard it said that the wives who wear blue may be the wives of more powerful Commanders, but I am not sure if that is true- I am pretty sure that Commanders Putnam and Waterford outranked Commander Calhoun, and yet their wives did not wear blue like Mrs. Calhoun did. Also, what about Mrs. Putnam wearing a lighter shade of teal? It seems like Putnam is (well, was) the Big Cheese, especially since Waterford died. But Serena never wore that shade. This may seem silly or nitpicky, but the use of color in both the book and the tv series has always been *very* intentional, so I am sure there is some specific reason for these color variations.
I remember seeing some sort of behind-the-scenes thing where a costume designer for the show talked about how they had such difficulty making the handmaids' dresses, both in choosing what shade of red to use, and in obtaining enough fabric in that particular shade. If they went through such difficulty to get the color of the handmaids' dresses exactly right, I doubt that, when they made the Wives' dresses, they were like "Teal? Ok we'll take all you have. All out of teal fabric? No big thing, we'll get a small bolt of this faded teal that got left out in the sun too long, and another small bolt of blue...no one will ever notice the difference anyway."
I think you are underestimating how much the costume designers agonize over color choices for this show. It is highly unlikely that they would be that flippant about some choices and completely rigid and exacting about others.
my guess is that the variety in shades of teal functions as an external symbol of the enforced hierarchy within the oppressed. even though wives are still confined to one colour, when contrasted against the uniformity of the handmaids' wardrobes - identical from their undergarments to their funereal garb - their agency over their appearance, limited though it may be, emphasizes the power structures in play.
I always assumed blue was for wealthier wives and teal was for regular wives. That regular wives in teal retain some Martha-like duties, but rich wives in blue are exclusively wives and don't have any commitments aside from their husband and kids.
In fact she technically never “belonged” to him in the first place. The assault happened before she could be officially posted to his household as his Handmaid, hence what Lawrence describing Putnam’s crime as “the rape of unassigned property.”
This guy has been asking for it from the beginning.
Lost an arm for similar shit and didn't learn a damn thing
He was a disgusting pig
Yes
@@lisahuber9329
yes, the arm thing seemed to have diminished him in the subsequent seasons-in fact, it was putnam who went against his wife’s wishes to let janine see angela. i had thought the plan was that naomi would be the bad guy in that house (the fact aside that, as gilead’s architects, they’re both terrible people). all this is to say that i was surprised by this development, but its a fine one nonetheless
@@mozambiquemorbid2441 something similar happened with Fred and Serena. They were taking terms being on June's side
Remember you guys: if you read the book, the epilogue states that sinful commanders were killed in a purge towards the end of Gilead’s era as Gilead started fighting with itself. What we’re seeing is a rapidly approaching conclusion to this theocracy. Even Serena Joy’s twist at the end of the episode marks a realization that Gilead has done more harm than good.
Serena only went along with the bits that served her to her own ends (which has somehow only been to have a baby of her own and to some extent seeking acceptance stemming from her own mommy issues). Lydia has done things arguably more directly heinous to so many women, but at the very least she buys into her own insanity and follows the code (despite it being evil, ofc).
We are definitely seeing purge elements and we could very well witness it crumble from within (since Canada is losing interest in fighting them and they gain more international support and acceptance globally).
Ultimately, we should be in the transition stage where elements of "The Testaments" are supposed to come in, no?
I still gotta read both of the books .
Great... in fiction we're seeing an end to a theocracy.. and in REAL LIFE we're seeing the rise of our own in this Country thanks to the Religious Reich!!!
It will be interesting. To see Lawrence and Nick leading a conspiracy to take over Gilead. That way June's daughters won't have to suffer like in the sequel
@@amitkenan3878 I think Commander Lawrence is going to die, though. The writers will do this either by season 5’s finale to give Serena redemption arc and not kill her off or it will happen in season 6 when Gilead (specifically commander Mackenzie) catches onto Lawrence. Characters like him don’t make it 🥺
"She belongs TO ME"
freaking chills at his lack of remorse
His eyes were evil while saying it. And he meant it.
@@nastynat2002Even before that, in the previous scene of that episode, you can tell how he was talking about it; him bragging about raping Esther to Lawrence and Nick like a high school or college guy who just got laid for the first time. He was a predatory creepy man.
Basically what many Republicans think of women they want to enslave.
It's a show guys😂. Relax.
In the book, it's adultery if the sex is anything but procreative and in the confines of the ceremony. I guess this guy didn't get the memo.
"rape of unassigned property"
Like how Lawrence admits that Gilead considers rape of assigned "property" perfectly fine.
In Gilead it’s not rape if it’s your property.
That's not true, Putnam lost an arm because he had sexual affairs with Janine outside the ceremony.
Lawrence is a double agent and he has helped June and other Handmaids out several times and he secretly refused to rape June or Emily. But he has to act like he's on Gilead's side bc then he could get killed and has to stop helping others
I mean, that's just most countries on Earth until the 20th century. Rape was a crime against the father/husband of the woman involved, not any kind of violation of the woman's personal rights.
@@LaMarcheFutilé101 it varies alot, definitely not uniform throughout all of history
“I have a baby on the way!”
A baby that you don’t deserve.
A baby conceived by rape.
I hate that argument when used IRL. Oh, I managed to breed, I must not be punished regardless of what I did.
I'm saying shit is crazy@@СавинШайрин
Yes, like, that baby will be so incredibly better off without you as their parent.
its better off without him
Anyone who didn't understand why Putnam was put to the sword are ignoring the fact that Gilliad, though evil, has very specific ideals to uphold. What you do at Jezebel'd or even your actual handmaid means nothing. But Ester was not yet given to anyone. It was during a wake, and let's not forget, Gilliad is trying to appeal to a broader audience. If they dont uphold any standards, it can look terrible. So yes, this scene was true to the source material and believable to this world.
That's not the whole story. You explained the justification, not the reason. He was killed because he got in Commander Lawrence's way. Commander Lawrence doesn't care about this religious shit and doesn't like Putman. This was personal and an opportunity for Lawrence. That is a huge theme that your analysis lacks. Most of the men don't actually care about "God's will/rule/whatever..."
@@jammzy2959 just because “most”of the men don’t care certainly does not mean all. So the op comment is not completely invalidated by what you just said
@@angelwut469 thank you Captain Obvious, I wasn't aware of what the word "most" meant. I thought it meant "all." 🙄
Stop manufacturing arguments to argue against, it's silly. Bon voyage Captain. 👩🏿✈️
@@jammzy2959 I’m still right and so is the op comment tho. So call me captain obvious all you want. I suppose we’ll call you the king of loosely based points
@@angelwut469 Captain, it's over. Sail away. ⛵️
Have you noticed throughout the entire series that every time when a commander is pleading for his life, they're always trying to throw children into the mix in a pathetic desperate attempt to save themselves. Warren Putman is definitely no exception to this. In fact they should make a remix video of that scene especially when he's saying "I got a baby on the way".
Haha like when June k1ll3d commander Winslow hahaha “my…children!1!”
Yep. Waterford said "I have a son!" like three times before he was ripped to shreds.
@@icanbreathe9161 That was my first thought too. When Esther said this happens all the time, I wondered how many of Winslow’s children were from handmaids, adoption or r**e.
yes but the difference it makes, he had his five minutes of fun ans is not to labor that baby nine months out....
Like THEY are so special.... it made no bloody difference that most captured handmaids already had children when they were forced to be sexual slaves.. or when they were executed.. the list goes on.
This was satisfying. Reading the comments on this video and on other videos you can tell who hasn't watched the other episodes/seasons. Nick is being nick. He wasn't exactly a standup guy in his past life. Putnam had it coming.
Yeah, Nick has never been someone who had a problem with shall we say radical justice
@@jacobdenness8659 exactly.
Absolutely. Nick was never a boy scout. He made it up the ranks doing exactly this. Personally, I think it's about time they showed who he really is despite how much we may like him.
Cheryl Figueroa also it can’t be forgotten he’s resistance as well and they can be rather brutal them selfs. I think people get confused about what men like Nick actually are like in reality.
@@jacobdenness8659 I totally agree Jacob. I think the execution we saw was Nick in his element. It surprised viewers because this is not the Nick they've seen. In actuality, we saw the real Nick during the execution scene. Reminds me of how he didn't blink in taking Fred into custody and handing him over to June. He knew a brutal death was coming to Fred and he played a part and I thought it was fantastic. I really liked how both Nick and Lawrence had zero hesitation in eliminating Fred.
This just shows that Gilead is set to fail so it is only a matter of time the commanders start killing each other like in the book
That's because they don't care about anything other than their own power. And any system built entirely around people like that is doomed to fail.
I think Lawrence and Nick are trying to reshape Gilead. Remember in the last episode, we saw Lawrence had a plan that would completely reshape Gilead as a more sympathetic government that would offer amnesty to those that decided to return. Putnam only cared about his power and keeping Gilead off the world stage.
@@MAnuscript421 Change or not, Lawrence’s plan does not make any difference to the sexist oppressive regime. The best plan is for Lawrence and all his commanders to eat leads. One thing frustrating me about the series is that the rebels never go on offensive towards Gilead
@@rangodeldiablo In almost all systems, people only care about their own power. And that usually works. The reason why Gilead does not work is because the commanders do NOT care about power primarily, but see power as the means to an end to increase the number of handmaids and thus children they can have (as you could see with the high-ranking commander Winslow having 6 children), because they are ideologically obsessed with their descendance, which is also why they marry their daughters off young in order to ensure the continuation of their line as grandparents. It's all about reproductive success.
Of corse it will fail nothing about this place makes god damn sense in fact they often do things counter to their own interests
The Lucifer falling imagery in this scene is fantastic. For all of people's complaints about Handmaid's Tale, it's a beautifully detailed show.
And well acted. Strahovski better win that Emmy.
I didn’t not notice that! Looking at it again gives it another perspective 😮
Apart from the fact that they have twisted scripture to suit themselves and is the whole reason there should always be a separation between the state and religion....This is very close to the way people especially women living in Iran
I think the best show of all time
Oh yes!
I don’t think I’ve ever been so filled with rage at a completely fictional scene than the scene with Putnam and Esther. Then him bragging about it later like a high school kid who got laid for the first time. I smiled when the eyes came and grabbed him and smiled even harder when Nick shot him dead. His actor did a fantastic job making him look like a complete creep, even down to his facial expressions and mannerisms.
Yeah but he was also hired cause of his rat face lol
They picked a really creepy looking actor to play him, that up close shot of him was scary😂
Reminds me of the Joker without makeup
the actor though in real life is a nice guy.
@@peterhz3128 I swear the actors who usually play the creepiest most despicable characters always are!
@@dreamsteddybearsmaster they probably learned that their personality was the only thing they had going for them growing up
@@Vasilia4 True. Not necessarily a bad thing I reckon! Sad people still judge based on appearance though
Time passes but Joseph and Nick still remain the best characters of the series
Certainly the most nuanced.
June has been and always will be the most interesting character to me
Emily for me
I Gotta say that the show is not wasting any Commanders deaths and coming up with satfistying death scenes for each one so far.
Here I am waiting for the McKenzies to bite the bullet
I didn’t realize they had restaurants.
Same!!! Lol
Commander get the privileges of places of the past like restaurants
I don't think it's really a restaurant. Looks more like a private club for commanders.
@@SpydeyDan But his wife is there? If it was a private place for commanders then none of the wives could be there. I’m sure they have restaurants I mean don’t they have a chef or they did.
I know what you mean. Considering most types of socialisation can and will be scrutinised under the eyes' watch and are actively discouraged to the point where the handmaidens are expected to not even talk to one another while shopping?
It just shows more of the double standards. More perks for the upper echelon of society. They get access to whatever passes as restaurants and parties and the benefit of more freedom (the most if you're a man)
I find it so funny that he became a casualty in a system he actively created.
If you ever want evidence that fascism is inherently self-defeating, look at how they treat their own.
And Serena, in a way, although we now know she didn't actually create the Handmaid system.
@@kaysmith8992Yes, but she did write the law that bans women and girls from reading and writing or having any kind of education. If they are caught, first offense is a finger gets amputated, the second offense is the entire hand.
Have you not read "history"? That happens all the time Robespierre being a famous example in France.
The execution of Putnam here reminds me of how ISIS would punish soldiers for raping captured Yazidi women before they were sold to their new slave owners who would often then proceed to rape their new "property". There's a sadistic logic to all this.
I've always thought it's no coincidence this show came out during the peak of ISIS. I know it takes place in the Christian USA but it's so relatable to those of us brought up in fundamentalist Islamic households too.
@@kaysmith8992
Iran moment
@@kaysmith8992 little different between christians and Muslims these days in terms of hatefulness
@@KalashVodka175project 2025 moment
They weren’t executed for raping the women, they were executed for spoiling the woman and stealing her virginity from her owner. Rape does not exist there, nor does a woman’s rights to her body, only ownership of the woman matters.
So enjoyable seeing him getting exactly what he deserves. Four seasons overdue.
And it’s funny because to the end he thought he was completely untouchable. That even a high-ranking Commander is punished. And the shock of the reality all sinks in before the bullet does.
I really hope this is the future of Gilead, they’re so rule bound but in the past it only pertained to handmaids…until now. LOVE IT.
The Zoom In on his Face when he says “She Belongs to Me”
Yeah you are missing a whole Arm for that reason
Buh Bye
The character of Naomi Putnam has been slowly undergoing a transformation since Season 1. In the beginning, she had an imperious, intolerant attitude that one would expect from a powerful, privileged true-believer. However, by this Season she's shown signs of increasing dissatisfaction and even disgust with Gilead's practices. She knew her husband was a pig, and privately disdained him.
I'm predicting that she will end-up with Commander Lawrence, and be converted to his perspective that Gilead must adapt or die.
You predicted that one spot on
I feel like we're going to see more of her in Series 6, as she's already taking over Serena's former social position and is constantly accompanied by Aunt Lydia.
But she betrayed Janine at the end of the season 🤡
@@nceBdonim.-_1 Did she? Janine really took a risk by going after her that way. It will be interesting to see what they have in store for both in Season 6.
I liked the storyline with her ending up with Lawrence. But just like Commander Putnam's character; I found her almost cartoonesque. In the earlier seasons her 'prim and uptight demeanor was subtle enough to take it seriously and hypocritical enough to make you smile at how she's trying to hold it together. That scene when a marriage with Lawrence is being offered, is almost slapstick comedy. Lawrence has gone from a snarky cynic to a stand up comedian. Every second line from him was a joke. We get it: he has dry humor. It was like a scene from Friends. Where Mrs. Putman is acting like Rachel and Lawrence acting like Chandler. I hope season six isn't going to be so ham-fisted. Seasons 1-3 were amazing for its unrelenting bleakness portrayed in such stark reality that it seemed unrealistically 'real'.
This season is almost indulgent in its own myth. Shame, because the storyline and the acting is stellar. The writing and directing was a bit "meh' for me. This concludes my review nobody asked for
I’m not a sick person. Normally, I cringe when people are killed in movies/tv… even bad guys. But this one…. This one and Fred’s I laughed and cheered! Never been more deserving men to face the deaths they deserve!
Winslow, too. I cheered June on, with that one.
Justice. Punishment. Vengenace.
Man…to be killed during breakfast compared to how most villains are usually killed during dinner, at a bar, etc. 😂😂
@@Lauren_210 and to be killed in front of everyone including his wife in a humiliating way on his knees….
Yep me too. I hooted!!! And woo-hooed!!
Tyranny is an insatiable beast. It won’t be satisfied even after it runs out of others to persecute, and then it can only devour itself.
Well said
Perfectly said !
That sounds like something out of a russian novel
@@snigdhabhattacharya1690 Heh, it’s from a Star Wars novel, but I have no doubt the author probably adapted it from some such source of inspiration.
Aren’t the handmaids supposed to beat rapists to death? He got it kinda easy 😮
He is a commander, and after what happened with june they are not doing it.
@@patriciablopez good point!
@@chrissymcnamara5416 Nick beating up Putnam means that Putnam may fight fight. Better to use a firearm to kill the commander instantly than to drag out a fight and risk someone else intervening.
Lawrence and Nick have a plan to make Gilead Better and they wanted to end Putnam quick
Can't have handmaids killing commanders....
Commander Joseph never seemed like he truly believes in Gilead even though he was one of the people who came up with it.
Lawrence came up with an hypothetical thesis about the economical structure of a society such as Gilead. After the wars they found him and offered him a commander role because they needed his expertise, there's nothing to say he supported them before the take over
This is revenge for Commander Lawrence's wife
I wouldn't even be surprised if he comes out as Atheist. My understanding is that he was concerned with economics and the environment.
@@christinesentman5437 I have thought this since day one, even before her suicide. Waterfords meeting with other commanders to pressure the Lawrences into more orthodoxy started her descent, and the other sleazy bastards did not make his widowerhood any easier.
Lawrence is a climate nut, basically an adult male version of Greta Thunberg. He basically came up with the economic system, structuring Gilead around low emissions, reduced environmental impact and sustainability.
Praise be this was so satisfying.
Under his eye
That’s funny how the commanders always justify they have children like if it’s a good reason to let them alive. The commander June killed in season 3 before he died he said « my children » and Fred last season his last words were « I have a son » and now putman « I have a baby » and it’s more ironic when you know Lawrence said last season to June they don’t give a fuck about kids it’s only about powers…
Exactly, they just hide behind their fatherhood. The more kids you have the more power you have. That's the way it appears. It's so cowardly and ironic cuz they really just use the kids as pawns like every time they rape someone, it's "God's Will"". COMPLETE BS. Good on LAwrence and Nick for trying to take down Gilead from the inside.
It is true. All politicians are power hungry.
I disagree. Those commanders really do care about their kids. They've created this entire horrendous system to ensure them the possibility to have kids. That is their primary concern, and I think it's exactly those moments that you mentioned that showcase their fixation on getting offspring - while of course not out of love for family or humanity or their kids as persons even, but for the metaphysical concept of having descendats,. This is why their justification for the insane system they built works. The power is the means to an end, namely to ensure their descendance in a world of infertility. They are not power-hungry sociopaths, they are much worse; They are insane ideological psychopaths. You miscredit them as stalin-esque, while they much more reminisce Hitler.
it's because it means they're fertile and can produce children and their children will likely produce children. but the reality is that now they're fertilizer.
To be precise, they don't give a fuck about the actual kids. They just want to make 'em, not care for them. That's why they seek power.
Anyone else getting Joker vibes from the thumbnail? He looks so effing creepy.
As weird as it might sound, Putnams surprise is kind of justified, since rape happens so often in Gilead, him getting executed for it because it happened outside of the ceremony is pretty insane logic
Yeah, you’re spot on with this one. Rape is literally the foundation and success of Gilead’s society and Handmaids are being raped constantly but the fact that the rape happened outside the Ceremony is what suddenly makes it a problem.
Well, he wasn't executed for raping his own handmaid outside the Ceremony--although that's also a crime, and Putnam had already lost an arm for doing that with Janine. Esther, though, hadn't been formally given to him yet. "Unassigned property."
(Ironic that this is the same punishment that Nick himself could have gotten for, uh, repeated sex with a handmaid not assigned to him. All the laws of Gilead are pretty insane logic, as you say.)
@@karenw942 Yeah, and that’s why Lawrence said what he said to June that summarizes the entire logic of Gilead back in season four: “Gilead doesn’t care about children. Gilead cares about POWER.” They force order and control over everyone else and children are just used as pawns so they can hold onto power for as long as they can.
And before when Putnam was bragging about raping Esther to Lawrence and Nick he implicitly confessed that he didn’t rape her with the thought of conceiving another baby but because he wanted to and he knew that he could. To him it was an “accomplishment” and a “pleasure” he was welcomed to.
@@karenw942this is why we have to defeat protect 2025. Vote blue down the ballot
It will be interesting to see what happens to mrs Putnam now. She won’t be able to live as a single mother in Gilead. Either she loses Angela, or she has to remarry fast.
Considering that her husband died in disgrace, especially being hung on the wall afterwards, it's most likely she'll be sent to the colonies
Maybe she will marry Commander Lawrence. I have a hard time seeing him stay single since being unmarried and having no kids is always brought up with him.
It will be interesting. I don’t think the series would have spent so much time making her at least kind of likable to just kill her off or send her to the colonies. Even June thought she was alright.
She will Either remarry fast, be made a Martha or sent to the colonies. The kids will be taken and given to another family.
@@edwardmontelongo8370 unless she is found to be in league with him. I don't see that happening. They'd probably marry her off or make her a Martha.
This is the beginning of one of the purges which marks the transition from early Gilead to middle Gilead. It's a sign the series is at an end. There is a sequel series called the Testaments based on Atwood's eponymous novel which takes place 15 years later in what would be late Gilead and let us see how it all came to an end.
Next season is the series finale and I seriously can not wait to see in the show how Gilded comes down 🎉.
Putnam finally got what he had coming! He abused Janine and lost his arm as punishment yet didn't stop his deviant behaviour. Commander Putnam was a predator...a nasty, entitled, bullying predator. I wonder what will happen to Naomi and Angela...I'm guessing that Angela will be placed into a new family and Naomi will be shipped off to the colonies like Mrs. O'Conner from season two...?
Colonies are for sinners who cannot reproduce. Naomi is not a sinner. She will remarry after a reasonable mourning time. I'm guessing she will be keeping Angela.
Justified. Ester wasn't posted yet, wasn't his property yet. He broke one of the most sacred laws of Gilead, and paid with his life.
Even if she was posted to him, its still against the rules for him to have any kind of sexual relations with her outside the monthly ritual and without his wife present. He was maimed for having a relationship with the mother of his first child.
@@DragonflyandTheWolf That's true, but raping of an unposted handmaid carries immediate death. What you say might get him another slap on the wrist cause he was a higher ranking commander at the time.
@@LunaMizuki8806 true, if Esther was assigned then I think Putnam would just lose an eye, ear or whatever he could miss in their eyes. A commander without single hand would be useless.
Here they also had to make an example to the rest about what would happen if another commander is taking liberties that weren't his to take and flying too close to the sun
This was my happiest moment watching this series. If only real life worked this way.
Just like Fred. Arrogant to the point that he never knew his own system would come for him.
Exactly. And just like Fred, the very system he helped create made him a casualty. Men like them believe that just because they played a role in building a totalitarian regime the rules don’t apply to them.
He never learned. They took his hand before and that was Gilead showing "mercy". That's a constant reminder to play by the rules but his stupid self did it anyway.
You know Naomi Putnam is already over it😂
Beautiful scene!!!!
Yes, it was well deserved👏🏾👏🏾
It was good but Fred’s death was the best.
This is just iconic like I was screaming the entire time
extra cruel to interrupt Putnam during breakfast! It’s the most important meal of the day after all
One of my favorite scenes.😠😠😍😍😍😍😍
his wife is seriously thinking WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?
Praise be.
I love the way in which Commander Putnam's dead body juxtaposed against the inlaid angel wings on the pavement echoes historical artistic images of the angel Lucifer being cast out of Heaven for the sin of pride. It's such a strong image that I think this tableau must have been deliberate and intended to evoke that image.
I never knew they made a Project 2025 tv series.
This season has been light on Lydia and the Handmaids
One of the best scenes on this episode
The commanders were getting killed one by one bit by bit thru the sesons so had and have a feeling Giliads weekness and end is the commanders and rulers themselfs they wipe themself out
I just know from the very beginning that was going to happen.
Between him and Fred I’m glad two of the most vile characters got their comeuppance. We get so few victories on this show.
and the cinematography, is always amazing, superlative . there's the part where it could be seen as a fallen angel, true, but also, it could be seem that he's been pushed out, ejected, from the womb - the blue semicircle being the waters, abd the white semicircle, being the womb itself. also, there's the maiden mother and crone, he has done thus to a woman, and has been pushed out, finally, putnam has been aborted.
“My property.” Man I could watch this all day………
1:10 -- "But I have a baby on the way!" -- Nope, *Gilead* has new property about to be created (being how he helped create it, you'd think Mr. Putnam would have understood that 🤷)
1:38 This shot kinda looks like a statue of Saint Michael (saint of cops - soldiers- Nick) who stands on the throat of the devil (Putnam)
The creepiest commander 😢 i can see true evil in his eyes
We needed a particicution, what a wasted opportunity.
I find it funny how all of these characters that abuse the women, after knowing they’re going to die they always say “but I have a baby” “but I have kids” “but I’m going to be a father” they use this excuse like somehow the people must feel guilty … like they didn’t took their children like nothing happened
That scene was awesome.
Oh, that imagery at the end of a fallen Angel.
"The revolution like Saturn devours its own children." Danton 1789
A chilling scene; glad though.
Killed by the world he created
More satisfying than Fred‘s death if you ask me.
I think this just proves that the ideals that these men had about Gilliad will never work! People will be people and all this lust and sin that they are trying to flush out will never happen because it’s human nature. There will always be someone doing what they are not supposed to or going against Gilliads practices because it’s just not realistic. This place was destined to fail and the reality is they will be their own downfall!!!
Even a commander reaps what he sows look at Fred.
This immediately made my list of my favorite songs of 2023.
Commander Putnam, a true believer. Until he wasn't.
"All revolutions devour their own children." Ernst Rohm 1934
oh no but the theocratic fascism was working _so well_ for him up to this point, poor guy
I found this scene so satisfying 😌
So satisfying 😏
WORDS CAN NOT DESCRIBE 😀😀😀😀
*Incredible* scene.
The death didn't shock me, I knew they would kill him for breaking the rules. What shocked me was that Nick killed him, he is vastly becoming a darker character.
I never really liked Nick before this scene. This was a public service.
He's the goat ❤
This guy really needs to play prince charles before he gets much older. he has the look for him down
It's the ears, isn't it hahaha
0:55 Idk what it is. The plain, frank-bánal normalcy of the statement and the look with that colour suit. It reminded me how you see Nazis speak and carry themselves when talking about human beings as if they’re less than that.
This is Putnam's Beria moment
The thumbnail for this clip is just so maniacally evil. Putnam looks totally unhinged.
That’s usually a look that you would expect from a pedophile rapist. He had no remorse for what he did and thought he didn’t do anything wrong.🤷🏽♀️
I’m so proud of Nick
@No Soup For You I’m proud of him for poppin Commander Putnum
@No Soup For You are you okay? have you been watching the show. Him and Lawrence are clearly plotting to take down Gilead from the inside out.
@No Soup For You 🤣🤣🤣
Absolute best moment in TV history! This actor should get (is it an Emmy?) an award for being so convincingly sleazy and hateful. Two actors who were so good they make you forget it's a story (the other was good old "Two Slice Hilly" from The Help.
Bryce Dallas Howard, I believe.
1:13 on repeat. I love when any commander dies
Yep. The only reason I may be sad about Lawrence is because he's comic relief.
@@Fumi007 Lawrence is good for a laugh or two. Other than that, he can kick rocks.
Ooohhh,....Myyyy,... It feels soooo damm gooood!!
Last night's episode was INCREDIBLE!!
agreed!!!
Commander Putnam reminds me of Voldemort
I am curious about the color variations in the clothing. We know handmaids wear red, wives wear teal, aunts wear brown, and so on. I am wondering about the color variations among members of the same social class. Some Wives wear straight-up teal, some wives wear a bluish color (like I saw on Mrs. Calhoun), and others wear a much lighter teal than the other wives (like Mrs. Putnam). I have heard it said that the wives who wear blue may be the wives of more powerful Commanders, but I am not sure if that is true- I am pretty sure that Commanders Putnam and Waterford outranked Commander Calhoun, and yet their wives did not wear blue like Mrs. Calhoun did. Also, what about Mrs. Putnam wearing a lighter shade of teal? It seems like Putnam is (well, was) the Big Cheese, especially since Waterford died. But Serena never wore that shade. This may seem silly or nitpicky, but the use of color in both the book and the tv series has always been *very* intentional, so I am sure there is some specific reason for these color variations.
I remember seeing some sort of behind-the-scenes thing where a costume designer for the show talked about how they had such difficulty making the handmaids' dresses, both in choosing what shade of red to use, and in obtaining enough fabric in that particular shade. If they went through such difficulty to get the color of the handmaids' dresses exactly right, I doubt that, when they made the Wives' dresses, they were like "Teal? Ok we'll take all you have. All out of teal fabric? No big thing, we'll get a small bolt of this faded teal that got left out in the sun too long, and another small bolt of blue...no one will ever notice the difference anyway."
i think you are overthinking it. It seems that wives have different shades of blue and teal that they are allowed to choose from.
I think you are underestimating how much the costume designers agonize over color choices for this show. It is highly unlikely that they would be that flippant about some choices and completely rigid and exacting about others.
my guess is that the variety in shades of teal functions as an external symbol of the enforced hierarchy within the oppressed. even though wives are still confined to one colour, when contrasted against the uniformity of the handmaids' wardrobes - identical from their undergarments to their funereal garb - their agency over their appearance, limited though it may be, emphasizes the power structures in play.
I always assumed blue was for wealthier wives and teal was for regular wives. That regular wives in teal retain some Martha-like duties, but rich wives in blue are exclusively wives and don't have any commitments aside from their husband and kids.
It cracks me up this is what Josh Lyman is up to these days. 😅
Did anyone get Marilyn Manson vibes from this guy... like he's his daddy in a parallel universe? Creepy
Every time I look at this picture he gives creeps
Good. I was delighted to see this...
He kinda looks like warren jeffs.
I’m enjoying this Nick
He’s creepy anyway. Ugh. Whoever did the casting for the show did a great job on most of the characters.
What part of Texas is this?
"She belongs to me!"
Not anymore.
In fact she technically never “belonged” to him in the first place. The assault happened before she could be officially posted to his household as his Handmaid, hence what Lawrence describing Putnam’s crime as “the rape of unassigned property.”
Every woman with a functioning uterus is afraid this scenario actually happen..
This shows how a totalitarian dictatorship doesn’t survive if it hasn’t got one person to rule. Ps: sorry for my English.
The world evangelicals want 😂
This guy Putnam looks very much like Warren Jeffs. Hauntingly so.
And Warren is his first name as well. It’s not a coincidence
It was rather satisfying seeing Naomi witness Warren’s execution, knowing what a twat she was towards Janine, and the rest of the Handmaids.
When this scene happened, I said under my breath… “Praise Be”
His execution was LONG overdue he should have learned his lesson after his first mistake cost him his hand