The Handmaid's Tale

What was that? I am so glad it was streamed...I must have fast forward thru at least 50% of it. The slooooooow visuals of a dilapidated past, although very artsy and I get it but come on a whole 4 minute dramatic song every time?

I wanted a story..I wanted some great writing and context. I wanted the characters to be interesting rather than this walk thru of ruins.

This series started out so strong and provocative..we rooted for them to fight back but everything just ended so empty and boring.

The last three shows were a total let down. A couple of redemption stunts and one cutesy reunion...but not much else.

Total disappointment.

Look, I get ending a series, especially one as dark as this one, is incredibly hard but this finale (and this season) was forgettable.

The pace was off, the musical montages were tedious and the redemption arcs were not convincing at all, in fact they felt cheap and not aligned at all with previous seasons.

I know this episode wanted to deal with closure but it does it so clumsily and in an unconvincing way with a pace that lulled the viewer to sleep instead of trying to draw the viewer in. What the writers thought was emotional heft felt lightweight and slapdash.

In the last few seasons this show has suffered from bad writing and this last episode is no exception.

Those were the words (verbatim) that I said to my wife on the other side of the couch when this episode ended.

Let's start by pointing something out, because I don't feel like it gets enough recognition. Series finales are HARD. How do you wrap up a cultural phenomenon in a way that is going to be pleasing to everyone? You really can't, which is why they are so often badly received.

But this was formulaic and fell short. Basically they followed the "let's move the main character from conversation to conversation with the characters who have shaped her and get her to a point of closure with all of them." This was the same formula that Bojack Horseman used, and while that is one of my all-time favorite shows, the finale left a lot to be desired.

Of course it was well-written and well-acted. That isn't the issue. Closure? Yes. Creative? Nah.

What is the deal with Elisabeth Moss's egocentrism in the close-up shots in this episode?

What kind of finale is this? I'm a regular, empathetic person so where are the emotions in this episode? Slow motion... of what, exactly? What was Elisabeth Moss really trying to convey through her direction?

I'm totally disappointed. I was genuinely expecting something deeper, more emotionally resonant from this show especially in a finale.

Instead, what we got felt empty and disconnected.

As someone who usually connects with the characters and storytelling, I kept waiting for that emotional payoff... but it never came. The slow motion, the close-ups they seemed more like stylistic filler than meaningful choices. I don't know what Elisabeth Moss was aiming for in directing this episode, but whatever it was, it didn't land for me. I expected so much more.

The story was completely replaced by the actress's narcissistic behavior, which took over the scenes and scripts of all the episodes, distorting the plot of the series, they were unable to give a satisfactory ending to the initial plots, leaving them unfinished. A series that had every opportunity and didn't take advantage of it because of narcissism.

The series, which could have developed its secondary characters better (many of whom are incredibly rich and complex), becomes excessively centered on Moss. This weakens the storyline, as the show could explore other perspectives within the dystopia, but it keeps returning to the same character.