Just watched the 4th episode.
Spoiler if you care.
I don't know about the book, but the history is presented in 4 timelines so far:
-Before the government took over
-When she is in the orientation center called the Redd Center
-When she first is at the commander's house
-About a year later when Janine who also arrived at the Red Center at the same time as Offred is heavily pregnant and give birth.
Because is not a lineal narrative you have to figure out things by watching each episode.
Anyway, the history continue after Offred is mistakenly believe to be pregnant and the commander's wife punish her by not allowing her to leave her room.
The some time before that Offred and Moira her lesbian friend assault one of the Aunts (females in charge of management of the Red Center) and escape to some part of the city and try to get on a train to Boston but Offred is captured and Moira is able to escape. Offre is taken back to the Red Center and is punished with some slashes on the bottom of her feet to the point she cannot walk.
Back to the time when she is at the commander's house locked in her room, Offred is believed to be sick, she is taken to a hospital and the doctor tells her she is fine and the Commander is most likely sterile which is not supposed to happens since only women are sterile.
When she is back home is ceremony night, the night she and the commander have sex, the commander tells Offred he wants to play a board game again, the moment the sex is about to happens the commander cannot get hard, leave the room, the wife tried to help but he reject her, Offred is sent to her room again, Offred narrate that the commander needs to connect in order to have sex, and how playing board games is a way to know each he is using.
When they play the game the commander mention a previews Handmaid that committed suicide and how he does not want Offred to do the same, he end up terminating her punishment and Offred is left to go outside the room again.
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I don't know if the purpose of the history is to show the men as villain, because the more sympathetic characters are the men, in fact, the 4th episode is about the commander cannot just fuck Offred, that he needs to know Offred better, I was spectating the show to display the man in more negative way.
Spoiler if you care.
I don't know about the book, but the history is presented in 4 timelines so far:
-Before the government took over
-When she is in the orientation center called the Redd Center
-When she first is at the commander's house
-About a year later when Janine who also arrived at the Red Center at the same time as Offred is heavily pregnant and give birth.
Because is not a lineal narrative you have to figure out things by watching each episode.
Anyway, the history continue after Offred is mistakenly believe to be pregnant and the commander's wife punish her by not allowing her to leave her room.
The some time before that Offred and Moira her lesbian friend assault one of the Aunts (females in charge of management of the Red Center) and escape to some part of the city and try to get on a train to Boston but Offred is captured and Moira is able to escape. Offre is taken back to the Red Center and is punished with some slashes on the bottom of her feet to the point she cannot walk.
Back to the time when she is at the commander's house locked in her room, Offred is believed to be sick, she is taken to a hospital and the doctor tells her she is fine and the Commander is most likely sterile which is not supposed to happens since only women are sterile.
When she is back home is ceremony night, the night she and the commander have sex, the commander tells Offred he wants to play a board game again, the moment the sex is about to happens the commander cannot get hard, leave the room, the wife tried to help but he reject her, Offred is sent to her room again, Offred narrate that the commander needs to connect in order to have sex, and how playing board games is a way to know each he is using.
When they play the game the commander mention a previews Handmaid that committed suicide and how he does not want Offred to do the same, he end up terminating her punishment and Offred is left to go outside the room again.
-------------------------------
I don't know if the purpose of the history is to show the men as villain, because the more sympathetic characters are the men, in fact, the 4th episode is about the commander cannot just fuck Offred, that he needs to know Offred better, I was spectating the show to display the man in more negative way.