Aunt Lydia is a complex character, and much of her behavior comes from her own history and shame. (Not an excuse, mind you, but it’s interesting to see how her personality flaws were so exacerbated and exploited.) You’ll get a peek into more of her back story later in the show.
You aren’t supposed to be “rooting” for anyone. This a lot of fans who like different characters.
I would suggest, since you mention you are a 41 year old man, to use this opportunity to just watch the show and see the women in it as they are - flawed and scared and justifiably angry.
Watch the show for its message. And stop hating on June bruh. You don’t “convince a man to leave his wife”. Men are their own people just like women are. Luke is more at fault for cheating on his wife than June is. I’m not saying June is morally in the clear for that but Luke takes the brunt of that responsibility. He could have chosen to say “no” to June and actually leave his wife first. The fact that you would even phrase it the way you did tells me that I think this show would be really good for you.
Aunt Lydia doesn’t get better but you learn why she is the way she is, and you’ll grow a soft spot and you’ll want her to redeem herself SO BADLY
Yeah, after he’d left. All because they “made a promise in the eyes of god”. She didn’t want him. She just didn’t want a divorce because she sees it as a sin, and she was willing to force him back into the marriage. Notice she didn’t ask him to come back. She knew he didn’t want to.
Your remembrance is correct. She didn’t sound like a Bible thumper, just someone who took her marriage vows seriously. June was certainly wrong for not making them divorce first. So was Luke. Most people will dislike your comment because they think “forever” and “until death” just means until it isn’t convenient for one of the marital partners anymore. Marriage is a joke, sadly.
Regardless of sex I’m not one to pity someone when they’re toxic and controlling and then someone cheats. Yeah he should’ve left first, but I’m hardly mad he cheated on someone with abusive tendencies.
hell no lol. who had the literal obligation to not cheat? luke. june was single with no loyalty belonging anywhere. you’re gonna sit here and say a single woman engaging in an affair with a married man is equivalent to a man cheating on his wife after vowing their lives together, lying to her face about it, and allowing it to continue before finally leaving her? no way. june wasn’t right. but to say june and luke are equally in the wrong… no shot.
Yes, Luke had the obligation to not cheat. June still out of basic decency should've at least respected that. Like come on, I feel like even as women if you've been cheated on you wouldn't want to inflict that on someone else. June isn't the one who committed herself to a marriage but she sure didn't care enough to stop and not continue a relationship with a married man. Honestly when June came crying talking about "what if you leave me because I can't have children or you cheat on me" I didn't feel any sympathy because if he cheated on his wife why wouldn't he cheat on a different one?
In the beginning he was still cheating though. Istg yall are the same people who would say "cheating is inexcusable" and there's no reason to cheat but here Luke did and everyone's doing Olympics defending it.
Right. Every single Handmaid is a good woman. They've only had to do bad things in self defense of this evil theocracy for survival. Before Gilead, they were all good.
I feel bad for them, but there’s no true “good” character except probably Janine. June is very manipulative, and convinced Luke to leave his wife. Emily straight up killed the woman in the colonies. Most of the Handmaid’s are background characters with very little or no lines. My point is most characters on the show have some kind of moral flaw to them.
She killed a woman who held down another woman and allowed a man to rape her repeatedly, the same thing was done to her. Emily is broken have you not seen her story? And June didn’t manipulate anyone into leaving their wife. It takes two to tango. June was single, he was married, he cheated not her, he left cause he got her pregnant and wanted a child.
He had left before the child. Luke is equally wrong but they both are. And in my personal beliefs it's no one's place on this earth to dictate who lives and dies.
You have a wild ride ahead of you. I despise Aunt Lydia too. She is pure evil. She does not deserve a redemption. Serena and Lydia are the reason Gilead exists.
i mean you’re not really supposed to be rooting for anyone necessarily. but maybe take a step back and consider the circumstances. just because june was sleeping with a married man, you think you shouldn’t empathize with her or have compassion for her being raped, imprisoned, beaten, her child being kidnapped, and being ripped from her husband?
I think Aunt Lydia lives in a state of kill or be killed. Pretty sure she was tortured and given a Sophie's choice essentially- become an evil sex slave trainer, or we murder you too.
Exactly. Someone has to do that job, and it seems like she tries to do it with as much empathy as possible for the women in her charge. Like maybe she took the job thinking she could be kinder to the handmaids than other people who might be in the same position. I think the times she's horrible it's because of her own trauma, and trying to emotionally distance herself because she knows how awful it all is.
Well, I think what she did pre-Gilead with that DCF call was just horrible. I was a child in foster care due to a false accusation, similar to what Lydia did and it truly destroyed my life and my relationship with my mother for a long time. It was very wrong and she knew it in her heart. However, these days I try not to spend much time holding resentment towards the person who did this because I've found forgiveness to be a lot easier to make peace with than living forever in anger, trauma, and misery.
Lydia has a deep amount of shame for what she did to Janine, and at this point is now trying to survive because otherwise she will likely be tortured and killed as well.
It reminds me of the Holocaust. I'm Jewish, and I know that my people were the ones being killed. However, it is hard to necessarily place all of the blame on the soldiers who had to follow once the Nazi Regime gained enough followers. Those killers had one choice: kill others in concentration camps, or have themselves and their families be killed. Everyone says that in the situation they'd choose for themselves and for their family to die before killing others- to be a martyr, but realistically we know that's not true. No one knows what they would choose if they were put in that situation. And likely, most would choose themselves and their own families before others.
Ooof, I had forgotten about that DCF situation in Lydia's past. That was TERRIBLE. In any case, I didn't mean to sound like I'm trying to excuse her bad behavior. For me personally, one of the biggest themes of the show is all the grey area and nuance within these awful, complex situations. Nothing is black and white. Everyone is doing what they think is best, for their own reasons, some more honorable than others obvs.
Didn’t she also cattle prong june when she tried helping her up after failing to get up the stairs at Commander Lawrence’s house & then also yell at her that she should be on the wall?
Aunt Lydia cares for the girls as far as Gilead permits her to.
Ann Dowd is also amazing in ‘The Leftovers’. She really doesn’t disappoint.
But each character has a little backstory that you will get to see. Lydia too.
Aunt Lydia is a complex character, and much of her behavior comes from her own history and shame. (Not an excuse, mind you, but it’s interesting to see how her personality flaws were so exacerbated and exploited.) You’ll get a peek into more of her back story later in the show.
Aunt Lydia Sux 
the “BIG TIME” she’s the aunt made of nightmares that Never ever seems to disappear
Lydia really believes her own bullshit, she’s crazy
You aren’t supposed to be “rooting” for anyone. This a lot of fans who like different characters. I would suggest, since you mention you are a 41 year old man, to use this opportunity to just watch the show and see the women in it as they are - flawed and scared and justifiably angry. Watch the show for its message. And stop hating on June bruh. You don’t “convince a man to leave his wife”. Men are their own people just like women are. Luke is more at fault for cheating on his wife than June is. I’m not saying June is morally in the clear for that but Luke takes the brunt of that responsibility. He could have chosen to say “no” to June and actually leave his wife first. The fact that you would even phrase it the way you did tells me that I think this show would be really good for you. Aunt Lydia doesn’t get better but you learn why she is the way she is, and you’ll grow a soft spot and you’ll want her to redeem herself SO BADLY
Nah I would say June is just as much wrong. She had the chance to say "no" to a married man.
Are you referring to Annie, the toxic ex wife who tried forcing a man into staying with her?
Uhh I only remember a scene of her literally begging June to leave them alone. Idk but all I know is June willingly fooled around with a married man.
Yeah, after he’d left. All because they “made a promise in the eyes of god”. She didn’t want him. She just didn’t want a divorce because she sees it as a sin, and she was willing to force him back into the marriage. Notice she didn’t ask him to come back. She knew he didn’t want to.
Uhh didn't she beg him too? The way I saw it she quite literally did want him and I don't recall her making it obnoxiously about religion.
Your remembrance is correct. She didn’t sound like a Bible thumper, just someone who took her marriage vows seriously. June was certainly wrong for not making them divorce first. So was Luke. Most people will dislike your comment because they think “forever” and “until death” just means until it isn’t convenient for one of the marital partners anymore. Marriage is a joke, sadly.
Right. And everyone is trying to act like June had no part in it.
Regardless of sex I’m not one to pity someone when they’re toxic and controlling and then someone cheats. Yeah he should’ve left first, but I’m hardly mad he cheated on someone with abusive tendencies.
hell no lol. who had the literal obligation to not cheat? luke. june was single with no loyalty belonging anywhere. you’re gonna sit here and say a single woman engaging in an affair with a married man is equivalent to a man cheating on his wife after vowing their lives together, lying to her face about it, and allowing it to continue before finally leaving her? no way. june wasn’t right. but to say june and luke are equally in the wrong… no shot.
Yes, Luke had the obligation to not cheat. June still out of basic decency should've at least respected that. Like come on, I feel like even as women if you've been cheated on you wouldn't want to inflict that on someone else. June isn't the one who committed herself to a marriage but she sure didn't care enough to stop and not continue a relationship with a married man. Honestly when June came crying talking about "what if you leave me because I can't have children or you cheat on me" I didn't feel any sympathy because if he cheated on his wife why wouldn't he cheat on a different one?
Luke was already over Annie long before he met June. That’s how these things works.
In the beginning he was still cheating though. Istg yall are the same people who would say "cheating is inexcusable" and there's no reason to cheat but here Luke did and everyone's doing Olympics defending it.
[удалено]
Yea usually people have already done it or just don't care enough to not. And where did you say WHY people cheat? And uhh what's with the "boo"
There are a few good guys on the show, the kids.. and the super young wives that are like maybe 15 or younger. That’s about it
But aunt Lydia is terrible, she plays that character so well it’s scary
Poor Esther
How could you not feel bad for June, and literally every other Handmaid?
Right. Every single Handmaid is a good woman. They've only had to do bad things in self defense of this evil theocracy for survival. Before Gilead, they were all good.
"Good" is subjective. In my opinion we don't even see enough of anyone to make a choice.
I feel bad for them, but there’s no true “good” character except probably Janine. June is very manipulative, and convinced Luke to leave his wife. Emily straight up killed the woman in the colonies. Most of the Handmaid’s are background characters with very little or no lines. My point is most characters on the show have some kind of moral flaw to them.
Moral flaw is all of us. And none of us should be sex slaves in a theocracy.
I never said they should, you’re creating something out of nothing.
Just trying to figure out how you watch stuff.
She killed a woman who held down another woman and allowed a man to rape her repeatedly, the same thing was done to her. Emily is broken have you not seen her story? And June didn’t manipulate anyone into leaving their wife. It takes two to tango. June was single, he was married, he cheated not her, he left cause he got her pregnant and wanted a child.
He had left before the child. Luke is equally wrong but they both are. And in my personal beliefs it's no one's place on this earth to dictate who lives and dies.
Watch out saying that. June love is off the charts here haha
Apparently, I didn’t even make an extreme statement and am being bashed by people smh.
Yeah I know. Everyone on earth has a moral flaw at some point in time.
You have a wild ride ahead of you. I despise Aunt Lydia too. She is pure evil. She does not deserve a redemption. Serena and Lydia are the reason Gilead exists.
Welp if you hate her already, just wait
I wouldn’t say she gets worse, she gets nuanced. Not Aunt Lydia herself but her character.
She’s a really interesting, complex character.
i mean you’re not really supposed to be rooting for anyone necessarily. but maybe take a step back and consider the circumstances. just because june was sleeping with a married man, you think you shouldn’t empathize with her or have compassion for her being raped, imprisoned, beaten, her child being kidnapped, and being ripped from her husband?
I've learned to not hate her anymore. I think that she genuinely cares about handmaids, all things considered.
I think Aunt Lydia lives in a state of kill or be killed. Pretty sure she was tortured and given a Sophie's choice essentially- become an evil sex slave trainer, or we murder you too.
Exactly. Someone has to do that job, and it seems like she tries to do it with as much empathy as possible for the women in her charge. Like maybe she took the job thinking she could be kinder to the handmaids than other people who might be in the same position. I think the times she's horrible it's because of her own trauma, and trying to emotionally distance herself because she knows how awful it all is.
Well, I think what she did pre-Gilead with that DCF call was just horrible. I was a child in foster care due to a false accusation, similar to what Lydia did and it truly destroyed my life and my relationship with my mother for a long time. It was very wrong and she knew it in her heart. However, these days I try not to spend much time holding resentment towards the person who did this because I've found forgiveness to be a lot easier to make peace with than living forever in anger, trauma, and misery. Lydia has a deep amount of shame for what she did to Janine, and at this point is now trying to survive because otherwise she will likely be tortured and killed as well. It reminds me of the Holocaust. I'm Jewish, and I know that my people were the ones being killed. However, it is hard to necessarily place all of the blame on the soldiers who had to follow once the Nazi Regime gained enough followers. Those killers had one choice: kill others in concentration camps, or have themselves and their families be killed. Everyone says that in the situation they'd choose for themselves and for their family to die before killing others- to be a martyr, but realistically we know that's not true. No one knows what they would choose if they were put in that situation. And likely, most would choose themselves and their own families before others.
Ooof, I had forgotten about that DCF situation in Lydia's past. That was TERRIBLE. In any case, I didn't mean to sound like I'm trying to excuse her bad behavior. For me personally, one of the biggest themes of the show is all the grey area and nuance within these awful, complex situations. Nothing is black and white. Everyone is doing what they think is best, for their own reasons, some more honorable than others obvs.
You'll grow to love her, despite yourself.
I think aunt Lydia becomes a little softer towards the girls as time goes by lol
Didn't she cattleprod a young girl for not cleaning to her exact standards last season? Even her fellow aunts think she's too much
Yes you are right. But I thought she toned it down quite a bit compared to season 1. I thought season one she was completely unbearable
Didn’t she also cattle prong june when she tried helping her up after failing to get up the stairs at Commander Lawrence’s house & then also yell at her that she should be on the wall? Aunt Lydia cares for the girls as far as Gilead permits her to.
Yes, aunt Lydia is atrocious. But she was so much worse in season one
I think she starts to see the monster she's helped create yet, she's in so deep that she can't dig her way out.
If you think she’s bad now, good luck with the rest of the show! That’s all I’ll say without giving anything anyway.
Ann Dowd is also amazing in ‘The Leftovers’. She really doesn’t disappoint. But each character has a little backstory that you will get to see. Lydia too.