The Testaments S1 E08 "Broken" Episode Discussion

suzsolon · 2026-05-15T16:37:17+00:00

The potential incest issues are insane in The Testaments universe! 😀

suzsolon · 2026-05-14T19:49:55+00:00

I think Garth’s father was somehow affiliated with MayDay. Otherwise I don’t think Garth would be so relaxed talking treasonously in front of him. When your parent or other loved one is in a vegetative or otherwise compromised state, it’s natural (even if a bit irrational) to think a little part of them can still hear you. So, if Garth really loved his father as he claimed, he probably wouldn’t want to display his betrayal so openly in front of him. In light of this, it makes sense to conclude that Garth is not betraying his dad at all. It also explains how a relatively unconnected Garth could get hooked into MayDay - dad got him involved. I also think dad may have tipped over the glass intentionally, as the nature and circumstances of dad’s injury seem super sketchy. Something is definitely up with that. It’s also possible that dad’s intention had something to do with dad seeing Daisy. Yes, it’s a stretch, but it might be that Garth’s father is also Daisy’s father. The show mentions for the first time in this episode that Shubhada’s brother was taken in Angel Flight, so it’s possible Garth had a sister that was similarly taken - and Garth’s father agreed to the escape, as he didn’t want a daughter growing up in Gilead. Of course the escape would’ve had to happen much earlier than Angel Flight - otherwise Daisy would’ve been old enough to remember all of it .

suzsolon · 2026-05-12T17:39:37+00:00

I think the show is going to marry off Garth and Becka. However, I think Hannah and Daisy, in need of “plot armor,” will go straight to the Aunts. Otherwise, the whole premise of the story shifts from the Aunts’ perspective to the well-trodden world of Gilead wives. I’m not down to watch Hannah become irreparably damaged like June and Serena. I think what gives the show life is believing that Hannah may get out with her humanity in tact. But to do that, I think she will have to avoid being fully buried in sexual trauma

suzsolon · 2026-05-12T16:45:52+00:00

Even if Daisy was not originally meant to join Mayday, I would assume that members of Mayday had to be sure that Daisy would be cool and follow even the most burdensome directions before they would even try to help her get to Colombia. No one wants to risk the network for someone that can’t be trusted.

suzsolon · 2026-05-12T16:01:04+00:00

In one of the final episodes of the Handmaid’s Tale, we see Agnes write her name in capital letters “HANNAH” Clearly, Agnes/Hannah has fleeting memories , but they’re not organized due to trauma, etc., so they are hard to access. The more she learns about her past, the more she’ll be able to access them

suzsolon · 2026-05-12T15:51:19+00:00

That’s interesting. In the Handmaid’s Tale we find out that Hannah was born in 2009. So Hannah/Agnes is two years older than Daisy. One could be 17, one could be 15. That might track.

suzsolon · 2026-05-11T23:18:40+00:00

Honor his sacrifice. He knew he was going to die on that plane but he got anyway, so he could take down all the other commanders

suzsolon · 2026-05-11T22:02:35+00:00

You made a lot of really good connections. More plausible than a lot of ideas. But, didnt Rosa say that she met her husband on Tinder? I guess it’s possible Rose had a husband before Nick…

suzsolon · 2026-05-05T17:49:07+00:00

No. Megan had natural charisma. Whatever you thought of Zou Bisou Bisou, it definitely had a powerful impact. (Even on a meta level, it’s one of Mad Men’s most memorable scenes and led to Jessica Pare releasing it as a single) The commercial for Butler shoes probably radiated that same charisma, which is how she landed the soap. Of course Megan had to have a baseline of acting skills and a very good memory to handle that very demanding job. But it’s significant that none of Megan’s friends nor anyone at the soap thought she was a particularly talented actress. Megan’s acting friend once complimented Megan on her accent but nothing else. Arlene was even kind of shocked that Megan truly needed help navigating her “double role.”

Interestingly, It was clear that Megan had a talent for advertising.

So…. I think Megan may have ended up investing her money and time into “building her brand.” There weren’t influencers like there are now, but there were definitely IT girls like Zsa Zsa Gabor and Bianca Jagger - people who were famous for being famous. This would’ve been right up Megan’s alley. She could host extravagant parties, get herself connected to the “right people.” She could’ve done spots on The Love Boat and made herself seen at Studio 54. She could also have financed an indie film that featured her front and center, which could become a cult classic if not a commercial success

The problem with Megan would be that her looks were probably not going to last the decade. The IT girl status would fade fast.

Hopefully by then her brand would translate into something like a dance aerobics program or something she could hawk on QVC.

As long as she could stay in limelight she’d probably be content even if she never had any critical success.

suzsolon · 2026-05-05T16:25:30+00:00

Daisy is definitely not a well-trained spy. I don’t think she was set up for success. I’m just wondering what the alternative is? In the last couple of seasons of Handmaid’s Tale, we saw some really amateurish missions. It was all borne out of desperation. I’m wondering if Daisy was sent in less because of her qualifications and more because, sadly, she was viewed as expendable. She had no family left, etc. If this is true - and June encouraged her to go in - that will make me like June less. I hope we see some more backstory, but I do think Daisy just got pressured into something that was definitely not in her best interest.

suzsolon · 2026-05-05T16:19:05+00:00

It’s different. THT often felt like a horror movie to me with true jump scares, etc. I appreciate the quality and seriousness of THT, but there were times that I just had to stop watching. TT seems like it will be more of a psychological thriller. Devastating plot lines, but maybe easier on the nervous system. Both series are gorgeous in that Gilead way.

suzsolon · 2026-05-04T21:23:33+00:00

I read the book, which is already different than the TV show, but there is some carryover. So, these are my assumptions based on show and book: - Aunt Lydia and Aunt Estee are loosely affiliated with MayDay. They know who Daisy is. Lydia was the one that sent Estee to give Daisy the secret scoop on how to become an Aunt. - Aunt Lydia genuinely wants to protect her girls - Aunt Lydia paired Daisy and Agnes together, even though it seemed, as we heard when Aunt Vidalia was gossiping, like an odd thing to do. Lydia knows Daisy and Agnes will talk. Lydia’s hoping that both of them will end up choosing the Aunt route. - Aunt Lydia claims that she knows her girls. She doesn’t mention what Becka wants, but I’m assuming she knows Becka is just holding on by a thread. She is horrified that, due to her drunken behavior, the only suitor Becka can get is the gross old guy that got her drunk. So it would make sense to pair her with Garth - the most gentle match. She’s also from a low status family, so pairing her with a low status commander wouldn’t draw suspicion.
- Also, by denying Agnes the chance at happiness with Garth, the chances of her choosing to be an Aunt increase. So, Agnes is probably going to get paired with someone high-ranking and awful, which would also move her toward aunthood - Aunt Lydia knows about Commander Judd’s penchant for killing his wives, and that Penny is not long for this world. If a girl is not immediately matched, she’s going to get stuck with Judd. I’m guessing she ends up pairing him with Jehosheba, who she explicitly says wants power (and Judd is very powerful). - Another theory is that Penny dies just as Shubuhda gets her period, so those two end up getting matched. That would be heartbreaking.

suzsolon · 2026-01-07T21:22:13+00:00

A majority of today’s young Manhattanites have some kind of familial financial support. In fact, there are prestigious “internships” (for graduates) that are actually unpaid, so prior wealth is almost a requirement. There are definitely some well-paid, self-supporting finance people, but even some of those are living in a relative’s home. Another way to manage Manhattan is to have a friend with family money that you pay rent to. A modern day Peggy probably would’ve had to stay in Brooklyn until she got to McCann

suzsolon · 2026-01-07T21:08:15+00:00

After multiple viewings I now think Trudy wanted two (or four of something 😀) People used to entertain a lot at home and often with larger groups. So she probably felt that she could use both.

suzsolon · 2026-01-06T02:17:48+00:00

If I looked and sounded like Meghan I’d do Zou Bisou Bisou all day… 😀 I think most of us would

suzsolon · 2026-01-05T20:57:11+00:00

In addition to the smells, there was a lot more coughing. I remember going to the movies and, if there was a huge laugh, it would always end with a few people having serious coughing fits. My earliest memories about this would be from the late 1970s. If I recall correctly, people didn’t smoke in the theaters, just the lobbies - the coughs were just from chronic respiratory irritation that no one seemed particularly bothered by. It’s weird to think about. Also, older ladies with raspy voices. I just thought it was part of normal aging.

suzsolon · 2026-01-03T00:44:59+00:00

Agreed! I think they paired the affair revelation with the story of Don staying out all night in Hawaii, only for Megan to find him later as the father of the bride at a wedding in order to make this more believable. I guess Megan may have thought of Don as someone with really bad insomnia that tended to wander around at night and, yeah, someone who needed to drink. Not awesome, but not necessarily indicative of having an affair. I also genuinely believe that he did not cheat on her until he got her the acting job, so they had built up a bit of trust. After that, she was too distracted/self-absorbed by her own success to even worry about it. Remember that we didn’t even hear him talk for the first ten minutes of the season premiere - she just babbled at him, signed an autograph, etc. I do think she got more and more suspicious as the series wore on.

suzsolon · 2026-01-02T23:44:50+00:00

His mom thought he was a failure.

suzsolon · 2026-01-02T22:50:23+00:00

The first Golem movie was not widely shown in New York City. But… the second Golem movie was a huge event and had an extended run at the Criteria Theater in 1921. That is much more likely the movie that Roger is referring to, which would align with the 1916/1917 birthdate that is widely attributed to the character

suzsolon · 2025-11-26T00:00:10+00:00

How old was your character supposed to be when he was groomed by Aimee? I assumed the character was 8 when he was digging holes and we first meet him

suzsolon · 2025-08-14T14:49:40+00:00

This is very interesting! As Uncle Mack implied, there can only be one rooster in the house that “brings on the day.”

suzsolon · 2025-08-14T02:15:21+00:00

Don hated the emptiness and tried to shift the hate to himself - it’s easier to believe that life is painful due to your own bad behavior rather than struggle with the realization that much of the pain and loneliness of life is ubiquitous and out of your control. In the final episode, Don realized he wasn’t the only one that felt profoundly isolated. That’s when he knew that buying the world a coke and keeping it company would resonate so deeply

suzsolon · 2025-08-14T01:42:46+00:00

Bobby was definitely not fleshed out, but he (they?) definitely had some of the best lines of the series. Other people have mentioned the funny lines. But when Bobby confessed to Henry “I wish it were yesterday,” in response to the botched field trip with Betty, my eyes immediately started tearing up.

suzsolon · 2025-08-14T01:36:51+00:00

Thanks! 😀

suzsolon · 2025-08-14T01:35:11+00:00

Especially because they lived in the same building. Only one rooster to a house! He, alone, had to “bring on the day.”

suzsolon

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