Article first published as TV Review: THE HANDMAID'S TALE Season 2 on Seat42F.
THE HANDMAID’S TALE remains powerful, timely, and intensely compelling. Watch it exclusively on Hulu.
Hulu’s
THE HANDMAID’S TALE is back for a second season this week. The
streaming service released two episodes last Wednesday, with additional
installments spooling out weekly over the coming months. The tale of
women in a strongly religious, male-dominated society continues, and we
immediately get to see different corners of the world than previously
shown. Viewers finally witness what life is like at the dreaded colonies
first-hand, as well as get a glimpse at an underground railroad-type
situation for ladies fleeing their forced fate. Somehow, none of the
shock value has worn off, as things get darker still.
June Osborne, a.k.a. Offred (Elisabeth
Moss), is left in a precarious position last season, having led a
peaceful protest against Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) to save Janine’s
(Madeline Brewer) life. Aunt Lydia promised consequences, and they
unfold right at the start of episode one. While the actual threat is
obviously just that, merely a threat, as fertile women are too precious a
resource in this reality to waste, it’s easy to see how the victims of
it would be terrified, believing it real. They’ve been treated so poorly
and terrorized so much, they can be forgiven for not thinking the
situation through logically.
June herself, however, is spared as soon
as her pregnancy becomes known. This gets into a psychological game, as
June is immune from some, but not all punishment, and she is still
vulnerable to being shamed in front of the others. Or is she? We know
June has a strong fortitude, and her battle of wills with Aunt Lydia,
much of it non-verbal, is gripping in this initial hour. June has
additional scenes throughout both installments where Moss shines with
physical performance and facial expression.
Episode two divides its time between
some former newspaper offices, where horrible acts were carried out, and
one of the colonies, where Emily (Alexis Bledel) has been sent for hard
labor. I’m not sure what I pictured the colonies as being like, but the
bleak, desolate, radiation-filled landscape is not exactly it. This
feels even sadder, more isolated, than I imagined, and life is extremely
hard there. A subplot involving a new arrival at the colony (Marisa
Tomei, The Big Short) is moving and shocking, but also feels a little
bit satisfying, which is needed every now and then in the series.
One thing that is different about THE
HANDMAID’S TALE from other shows is that it saves all its credits for
the end, so you’ll never know which characters will be showing up. This
works very well in this particular program, as it allows a larger
element of surprise. The end credits also only list the stars of that
particular hour, so Alexis Bledel’s name isn’t in the premiere, leaving
you to wonder how much she’ll be involved in the season. Similarly,
Yvonne Strahovski and Joseph Fiennes aren’t in the second hour, so their
names aren’t present. Will they be back? Who knows? There is a freedom
for the story to go anywhere without being beholden to past places and
characters when even the central cast isn’t listed in this manner.
THE HANDMAID’S TALE continues its
customary flashbacks in both parts. Normally, this is a conceit in a
television show I would grow tired of pretty quickly. And there are
times in these initial offerings where it’s easy to become impatient,
wanting to get back to the main timeline. However, Emily’s bit in
episode two is particularly moving, and both episodes help fill in
exactly how this oppressive regime was able to take power, thankfully
shown indirectly. It’s helpful for understanding the situation, and also
as a warning not to allow current political forces to move in the same
direction. It’s uncomfortably easy to imagine how it might.
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