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Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale has dominated drama television with its depiction of a fundamentalist theocracy in charge of women’s rights. Amassed through the retelling of Margret Atwood’s poignant 1985 novel of the same name, the series stars Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd and Joseph Fiennes. The series situates itself in a world where fertile women become a commodity through their use as surrogates to help repopulate a dying America, after years of environmental abuse declines birthrates. The forced surrogacy, called ‘ceremonies’, are justified through a women’s duty of childbearing, as manipulated from biblical roots. At its center is June, who attempts to navigate the sliding scale morality of an oppressive system.
The Handmaid’s Tale artfully takes the darkest parts of humanity and fictionalizes its social and political issues into a new America. Spanning across four seasons, with the fifth to be released on September 14, 2022, the Primetime Emmy-winning show serves as a cautionary tale as much as the original novel did during its release. With the biggest downfall being the shows pacing and its cult status manifesting through brass and unapologetic violence, The Handmaid’s Tale shares its ups and down across the series.
