The Handmaid's Tale: Season 2 Begins

By Spencer Coile

What one word would you use to describe the first season of The Handmaid’s Tale? Bleak, visceral, angry… timely. Take your pick – they all apply. And returning for its second season, it becomes abundantly clear that the series is not shying away from its difficult subject matter.

Set in Gilead, a dystopian future where only a handful of women are capable of conceiving children, The Handmaid’s Tale (based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name) is a grisly yet empowering exploration of femininity and feminism in a time when women’s bodies are viewed as mere vessels. Season one was righteous, searing, and highly acclaimed earning eight total Emmy Awards and a place in the cultural zeitgeist. Can the second season keep the momentum going?

The Handmaid’s Tale’s first season loosely followed the plot of Atwood’s novel, but the second must conjure a life of its own...

There is nothing holding the creators back from expanding this world and opening it up to possibilities unexamined in the shorter source material. This freedom offers a lot of potential for future seasons, but also places a heavy burden on them. How to follow season one?

Season two’s opener, “June” picks up immediately where the first season left off: June, or her handmaid name Offred, (Elisabeth Moss) is whisked away by unnamed officers. Are they a part of Mayday, the underground resistance movement, or are they there for more sinister reasons? The questions don't linger long. The creators obviously have a clear vision in mind for how this season will progress because in a matter of minutes into "June," we are introduced to new characters, environments, and twists waiting around every corner.

And the stakes only get higher. 

This starts with the revelation that June is pregnant; a miracle to her overseers. After all, nothing is more sacred than bringing new life into the world. The politicization of women’s bodies came through in the first season and now there's even more to dig into. Until this point, we only ever witnessed the degradation and humiliation that came from being a handmaid. However, with June's pregnancy (not to mention the show's flashbacks to her role as a mother), The Handmaid's Tale is painting a complex narrative about motherhood and about the lengths one will go to in order to to feel free. 

While the novel focused on only June's perspective, the series functions as more of an ensemble piece -- allowing its many cast members to shine. From Ann Dowd's villainous portrayal of Aunt Lydia to Alexis Bledel's sympathetic Emily, these women are deeply flawed, but rich with detail. Perhaps taking a cue from Orange is the New Black, where different episodes focus solely on one character to help us understand their past, season two offers this up Emily, right away. We only spent brief (albeit devastating) time with her in the first season.  With any luck, the lookbacks with different characters will continue to develop as season two progresses. 

From the get-go The Handmaid’s Tale was a story that operated both internally and externally. The acting and writing are all sharp about plumbing the interiors, but it was also the visuals that helped to tell this story with the world building and color choices. The second season is as visually sumptuous as the first, if somewhat different. While the first season gave us pops of color with the handmaids' red dresses and white headpieces, season two dives into the grey, into more darkness. We are now immersed in shadows, of the secrets that hold these characters together. It is a grim picture but one that seems to be heading toward the light. 

Near the end of "June," its leading character makes a pivotal (not to mention bloody) decision that will change the course of the series. While season one was contained and suffocating, it seems clear that season two is looking to build the world into something more expansive. Only time will tell if this narrative push will be successful or not, but in the meantime, let's celebrate that one of television's most exciting and bold series is taking risks.

Praise be, The Handmaid's Tale is back! 

Comments

[Brian]

The first two episodes of this season were equally phenomenal and devastating. The acting in this show is out of this world. This show seems to ask us what our worst nightmares are as a society and then puts them on screen. It is sometimes so difficult to watch because I fear for these characters in the same way I’d fear for myself or a loved one. I’ve never felt so much dread to watch something over a show that I actually think is brilliant. I’m so curious to see where the rest of this season goes.

[Melchiades]

Things that we read in the book and see in the tv show are happening to women around the globe. Or even worst. The nightmare is real for these women.

[Joey]

I admit that I was overly cautious to jump back in here. Will they expand the world and characters in an interesting way? How will they handle being on their own without the source material to back them up? I've seen 6 episodes, and I think episode 4 is a stunner. We are sitting on Yvonne Strahovki's pained subtle work in this series. She deserves more recognition.

[par]

it took me a scene or two to recognise marisa tomei and before i could fully enjoy the fact she was joining the cast....

don't mess with rory gilmore