Hulu’s upcoming adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, based on the unfortunately prescient dystopic novel by Margaret Atwood, doesn’t premiere until April. With just a few months to go, however, the streaming service revealed a last-minute bit of casting news Thursday morning that will inadvertently reunite star Elisabeth Moss with one of her Mad Men co-stars. Gilmore Girls‘ Alexis Bledel, who played Beth Dawes in three episodes of the acclaimed series, will feature alongside the former Peggy Olson as one of Gilead’s titular handmaids.
Like Moss’ Offred and the characters portrayed by fellow cast members Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, and Max Minghella, a great deal can be learned about Bledel’s Ofglen from Atwood’s novel. Creator Bruce Miller (The 100, Eureka) and his team obviously aren’t beholden to their source material, though considering the press release’s description of Ofglen as a “fellow Handmaid and companion” of Offred who “seems like a pious rule-follower [and] loyal to the oppressive Gilead system.” However, “she turns out to be daring and subversive” in her day-to-day life, thereby ushering in the series’ story of rebellion with Offred at its center.
Or at least that’s how the character of Ofglen, who’s actually one of three named as such (Glen takes many wives) throughout the novel, appears in the official release. Whether or not Miller’s adaptation and Bledel’s interpretation of the character follows an identical or similar course as Atwood’s remains to be seen. What is known, sadly, is that neither Mad Men‘s Pete Campbell nor the actor who played him, Vincent Kartheiser will appear in the new series. Which is a shame, considering the character’s connections to both Peggy and Beth. (Not to mention Kartheiser’s real life marriage to Bledel in 2014.) Pete would surely approve of Gilead’s practices.
The Handmaid’s Tale premieres Wednesday, April 26, 2017 on Hulu. Subsequent episodes will streak on following Wednesdays.