Blessed be the fruit. Namely, the fruits of The Handmaid’s Tale’s between seasons labor. We’ve already been treated to a pair of trailers beckoning the horrors and challenges to come and the latest preview somehow manages to amp up the intensity even more. If the sophomore seaason of this Margaret Atwood adaptation has hidden a talking dog and endless conflict-free pizza parties, they sure as sh*t aren’t getting any shine in the new trailer. Instead, we’re presented with visions of mass hangings, vows of punishment and an emotional push for change.
“Is this freedom looks like?” asks Elizabeth Moss as our story’s lead Offred. “What will happen when I get out? There probably is no out, Gilead is within you.”
Like previous glimpses at the season to come, this Handmaid’s Tale trailer doesn’t give away too much while simultaneously teasing escalating drama (whispered conversations about babies, ahoy!) and a better understanding of how the oppressive Republic of Gilead regime came to be. There’s no suggestion that we’re getting that coveted Drake cameo on the Canadian side of things, though.
Here’s a more refined description of the program and where we’re at.
Adapted from the classic novel by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted fundamentalism in its militarized ‘return to traditional values’. As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate the world. In this terrifying society, Offred must navigate between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead – all with one goal: to survive and find the daughter that was taken from her.
There’s a smidge of pressure on the dystopian Hulu offering to live up to the plaudits that rained down with the debut season. The first go-around earned accolades like the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series (Drama) and the always exciting me screaming “HOLY F*CK!” a bunch award from last year. (It’s a very good program, is what I’m getting at.) Season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale debuts (under his eye) on Hulu on April 25
