“The Testaments,” a companion series to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” was released on April 8 on Hulu and has been well received with an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. The show is based on a book with the same title published in 2019 by Margaret Atwood, author of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
The episodes are being released on a weekly basis, with the season one finale set to be released on May 27.
The plot follows Agnes (played by Chase Infiniti), Daisy (played by Lucy Halliday) and Shunammite (played by Rowan Blanchard), who portray young women navigating the dystopian reality of “Gilead,” the former United States of America. The show takes place approximately four years following the finale of the Handmaid’s Tale. However, not much seems to have changed in Gilead.
Quickly, Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), a returning character from the Handmaid’s Tale makes an appearance and establishes herself a power figure, ordering Agnes to take charge of Daisy, a “Pearl Girl” and lead her through Aunt Lydia’s elite preparatory school. The “Pearl Girls,” like Daisy, were “runaways” from Canada, and not to be trusted in Gilead.
The purpose of the school is to train the young women of Gilead, especially those born into the upper classes, to be obedient and traditional wives to the “Commanders,” or leaders of the nation.
Both “The Handmaid’s Tale” and now “The Testaments” have become cultural icons, and used as warning for the possible dystopian reality of the United States in the wake of the recent Supreme Court rulings and both anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-aborting legislation being introduced across the U.S.
Spoilers ahead!
The show opens with beautiful scenes of a seemingly “perfect” society, with manicured lawns and a return to “traditional values.” However, the false calm and idealist world turns dark, with the public and violent punishment of a young guard, Romann Berrux. This act of violence shatters the illusion of a utopia and reminds the audience that Gilead is not the paradise it pretends to be, and it is truly a dystopian disaster.
After this upsetting event, the audience is let in on a secret that Daisy, the dutiful “Pearl Girl” is a rebel, known as May Day operative;enemy of Gilead. The first episode concludes with the “easter egg” of June (played by Elisabeth Moss), the star of the Handmaid’s tale and clues the audience in on the fact that her story, and the stories of Agnes and Daisy may be connected.
This first episode has garnered initial positive reactions from fans and caused speculation as to the possible parents of Daisy. Fans are theorizing that despite the difference in timeline between the book and the series adaptation, the plot will stay true to Daisy being the child of June and Nick (played by Max Minghella), a driver and then young commander of Gilead.
However, there are elements of the show that fans are not happy about. Many are criticizing the show for being “too bleak,” and not following the lighthearted tone of Atwood’s novel, when it was supposed to be more along the lines of a YA reboot.
Another glaring difference for fans of the show was the absence of Handmaids in their striking red dresses, and white “winged” head covering, that are iconic of the show. Many fans speculate that omission is intentional, and it is supposed to emphasize a new view of Gilead, that of privileged children who do not yet realize the evil of the country they call home.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who is looking for a dystopian masterpiece, and commentary on the dangers of the current American political climate. However, if you are looking for a light hearted comfort show, I recommend you run the other way.