On April 8, Hulu released The Testaments, a sequel to the hit show The Handmaid's Tale, based on Margaret Atwood's new novel. Here's why the series is worth watching.
What is the novel “The Testaments” about?
The sequel to The Handmaid's Tale was released in 2019 and was longlisted for the Booker Prize before its release – so much was the book so highly anticipated. Margaret Atwood was inspired to write the second part by questions from viewers of the series about the structure of Gilead – the fictional totalitarian state in which the novel takes place. “Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings has been a source of inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! Another source of inspiration is the world in which you and I live,” says Atwood.
The events of the author's new work take place 17 years after the events of “The Handmaid's Tale”, and the story is told by three people at once: Aunt Lydia, already known for the novel “The Handmaid's Tale”, the second – Agnes, a young woman from Gilead, the third – Daisy, a girl who lives in Canada. “The Testaments”, in fact, shows the decline of Gilead, because we see that the cruel and vile regime is rotting from the inside. All the slogans about purity and service turned out to be a dirty lie. Lydia is an elderly woman who has gone through a thorny path: from a respected family judge in old Gilead through prison and participation in the massacres of the innocent to the highest position in the ruling elite. Lydia seeks to destroy the regime that destroyed her life, and has a lot of evidence of its criminality. She plans to secretly smuggle this evidence to Canada. She must be helped by two girls: Agnes from Gilead, who learns the shocking truth about her real mother-servant, and Jade, a sixteen-year-old from Toronto who turns out to be the same Little Nicole that the children were told about in school. Three women who dare to stand up to the cruel and deceitful regime. Will they be able to defeat the monster?
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The book was shortlisted for the 2020 British Book Award for Fiction and won the Booker Prize.
About the series
The dark coming-of-age story of a new generation of women in Gilead has been adapted for Hulu. Interestingly, even before the book was officially released, Hulu, along with MGM Television, intuitively sensed the story's potential and secured the rights. And it's no wonder: at the helm is Bruce Miller, the man who turned The Handmaid's Tale into a cultural phenomenon.
As for the plot, this time the focus shifts: the story is not centered on June, but on the generation that grew up within the system. It is the story of girls who don't remember the world “before”, but are already beginning to feel that something is wrong with their reality. And this is the main intrigue: a kind of awakening is taking place.
The series stars Anne Dowd, who played Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid's Tale, Chase Infinity, and Lucy Halliday.
Will we see June played by Elisabeth Moss in the new series?
Not yet. This time, Elisabeth Moss took on the role of producer. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she noted: “I wasn't on the set of 'Wills.' But I can't help but be present. I don't know how else to do it. And it definitely feels like a certain presence, given the number of emails I wrote!”
However, series producer Bruce Miller said that June's appearance is “a good hope. I hope she can show up there too. She's still doing her job, she's still doing what she did in The Handmaid's Tale – helping to awaken. Luke and Moira are still out there, ringing the bell to get Hannah back. The beauty of The Handmaid's Tale is that you realize: there are a huge number of people who care and risk themselves to reunite with their children. The people in The Testaments don't experience that, but they still feel June's 'voice.'”
Is it necessary to read the book “Testaments” before watching the series?
Not necessarily. In an interview, Bruce Miller stated, “You should be able to turn on the first episode and just enjoy it as a drama. I tried to make the book and the show as close as possible, but the show doesn't quite follow the story or the timeline because The Testaments takes place over a very long period of time.”
“The Testaments” hits Hulu on April 8th