The Handmaid’s Tale : Dystopian Handmaids

The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-Present)

June, a woman of childbearing potential, lives as a concubine for a Gilead officer and his wife. She is forced to agree to their strict terms, but she hopes to be released and reunited with her daughter.

Here are some viewpoints that make “The Handmaid’s Tale” worth watching.

The Plot

Set in a fictional Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be the United States. Gilead is ruled by a regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and falling birth rate. To have a future, the remaining fertile women are captured, enslaved, and forced to bear children for them.

Psychological Thriller

The show centers on one of the Handmaid named June. During her escape with her husband and daughter, she is being captured and taken to Gilead. She was forced to change her name, her identity, and leave her family behind. We see how all the Handmaids are being tormented daily from the eyes of June (now called Offred).

Amazing Cinematography

The visual here is absolutely stunning. The cinematography is more beautiful than most shows you normally see. The maroon costume design, the soft color tone, the dystopian city vibe, the group choreography, and the artistic camera movement. Every scene pleases the eyes. Every scene looks like one fine painting.

Symbolic Costumes

Women in Gilead dressed differently depending on their categories. All handmaids wear long, loose, red dresses. The wives of the commanders wear teal, they do not have a voice. The Aunts Wear Brown, they are the ones who train and police the handmaids. The Marthas Wear Dull Green, they are older, infertile women who cannot bear children, The Marthas take care of the house.

Professional Acting

This show won many awards for its acting. Superb performance from Elisabeth Moss as the main victim, Joseph Fiennes as the protagonist, Yvonne Strahovski as the house lady, Alexis Bledel as the good friend, Madeline Brewer as the worst victim, and the evil aunt Ann Dowd that tormented the Handmaids on daily basis.

Beautiful and Creepy

This show is both beautiful and creepy at the same time. Every punishment is brutal. You will witness how tragic it is to be one of these Handmaids. They have to obey every rule set by their commanders, they have to bear the child of another man. Escaping or having a miscriage means extreme punishment, or even death.

Futuristic and Realistic

The scariest part of this show is the fact that this is realistic. It takes place in a real modern city. Every terrifying scene shown here is the result of natural phenomena, not the work of science fiction, nor fantasy, nor supernatural stuff. It is as realistic as it can get. It might happen in the future, it might not.

The Handmaid’s Tale is not only about the handmaids, but the show explores most of its characters’ story, from the government leaders, the house commanders, the refugees, the citizens, etc. They all developed and have their own story arc. The Handmaid’s Tale is by far the best show on Hulu, and one of the best shows ever created. It won plenty of Emmy awards too while competing with other giants.