For the uninitiated, the setup for the novel is that fertility is incredibly low, environmental disasters abound, and North America is at war. Taking place in the not too distant future in the Greater Boston Area, all women are property of the state and classified by their purpose, for example as servants, surrogates, wives, or un-women. Offred, our sometimes-narrator, is a Handmaid, a class of woman designated to act as surrogates for the high-powered Commanders who run the new fundamentalist Christian totalitarian regime that rules the land now known as Gilead. I was pleased with the way the writers addressed this by pushing and pulling at different storylines, lengthening some and shortening others, to effectively break the season over the course of these first three episodes. Each one felt like it had just the right amount of story, and ended on the right note, whether triumph, terror, or torment. It’s a tall order to introduce a cast of characters, build an intricate world, interest us in the mystery of how this world came to be from our own, and interest us in the present-day storylines of our characters as well, all before the audience loses interest and moves on. Granted, with such a known quantity there are many fans who will give this show the benefit of the doubt, but for the new viewer or casual fan this is essential. The show mostly succeeded, with a couple of exceptions. While I enjoyed Strahovsy’s performance, she hasn’t been properly introduced to the audience and I’m starting to worry. I can only hope a spotlight episode is coming, and soon. It doesn’t help that her and Elisabeth Moss’ characters are supposed to be significantly different ages, rather than the exact same age. Joseph Fiennes also feels too young, and while so far he hasn’t had much to do, his story will pick up later on. Given the subject matter, The Handmaid’s Tale does a surprisingly good job of finding humour, and balancing the abject horror of Gilead with defiance. I will say, though, that episode three is the one most in need of a trigger warning or content note, as far as truly dehumanising a subset of people. If you’re into self-care, you may very well need it after this one, folks. I tend to be forgiving when it comes to voiceover, but it’s uneven at best here. We get it at the beginning of episode one and only sporadically after that. It’s also missing at many key moments when (as a book reader) I know that we are missing information that would make her look less like a psychopath or would otherwise clarify a murky motive. While there’s no need to read the book before watching Hulu’s television adaptation, I highly recommend you do, because the book experience is quite different. The major differences between the two, other than the lighter tone, are that there’s additional material in the show and the cast has more diversity. On the diversity point, every bit of marketing for this series has rightly touted Samira Wiley as one of the show’s stars, and her performance as Moira has been stellar so far, even in a rather crowded field. In the original text Gilead is rather homogenous by the time the main events start, and while I understand why, I’m thrilled they made this change. Without getting into spoilers, I’ll just say the material they added to the show truly feels like it comes from the same universe as the book, a testament to the creators and the wisdom of having Margaret Atwood intimately involved in the production. It honestly feels like she dusted off earlier drafts, that’s how seamlessly the new material fits in with the old. I’m hesitant to even characterise it beyond “material,” because I want you to just start watching this show already and enjoy it for yourselves! A strong cast, impeccable timing, and a devastating story should put The Handmaid’s Tale on many people’s must-watch list, and the new material, surprising levity, and making the most of the new medium will keep it there. If you’re a fan of the book, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re at all troubled by the state of the world today or enjoy dystopian or speculative fiction, you should definitely tune in. If you’re pretty happy with politics right now and are kind of into the idea of women as property… yeah, you are definitely going to hate this show. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
