Summary
A sequel toThe Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu’s adaptation ofThe Testamentswill definitely differ from Margaret Atwood’s book of the same name. Although Atwood wroteThe Handmaid’s Talenovel in 1985,she didn’t pen a sequel to the dystopian classic until 2019— several seasons into Hulu’s Emmy-winningHandmaid’s Taleadaptation. As a result,The Handmaid’s Taleshow pushes beyond the boundaries of Atwood’s book, which ends with a maybe-pregnant June (Elisabeth Moss) clambering into a van that’s maybe headed toward Canada. As ofThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 5’s ending, June has crossed the border several times.
As she struggles to reunite her fractured family and rescue both of her daughters from Gilead,June confronts the harsh realities of her position as a survivor, diplomat, and refugee— all things the novel didn’t need to delve into. OtherHandmaid’s Talecharacters, like Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) or Moira (Samira Wiley), have been given elevated roles in Hulu’s adaptation, which means they may figure intoThe Testaments' narrative too. So far, only Dowd’s casting as Aunt Lydia has been confirmed by Hulu, leaving the door wide open ahead ofThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6and the series finale.
5Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale Has Already Teased Aunt Lydia’s Moral Gray Areas
Season 3 Of The Show Dedicates An Episode To Lydia’s Backstory
As early asThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 3,the show explored Aunt Lydia’s (Anne Dowd) less-then-clear-cut background. Before Gilead, she was a compassionate teacher — albeit a bit lonely and, sometimes, misunderstood. The series shows that Lydia was compelled to do what she felt was right, even when her moral compass wasn’t quite centered. Still, Dowd captures the more human element. While Atwood’s character in theHandmaid’s Talewas cruel to her core, the author does use Aunt Lydia as a point-of-view character inThe Testaments, allowing the apparent Gilead loyalist to tell her story.
At this point, it’s hard to imagine Lydia having those leanings in the show.
There’s always been a complexity to Hulu’s version of Aunt Lydia. Like everyone else who’s complicit in Gilead’s regime, Aunt Lydia has been abusive — physically, verbally, and mentally — to the handmaids placed in her “care.” By being so dedicated to the handmaid system, Aunt Lydia is aiding those who sexually assault women. There’s no getting around that, no matter the character’s backstory. In the show,Lydia has dug her heels into being an acolyte of Gilead, despite a few glimmers of compassion. That said, it’s hard to imagine Hulu’s version ofThe Testamentsadapting her story faithfully.
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Atwood reveals that Aunt Lydia actually despises Gilead, and that she has been playing a kind of long game for some time. Ultimately, Aunt Lydia is a very embedded Mayday operative, and she aids the rebel cause inThe Testaments. At this point, it’s hard to imagine Lydia having those leanings in the show.It’s possible that her experiences — and time spent with Janine (Madeline Brewer) — will turn Aunt Lydia against GileadbeforeThe Handmaid’s Talecomes to an end, thus setting up her Mayday storyline inThe Testaments.
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale is a television adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel, released in 2017. It is set in a dystopian future where a woman is compelled to live as a concubine under a strict fundamentalist theocracy.
4Hannah Narrates The Testaments From Gilead
June’s Daughter Is Secretly One Of The Sequel’s Main Characters
InThe Testaments, June and Luke’s (O-T Fagbenle) daughter, Hannah (Jordana Blake), serves as one of the book’s three narrators. However, she goes by the name Agnes Jemima and still lives with her adoptive parents, Commander Kyle and his wife Tabitha, within Gilead’s boundaries. On Hulu’s show,Hannah is adopted by Commander MacKenzie and his wife and dubbed “Agnes,“so there are certainly similarities. However, the book version of Hannah/Agnes can’t remember her biological parents — just a vague memory of running through the woods with a woman when she was very young.
Much of June’s story revolves around trying to reunite her fractured family, and that includes rescuing Hannah from Gilead.
Of course, Hulu’s version of the character has also been sufficiently indoctrinated by Gilead. At first,it doesn’t seem like Hannah remembers June or their life together before Gilead’s war. Although there are some breakthrough moments later on inThe Handmaid’s Tale, Hannah is still living with the MacKenzie family. Much of June’s story revolves around trying to reunite her fractured family, and that includes rescuing Hannah from Gilead. That seems to be the plan heading into the sixth and final season of the show. Whatever happens will no doubt reshapeTheTestaments’charactersand stories drastically.
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3Nicole’s Story Will Have To Change In The Testaments
Unless June & Luke Die, Nicole Will Likely Know Who She Is
Nicole (spelled Nichole in the Hulu series) has already become something of a symbol inThe Handmaid’s Tale. A baby born to a handmaid in Gilead and brought over the border to Canada as a refugee, baby Nicole quickly became a pawn in the United States' struggle to make diplomatic contact with Gilead. More than that, Nicole became a pawn of sorts inSerena Joy and June’sHandmaid’s Talestoryline. For now,Nicole is safely in Canada with June, Luke, and Moira, but it’s hard to know if that safety will last.
Nicole could still become a ward of Mayday…
InThe Testaments, the third point-of-view character is Daisy, a young woman who lives in Toronto with her adoptive parents. On Daisy’s sixteenth birthday, her parents are killed, and it’s revealed thatthey were Mayday operatives assigned to protect her — because Daisy is actually Nicole. This revelation propels Nicole’s whole narrative, which, in turn, impacts the story of her half-sister, Hannah/Agnes. Luke and June are bothcharacters who could die inThe Handmaid’s Tale’s final season, though the latter seems a little less likely. If that’s the case, Nicole could still become a ward of Mayday.
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2The Testaments Never Directly Confirms That June Is Related To Its Narrators
Hannah/Agnes & Daisy/Nicole’s Identities Are Left Ambiguous
AlthoughThe Testamentsstrongly suggests that Hannah/Agnes and Nicole/Daisy are June’s daughters, it never outright confirms anything. That’s how Atwood wanted it. Both teenagers learn that their mother was a handmaid, but, other than that, it’s kept vague. Of course, Hulu’s shows can’t pull off the same trick. For Atwood, it was important that readers could pass their own judgments on the situation: the connections to Offred are there if readers want them, butthe anonymity also reiterates that Hannah, Nicole, and June’s stories are the stories of so many womenimpacted by Gilead.
The Testaments Creates A Big Challenge For The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6’s Serena Joy Story
When it comes to Serena Joy’s story in the final season of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood’s sequel, Testaments, presents some issues.
1June’s Story In The Testaments Could Tease A Tragic Handmaid’s Tale Ending
It’s Possible June Won’t End Up With A Family At All
In Atwood’s sequel,June ends up working for Mayday and keeping tabs on her supposed daughters from afar. If that ends up happening in the adaptations, Hulu’sHandmaid’s Taleseries finale will be much darker — and more tragic — than anticipated. Separating June from her children feels like the only way forThe Handmaid’s Taleto successfully set up the storylines inThe Testaments. Although that would be an immensely harrowing conclusion to June’s six-season struggle, it certainly gives the sequel series a lot to delve into, all while keeping June alive when the credits roll.
The Testaments
The Testaments explores the lives of young women in Gilead, a dystopian society, as they confront the oppressive conditions they were born into. With little memory of the world outside, they seek alliances to challenge their fate of servitude and fight for freedom and self-determination.
