Spoilers ahead for the season finale of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale.
We're in a bit of television renaissance at the moment. With networks, cable, premium channels, and streaming services all producing fantastic content, there is no lack of quality TV to binge at any given moment. Hulu scored another win recently, as it's new drama The Handmaid's Tale (based off the novel of the same name) has become part of the pop culture lexicon, and each episode doesn't fail to deliver suspense and horror in equal measure. Season 1's explosive finale aired in the streaming service this week, leaving a handful of major questions for the upcoming sophomore season. And now it looks like author Margaret Atwood will be more involved in Season 2, as the show must create new content where the novel ended.
Handmaid's Tale showrunner Bruce Miller recently spoke to THR about its successful first season, and what to expect from Season 2. It's here that he revealed how involved Margaret Atwood will be next season, mostly so they can craft a story with her iconic characters. He said:
There's more collaboration for a couple of reasons; one is that we don't have a text that was written stating specifically what happens next (although we have a sense of some of the things that might happen next because of the 'historical notes' section that takes place after the conclusion of the Offred story). So through that you get a little bit of a sense, but absolutely. We had a working relationship so we've been working much more closely and having those discussions for longer.
This should be a big relief for fans of both the Handmaid's Tale novel and TV series. Having Margaret Atwood involved in crafting the narrative will ensure that Season 2 feels naturally connected to the first, and that the characters will grow in a logical way. Nearly every major character seems to be a precipice, so the possibilities seem pretty endless for how things will go down in Season 2.
The final moments of The Handmaid's Tale's first season are very close to the ending to Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name, barring a few exceptions. Following the Handmaids' passive resistance against Aunt Lydia and the stoning of Janine, Offred (Elizabeth Moss) is taken by The Eyes in a black van. The Waterfords have no knowledge or power over this, and Nick assures her that everything will be fine. So now what?
It turns out that conversations with Margaret Atwood about Season 2 were happening early into the process. As Bruce Miller tells it,
We had lots of discussions about what would happen to the characters after season one in small and big ways. We've been talking about it ever since the middle of season one. There are things Margaret thought about a lot because over the years, and that's one of the biggest questions she's been asked, is what happens next to these characters. So it wasn't a question that I was bringing up to her for the first time.
Smart money says that Offred is actually being asked to testify regarding Commander Waterford's banned items and actions. Nick's job is to spy on Fred, and he's the one who told Offred it would all be fine. Additionally, Nick has his own feelings toward the Handmaid and her unborn child, which is actually his. And with Offred pregnant, we can assume that she'll be safe for the time being, and hopefully she'll be able to get more involved in Mayday. Now we just need Alexis Bledel's Emily/ Ofglen/ Ofsteven to come back, and I'll be one happy camper.
