It's no secret that we're in the midst of a TV renaissance. There's a ton of exciting and challenging work being produced right now, bringing even the biggest of movie stars to the small screen. One of last year's biggest hits was Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, which made history as the first streaming series to win big at the Emmys. Anticipation for its second season has been at a fever pitch, and now the first trailer has arrived. One thing is clear: we've only seen the tip of the iceberg so far.
Take a second, catch your breath, and let's break down all the insanity we're being shown in this first trailer.
The trailer for Season 2 picks up right where The Handmaid's Tale finale left off. June aka Offred, has been escorted out of the house and into a van, and it's not clear what's going to happen to her. While she might be in trouble for her activities with The Commander or her involvement in Mayday, Nick also told her everything would be fine. Who exactly is going down, and where is she headed? The Commander and Serena Joy seem panicked, arguing among themselves about what they'd done.
From there things go truly bananas, and it's clear that The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 is going to introduce us to more terrifying aspects of Gilead. The characters look like they're in for a world of pain, especially the Handmaids. Their act of defiance in the finale may have saved Janine from being stoned to death, but Aunt Lydia made it clear that this would not be forgotten lightly. We see the Handmaids in a few precarious positions, the most terrifying being in rows of gallows.
The trailer also explains what happened to both Ofglen/Emily and Janine after their respective departures in Season 1. It turns out they were sent to The Colonies. This is a setting we've heard about but never seen, the place where former citizens are forced to do labor in hazardous conditions until they die out. Given the crimes committed by the two characters, it should come to no surprise that this was their fate--- despite being able to have children. Moira almost was sent there, but ended up choosing a life of prostitution at Jezebel's instead.
Speaking of Moira, it appears that both she and Luke are going to be fighting as hard as they can from the safety of Canada. Moira is shown confronting someone from Gilead that would presumably recognize her as a former Handmaid and fugitive. It seems like Luke is trying to work from within the system, but it's clear that people are trying to help get June to safety. The question is whether or not she's too deep in the system at this point, through both Mayday and the visit with the delegate last season.
June ends saying she's free, but exactly how? We'll just have to wait and see.
The Handmaid's Tale will return to Hulu on April 25th. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch. Plus our Amazon premiere list and superhero premiere list to to ensure you don't miss a single episode.
