Handmaid’s Tale Season 2 Premiere, ‘June’ and ‘Unwomen’ Plot Summary:
The Handmaids are punished for their defiance of Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd). Offred/June’s (Elisabeth Moss) pregnancy is revealed to the public. We get our first view of The Colonies where we find Emily/Offglen (Alexis Bledel). The episodes cut back to the past — in particular the exact time of the mass shooting in Congress, and the bombing of The White House.
If you were worried about a sophomore slump for Hulu’s hit series, The Handmaid’s Tale, the first two episodes (which premiere on Wednesday April 25) will put your mind at ease.
Well, at ease if you were worried about the show’s quality. You most certainly won’t feel at ease as a human being after watching these two episodes. Yes, somehow, and someway, the dystopian drama has found a way to ramp up the terror, the suspense, the misery, and the despair.
The acting in the first two episodes was as good if not better than what you remembered from Season One. Alexis Bledel, in particular, just blows you away with her performance in both the colonies, and in Pre-Gilead.
Speaking of Pre-Gilead, these scenes may have been the best parts of the premiere episodes. Bledel’s arc with her wife (Clea Duvall), and her boss (John Carroll Lynch) just tear at the heart. June’s Pre-Gilead scenes were no slouch either — but they play more as a representation of her current moral dilemma, rather than a showcase for Moss’ talents.
Don’t worry, Moss once again puts on an acting clinic in her return as the lead character. Her ability to switch emotions on and off continues to be mind-blowing. While her trademark sarcasm, and defiance were on full display here, it was her smaller, emotional moments, particularly in Episode 2 that really hit home.
The visuals of these premiere episodes were stunning as uhe cinematography employed in this series continues to be breathtaking. The only real complaint here is the over-reliance on extreme close-ups on Moss during tense situations.
The first glimpse of the colonies as bleaker, and tragic as you’d expect. The highlight of these scenes is Marisa Tomei’s guest starring role. The veteran actress pours everything she’s got into her role.
These two episodes have set the table for the second season, and they did so in a very effective, terrifically executed manner. However, there’s still is a lot to be concerned about with the series’ return.
First, this season is going mostly off book. The events happening here, for the most part, are not in Margaret Atwood’s novel. They are wandering into new territories. We’ve seen this can be an extremely hit or miss proposition. Going off book has worked (at times) for Games of Thrones, while a show like The Walking Dead has suffered tremendously.
Based on the first two episodes alone, Season 2 felt like a natural continuation from Season 1. It felt more like the we hit play on a paused show rather than start a brand new season. The Pre-Gilead scenes were exquisitely written and acted, and while there were a few clunks in the current Gilead timeline, everything felt natural, and logical.
You have to hope that the writers have an end game in sight for this show. In these two episodes they’ve done a good job of expanding the world of the story by incorporating The Colonies. The big fear for a show that strays from its source material is that they might get too indulgent, or it’s obvious they never had a plan for a second season, and are throwing things against the wall.
The second worry is based on the amount of misery and despair there is in the series. This can really only go so far. One of the biggest complaints about the first season was that the non-stop sense of dread, and the scenes of just soul crushing violence was just too much for people. The weight of the first season was so heavy, and so timely that by season’s end the stream of blood and tears were just too much for people.
In these first two episodes, there was a lot of misery, and a lot of horror. For this reviewer some of these scenes were absolutely terrifying, but worked as a storytelling device. We do get a few glimpses of hope, particularly at the end of Episode 2 with June. However, hope really needs to start seeping through the cracks in this show.
Again, Handmaid’s Tale does not want to suffer the same fate as The Walking Dead where everyone is miserable, and dying violently at every turn. It will either desensitize the audience, or drive them away. As USA Today put it, this show cannot turn into misery porn, or it won’t find itself with much of a future.
While there is a lot to worry about for the future of The Handmaid’s Tale, the first two episodes prove there is a lot to be hopeful for. The writing is strong, the tone remains the same, and the performances are some of the best on television.
Rating: 9 out of 10
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2 premieres Wednesday April 25 on Hulu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKoIPuifJvE
