The Handmaid’s Tale wrapped up its 6th and final season with a rebellion underway but lots of fighting still needed to break the grip of Gilead. For now, The Handmaid’s Tale is told, but a sequel called The Testaments set several years in the future is coming.
Like The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments will be based on a novel by Margaret Atwood* and created for television by Bruce Miller. Characters we know will be among the cast.
The Handmaid’s Tale is a political drama. It supposedly represents a dystopian future, but is based on true historical events that have already happened in various places. Including right now in the United States of America.
Another way of expressing the message of the film to continue the fight against right wing religious despots is the message June found scratched on a wall in season one: “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
At the end, with the revolution against Gilead finally taking hold and the rebels regaining Boston, the series was able to circle back to the same house, the same window, and the same filtered light where June, AKA Offred, began her tale so many years ago. If you reread my review of season 1, you can see that the entire message of the series was laid out in the beginning.
Everything about the entire six seasons of the series was excellent. The slow realization that men intend to control women’s bodies, the recognition of the evil in the hearts of so-called religious leaders, the use of military force to control people, the use of religion to control people – all of it painted a vivid picture. The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the most culturally significant works of art ever shown on television. The meaning and message of it carries into everything we do today.
For those who are not trapped under the brainwashing of the cult of the far right, the message is clear: stand up and fight now. Don’t let the bastards grind you down.
All six seasons are streaming on Hulu.
*affiliate link