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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hofstra chapter.

The award-winning Hulu original series, The Handmaid’s Tale, based on the novel written by Margaret Atwood, is returning with another breathtaking season on April 25. Last season’s finale left viewers with an abundance of unanswered questions as our last glimpse of Offred (Elisabeth Moss) was her leaving the Commander’s home and being loaded into a van, her destination unknown. With the events of the book covered by the first season, the show will be headed into uncharted territory, where viewers will have to watch every week to know what happens next. The end of the first season left viewers with a sense of hope for the Handmaids, as they successfully revolted against the oppression of Gilead when they refused to stone Jeanine. However, the official trailer for season two hints to a much more harrowing fate for Offred and the rest of the Handmaids: 

 

The trailer leaves viewers with an eerie feeling about where the storyline will head next, with Offred whispering, “There is probably no out. Gilead is within you.” What is for sure is that this season will include many of the familiar faces from season one, as the trailer features the return of Ofglen (Alexis Bedel), Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife, Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski), discussing the implications of Offred’s departure, and Moira (Samira Wiley) and Luke (O.T. Fagbenle) reunited in Canada, on the outside looking in. These are only some of the main characters that appear to be returning to the story. Season two will certainly continue with its typical darkness, as the reality of Gilead is that of dystopia and tyranny. The new season specifically seems to give viewers a look into what life is like in the dreaded Colonies, constantly mentioned in the first season, where prisoners are sent to the ravaged areas of North America to be forced to perform dangerous labor that usually involves being exposed to toxic waste. 


Here are some questions that season two may answer: 

What will Offred’s pregnancy mean for her? 

At the end of last season, before she was loaded into a van and taken away, Offred learned that she was pregnant, a saving grace for a Handmaid. Now, both Offred and the baby’s fate is in the balance. If she is headed to the Colonies, it will be interesting to see if she is treated differently as a pregnant Handmaid, because, in the world of Gilead, a baby is rare and sacred. Perhaps her pregnancy will work to her advantage, it may buy Offred more time before she is exposed to the toxic waste that litters the land of the Colonies. 

What will happen to Hanna?

Shortly after learning she was pregnant, Offred learned from Serena Joy that her daughter, Hanna, was alive. The Commander’s wife taunted Offred with the prospect of being reunited with her daughter, and made it know that she knew where Hanna was all along. However, Serena Joy had a proposition for Offred, knowing that she was pregnant, stating that if she kept her baby safe that she could insure that Hanna would remain unharmed as well. Serena Joy’s statement had a threatening tone, insinuating that if Offred did not do what she had to do to give the Waterfords a healthy baby, that, in return, her baby would no longer be safe. Now, with Offred heading to, what appears to be, the Colonies, ripped from the Waterfords’ home, one has to wonder if Serena Joy will retaliate against Hanna with the fate of her unborn baby and Offred unknown. 

What will Luke and Moira do from the outside?

During season one, Luke and Offred (also know as June) both learned that each other were alive. With Luke successfully escaping from Gilead after he and Offred were separated, he is on the outside looking in, trying to figure out how to find his wife and child. Now that he is reunited with Moira after she successfully escaped, it can only be anticipated that they will try to find a way to get June and Hanna out and safely into Canada from the outside. It will also be interesting, and heartbreaking, to see Luke’s reaction to learning what his wife has been suffering through since going through the RED Center and becoming a Handmaid. 

Will Nick and Offred’s romance continue?

Throughout season one, Offred and the Commander Waterford’s driver, Nick, had a secretive and steamy romance. Knowing that Nick is also an Eye, an agent of Gilead employed to spy on the citizens of society, it will be interesting to see what happens with his role this season. It is unknown if he is heading to the same fate as Offred, or if he is the reason she was taken away at the end of last season. Before that, their relationship had taken a tense turn, with Nick becoming jealous of Offred’s relationship with the Commander. However, the romantic tension between them is very real and it is hard to believe their storyline will be left behind in the second season. 

Where has Ofglen been?

Last time we saw Oflgen, she was being taken away by Gilead’s militarized police after stealing a car and killing an officer. Knowing the harsh climate in Gilead, it was presumed by many that she would be sent to death. However, she has since reappeared in the official trailer for season two and it seems as if she and Offred will again reunite. It will be interesting to find out how she escaped being killed, especially after her second time breaking major Gilead laws. The details on how she has survived this long, presumably in the Colonies, will probably be key for Offred and the rest of the Handmaids if they end up in the Colonies with her. 

The first season of The Handmaid’s Tale was a major hit with critics, with the show and cast dominating award season. It can only be anticipated that season two will be just as breathtaking, suspenseful, and incredibly gripping as the season before it, with the story going beyond the realm of Margaret Atwood’s novel and expanding into unknown and uncharted territory. Be sure to tune into the season two premiere of The Handmaid’s Tale because it is sure to be an exhilarating experience, where hopefully all of our burning questions will be answered. 


Hi there! I'm Taryn, a junior journalism major and public relations/sociology minor at Hofstra University! 
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