Season 6 Release (no spoilers)
Just this past March, my roommate and I finished the 5th season of The Handmaid’s Tale. Though it was only a month away, the release of season 6 was long-awaited. On April 6th, Hulu aired the first three episodes. Here are some of my thoughts about the new season, as well as some hopes I have for the coming episodes.
In The Handmaid’s Tale, the United States is now the Republic of Gilead, and women have no freedom. Certain women, such as handmaids, are tools used to carry children and serve their commanders and their wives. The book only covers a short amount of time in the main character’s life, so the television show has taken full liberty to expand on that.
In my opinion, seasons 1-5 were phenomenal. I think I enjoyed seasons 1-3 the most, as 4 and 5 were expanding from the original plot. However, it was still enjoyable to watch. Season 5, as most shows do, left on a cliffhanger that could be picked up and taken in any direction. I was unsure which way I was hoping it would go.
A Review of “The Handmaid’s Tale”
So, finally, onto season 6, which was released last week in a 3-episode special. Like the other seasons, there is a nice balance between life in Gilead and life outside of Gilead, not only in other countries and rebel groups, but in flashbacks to times before the Republic of Gilead was established. These flashbacks also included characters other than the main character, which is something they just started doing. I think it is a nice touch.
As of this week, there are now four episodes that have been released. Some of the events are already stressing me out, as well as some actions of certain characters, but I suppose that’s what makes a show interesting. It’s hard for me to have any solid critiques about the show since it’s so early on, so I thought I would expand on some things I wish would happen later on as the season progresses.
First, I appreciate the expansion of The Handmaid’s Tale universe within this series, but I do hope they include some of the actual events that occurred in The Testaments. As I have mentioned in a past article of mine, The Testaments is a sequel book written by Margaret Atwood many years after the release of The Handmaid’s Tale. There are certain events I haven’t seen yet that I hope they include.
Five of the Best Books I Read Over Winter Break
Second, I hope there is some serious character development within this final season. Margaret Atwood includes some hefty character development within The Testaments, and I hope to see that come to fruition. Certain characters that I have come to loathe can be slightly redeemed, and I hope something like that happens. There have been some actions thus far that make me feel better about certain characters, but I hope more evil people within Gilead realize their wrongs.
Lastly, I hope they focus the story on other characters just as much as the main one. There have been quite a few characters that have had small features here and there, and I hope they elaborate on them. I have a few characters floating around in my mind that I would appreciate a check-in or a small section to round out their story. This story causes so much pain to the people within it, and they deserve some sort of happy ending just as much as the main character.
So far, I am a bit hesitant to believe that some of these hopes will come to fruition as we are already 4 episodes in, and the average season is about 10-13 episodes, but I am still holding out. I think the main one I am rooting for is some sense of character development within the characters, we already see some sort of shift in. That would be a nice addition to the series as a whole and would make watching it worth it. Regardless of what happens, I have invested a lot of time in this series, and I am excited to see how they wrap it up.