The Handmaid's Tale first premiered in 2017, just as President Trump took office. Now as Trump starts his second term, season 6 premieres in the US, and it all feels a little different.
Based on the books by Margaret Atwood, the show is as thought-provoking as it is visually stunning. It paved the way for future shows such as Severance in their strong use of colour.
Beautifully shot with single dominant colours, the world of Gilead is made to look dystopian while still familiar enough to send chills down your spine at the thought that this isn't an impossible outcome for the country.
As the UK has to wait until May before it sees the new episodes appear on our screens, I'll keep this piece spoiler-free. However, having watched the first two new episodes, I'm once again hooked on the journeys of June Osborn and the evolution of Gilead.
One country, two systems
At the end of season 5, Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) compares his New Bethlehem idea to Hong Kong. Describing it as one country, two systems, it offers citizens of Gilead a more liberal version of its country and is designed to tempt those who have deserted a reason to return.
In season 6, Gilead is maturing, becoming legitimised in the world order, and therefore signalling the end for those who still follow the old United States exiles.
Life on the rails and down the lens
Season 5 ends with Joan Osborn (Elisabeth Moss) on board a train to the west of Canada along with Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski), both on the run. This sets the scene for the first episode, and saying it's not happy ever after from there is hardly a shocking revelation.
Gilead seems to be focused on the east coast of the former United States, with even the Midwest left in ruin, and further known simply as the Colonies. Two states do remain though: Alaska and Hawaii are still intact – largely due to their distance – and offer a potential safe space.
For me, season 5 was characterised by some extreme close-ups of Moss in various states of anger, despair and near madness. That trend has certainly continued into season 6, though it feels like the focus of this series is more split, taking in multiple characters as they find their way through this new normal, or attempt to change it, for better or worse.
Scarily familiar
What makes any story is how real it feels. A horror story can be even more chilling if you can imagine the monster coming out of your closet, or from under your bed. That's what makes The Handmaid's Tale so engrossing.
A revolution due to a falling birth rate, led by a religious right-wing group. One that removed all rights for women, demonised the unmarried and the homosexual, and made those white middle-class men all powerful.
The further into this show you get, the more you can see how this turn of events is not just possible, but could easily come to pass. The political wrangling within the Gilead commanders also feels all too real, as some fall in and out of favour.
While we often hope for a happy ending at the end of every story, I'm not convinced we will see one at the end of season 6. I do hope there will be some retribution along the way, but ultimately, I expect lots of death and destruction too.
One thing that's for sure, I don't intend to miss a second of it. In fact, I plan on watching it all over again when it officially launches in the UK.
