The Handmaid's Tale recently returned for its fourth season and with it, the controversy surrounding the violence within the show has re-emerged.
In May this year, we dived into the debate when an early season 4 episode drew comparisons to Saw with and the show was accused of having become plain 'torture porn'.
Defending the show, however, is star Amanda Brugel, who, in an exclusive interview with Digital Spy spoke candidly about how its themes achieve the creators' desired effect.
Related: Amanda Brugel spills the tea on Canada's Drag Race season 2
"I really think the only way to make an impact is to make people uncomfortable," said the actress. "Not so uncomfortable that they turn away, but that it hits a nerve in order to make people stand up and pay attention.
"Nothing that has been shown in the show is new," she continued. "These are things that happen all around the world, constantly. And so while it's uncomfortable and it's not easy to digest, I think it's important to show that we're not even close to being done with our journey, especially towards violence against women, misogyny, and there being equity between the genders."
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Brugel also expressed how she likes "being a part of something that pushes those boundaries".
Related: The Handmaid's Tale star reveals Janine's "difficult" flashback episode was almost very different
Speaking about the same topic earlier this year while the show was still airing, actress Madeline Brewer told us in an exclusive interview: "I mean, I get it. It's a difficult show to watch, especially in the last year. I'm sure it's been very difficult for people to take on more trauma as we experience a collective trauma. It's a big ask, honestly
She continued, "I think the show since season one has been a big ask. We ask a lot of the viewers to enter this – you know, it's not fun. You're not watching Mamma Mia. I love Mamma Mia, but it's just not the world that we are living in."
The Handmaid's Tale airs on Hulu in the US and Channel 4 in the UK.
Vintage Classics The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Jonathan Cape The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel by Margaret Atwood, with art and adaptation by Renee Nault
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
