One year after The Handmaid's Tale came to an end, Gilead still endures in a new TV spin-off. Based on Margaret Atwood's follow-up novel, The Testaments takes us back to the warped heart of Gilead four years on, swapping out Elisabeth Moss's Handmaid protagonist for a teenager who hopes to marry a Commander like Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) once did.
As terrifying as it was for June Osborne to be enslaved and see her world descend into horror, there's something perhaps even more unsettling about watching someone grow up in that same dystopia without knowing that there might be hope for something better.
"I'm ashamed to say I believed in Gilead once," says Agnes MacKenzie (Chase Infiniti) upon meeting us for the first time. Except, she doesn't say it out loud, of course. To do so would result in her immediate death. Even using something forbidden like a calendar "could cost you a finger", Agnes reminds us.
So like June before her, Agnes speaks via inner narration, recalling her teenage years to us and an unknown listener.
"It's easier to accept a story, even a childish one, than believe the people around you are monsters," Agnes continues. But there's nothing juvenile or childish about The Testaments.
Anything that might resemble innocence is twisted into something far more insidious. And that's rammed home right from the get-go in this opening scene, as Agnes explains the hierarchies of Gilead via dolls who wear different colour clothes in her dollhouse.
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Unlike the Marthas' (brown) or the Handmaidens' (red), Agnes is a purple-wearing Plum, living a life of privilege in her perfect home while she prepares for the womanhood that awaits.
Our young protagonist attends school, she gossips with the girlies, and she deeply resents her (adopted) mother, like so many teenage girls before her. On the surface, this life that Agnes leads could almost be considered "normal", especially compared to the daily torture that June was forced to endure.
But that's very much the point of this show. Evil takes many forms, and evil that thrives often does so behind a mask of normalcy, like the one Gilead fights to convey with a tight, suffocating grip.
There are hints early on, however, that Gilead is far from idyllic. Agnes' mother, Paula (Amy Seimetz), remarks that it's just as well that a new Martha had her tongue removed because the last one was a "chatty Cathy."
By the end of the first episode, we witness firsthand what happens when someone pushes back against Gilead, watching a man get tied down as a saw slowly cuts through his flesh. However, we don't see the actual mutilation at hand (or without a hand, as the case might be).
Unlike the flagship show, which was often criticised for revelling in misery, The Testaments doesn't veer as close to torture porn in that same respect. Instead, the writers – including franchise showrunner Bruce Miller – take great pains to avoid some of the violence that viewers were once subjected to during June's run.
This time around, it's the girls starring in this show who take pleasure in the cruelty of Gilead.
After spending most of the premiere with these sweet teens, watching them take a break from wedding planning to scream obscenities at a man just seconds before death... Well, it sure is a lot, and deliberately so.
So anyone who feared that The Testaments might tone things down need not worry.
Just as June hardened in the face of injustice, so too does Agnes but in a very different way. The loss of innocence, of feeling secure and safe, doesn't come overnight in one violent coup this time. It creeps up as the truth reveals itself to be a nasty, rotten seed in that so-called "blessed fruit".
And crucially, it's not only Agnes who walks this path with us.
Newcomer Lucy Halliday takes over as our narrator in episode three, giving voice to a young Pearl named Daisy who willingly chose to live in Gilead after years in the "suffocating sin" of Toronto.
Hers is an entirely new perspective within this world, one that even the other girls, including Agnes, don't trust at first. To say much more would spoil this journey, especially for those of you who might have already read the book, but know that Daisy is just as vital to this story as Agnes, and Aunt Lydia too.
Yes, the legendary Ann Dowd, who won an Emmy for The Handmaid's Tale in 2017, has reprised her role as Lydia again. This version of Dowd's matriarch lurks somewhat in the background at first, ever-present thanks to the statue of Lydia that's been erected at the school's entrance. But she becomes more involved as time goes on, especially in a series of flashbacks across the back half which will completely reframe how you see her.
Dowd is typically brilliant, just as you'd expect, and the same is true for everyone else in the cast.
One Battle After Another breakout star Chase Infiniti brings extraordinary resolve to Agnes, brittle yet strong, shaken yet determined. Watching her navigate typical teen urges in such an oppressive fascist state proves those early award noms were no fluke. You'll soon believe Infiniti was born in Gilead too, just like Agnes, and the same goes for all the other Plums.
Special shout out to Rowan Blanchard as Shunammite, a somewhat pompous girl who's determined to stay on top, and Mattea Conforti as Becka Grove, who might just have the toughest character to play in the whole series. That she excels in this role despite that speaks volumes about her talent.
In fact, there's no weak link among those who reside in Gilead, from Mabel Li as Aunt Vidala to Brad Alexander as Garth, and that's also true of those who come from the outside too. Halliday's grit in the part of Daisy best channels the fight Moss once brought to June, and you could argue the entire thrust of this narrative depends on her above all others.
But what of June and other characters from The Handmaid's Tale? Does anyone else return alongside Lydia? To reveal this, either way, at this point would spoil too much, although it's reassuring to know Moss continues to help steer the franchise through an executive producer role.
That through-line can be felt in other ways too. The framing of each shot remains as immaculate as ever, as are the costume choices and various needle drops. The Testaments is just as pristine on the surface as it is putrid at the core, much like The Handmaid's Tale in that regard.
Not only does it succeed as a sequel, The Testaments is also a wonderfully defiant adaptation of the source material. The changes that have been introduced keep this story fresh in ways that better suit the medium of television without sacrificing the original tone or message that underlies it.
This first season is about as perfect as a retelling of The Testaments could be, and it's the best this franchise has been since The Handmaid's Tale first peaked with seasons one and two.
As much as we pray to see Gilead finally fall, just as the real horrors that inspired it, this story finally feels like a story worth telling again, vastly superior and more relevant than The Handmaid's Tale in its twilight years.
This show is a gift, praise be.
The Testaments releases on Disney+ and Hulu on 8 April.
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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.
