The Handmaid's Tale- A must watch series about power, sex and hope

This TV adaptation shows how the US turned into a dictatorship. It delves into more characters' stories, showing how easily any country can change and how people cope. The series is full of thought provoking scenes relevant to today. I deeply recommend it as your next 'play all'.

Originally published on tremr.com

I remember studying the Handmaid's Tale as a teenager, thinking it was great but implausible for a country like the US to become so isolationist as to turn into a dictatorship. Fast forward to the UK leaving the EU and Trump's travel ban and the story has a resonance. The Handmaid's Tale is set during environmental crisis and infertility in a religious dictatorship, and the focus is on fertile women, Handmaid's, who bear the brunt, Offred being the lead . The TV series allows us to see so much more than the book of how everyone is affected. I have not seen such strong scenes of power, sexual violence, human connection and hope in some time.

Power is at the heart of the story. It is a religious dictatorship, but religion is the front to be able to justify the new society. We see scenes of a couple, Serena Joy and the Commander bringing the key ideas for the coup on a day out at the cinema. They create a terrorist threat as the way to force change. The two strongest scenes are when women lose their rights and during a protest when everyone is powerless to the guards with guns. It really does feel that easy. Target even half the population and not enough people try to stop the changes occurring.

We also see the couple living in what they have created, breaking the rules they were part of making because they are also not coping. We know our own politicians do the same. That the powerful wish one thing for the population but can't do it to themselves. This is exemplified by a scene with a female Mexican ambassador.

Power and sexual violence are always intertwined and the show depicts this so well that the scenes should be shown in every school and workplace. Margaret Atwood was often asked is this a feminist story, as if that were a bad thing. It is neither pro-woman or anti-male, it is a story telling the truth that women bear the brunt of sexual violence and subordination. Rape between Handmaid and Commander is normalised, even though many know the commanders are infertile, there is no way to say no, you must pretend you like it and your crying is ignored. The depiction of these scenes is chilling. There are also scenes of consensual, caring sex which is quite often missing nowadays. There is no way consent is a hazy area and for that, the series should be commended.

This leads to human connection and hope. At times the series can feel too despairing to watch, but every time the is something that brings on the fight in Offred, and in all of them. We see this through new stories of the driver Nick and Offred's husband Luke. We see this through the underground movement, people risking themselves to reunite families. We see this through the refugee centre, an outstanding scene being not only sympathetic to refugees but really telling us it could be any of us needing help. Needing those connections. One quote says it all, 'At least someone will care when i'm gone. That's something'.

As with all dystopian novels, there is something to learn. This story is particularly important because it doesn't feel too far fetched. As Margaret Atwood said,

One of my rules was that I would not put any events into the book that had not already happened in what James Joyce called the “nightmare” of history, nor any technology not already available.

Fertility and environment are becoming more concerning. Would we put it past those in power to take control of fertile citizens? There will be further series going past the book, and I do hope the writers focus on, well hope, and show no matter the outlook, if we keep trying, things can get better.

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