Written by John Edward BetancourtTHIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...Perhaps the true beauty of entertainment in any form or fashion is that often times a story is incredibly relevant and reflective of what's currently happening in our world. However sometimes, a powerful story that is able to do that is written or created well ahead of its time, where we understand its message but not its relevancy until the moment finally arrives when said story becomes prophetic, reflecting our everyday lives. Such is the case with Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's Tale. Written in 1985, this book takes us into a world where the United States of America we know today is replaced by a powerful theocracy that overthrew the government, renamed the country Gilead and returned the people of New England to more traditional religious values. But the story goes beyond a simple notion of an alternate America. It provides its readers with a terrifying vision of America where the rights of anyone who isn't a caucasian male are virtually nonexistent and considering the fact that fertility rates drop in this dystopian world and many religions preach the need to go forth and procreate, fertile women are placed into servitude as Handmaid's to become breeding vessels for the most powerful men in Gilead, and the story we follow involves a Handmaid named June, later re-named Offred to signify who she belongs to. It remains a powerful novel, one that envisions ignorance taking control of our world over common sense and while it was adapted in loose fashion for film in 1990, it wasn't until this year that a quality and relevant adaptation arrived by way of Hulu and let's get it out of the way right now...Hulu has brought forth an utter masterpiece of storytelling here, one that follows the plot of the book closely and gives it the justice it so deserves. The series premiere alone feels as though it has been given the care of a big budget motion picture and believe me when I say this adaptation holds nothing back. Indeed women are nothing more than indentured servants in this world, with no hope of escaping their awful lives and while much has been written leading up to the release of this series about how relevant it is to the times, and it most certainly is, that's not really what we are going to focus on today...because what makes the series premiere, 'Offred', so incredibly powerful and chilling is how it presents this awful world to us...and how it laments its own creation. Now I read the book back in the late 1990's at the recommendation of a friend and found the story to be downright stunning to say the least, but the narrative in the book more or less comes with a sense of detachment. In that June is telling us these things to free her mind of it to survive another day, and that's the first big difference you see from the book to the series since...we are instantly drawn into Gilead. This world, its beliefs and the lack of respect for anything outside of men is felt the instant we meet June/Offred and that allows for this world to be presented to the audience in raw and visceral fashion and it also means...that at no point are you comfortable watching any moment of this series. I squirmed in my seat. I cringed. Nothing about Gilead feels right, nothing about it feels normal and the uncomfortable nature it presents is compounded by the fact that the exterior of this world looks exactly like ours. But unsettling world-building aside, the series celebrates nothing when it comes to Gilead. Despite the fact that people go along with the changes that have come to America, partly because spies known as 'Eyes' are watching to quell any insurrection, no one seems happy about how things turned out. Sure, everyone is going through the motions and getting by to see another day, but the constant side sniping of Gilead when no one is listening, or the tears that flow behind closed doors gives us a sense that everyone involved in this story...is angry that they didn't do more to prevent this. They should have fought this evil. They should have risen up and said enough. But alas, they did not, and this is their fate and they must deal with it accordingly and to not glorify Gilead or even justify it is downright brilliant because you as a viewer, quickly grow to hate it as well. It's as though we are trapped in a waking nightmare with June, one that we may never escape. However the greatest moment in the series premiere comes in the waning seconds of the episode. Where it seems June has had enough of this world and is steeling herself not only for the sake of her child, but to resist Gilead in any way she can and well...when all is said and done, bravo to Hulu for putting this story on the small screen because The Handmaid's Tale is downright brilliant. It serves as a grand reminder that in order for what we fear to take over the world we only need to give in to ignorance and apathy and that the common man is where the world can truly change and to provide the audience with a message that uplifting in a story this bleak is quite the accomplishment and I am downright hooked to say the least. Because this series is powerful, poignant and utterly amazing and if you haven't had the chance to see it yet, make time to do so. You'll be glad you did, until next time.
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