Hulu has released the official teaser art and trailer for season two of their Emmy-winning drama series ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.
“Wear the red dress,” says Offred in a voiceover. “Wear the wings. Shut your mouth. Be a good girl. Roll over and spread your legs. Yes, ma’am. May the Lord open. Seriously?”
Less than a minute long, the video is a series of flashing images. There’s a scarlet robe on fire; Offred clenching her fists and standing in front of a noose; the commander’s wife smacking a woman in the face; the silhouette of a man kneeling with a gun pointed at his head; and both Bledel and Wiley looking clearly distressed.
We also see Moira crying amidst her new freedom as a refugee in Canada, Janine—furiously hacking away in the Colonies, and a deeply upset Ofglen in what looks like her pre-Gilead life. In the Season 1 finale, she escaped Gilead and crossed the border into Canada, where she was greeted by Luke, June’s husband. But just as the season was about to end, she was escorted out of a home she’d been imprisoned in and into a black van.
The second season will be shaped by Offred’s pregnancy and her fight to free her future child from the dystopian horrors of Gilead. “Gilead is within you” is a favourite saying of Aunt Lydia. In season two, Offred and all of the characters will fight against — or succumb to — this dark truth.
Based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, the show is set in a near-future dystopian world where women are stripped of their rights in an oppressive religious regime. The show has been a huge hit for Hulu: its first season earned four Emmy Awards for the streaming service last year, including Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Lead Actress, Best supporting actress and Outstanding writing.
The first two episodes premiere on Wednesday, April 25, but for International Women’s Day, Hulu released a new teaser—and a poster showing Offred with her bonnet in flames.
> Mar Martínez
