The Testaments Review: Brace Yourself for a Bloody Sequel to The Handmaid's Tale
Do not be deceived by the somewhat lighter tone of Margaret Atwood's follow-on work. In this adaptation, June's daughter has matured within the oppressive confines of Gilead, where daily atrocities persist unabated, and the formidable Aunt Lydia makes a chilling return.
A Dystopian Legacy Revisited
I abandoned the television adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale early on, overwhelmed by its unrelenting bleakness, pervasive dread, and horrifying authenticity. Margaret Atwood's original dystopian narrative, published in 1985, drew inspiration from real-world totalitarian and tyrannical regimes, making its visceral terror almost unbearable when translated to screen.
Now, the sequel, The Testaments, published by Atwood in 2019, has been brought to life by showrunner Bruce Miller. Viewers must prepare themselves for another intense journey.
A Lighter Yet Grim Reboot
In certain respects, this series adopts a slightly brighter and more youthful approach, akin to a young adult reboot. Set several years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, it shifts focus to the next generation of women in Gilead. However, this YA version does not shy away from brutal elements, including bloody punishments, decaying corpses hanging from gibbets, and systemic indoctrination and abuse. The youth of the protagonists renders these horrors even more distressing to witness.
Despite this, the visual iconography remains stunning. The colour palette expands beyond the traditional red, white, and green. Young girls from privileged classes don pink dresses and cloaks, while older ones, referred to as "Plums" with connotations of ripeness, graduate to purple attire, including mandatory yet stylish headpieces. Those who begin menstruating transition into wifely teal robes.
Central Characters and Relationships
Agnes, portrayed by Chase Infiniti, is the adopted daughter of Commander MacKenzie and his deceased wife, Tabitha. She is also revealed to be June/Offred's stolen first daughter, Hannah. Regardless, the commander's new wife, Paula, played by Amy Seimetz, seeks to remove the child from her care as soon as possible.
Agnes attends an elite preparatory school overseen by Aunt Lydia, the genuinely savage character brought to life by the inimitable Ann Dowd. It remains unclear whether this is the old Aunt Lydia or the post-epiphany version from the end of The Handmaid's Tale. Nonetheless, the production team has skillfully made the narrative accessible to viewers with varying levels of Gilead lore.
Aunt Lydia assigns Agnes the task of mentoring new student Daisy, played by Lucy Halliday. Daisy is one of the Pearl Girls, white-clad devotees of Gilead's interpretation of Christianity, often recruited as orphans from outside the state by auntly missionaries. Other pupils typically suspect them of being spies for the teachers. Agnes remarks in voiceover, "The passion of the convert. What a pain in the ass."
The evolving and complex relationship between Agnes and Daisy forms the core of the ten episodes, with flashbacks revealing Daisy's and Aunt Lydia's backstories. In the present, Agnes must navigate the onset of her menstruation and her "eligibility." In one poignant scene, she kneels before her father in her new coloured robes while his friends gaze at her, encapsulating the experience of teenage girls with men, albeit usually more subtle and prolonged.
Revelations about her best friend Becka, portrayed by Mattea Conforti, and Becka's father emerge as life in Gilead becomes increasingly intolerable for both girls.
Themes and Reflections
Though slightly lightened by occasional humour and the innate hope embodied by the young protagonists, The Testaments, like its predecessor, serves as a study in groupthink, power, corruption, and the ease with which ordinary people acquiesce to evil practices. It particularly explores man's inhumanity to woman, highlighting how readily men subjugate others, reducing them to servitude, body parts, and animal functions, underscoring that there is nothing new under the sun.
The Testaments is currently available for streaming on Disney+.
