"Praised Be": Or, The Handmaid's Tale
Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 7:00PM By Spencer Coile
;)
Mad Men ended almost two years ago. For many fans, it was the end of an era as we watched Don Draper spiral out of control, while Peggy Olson climbed the ladder to success. It was a story many of us cherished for its seven year run. Importantly, though, it was the series that catapulted Elisabeth Moss to stardom. Sure, she had stints on The West Wing and later found success in film and on Broadway, but it was Mad Men that helped pave the way for Moss to be where she is now. For many fans (myself included), we found ourselves wondering when Moss would claim another role that used her incredible, chameleon-esque acting abilities the same way Mad Men did.
And then Hulu ordered a straight-to-series 10 episode adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel, A Handmaid's Tale. After its premiere (today), it is safe to say that Elisabeth Moss is back. And better than ever. Of course, she is not the only stellar quality to the series. After the jump, a review of the first two episodes of The Handmaid's Tale. And boy, are they doozies...
Taking place in a dystopian, not-so-distant future where most women are infertile, The Handmaid's Tale follows Offred (Moss), a lowly handmaid for an upperclass Commander (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski). She is not permitted to speak of her own accord, nor is she allowed to do much of anything. Instead, she dons white wings on her head to hide her face and serves as the two-legged womb for the Commander. One haunting scene reveals this brilliant, where the Commander has sex with Offred. Meanwhile, Offred rests her head between Serena Joy's legs-- eliminating any intimacy, any romance, or any feelings. Using flashbacks to show Offred's former life with her husband and daughter, we come to learn that she was uprooted from her former life and is trapped in this bleak and seemingly ordinary life.
;)
In a role that demands so much to bubble beneath the surface, Moss is revelatory. Because Offred is not granted a "voice," so much of the series falls on Moss's incredibly expressive face to tell this story. And with each clench of her jaw, to every flicker of her eyes as they barely blink, every single moment that Moss concocts in her portrayal of Offred is a true knockout. The flashbacks with her daughter and her best fried Moira (Samira Wiley) demonstrate a kindness and a uniqueness to this woman. But underneath her wings of oppression, she is anything but rambunctious. Fortunately, we are clued into her mind through the use of voiceover, which at first are a bit exposition heavy, but later become the perfect foil to the hopeless surroundings Offred finds herself in.
Predominantly a cinematographer in film's past, Reed Morano helms this project in a way that demonstrates a true vision of Atwood's material. Having read the book twice leading up to viewing the series, I was initially worried by the scope of Atwood's world and how everything would flow together. However, having now watched the first two episodes, I can safely say that those fears were put to rest. Morano has taken tough source material and crafted it into television gold-- one that is timely and timeless, one that is cleverly paced and always teetering between dreadful and binge-worthy. For many claiming that The Handmaid's Tale is eerie because it feels so real, this is perhaps by no accident. Blending flashbacks to the present exemplifies the ways in which the infertility plague hit the United States and how it affects real people. But take note! For any fan of the book, know that Morano takes ownership of this story. It does not follow the same beaten path that Atwood's story tells. It is striking and bold... and entirely plausible.
;)
To be clear, though, resistance is not futile. As Offred learns from her fellow Handmaid companion Ofglen (Alexis Bledel, who has never been better), many are working against the powers that be. There is a secret society, a network of individuals fighting against the system. It is in this way that The Handmaid's Tale offers commentary on just the hopelessness that arises from public disillusionment. Rather, as Offred demonstrates at the end of the first episode, it is about remembering who you are and vowing to never let the oppression destroy your humanity. There is something holy and altogether spiritual that arises when watching this series. Not only because characters greet one another using biblical sayings, but instead, because the cinematography is comprised of shots that look up, not down. And because, in order to look forward past her wings, Offred must look up, not down.
The story is powerful. It is shocking and degrading. The last thirty seconds of the second episode left me gasping and wanting more to the story. And fortunately, this journey has only begun. The Handmaid's Tale may not be an enjoyable viewing for some, but to many, it will prove essential viewing.
Reader Comments (19)
I've never been able to see what's so special about Elisabeth Moss.
That said, I really see The Handmaid's Tale, despite her being the lead in it.
The reviews for the show are positively glowing.
^ Whoops, I think I left out a "wanna"!
Moss was the real find of that series. Hamm although good on the show, is not in the same league as Moss. She'll be giving knockout performances decades to come, guaranteed.
Yup. Moss already has had the best career post Mad Men.
I'm really looking forward to this series! Also Samira Wiley (aka Orange's MVP)!!!
Margaret Atwood's novel is superb. If this is half as good, it will be great!
Moss' performance on this show is quite electric and a serious threat to Kidman's Emmy (if ever they would be nominated on the same category). Alexis Bledel is also quite the revelation.
The reviews for the show are positively glowing.I'm really looking forward to this series! http://orbitnet.in
I'm liking the show so far. My one concern, one raised in many reviews based on the first three episodes some critics got as screeners, is how much of the novel is covered so quickly. Even in the first episode, they pulled a lot of events from the middle of the novel right in there to establish the universe. The pacing works onscreen, but what are they going to have left to cover by episode 9 and 10?
The show is really good. I like how the different handmaids have different quality red robes depending on how long they've been at their current charge. I like how they handled Janine (a problematic punching bag of a character, but running through her whole backstory in one episode was the right kind of shocking) and love all the flashbacks to Offred's daughter and husband. The cast is so good (how is Amanda Brugel doing so much with Rita?).
But where will it go? How much new content is being written just for the show? The approach is right, and the adaptation is in the spirit of the novel. I'm just worried about this story spinning its wheels in misery for too long without enough moments to sustain casual interest.
I haven't watched the series yet, but I plan to subscribe to Hulu to do so. The novel is a modern classic, and I'm excited by what I've seen in the previews. The production design in particular looks fantastic.
When everyone was discussing Kidman (who, I agree, was absolutely terrific) and Lange (eh), I was thinking, wait for Moss. I hope she (and perhaps Dowd, Wiley and/or Bledel, who I hear is surprisingly actually good in this) can break into the tough awards race this year. There's no reason to think that the Emmys won't be open to Hulu, as they've been open to Netflix, Amazon and new networks in recent years. (As a sidenote, I wish Felicity Huffman were getting more attention this year - she has been outstanding on American Crime.)
As much as I adored Jon Hamm as "Don Draper," it quickly became obvious early on during Mad Men's run that the women were the most fascinating characters in the series, most notably Elisabeth Moss's "Peggy Olson." At first I was on the fence about whether or not to watch the miniseries, but now I just might have to check it out. Moss is owed at least two Emmys anyway, so maybe the Academy will make up for its wrong if she continues to do stellar television work.
Psst, she's already had roles befitting her talents. Mad Men isn't even her best work imo.
OMG OMG OMG. Elisabeth Moss is truly amazing in this show. I binged the 3
available episodes last night. I'm glad it's going to be released weekly because I will certainly need to recover between each episode going forward. (didn't read the book)
She's one of those rare actresses who doesn't need to speak; her face conveys all the range of emotions. I just hope that her excellent performance here doesn't getting muddied up with the onslaught of attacks on her personal life including connections to Scientology (I'm talking to you, Jezebel!)
TV is a freaking WONDERLAND filled with amazing female performances right now. I am so in love.
That is, even if Kidman gets an Emmy nod....?
Moss will not be competing with Kidman. The Handmaid's Tale is submitted as series as season 2 is confirmed while BLL will be in the movie/limited series category.
I hope Moss can win over Claire Foy which I think is good but Moss is better.
Moss is a talented actress, and comes across as intelligent and thoughtful...and yet, apparently she's also a Scientologist, so I don't know what to think (I mean people are entitled to their religious beliefs, but Scientology?!?)
I didn't know Elisabeth Moss is a scientologist -
another reason not to like her, I guess!
Christina Hendricks was the MVP of Mad Men as far as I'm concerned.
I wish her career post Mad Men had been better, but Hollywood doesn't know what to do with her, sadly.
@Ulrich 100% agreed on Christine Hendricks. Based on the film roles she seems to be lumbered with, she should fire her agent. She deserves to be an A-lister.
Also caught the first two episodes and am loving it - the casting, the acting, the cinematography, the story. But what was UP with that song choice at the end of ep 2? So out of nowhere, like the end of London Spy - just a huge tonal shift that didn't fit. However, since Handmaid's Tale has more story to tell, maybe that song choice will make more sense in context.
Also, as much as I love Hendricks, thought she was robbed of Emmys and think she's a real star, let's be honest. It's not her agent. How many A-listers in her age range aren't a size 2? She could be/ is a character actress but is also beautiful enough to be a leading lady but I doubt Hollywood would consider her for those type of parts.