The Handmaid's Tale: What is happening behind-the-scenes

The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the most talked-about television shows of the last few years. The show first aired in April of 2017 and has been running ever since, with the third season beginning June of 2019. The show has earned eight Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Award for actress Elisabeth Moss. The show is a Hulu production, garnering a lot of viewers for the streaming service, which has to compete with giants like HBO and Netflix. The show is an adaptation of a novel by Margaret Atwood, which delves into a dystopian America of the future, where a second Civil War takes place and throws off the government of today, leaving women who are able to have children, in a place where they are forced to do just that. The success of the show has been astounding but what has been happening behind-the-scenes?

The show’s location

The Handmaid’s Tale is filmed in Toronto, Canada, with several locations sprawled around the city. Ironically, the location matches that which appears in Margaret Atwood’s book. Toronto is the city where the refugees come to when they are trying to escape Gilead, what we call the United States of America today.

Whether this was intentional or not, it sparks a nice connection to the book for fans as well as the cast and crew that are involved.

The seasons following the book

The first season of the show ended where Margaret Atwood’s novel did. What that means is that the second season is going past the novel and therefore has producers taking creative liberty with the storyline. The first season ended with Offred (played by Elisabeth Moss) pregnant and being thrown into a car.

The second season, moving past the literature, focuses on some elements from the book but with far greater detail. Elisabeth Moss herself spoke out and stated that the colonies are the major element being expanded upon in the second season of the show.

The timing of Margaret Atwood’s books

Margaret Atwood wrote the original novel back in 1984. At the time, Atwood was living in Berlin. She rented a typewriter and spent the year writing one of her most famous works. Atwood is originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and used the inspiration of being away from home to write the novel.

Atwood is also a well-known poet whose theme throughout her work rest in gender, identity, religion, and the power that resides in language. She uses the theme of all of the above in her writing of The Handmaid’s Tale, while it is dystopian, it is also empowering.

How long did it take to film

The first season was smoother than the second. During this season, which was also filmed in Toronto, there were 13 episodes that took nearly seven months to film. Filming started in September and lasted through April, which means that the production took place in the Canadian winter, where temperatures easily slide down to negative 20 degrees centigrade.

The conditions for the cast and crew were less than ideal but they knew that have a gem on their hand and therefore knew that they needed to give it their all, and give it their all they did.

The significance behind the costumes

The costumes became as much a sensation as the show itself. People around the world wore the handmaid’s robe and hat as a symbol and as a Halloween costume. The costumes took on a life of their own when they were copied and worn by protestors in the nation’s capital during marches.

Ann Crabtree, the costume designer of The Handmaid’s Tale, said that it made total sense to her that the costume would be used in such a way. It was used as a symbol of rebellion against the patriarchy while in the show they were used for obedience.

Elisabeth Moss’ expanded role

In addition to being one of the stars of the show, Elisabeth Moss is also a producer on the hit series. In an interview, Elisabeth said that it is a lot more work than just coming to set and working as an actor (not that that is little by any means).

In addition to acting out her scenes, she is deciding on major edits and scene changes that are appropriate for that specific scene.

The production of the eerie vibe

There is a very disconcerting atmosphere on the show that is exemplified by the parallels happening between modern society and the very old-fashioned dress and behavioral expectations.

Reed Morano, the director of the show, said that the women in their costumes look very much out of place in their clothing while out in what looks like a modern world. The greatest contributor to the eerie vibes come from the lack of wording at the supermarket.

The plan behind female directing

As a show with a major focus on female control and empowerment, as a result, the directing team wanted to bring that to life and put their money where their creative mouth is.

During season two, Jeremy Podeswa and Mike Barker, the show’s directors, were paired with young, up and coming, female directors. The young directors would shadow the seasoned ones and have a chance to learn an immense amount on a reputable show.

Season two’s premise

Season one was all about the background to Gilead and what made the world the way it was. The season was as dictated by the novel it originated from, while season two was an expansion past the novel. Season two’s premise is the opposite of one, it portrays the begin of the destruction of Gilead.

The women are starting to unravel the strict regime they are under and making far more noise than season one would allow.

Season two introductions

Season one brought us the main characters of Offred, Ofglen, Ofwarren, Commander Fred Waterford, and Aunt Lydia. These are the women that make up the original cast. In season two, however, we are introduced to the working class in Gilead, known as the Econopeople.

The first season also brought us a detailed view of the ruling party at the time, as well as their respective handmaidens listed above. Dystopian is indeed the perfect term for the show.

Taking no inspiration from current events

One could jump to the conclusion that the show’s writers took current events as inspiration, but one would be wrong. Some say that the current situation of the world has some similarities to the dystopian regime on the show.

The timing of the #MeToo movement is without a doubt as eerie as the show is, but the writers deny any inspiration taken in that way. While the writers did their own thing, it did help make the show that much more relevant.

Current climate did take effect

While the writers did indeed do their own thing when it came to parallels between reality and fiction, Bruce Miller, the show’s showrunner, said that the real world events helped viewers understand the show.

The topics of inequality and political power are running rampant in the show as well as in the world we are all living in. The fact that viewers were literally living through the same themes made it easier to relate to the show.

Delicate hats

With a swift turn to a lesser tense topic, the “wings” that the handmaidens wear on their head, the very interesting hats, are said to be incredibly delicate and easily ruined if the weather is the least bit rough.

The costume designer said that that was the most frustrating part of the costumes for the women as there always had to be extra hats around and constant modifications to existing hats that have seen better days.

Eco-friendly Gilead

Say what you will about the dystopian fictional place but their philosophy is that of the old ways and therefore believed that the reason there was a drop in the women’s fertility rate had to do with the environment. As a result, being eco-friendly was a top priority, and as for production, everything must look as though it is made with that philosophy in mind.

If you noticed, there are no microwaves or portable devices in Gilead, nor are there cars that are not electric.

Little clothing for the Econopeople

As we mentioned, in the second season we are introduced to the Econopeople. It is the Econopeople females that were given one skirt and one sweater after the rise to power of Gilead when all of their clothing was taken from them.

In addition, women in Gilead, no matter their status or class, are forbidden from wearing pants. This was one of the major steps to assuming control on women – dictating what they are allowed to wear.

Elisabeth’s keepsake

While novelist Margaret Atwood was in school, she had a joking line that read “Don’t let the bastards grind you down” in fake Latin – Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. Atwood ended up putting that line in her novel.

As a token, a friend of Elisabeth’s got her a necklace that read the line in Latin. Elisabeth wears the necklace often and loves the meaning behind it, whether in jest or not. Many fans of the show have said to have gotten the words tattooed on them.

Commander Waterford and Serena are younger

Unlike the novel, Commander Waterford and his wife Serena Joy are much younger in the show. The reason that this was done, according to Joseph Fiennes who plays the role of the Commander, is to throw audiences off.

He said that the fact that both Waterford and his wife are so beautiful is deceptive to the public who cannot imagine that such horrific things were being down by such beauty; the complexity of the situation is off-putting.

Serena’s gilded cage

Yvonne Strahovski, who plays the role of Serena, has said that Serena has created a gilded cage for herself. She is the Commander’s wife and while she helped create the world that they live in, she finds out that it is not as positive for her as she had initially thought.

There is nothing she can do to get out of the situation either, a divorce is not an option, and if she runs away she will go to jail.

The Commander’s art and literature

As always, this show has left nothing to chance. Inspired by what the Nazis did during World War II, the Commander’s home is littered with art that is copied from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, with the assumption that he looted the establishment.

If you notice, the art and books are in the Commander’s office, so as to make sure that Serena does not get the urge to read, heaven forbid.

Aunt Lydia’s job before Gilead

Prior to coming into Gilead and being the woman who looks after all of the handmaidens, Aunt Lydia was a school teacher. Ann Dowd, who plays Aunt Lydia, said that it makes total sense since she is such an authority figure.

As well as one that is often thought to have been ridiculed into becoming as cruel as she is as the handmaiden’s ward. That kind of thick skin is only developed from years of mistreatment.

A tribute to Mary Magdalene

Those very prominent red dresses and white hats atop the heads of the handmaidens are a nod to none other than Mary Magdalene. The biblical reference is said to honor Mary Magdalene for what she went through according to the Bible and the treatment that she received.

Every little detail of this show has a meaning behind it, leave everything open to interpretation. Mary Magdalene as red and white, and the Virgin Mary as blue and red.

Speaking of blue

As we said, the red is for Mary Magdalene, and blue is for the Virgin Mother. It is then no surprise that the wives on the show wear the color blue. The color system, if you will, is also supposed to show the hierarchy on the show and the status of each woman. Serena wears her blue with terrified pride.

Taking this inspiration from artwork done during the medieval and renaissance period is yet another element of their attention to detail.

The naming system

The handmaids have names like Offred, Oferic, and Ofglen. Their names show which commander owns each one of them. For example, Oferic is owned by Eric – of Eric. This blatant sign of ownership is the very first in a long line of the assertion of control over these women.

They are also not allowed to read, must do what their commander tells them, and produce children without question or complaint. Did we say dystopian already?