The Handmaids Tale: What we need to know about Season three

If you have tuned in for the last two seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale which airs on Hulu’s streaming platform then you already have a good idea of what the series is about. It is based on the novel of the same name by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and follows the main character named June also known as Offred, who is played by an actress of Mad Men fame Elisabeth Moss. This is not an ‘easy’ series to watch as it features a dystopian society called Gilead which is run by a far-right religious group who seems bent on stripping its citizens of their most basic human rights.
After the first season audiences were both disturbed and enthralled by the show that continued to touch on themes which are near and dear to the heart of a lot of the world at the moment, namely women’s rights.

The Novel

The book shares a lot of similarities with season 1 but it definitely did not continue past the point where we know that June is alive and well in Gilead. Instead, it leaves off on something of a cliffhanger where the reader is unsure of her fate.

In response to the widespread fervor surrounding the show and the fact that audiences would like to know what the creator of Gilead herself sees for June’s future, she has penned a sequel set to come out this September.

The Testaments

The title of the sequel is The Testaments which for such a short title seems to hold all sorts of loaded secrets regarding what author Atwood sees for her beloved and not so beloved characters. Barely any information has been released regarding the novel but we know that it will take place fifteen years after the first one which featured June seeing the doors of a van shut in her face.

It will also be from the viewpoint of three separate women who lived in the Republic of Gilead and their ‘testaments’ to what they have seen and experienced. We are very hopeful that we will get to find out what really happened to June or if she is even still alive in this version of events.

Will “The Testaments” Influence The TV Series?

The word is still out on whether or not this new novel will influence the storylines behind the television series. But it is pretty safe to say that for now the two will definitely be on divergent paths. We are stilling living in Gilead alongside June and her fellow rebels.

The new novel tells of what befell everyone in Gilead but the show seems pretty set on showing the journey from start to what we eventually hope will be the end of Gilead. Now, let’s take a look back on what we learned during seasons 1 and 2 about this dystopian nightmare.

Season 1

The first season had audiences on the edge of their seats as they were introduced to what is now Gilead and the United States of America pre-Gilead. When the series first began viewers were quickly introduced to June, who quickly became Offred and the duties that are expected of her as a Handmaid of Gilead.

The primary duty is to produce a child for her assigned Commander, Fred, played by a chillingly quiet Joseph Fiennes and his wife Serena Joy played by the outstanding Yvonne Strahovski. The powerful couple is unable to have children of their own like most of the Commanders of Gilead.

Fertility Issues

The heart of the story is that like women that are deemed able to bear children that is their duty. The film Children of Men showed a similar situation in which women of childbearing age are having trouble conceiving to the point where the population is on a steady decline.

The same can be seen in Gilead which is why children are seen almost as if they are a commodity, with those who are high ranking officers in the government the ones deemed the fittest to have children. But how was Gilead born? Whose brainchild was it? This is made evident as the series continues to unfold and we learn that June was not always the property of a Commander who is essentially using her as a broodmare.

The Rise Of Gilead

Gilead is the product of a group called The Sons of Jacob who decided that the immorality of the current state needed to be changed. This meant the staging of a coup which they successfully implemented and were then able to install their own government based on biblical teachings and politics geared towards the far-right on the political spectrum.

The current state of Gilead is one where women have no rights and basic human rights like access to education are only for men.

The Hierarchy

Gilead itself is based on a hierarchical model with the Commanders and their wives at the top, followed by the Eyes who are involved with intelligence gathering, the army, the workers which the Marthas fall under, the Handmaids, and finally those sent to the colonies which appear to be irradiated.

Each rank also has a color assigned to it which can be seen in the clothing that each character wears. Blood red is obviously for the Handmaids and sharp suits for the Commanders.

The Story Continues

June has been separated from her husband and daughter since the beginning of the series with her daughter being given to another Commander to raise as her own and her husband running free to Canada.

She decides that she has to find her daughter which consumes her as the season unfolds. Along the way, she starts to fall for Nick, who is portrayed by Max Minghella and who is Commander Fred’s, right-hand man.

The Other Handmaid’s

There are two other Handmaid’s of note: Emily and Janine. Emily is something of a rebel and constantly fighting against the ritual every Handmaid is expected to perform on a monthly basis: getting pregnant by her Commander.

Janine, on the other hand, manages to have a baby and an affair with her Commander which ends with her threatening to hurt both herself and the baby. Through all of this June remains a loyal friend to them much to her own detriment.

The Season 1 Finale

As that season came to a close, June found out that she was with child and it must be Nick’s as Commander Fred is infertile. Along the way, Commander Fred also decided that he was infatuated with June and took her to a hotel used for illicit delights with ladies of the night where she ran into her friend Moira who ends up escaping to Canada.

But June is left in Gilead, pregnant, and taken away by the black vans to be interrogated regarding who knows what.

Season 2

The next season picked up right where Season 2 ended with June pregnant which is what saves her from any punishments at the hand’s of Aunt Lydia, the sadistic woman in charge of all the Handmaids.

Nick decides to try and get her out of Gilead for the sake of her and his unborn child which naturally goes poorly or there wouldn’t be much of a story to tell. But Nick is no longer ‘single’ instead he finds himself married to a teenage bride named Eden.

Baby Nichole

June eventually has her baby which is named Nichole and therefore Serena Joy’s. The Commander is ecstatic about the birth of his child but on a trip to Canada which Nick joins, he tells June’s husband that she’s had a baby. Prior to the visit one of the Handmaid’s successfully acts as a suicide bomber and kills a number of handmaids and commanders.

The resistance starts to play a major part in the whole series which is where we come to in season three.

Season 3

The closing shot in season 2 was of June deciding to send Nichole onwards to Canada with Emily in her place with the help of a wiley Commander named Lawrence. She simply cannot leave her eldest daughter at the hands of Gilead’s elite.

But what does that mean for season 3? Will it focus on June escaping with her daughter or actively working to bring down the Republic and put an end to the utter madness that is going on?

What The Trailers Told Us

Seasons 1 and 2 were not exactly the most hopeful. It seemed that things never really improved and only went from bad to worse. In this season it appears that June and her fellow resistance members are ready to work from the inside and bring the whole nightmare crashing down.

June no longer seems content to toe the line and is ready to actively recruit people to help with the cause: the end of Gilead.

Wake Up America

With recent politics hitting a little bit too close to home, this season is asking some major questions about how politics should be incorporated within our private lives. The trailer shows June spending a lot of time with Serena Joy, who actually gave her baby Nichole to her so that she could find freedom and be away from the madness of Gilead.

This could mean that Serena Joy, who is about as high-ranking as it gets might become a major ally to the resistance.

Reunited And It Feels So Good

Now that it seems like Serena and June are on the same side it could mean that June will finally be able to get her eldest daughter and make it to Canada. But we think that this seems a bit far fetched for this season because the trailer really seemed to brand June as a rebel bent on destruction.

It would be pretty great to see all of the women in Gilead rise up and take back their rights especially those over their own bodies.

The Return Of Aunt Lydia

Emily’s parting shot with Aunt Lydia as she came to check on her at her last posting as a Handmaid was to stab her in the back with a pair of scissors. We don’t really know that much about Aunt Lydia, except that she is nasty and seems to take delight in tormenting everyone around her.

The creators of the show did say that her scissors to the back were not fatal which is too bad because she’s so awful.

More Aunt Lydia

It would appear that Aunt Lydia will begin to feature more heavily this season. As she is the ringleader of the Aunts she is supposed to go and check on all of her ‘girls’ to make sure that they are okay and settling into their postings.

The creators implied during an interview with Digital Spy that the audience would get to learn more about Aunt Lydia and what shaped her into the despicable character that does so many gasp-worthy things.

Commander Lawrence

This eccentric Commander was briefly introduced in season 2 but he was said to be the economic architect of the Republic. This in itself is terrifying but also very confusing as he was the one who ultimately arranged for Emily’s escape to Canada with baby Nichole.

Judging by the trailer it appears that he will receive another Handmaid. Whether or not he will continue to be an ally to the resistance is not clear.

Let The Revolution Begin

The imagery associated with this season, especially the scene which has June standing with a giant angel statue behind her makes her appear as she could be an avenging or a guardian angel. It might imply that she will be the one to save everyone.

There are a lot less feelings of desperation and hopelessness which is what the first two seasons had. It seems like the women of Gilead are ready to be fired up and let loose on the men who are oppressing them.

The Colonies

The Colonies which is where women who aren’t deemed fit for servitude in any of the positions available like cooking, child rearing, and so forth are sent to work there. What exactly they are doing is not clear.

It seems pretty much like the Gilead equivalent of the Gulag where all they do is hard labor and waits for their miserable lives to end. But it seems like audiences will be returned to this bleak place.

Jezebel’s

Not every state is as pure as they would like the world to believe and we know Gilead is by no means a utopia. Jezebel’s was the house of ill repute where women who aren’t sent to the Colonies are expected to act as nightly companions for Gilead’s elite.

Moira managed to get away from there but it would appear Commander Fred is still frequenting the establishment. Maybe he and Serena are estranged? She did give away his ‘daughter’ after all.

Stay Tuned

It is impossible to know what will happen in the land of Gilead but we know that we cannot wait to see what the creators have dreamed up.

Two things are for sure: June will continue to fight against The Sons of Jacob and those around her will join the resistance which means an explosive season is about to happen. And when we say explosive we mean both literally and metaphorically!