The First Full Trailer For ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ May Make You Sick To Your Stomach
"I was asleep before. That's how we let it happen."
It has been well-established that the events that lead to the dystopian nightmare in The Handmaid’s Tale, are hitting a little too close to home for many Americans. Margaret Atwood’s 1985 book about an ultra-conservative regime taking control of the United States, has been adapted into a TV series at exactly the best or worst time, depending on how you look at it. Ooh boy.
The full trailer for The Handmaid’s Tale — which stars Elisbaeth Moss, Alexis Bledel and Samira Wiley — provides extra context for those unfamiliar with the book. Offred (Moss) explains that she, like many others, didn’t notice the increasing conservatism in her country and “that’s how we let it happen”.
We see Offred protest with other women (then run away in fear when they are fired upon), her and her female colleagues being fired from their jobs and escorted out by men with guns, and hear them discuss their bank accounts being suspended. “When they slaughtered Congress, we didn’t wake up. When they blamed terrorists and suspended the Constitution, we didn’t wake up then either. Now I’m awake,” she says.
In the new regime, Offred is trained to be a vessel for the children of powerful leaders in Gilead. This trailer is disturbing as hell.
If you’re thinking of reading the book to prepare yourself for the series, I’ve got some bad news: even Margaret Atwood freaked out when she saw the show (she still thought it was great though). “Based on what I’ve seen, it’s a 10,” she said in a Reddit AMA. “My criteria: puddle of goo on the floor [by the] end of episode three. It goes farther than I did in the book…”.
Gah! There is no release date for The Handmaid’s Tale in Australia as yet, so keep your eyes peeled.