When Margaret Atwood returned to Gilead almost 35 years later, with her book The Testaments, the sequel to her seminal The Handmaid’s Tale, they said she could never match its genius. The story more than matched her 1985 dystopian classic, winning the 2019 Booker Prize, feeling horrifically timely in this sociopolitical climate. The same can’t be said for the TV show adaptation of The Testaments, set 15 years after the first series, which never matches the impact of the Elizabeth Moss drama.
The Testaments shifts its focus away from June (Moss) and her underground resistance group and explores the young women being groomed into marrying the ruling class of Commanders. For those uninitiated, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments take place in the near-future dystopian Gilead, a theocratic, totalitarian regime. They overthrew the American government and, to battle the global fertility crisis, stripped women of their rights and forced them into acting like surrogates for the ruling class.
Welcome Back To Gilead
A Show Which Suffers From Style Over Substance
Set over eight episodes, the show’s pacing suffers. There are a few episodes that could have been merged, and some elements drawn out for too long. While the aesthetics are beautiful, there is a frustration that minutes from the episode are dedicated to watching cakes being made and girls getting ready to meet their prospective husbands. The whimsy might be a little too wasteful for some.
When the show focuses on the characters and expands their world, it’s enigmatic, chilling, and thrilling, but too much time is spent on making mini music videos. You’ll be forgiven for zoning out during an extended montage that sees parties planned, dinner tables set, and hair brushed. But don’t worry, there is enough to grab back your focus, especially in the last three episodes.
The Testaments has all the ingredients needed and a lot of great moments, yet it is weighed down by fluff. The first half feels very junior and twee, but once it sinks into the grit, you’ll want more. These ten episodes still very much feel like the foundations to something more, something bigger than hasn’t yet been reached.
An Underwhelming Adaptation Of A Great Atwood Novel
The Testaments is written from the perspectives of three women and is presented as an account of their experiences in a declining Gilead, and presented as part of research seminars. The TV show picks and chooses from the source material, although showrunner Bruce Miller hints that the upcoming series will explore the novel’s future timeline.
Perhaps the issue is The Testaments, unlike when The Handmaid’s Tale debuted in 2017, is just too relevant to be shocking anymore. Some of the attitudes displayed by Gilead aren’t that archaic or upsetting anymore, it’s like opening up social media any given day.
When The Testaments is good, it’s very good. But too much time is spent on pointless montages and stylish cutaways to achieve the impact intended. The Handmaid’s Tale had grit, it’s uncomfortable to watch, and will make you want to burn down the government bodies disenfranchising women. The Testaments gets nowhere close to that. If The Handmaid’s Tale is about how we reach dystopia, The Testaments is about how we get out of it.
The Testaments premieres April 8th on Disney+
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