4 minute read
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
O-T FAGBENLE, AMANDA BRUGEL, ALEXIS BLEDEL, AND SAMIRA WILEY
SOPHIE GIRAUD/HULU
YOU’D THINK THAT BY ITS FOURTH SEA-
son, Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” would have eased the physical, emotional, and mental terror it subjects its characters— and thus its viewers—to on each hourlong episode. But then again, real-world horrors certainly haven’t relented since the Hulu drama premiered in the spring of 2017; why, then, should the series’ fictional atrocities? It’s a safe bet that when we eventually look back on the legacy of this streamer, we’ll be discussing how it mirrored this era’s war on human rights.
But with this most recent season, which upped the series’ Emmy nomination count to a whopping 75, Bruce Miller’s drama may have achieved its most chilling real-world parallel to date: desensitization. Just as thinking of current events as the “new normal” has become a survival tactic in the real world, it’s also now a prerequisite for watching “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Ritualistic assaults that were shocking on the first season are now par for the course on every gorgeously shot installment. And believe it or not, that is an excellent thing for a show that has graduated from zeitgeist lightning rod to one of this moment’s cultural tentpoles.
To be fair, the dystopian world Margaret Atwood created in her 1985 novel—in which a military theocracy uses female bodies as breeding vehicles—has packed a political punch for decades. With the help of Miller and producer-star Elisabeth Moss, that world has been rendered uncomfortably real from Episode 1. Thanks to the cast’s performances, the show’s premise has moved from the realm of the plausible to the seemingly inevitable.
That starts at the top with award-winning powerhouse Moss. Despite having laid herself bare on camera for years, the actor’s work gets more revelatory the longer we know and the more deeply we care for her June. Her signature close-ups in particular—a barely registered flicker of the eye, a grimace—should be studied in screen acting classes. She’s carried the gargantuan series on her back, but watching June step into a leadership position in recent seasons is akin to watching a caged dog at last released to loose its full ferocity.
That isn’t to diminish Moss’ sparring partners: Emmy winner Ann Dowd comes into devastating focus on an award-worthy episode highlighting Aunt Lydia’s backstory. Her chemistry opposite Madeline Brewer’s poor, maddened Janine is particularly excruciating and compelling. As June’s lost husband Luke, O-T Fagbenle reminds us of how dystopia deprives its citizens of a normal life. Meanwhile, Serena Joy Waterford remains the most ambiguous character on television thanks entirely to the devilish sympathy Yvonne Strahovski projects. Joseph Fiennes is as chilling as ever in the role of Commander Waterford.
As Commander Nick Blaine, Max Minghella proves how moments of beauty and optimism stand out amid this otherwise bleak saga. When he shares a boldly romantic kiss with June, Minghella makes the case that this character’s heart will win out over his strategic mind. Emmy winners Samira Wiley (as Moira) and the ever-heartbreaking Alexis Bledel (as Emily) provide nuanced character studies with every episode, bringing both of their characters’ unimaginable circumstances into sharp focus.
What truly makes the fourth season of “Handmaid’s” excel, however, is Bradley Whitford (Moss’ former “West Wing” co-star), whose arc as the eccentric and capricious Commander Lawrence helps the show avoid a narrative slump. Whitford strikes the perfect balance between protective and putrid; it’s no wonder he’s already won an Emmy for the gig—with plenty more awards for him and his collaborators to follow, surely.
—CASEY MINK
MAIN CAST:Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Joseph Fiennes, Sam Jaeger, Max Minghella, Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Bradley Whitford, Samira Wiley CASTING BY:Sharon Bialy, Robin D. Cook, Russell Scott, and Sherry Thomas CREATED BY: Bruce Miller
DISTRIBUTED BY: Hulu
