“This account is filled with significant plot twists revealed in the final episode of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ series, titled ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ and from Margaret Atwood’s novel ‘The Testaments.'”
Following the conclusion of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” I can’t help but feel intrigued by a fresh narrative that’s starting to take shape. It seems we’re on the verge of another captivating journey, this time through the sequel series titled “The Testaments.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, authors Margaret Atwood and Bruce Miller revealed that Atwood’s sequel novel, “The Testaments,” published in 2019, altered the course of the Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale.” “The Testaments” unfolds after the events of “The Handmaid’s Tale” and focuses on a group of young women in Gilead who are being prepared to become wives. This group includes Hannah (previously known as Agnes), the daughter of June Osborne, played by Elisabeth Moss.
Since Hannah is in Gilead when The Testaments starts, June couldn’t reunite with her first-born daughter, Hannah, at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, leaving viewers with a painful image of Hannah being taken away from June etched in their minds following the May 26 series finale. Atwood provided Miller with a list of characters to keep alive halfway through the series, which included June, her two daughters, and Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), who is central to the next adaptation. Chase Infiniti portrays Agnes/Hannah, while Nichole, her younger daughter, goes by Holly in the series finale.
Equipped with details from Margaret Atwood’s “The Testaments”, Miller, Moss, executive producer Warren Littlefield, and season six co-showrunners Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang crafted the conclusion of June’s story, keeping in mind Hannah’s narrative. In the final episode, June chooses to reenter Gilead with a determination to continue her fight for her eldest daughter. She entrusts her youngest daughter Holly to her own mother (Cherry Jones). Moss, who will be an executive producer on “The Testaments”, has not yet confirmed if she’ll appear on screen. However, Miller is holding onto the possibility that viewers might see Moss again in the future.
The show’s creator shared that June, much like her character in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, continues to persist and hasn’t abandoned her daughter. Alongside Luke [O-T Fagbenle] and Moira [Samira Wiley], she’s still out there, trying to retrieve Hannah. As a viewer of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, you realize there are numerous individuals working tirelessly and risking themselves to reunite with their children. Therefore, June is indeed impacting ‘The Testaments’. However, we may not see her personally, but we will delve into how those who survive are resisting in various ways across Gilead, as it appears that many within the society despise it.
In a manner reminiscent of Atwood, she keeps things mysterious yet stirs anticipation among fans. “If you’re part of an underground rebellion, that’s where you stay hidden – it’s the whole idea. No one can find you, or else you’ll meet your end,” she shares with THR. “June is always present, though often in the shadows. And as you may remember from the book, she appears at its conclusion.” [Click here for book spoilers].
However, just because the original work served as a blueprint doesn’t imply that the sequel must do the same. Since 2023, Miller has been working on The Testaments, and his approach to the second Atwood adaptation is similar to the first. The The Handmaid’s Tale series adhered to the book closely in its first season, but once it surpassed the source material, Miller and his team continued the narrative by using elements from the book as a reference to shape the remaining five seasons.
He began adapting ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, confident that the book was rich enough, a belief that has proven true. In season six, we were still exploring aspects of the story that were only briefly mentioned or suggested in the book. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and ‘The Testaments’ were primarily Margaret’s domains, and we are still using many of her tools to tell the story.
The Testaments began filming six weeks after The Handmaid’s Tale completed production, largely due to Littlefield convening the executive producers and their production partners from MGM Television and Hulu for a brainstorming session in 2019, as the book version of The Testaments was about to be released.
During the 2019 meeting, Littlefield reflected to THR, our discussion revolved around the question: Should we move forward with planning for the next ten years? We had constructed an incredible universe, thanks in part to Margaret’s inspiration. So, how do we keep this momentum going?” explained Littlefield. “We decided on five or six seasons initially, and then aimed to transition to ‘The Testaments’. This transition, we wanted it to be seamlessly connected with ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.
As the filming of the last season of The Handmaid’s Tale commenced, Tuchman and Chang assumed the role as co-showrunners allowing Miller to focus on writing The Testaments. Despite this shift, Miller continued to be an active contributor in the final season and even penned the series finale, which was helmed by Moss. The closing scene mirrored the full-circle ending that Miller had always envisioned, with June concluding the show by repeating the same words she had spoken at its beginning.
In the first episode of the series, we depicted Boston being governed by Gilead’s military forces. Contrastingly, in the final episode, there’s a feeling of happiness and triumph from the liberation of Boston. However, it’s worth noting that Gilead is still present, according to Littlefield. This implies that the struggle isn’t over yet, which is significant for June. There’s also a sense of achievement and victory as we bid farewell to this part of our Gilead universe, acknowledging the bravery of those who worked unnoticed in the background during this chapter.
The series concludes with a triumphant scene in Boston, giving viewers the feeling that the women portrayed achieved a significant victory, among them Rita (Amanda Brugel). Moreover, he comments that the finale aims to instill hope. These characters are not superheroes from the Marvel universe; instead, they are ordinary women who band together and perform extraordinary feats – a theme that permeates the final episodes of the show.
The novel “The Testaments” begins several years following the conclusion of the book “The Handmaid’s Tale”. With the TV series extending beyond the book’s timeframe, the time difference between it and the next adaptation lessens.
In the world we know, ‘The Testaments’ takes place four years after the conclusion of our show’s narrative,” Littlefield clarifies. “Aunt Lydia is the only character from our series who continues to feature prominently. She runs a school for girls, instructing them in womanhood and survival within the confines of Gilead. What makes this so intriguing is that these young women have never experienced life outside of Gilead. This contrasts significantly with June’s perspective from ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, who served as our guiding force throughout the series. As teenagers, they exhibit a rebellious spirit and an attitude towards everything.
If these girls resemble immature versions of Mrs. Waterfords or Mrs. Putnams, according to Miller, he asserts that they’re actually much worse off. He explains that as they transition from childhood to marriage in Gilead, they develop into adolescent wives. The novel The Testaments, it is stated, follows the journey of this new generation of young women as they struggle with the dismal future that lies ahead for them. As they contemplate being forced into marriages, they must seek out both old and new allies to aid them in their battle for freedom and the lives they truly desire.
Besides Agnes from Infiniti, Hulu has revealed character profiles for other Gilead women, including Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a young Canadian whose life changes upon discovering her link to the Republic of Gilead; Shunammite (Rowan Blanchard), a privileged teen from a prominent Gilead family; Becka (Mattea Conforti), a girl from humble beginnings who attends an elite school in Gilead and wonders about her intended purpose; Hulda (Isolde Ardies), an innocent girl eager for womanhood; Jehosheba (Shechinah Mpumlwana), a competitive classmate from a respected family; and Miriam (Birva Pandya), a young woman approaching maturity who grapples with the stress of the marriage season in Gilead.
Additionally, we have Paula (Amy Seimetz), who is married to a high-ranking officer and whose flawless life takes an unexpected turn with the arrival of her new stepdaughter. There’s also Rosa (Kira Guloien), portrayed as a nurturing and compassionate Martha figure, providing affection in a house that can be rather chilly. Aunt Vidala (Mabel Li) is a strict disciplinarian, seen as the potential successor to the women’s domain within Gilead, alongside her assistant Aunt Gabbana (Zarrin Darnell-Martin) and the more relaxed Aunt Estee (Eva Foote).
Regarding the male character introduced thus far, a young commander named Garth (portrayed by Brad Alexander), finds himself entwined in the private affairs of the females he is committed to safeguard.
Similar to how one can delve into The Handmaid’s Tale, the The Testaments series is designed for those who may not have read the original novel. As Miller puts it, “You should be able to tune in to the first episode and experience it like a drama without prior knowledge.” Although he aimed to extract as much as possible from the book, the series deviates from the story and timeline since The Testaments book spans over an extended timeframe.
Miller emphasizes that adaptation should not be seen as something like homework, requiring one to read books to catch up. Instead, he aims to create an accessible drama. To illustrate this, he points out that in the beginning of “Handmaid’s”, a woman is shown running from soldiers in the woods with her child. You don’t need to know her name, her past, or where she’s from to understand whose side you’re on and whose side you’re not on.
Although Dowd is the only character definitively included so far, he’s not ruling out any characters from the world of “The Handmaid’s Tale” who might reappear – with one exception.
Serena’s character seems to have reached a point where it appears her story is concluded, as she refuses to acknowledge her mistakes despite the mounting evidence,” Miller notes about Yvonne Strahovski’s portrayal. Previously, Miller had seriously contemplated killing off Serena, but was persuaded by his fellow showrunners to let her survive instead. “I have such a strong affection for Serena that I find myself angrier with her because she should be aware of the wrong she’s done,” he adds.
In a certain scenario, it appears that some background information might be beneficial for Aunt Lydia, who experienced a transformation during the sixth and concluding season of “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Her final act depicted her collaborating with the Mayday resistance to bring Janine (Madeline Brewer) back together with her biological child, Charlotte.
As we embark on the sequel series, Aunt Lydia undergoes a significant change. She performs actions and speaks words that were previously unimaginable from her character, and by the time of The Testaments, she’s in charge of the school. So, what led to this transformation? Littlefield ponders the path this narrative will take as Aunt Lydia collaborates with the Pearl Girls – young Aunts-in-training who have opted to reside in Gilead. This development delves into Lydia’s evolution, revealing that she chose not to destroy the world but to rebuild it through education, albeit in a gentler, more sophisticated manner. However, she is working from within this oppressive system. It will be intriguing to see if Aunt Lydia can achieve her goals and whether her efforts at reform will succeed.
Previously, Dowd mentioned to THR that she’s still wearing her Handmaid’s costume while filming The Testaments. Now, she tells THR again that she sees Lydia’s journey in the sequel series as a fresh beginning or start anew.
She muses aloud if Lydia might view it as a form of atonement, given the profound nature of the question and her newfound understanding of the world’s true state, according to her statements to THR. “Lydia has certainly transformed, there’s no denying that,” she says. “The events in the final season have left an indelible mark on her character, as evidenced by her actions and beliefs in The Testaments. Lydia’s perspective on life has shifted dramatically, and it’s evident in her commitment to certain principles – like faith in God and aiding the Pearl Girls. Her role in their lives is crucial and forms the core of her life’s purpose.
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You can now stream every episode of “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Hulu. For a deeper understanding of the series, check out The Hollywood Reporter’s in-depth oral history, mini oral history for the penultimate episode, explanations for June’s ending, Serena’s ending, Janine’s ending, Luke’s ending, and Rita’s ending in the series finale.
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2025-06-10 00:25