Top 10 Things We Need to See in The Handmaid's Tale Season 2

Season one might have been tough on June, but there is no doubt that it was tougher yet on Janine. This Handmaid went through more trauma than almost anyone else, from pregnancy to having her eye removed as a punishment to a failed suicide attempt. The last time she’s seen, the rest of the Handmaids refuse to kill her, in a moment that speaks to the silent sisterhood between them. That leaves poor Janine’s fate hanging in the balance, and there is question of whether she will be executed anyway, or whether, in light of the other handmaids’ rebellion, she will be allowed to live after all.

While this TV adaptation included much of what appeared in Margaret Atwood’s novel, some things were either overlooked or saved for later seasons. June’s mother, a progressive second wave feminist who features heavily in the book, is one of these. Hopefully it’s just that she’s been saved for the second season and not completely excluded, especially since she and June share some similarities. After all, the show is about women’s oppression. Where else could a voice like June’s mother’s be more useful? She’d stand in stark contrast to Serena Joy, and be a reminder that there were plenty of people opposed to Gilead’s authority.

This terrifying woman, responsible for the training and handling of the Handmaids, is expertly portrayed by Ann Dowd. Dowd shows us multiple sides of Aunt Lydia that are worth exploring further in season two. Even if we don’t get a full back story, it would be worth having the show look into how she feels about the Handmaids, beyond being their handler, and whether she can see beyond the regime in which she is an active participant. Besides anything else, their refusal to obey her in the season one finale is no doubt a betrayal that could alter all her future interactions with them, and is something worth looking forward to in season two.

After some pretty harsh escape attempts, these two finally made it to the safety of Canada and were reunited. Of course, this means that it’s only the beginning of their journey. Undoubtedly, they will be trying their best to rescue June from Gilead, though, as refugees, that might be a struggle, as they try to get their own lives together first. However, they represent an opportunity for audiences to see what the rest of the world looks like outside Gilead, and how the effects of Gilead’s regime have rippled out and affected other nations.

There are worse things than being a Handmaid. The Colonies are spoken of with great fear, which makes sense considering they’re part of an irradiated landscape where radiation poisoning and death are certainties. This tells us much more of the world from which Gilead was born, and hints at why infertility is such a widespread problem. It’s also the place where people are sent as punishment; and are forced to work until they die. No one would want to go there, and yet . . . they would make a great addition to the show, giving us a glimpse into another part of the vast world and the systems that rule it.

Of course, considering that Gilead is a patriarchal society where women aren’t allowed to possess so much as a cent, it makes sense that the women are the ones who are blamed for the lack of children in the world. However, once you start questioning this assumption, it becomes clear that there is more going on and that blaming the women is the men’s way of ignoring their shortcomings. This is particularly relevant for June. If she is a fertile woman, then why is it that she fails to conceive with Waterford but does with Nick? Let’s go there.

If you thought June or Janine had it bad, that’s nothing compared to what Emily goes through. Otherwise known as Ofglen or Ofsteven, Emily plays a major part in the first season and endures female genital mutilation, as well as witnessing the death of her wife. She is the unspoken hero of the first season, and when she steals a car and runs over a man, it’s a moment of hope, until things go south and she is arrested. Where she ends up next is the stuff of speculation, but considering she’s a queer woman who resisted the regime, there’s no doubt it won’t be good. Even in Gilead, being a fertile woman will only get you so far.

Serena Joy is absurdly easy to hate when she is first introduced. However, as the show progresses, she becomes a more nuanced character, and it is apparent that her dreams for a better world were stolen away from her and used to oppress her. Having said that, it’s also difficult to feel empathy for the woman who designed the whole system upon which Gilead bases its principles. It becomes obvious that she is desperate to hold onto any tiny bit of power that she can, and that the only way she can ever truly return to a place of power is to defy the system that she built.

This is the question that has been on everyone’s minds since we saw those van doors close on June at the end of season one. The show almost ends on a high with the united Handmaids returning home after refusing to stone Janine, but takes a turn at the last minute. Where June is going, and whether Nick is actually a good guy or a bad guy are mysteries we hope to see solved in the second season, but considering the type of show “The Handmaid’s Tale” is, it stands to reason that the results won’t be good, even if she is pregnant.

The Republic of Gilead would be far too depressing if it weren’t for the hope that the secret resistance called Mayday offers. However, it wouldn’t be a secret organisation if everyone knew everything about it, so there is still lots to learn in the upcoming season. Unsurprisingly, it is expected to have a much larger role in season two, with June, Emily, and possibly Nick as members. Since Mayday helps people escape to safety, it may come into play with unexpected characters, and is definitely one of the major things to look forward to, as the Handmaids’ resistance might potentially intersect with the secret rebellion.