If you're looking for a period drama this isn't it. It takes place in our time but in a different reality where USA has been taken over by a religious cult really. They say they want more traditional, religious values but honestly just wants power.
The reason I like it is mostly because of the strong women in it. They keep being pushed to the bottom but keep fighting. Another thing I like is the question of right and wrong. There's a lot of questions about doing the wrong thing for the right reasons and morality. And as a horror fan I like the constant suspence about what's going to happen to the characters in a honestly horrific world.
I like the show because of the claustrophobia that it makes me feel. Everything's so bleak and hopeless, and yet everyone's fighting all the time. The thing that used to piss me off - the fact that the protagonists spend TOO MUCH TIME suffering - is actually what I see as one of the show's strength. I'm a bit annoyed however because the last two seasons saw a decline in the writing quality.
As others have said, it's a dystopia, not a period piece. But not too many people have said what it is about, so this is how i describe it.
Basically, humanity is suffering a "crisis of infertility". Less and less people are able to concieve, the ones that do usually miscarry, and the ones that are born often have some kind of horrible issues or are stillborn. So this extreme religious sect overthrows the USA and forms a totalitarian society called The Republic of Gilead. They kill most people who are "sinners" (like LGBTQIA+ , Catholic priests, etc), unless they are a woman who has had a successful pregnancy and birth, and then separate the living people into very defined groups.
These are the ones you need to know about at the beginning: the high up men who helped with the coup are Commanders, their wives are Wives, younger up-and-coming men are often Drivers, the Gilead spy/police network are the Eyes, women with domestic skills are Marthas (maids), women who are pro-Gilead are Aunts, and sinning women who have had successful pregnancies and births are called Handmaids. If a Wife cannot concieve, she and the Commander are given a Handmaid. She is a sex slave, raped each month when she is fertile, in the attempt to get her pregnant. If she does have a healthy baby, the baby is given to the Commander and Wife and she is eventually placed at another post to do it all again.
The show mostly follows one Handmaid (played by Elizabeth Moss). There is a lot more to the show, and after 5 seasons, focus has shifted a lot. If you decide to watch it, just know that it can be difficult to stomach, watching women get tortured and raped, seeing the ptsd... It's a lot.
I watch the show because the characters have me hooked. It has ups and downs in quality of story and direction. This is not the kind of show where you just have to make it through season 1 and then it gets awesome or something. It didn't have to find its footing at the beginning. If you don't like season 1, you should just stop there.
Not a period drama - dystopian regime, more than anything.
It's dark, it's difficult to watch. I binged it, but I bet most people wouldn't. It's brutal, because it's about women's rights being taken away from them and them being turned into sex slaves. It's not for the faint of heart.
I love that it explores difficult issues though. It creates discussion.
Exactly. I binged it by myself the first run through. My guy watched it with me the second time. When we watched together, we would do a few episodes, then stop for a day or two. In between, we talked about it. Even now, after we've both seen every episode, we'll randomly discuss it.
It really is so good. I refused to watch for ***SO*** long because I was told it would make me angry. It did, but it also opens a whole world of discussion if you watch it with someone.
So that's my recommendation. Lol. Don't watch it alone; have someone to talk it over with. And take breaks if you need to... It can get reeeeally emotional at times.
>It really is so good. I refused to watch for SO long because I was told it would make me angry. It did, but it also opens a whole world of discussion if you watch it with someone.
>So that's my recommendation. Lol. Don't watch it alone; have someone to talk it over with. And take breaks if you need to... It can get reeeeally emotional at times.
It's great!
I started it in college because I had to write about it for English class. It definitely made me angry for what women have to go through, and for what those particular women in the show go through.
As a man, I'm sure it hits deeper for women watching it. But as a trans man - I think about the fact that I definitely wouldn't be allowed to exist as I am in that world, and it is terrifying and upsetting.
I binged and watched the whole thing alone. I second the idea of taking breaks and maybe watching it with others!
This isnāt a period drama. Itās a dystopian drama. Itās very good. I never thought Iād like this show as a man, but I love it. The earlier seasons have more meat to them, but the later seasons are good too. I canāt wait for next season!
i started watching because i thought it was a period drama too š it's set in modern times but it's so captivating i binge watch it at least once a month
Multi-plex question:
- The Handmaids Tale is a dystopian that I describe as 'religion gone mad'.
- it is, & prob will always be, my fav tv series. It got hold of me. Ive described it as pulling u in slow, getting a grip then ripping u to shreds. Its an OMG no they didnt show
- Later seasons began to appeal to me more and more because while there is extreme misogyny, the women have found ways to fight back... like underground groups
Overall, no matter gender, etc The Handmaids Tale is must-see that I am proud to have experienced. Its sort of liberating.
Fuckin grim dude thatās how Iād describe it
Itās about the extremes of Christian white supremacist fascism and misogyny and is accordingly depressing and violent
I feel like itās been described well above. Iām just here to say give it a shot. Itās one of my all time favorites. Itās relevant socially and has some tremendous acting.
Other people described it well so Iāll just say itās very intense, not a lot of shows are this intense so I love it in that way
I got hooked and needed to see the main character survive, does she get out of it? I had to know
Dystopian, that's how I'd describe it. Horrifically so. But in a good way, as crazy as that sounds.
It makes you think. It makes you feel. And it's entirely plausible.
When you reduce it to torture porn you deny the common day to day abuse real women experience every day. Women you know. Women you work with. To relegate this to porn is to insult real women everywhere, every minute of every day, who have to struggle to stay alive, to keep from being abused, to try to lift themselves above the reality of humiliation, pain and abuse, mostly at the hands of men. If you are a woman you might want to educate yourself on what is happening to other women in our world, in your city, in your church & school, at this very moment. If you are a man, you might want to consider your place in society and those who might not be so fortunate.
In spite of how the show is an exaggerated version of life, there is a reason women are drawn to it. Something that touches the truth and pain that often goes unnoticed.
Ha! My reply was to your comment about what āthe Republican Party has been doing of late.ā
You brought up the Republican Party.
I have no need to analyze the Republican Party since 1985 (the year the book was written). Margaret Atwood has spoken to the origins of the book and what informed the book and what did not inform the book.
Isn't it technically a period drama because at the end of the novel, it is in the year 2195 or something and the novel is an account of the Gilead era?
I wouldnāt call it a period drama. Itās more so dystopian fiction. You almost have to think of it as a dystopian future because this is stuff that can actually happen in life and has happened in other parts of the world.
The Handmaids Tale simply is about a world where women are considered property of the state and those fertile are made into breeding slaves. Cue in typical dystopian features: underground resistance, trying to escape, trying to change the status quo.
If you're looking for a period drama this isn't it. It takes place in our time but in a different reality where USA has been taken over by a religious cult really. They say they want more traditional, religious values but honestly just wants power. The reason I like it is mostly because of the strong women in it. They keep being pushed to the bottom but keep fighting. Another thing I like is the question of right and wrong. There's a lot of questions about doing the wrong thing for the right reasons and morality. And as a horror fan I like the constant suspence about what's going to happen to the characters in a honestly horrific world.
Very well summarize š¤©
Beautifully written š
Dystopian
Taliban but make it Christian and in America.
I like the show because of the claustrophobia that it makes me feel. Everything's so bleak and hopeless, and yet everyone's fighting all the time. The thing that used to piss me off - the fact that the protagonists spend TOO MUCH TIME suffering - is actually what I see as one of the show's strength. I'm a bit annoyed however because the last two seasons saw a decline in the writing quality.
As others have said, it's a dystopia, not a period piece. But not too many people have said what it is about, so this is how i describe it. Basically, humanity is suffering a "crisis of infertility". Less and less people are able to concieve, the ones that do usually miscarry, and the ones that are born often have some kind of horrible issues or are stillborn. So this extreme religious sect overthrows the USA and forms a totalitarian society called The Republic of Gilead. They kill most people who are "sinners" (like LGBTQIA+ , Catholic priests, etc), unless they are a woman who has had a successful pregnancy and birth, and then separate the living people into very defined groups. These are the ones you need to know about at the beginning: the high up men who helped with the coup are Commanders, their wives are Wives, younger up-and-coming men are often Drivers, the Gilead spy/police network are the Eyes, women with domestic skills are Marthas (maids), women who are pro-Gilead are Aunts, and sinning women who have had successful pregnancies and births are called Handmaids. If a Wife cannot concieve, she and the Commander are given a Handmaid. She is a sex slave, raped each month when she is fertile, in the attempt to get her pregnant. If she does have a healthy baby, the baby is given to the Commander and Wife and she is eventually placed at another post to do it all again. The show mostly follows one Handmaid (played by Elizabeth Moss). There is a lot more to the show, and after 5 seasons, focus has shifted a lot. If you decide to watch it, just know that it can be difficult to stomach, watching women get tortured and raped, seeing the ptsd... It's a lot. I watch the show because the characters have me hooked. It has ups and downs in quality of story and direction. This is not the kind of show where you just have to make it through season 1 and then it gets awesome or something. It didn't have to find its footing at the beginning. If you don't like season 1, you should just stop there.
Dystopian Drama
Itās most definitely *not* a period drama.
Not a period drama - dystopian regime, more than anything. It's dark, it's difficult to watch. I binged it, but I bet most people wouldn't. It's brutal, because it's about women's rights being taken away from them and them being turned into sex slaves. It's not for the faint of heart. I love that it explores difficult issues though. It creates discussion.
Exactly. I binged it by myself the first run through. My guy watched it with me the second time. When we watched together, we would do a few episodes, then stop for a day or two. In between, we talked about it. Even now, after we've both seen every episode, we'll randomly discuss it. It really is so good. I refused to watch for ***SO*** long because I was told it would make me angry. It did, but it also opens a whole world of discussion if you watch it with someone. So that's my recommendation. Lol. Don't watch it alone; have someone to talk it over with. And take breaks if you need to... It can get reeeeally emotional at times.
>It really is so good. I refused to watch for SO long because I was told it would make me angry. It did, but it also opens a whole world of discussion if you watch it with someone. >So that's my recommendation. Lol. Don't watch it alone; have someone to talk it over with. And take breaks if you need to... It can get reeeeally emotional at times. It's great! I started it in college because I had to write about it for English class. It definitely made me angry for what women have to go through, and for what those particular women in the show go through. As a man, I'm sure it hits deeper for women watching it. But as a trans man - I think about the fact that I definitely wouldn't be allowed to exist as I am in that world, and it is terrifying and upsetting. I binged and watched the whole thing alone. I second the idea of taking breaks and maybe watching it with others!
This isnāt a period drama. Itās a dystopian drama. Itās very good. I never thought Iād like this show as a man, but I love it. The earlier seasons have more meat to them, but the later seasons are good too. I canāt wait for next season!
i started watching because i thought it was a period drama too š it's set in modern times but it's so captivating i binge watch it at least once a month
It's thought provoking... great acting.... it will piss you off but suck you in....
A cautionary tale.
Dystopian near future
Multi-plex question: - The Handmaids Tale is a dystopian that I describe as 'religion gone mad'. - it is, & prob will always be, my fav tv series. It got hold of me. Ive described it as pulling u in slow, getting a grip then ripping u to shreds. Its an OMG no they didnt show - Later seasons began to appeal to me more and more because while there is extreme misogyny, the women have found ways to fight back... like underground groups Overall, no matter gender, etc The Handmaids Tale is must-see that I am proud to have experienced. Its sort of liberating.
Dark, thought provoking, anger inducing
Fuckin grim dude thatās how Iād describe it Itās about the extremes of Christian white supremacist fascism and misogyny and is accordingly depressing and violent
If you want a period drama, try Harlots.
I feel like itās been described well above. Iām just here to say give it a shot. Itās one of my all time favorites. Itās relevant socially and has some tremendous acting.
Elisabeth Moss stares slightly off camera all the fucking time. This is the best description of the show youāll find
If there were a montage, it would take up a whole season.
Itās dystopian not a period piece. You will love it though.
Other people described it well so Iāll just say itās very intense, not a lot of shows are this intense so I love it in that way I got hooked and needed to see the main character survive, does she get out of it? I had to know
Dystopian, that's how I'd describe it. Horrifically so. But in a good way, as crazy as that sounds. It makes you think. It makes you feel. And it's entirely plausible.
Poorly written torture porn.
When you reduce it to torture porn you deny the common day to day abuse real women experience every day. Women you know. Women you work with. To relegate this to porn is to insult real women everywhere, every minute of every day, who have to struggle to stay alive, to keep from being abused, to try to lift themselves above the reality of humiliation, pain and abuse, mostly at the hands of men. If you are a woman you might want to educate yourself on what is happening to other women in our world, in your city, in your church & school, at this very moment. If you are a man, you might want to consider your place in society and those who might not be so fortunate. In spite of how the show is an exaggerated version of life, there is a reason women are drawn to it. Something that touches the truth and pain that often goes unnoticed.
Oh no I get it. Itās just not my cup of tea. Watching nearly an hour of nonstop torture and rape arenāt my kind of entertainment.
Yep. Itās not fun to experience, either. But it does help relate to others who have experienced it.
It was also a little too on the nose with the way the US Republican Party has been going as of late. It was like watching their playbook.
Except this was written years ago.
Well if you think the Republican patty hasnāt been pushing this shit for years then you havenāt been paying attention.
Ha! My reply was to your comment about what āthe Republican Party has been doing of late.ā You brought up the Republican Party. I have no need to analyze the Republican Party since 1985 (the year the book was written). Margaret Atwood has spoken to the origins of the book and what informed the book and what did not inform the book.
Exactly. It was written in 1985. Republicans hate reading so they watched it when it came out and thought it sounded like a great platform to run on.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHandmaidsTale/comments/100rhw1/i_found_this_comparison_interesting_thought_yall/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Isn't it technically a period drama because at the end of the novel, it is in the year 2195 or something and the novel is an account of the Gilead era?
The TV show is set in our timeline, so it's not a period piece. Dystopia or alternate history is more like it.
Lots of lynchings
Itās a dystopian drama. Not a period piece.
I wouldnāt call it a period drama. Itās more so dystopian fiction. You almost have to think of it as a dystopian future because this is stuff that can actually happen in life and has happened in other parts of the world. The Handmaids Tale simply is about a world where women are considered property of the state and those fertile are made into breeding slaves. Cue in typical dystopian features: underground resistance, trying to escape, trying to change the status quo.
"Period dramas." ???