The Handmaid's Tale: Season 2

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 28 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 193 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	Your Score
7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 193 Ratings

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The Handmaid's Tale

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Season Details & Credits

HULU | Season Premiere Date: April 25, 2018

Summary: The second season expands to explores life on the colonies as Offred seeks freedom for her unborn child in the second season of the drama series based on Margaret Atwood’s best-selling novel.

Genre(s): Drama, Science Fiction

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Season 2 Episodes

tbd
S2:E13. The Word
Air Date: July 11, 2018
tbd
S2:E12. Postpartum
Air Date: July 4, 2018
tbd
S2:E11. Holly
Air Date: June 27, 2018

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Joseph Hernandez

Apr 16, 2018

A level above the endless viewing options that exist today. Read full review

100

Mark A. Perigard

Apr 20, 2018

In its sophomore season, the series creeps deeper and serves up countless harrowing, haunting moments. Read full review

100

Uncle Barky Ed Bark

Apr 25, 2018

Handmaid’s Tale had a tough act to follow, but its second coming soars on multiple levels. It’s intense, heartbreaking, full of resolve and perfectly paced. Read full review

IndieWire Liz Shannon Miller

Apr 18, 2018

Showrunner Bruce Miller has established the stakes for this world, and while it’d be nice if there was more focus, the series remains as unforgiving and unforgettable as ever. June’s anger and rage are ours as well, screaming out for those kept silent. Read full review

Ken Tucker

Apr 25, 2018

Dowd’s performance is absolutely essential to keeping this show from tipping over into excessive self-seriousness. You’ll notice that whenever Handmaid’s Tale shifts away from Lydia and Offred, and back to the Canadian border and the subplot involving Offred’s husband, Luke (O.T. Fagbenle), and Moira (Samira Wiley), the show becomes deadly drab and dull. Read full review

Daniel Fienberg

Apr 16, 2018

In addition to being dark, the first six episodes of the new season are very, very good, something nobody could have taken for granted with Miller and company moving farther and farther from Atwood's source material (and with Morano too busy with a burgeoning feature career to return behind the camera this time around). With Moss again leading the way, The Handmaid's Tale continues to thrive in many of the same emotional, yet soaringly beautiful, ways it succeeded last year--though several key flaws remain unimproved and are sometimes even exacerbated because everything else around them is so good. Read full review

Sophie Gilbert

Apr 25, 2018

The first five hours of Season 2 offer little more than relentless misery, and they lean more into horror as a genre than the first season did, layering gory imagery on top of trauma on top of despair. ... The task for a show like this one is to offer not just more of the same, but some sense that women have the capacity to enact change. It’s highly possible The Handmaid’s Tale will do just that in the second half of the new season, but there’s an awful lot to endure before we get there. Read full review

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User Score

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7.4

User Reviews

Faizannaeem71

Apr 25, 2018

Very few shows have the power to move you both emotionally and mentally. Season 2 continued the legacy of its previous season only to be more brutal, with excellent performances, specially Ann Dowd role's as Aunt Lydia is breathtakingly devilish and the way she reigns over Handmaid's isVery few shows have the power to move you both emotionally and mentally. Season 2 continued the legacy of its previous season only to be more brutal, with excellent performances, specially Ann Dowd role's as Aunt Lydia is breathtakingly devilish and the way she reigns over Handmaid's is oddly satisfying. Then written novel by Margaret Atwood has been crafted so beautifully it almost feel that all of this is actually happening in real life. And with times like this full of uncertainties and inevitability of life who knows what may happen in future. Hat's off to such quality production values and standards.… Expand

7 of 16 users found this helpful79

Masquic

Jul 11, 2018

Another season and "The handmaid's tale" doesn't shock with the perfection in every aspect. We are in front of one of the best shows that will ever exist. Excellent in every aspect, and with that end, the viewers can't wait to see what you happen next.

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

Felindie

Jul 16, 2019

The second season of 'The Handmaid's Tale' keeps delivering intrigue. The series is still a well-executed one.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DrollPony

May 27, 2019

The first season was a brilliant adaptation of Atwood's brilliant book. The 2nd season, however, shows that they're off the source material. This is still better than so much else, but the sophomore slump makes it all the more frustrating.

It is still exquisitely crafted and acted, andThe first season was a brilliant adaptation of Atwood's brilliant book. The 2nd season, however, shows that they're off the source material. This is still better than so much else, but the sophomore slump makes it all the more frustrating.

It is still exquisitely crafted and acted, and they do have decent writers. But they now seem to be blinded by the accolades (or money?) and want to drag the series on forever - apparently without quite knowing what new to say, or where to take the story.

The 1st season showed Atwood's genius in building the world, atmosphere, characters and story with such efficiency and effectiveness. The 2nd season, however, brings little new to what already was. The story (and character traits) keeps resetting, the pace is often glacial, and a lot of time is spent with unnecessary flashbacks.

It's understandable to now expand from Offred's POV, but this is not used well. Things that were told in jarringly curt - and therefore impactful - sentences in season 1 (e.g. what happens in the Colonies, or how Ofglen's pre-war fleeing attempt was aborted), are now spelt out in tediously drawn out sequences (many of which I fastforwarded).

If only this had been condensed to, say, 5 episodes, as a preface to season 3 (assuming they'll then move on with the story). Now, it's just too much of everything; of trying to manipulate the audience feelings. Everybody speaks and does things very slowly and sparsely. Elizabeth Moss emotes in countless extreme closeups. Darkness, bleakness, torture. And women crying; goodness, so much of women crying! It almost felt like a parody towards the end - which is a terrible result, considering how horrific the subject is.

The protagonist has also become a problem. Part of her appeal in the source material is how she's anonymous, one of many, could be any one of us. Passive and timid, and thus relatable. Now, it feels she's being built into a Chosen One, out of the blue.

SPOILERS:

Bizarrely, dozens of unknown people risk their limbs and even lives just to help Offred escape. Not the other Handmaids, not the taken children, and pointedly not themselves. Why her then? She hasn't even asked for help, just passively sulked around with a jutting chin - and chooses actually not to escape, twice.

All the while Offred and the other main characters are protected by an unbreakable plot armour - and their hazardous behavior exposes that they know it. They survive everything, and make implausible comebacks after misdeeds that would behead anyone else. This shoots holes in the story logic, and lessens the feel of dread.

I can only hope the writers find their own voice with season 3.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Lpenn

Jun 20, 2018

Handmaid's Season 2 has the ability to over-promise and under-deliver unlike I've ever seen. Flawless execution on that front. Save yourself time and assume the end of season 1 was the end of the series.

5 of 11 users found this helpful56

Gabunviper

Jan 7, 2020

After a good Season one Season two is just Boeing and the writing is terrible. Very sorry für this at First good Show :(

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

samy1117

Aug 1, 2020

Show must have ended with Season 1. Now they are just milking the character June. No real movement in the script. Just June has become kind of a liability for this show. Monotonous acting. Manipulative which are hard to digest.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 25 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

80

Series Overview
Season 6

62
- Season 6 Overview
  Air Date: April 8, 2025
Season 5

63
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: September 14, 2022
Season 4

62
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: April 28, 2021
Season 3

68
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: June 5, 2019
Season 2

86
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: April 25, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E13. The Word
  Air Date: July 11, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E12. Postpartum
  Air Date: July 4, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E11. Holly
  Air Date: June 27, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E10. The Last Ceremony
  Air Date: June 20, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E9. Smart Power
  Air Date: June 14, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E8. Women's Work
  Air Date: June 6, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E7. After
  Air Date: May 30, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E6. First Blood
  Air Date: May 23, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E5. Seeds
  Air Date: May 16, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E4. Other Women
  Air Date: May 9, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E3. Baggage
  Air Date: May 2, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E2. Unwomen
  Air Date: April 25, 2018
- tbd
  S2:E1. June
  Air Date: April 25, 2018
Season 1

92
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: April 30, 2017