The Handmaid's Tale

:

Season 2
  • Network: HULU
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 26, 2017
Season #: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
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Critic Reviews

  1. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Sophie Gilbert
    Apr 25, 2018
    60
    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.

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best TV Season of 2018
42
#42 Most Discussed TV Season of 2018
35
#35 Most Shared TV Season of 2018

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 193 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 148 out of 193
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 193
  3. Negative: 32 out of 193
  1. OlivierPiel
    Apr 25, 2018
    0
    Not only are the premises of this show preposterous but its tactics are obscene. The first scene shows maids brought to the gallows . AnyoneNot only are the premises of this show preposterous but its tactics are obscene. The first scene shows maids brought to the gallows . Anyone with half a brain knows they won't be executed for the simple and obvious reason that the maids are priceless commodities. Killing them would be the same as committing mass-suicide on a country-wide scale. Imagine the Romans murdering the Sabines instead of raping them. That would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it!
    It is obscene because it tries to be a metaphor for the plight of "womanhood", trying to create a parallel with the suffering of real minorities that were indeed rounded up in stadiums and executed later on (Armenians, Jews, Bosnians etc...). I wonder how a Bosnian or a Rwandan that has survived such an ordeal would feel watching that kind of scene. It is obscene because it uses cheap depiction of violence to further its point of view. As such, it is nothing more than a form of pornography, same as those gratuitous massacre and sex scenes in Game of Thrones.

    In short, this "feminist" show is ham-fisted, shallow and shameless just like hippies burning bras in the 70's.
    Sadly, the American populace has shown us it hasn't evolved much since then. It has probably regressed actually.

    PS: Ironic that a scientologist is the lead of a feminist show! But Hollywood and myopic feminists are hypocritical enough until the next PC scandal

    PPS: Rectify, oh, rectify...that was a truly great work of art. TV as an art form has really died with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Mediocrity reigns supreme...    … Full Review »
  2. Erald
    Apr 26, 2018
    0
    After the initial premise this show simply has no sense at all. The story of the novel ended with the events of the first season. What exactlyAfter the initial premise this show simply has no sense at all. The story of the novel ended with the events of the first season. What exactly are they going to explore now?… Full Review »
  3. Faizannaeem71
    Apr 25, 2018
    10
    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 moreVery 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.… Full Review »
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