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Jamie (131 KP) rated The Handmaid's Tale - Season 1 in TV
Jul 15, 2017
Phenomenal casting (4 more)
Changes to the plot add more to the characters and world of Gilead
Gorgeous technicolor visuals
Retains the dark tone of it's source material
Wonderful original soundtrack
June's character is changed in a way that goes against one of the original messages of the book (1 more)
Soundtrack sometimes included pop songs that were jarring and obnoxiously loud
Adds new depth to an already incredible story
I LOVE The Handmaid's Tale. Both the book and now the television show. The show is stunningly beautiful in terms of it's visuals and soundtrack. The casting was outstanding, it is everything I ever wanted from an adaptation of this marvelous book.
The story is changed in some pretty big ways in an attempt to modernize the story. The setting has been changed to what seems like the present day in a more integrated United States. The television show added extra plot lines, giving more attention to some of the side characters and giving us their points of view seamlessly, something that would have been difficult and confusing in a written format. I loved seeing more of the side characters and with it, seeing Gilead be fully fleshed out and more terrifying than I ever could have imagined. It was wonderful seeing the story expanded to include the infertility epidemic, the fall of the United States, the protests and gradual rise of the nation of Gilead.
I was hesitant at first when I saw images of a young Commander and Serena Joy but the casting couldn't be more on point. Yvonne Strahovski is a powerhouse that really embodies Serena Joy, making her both a sympathetic and terrifying character. Elizabeth Moss, Samira Wiley, Ann Dowd, Alexis Bledel, and Madeline Brewer all deserve some serious praise for the way that they made all of their characters come alive.
An unfortunate casualty from the book were the changes to June's character, who went from being a disoriented every woman who did not recognize freedom when she had it and tragically lost everything. She wasn't ever meant to be the "hero," not like her mother or Moira who were outspoken feminists. This was an intentional set up in the book to be a cautionary tale of the importance of being vigilant and fighting to preserve one's autonomy. The June in the show on the other hand IS our hero, the fact that there is a season two means that we will have the resistance and the story will become more of your stereotypical dystopia where good will prevail and evil will always lose. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's a pretty standard plot that gets recycled over and over.
What the story added where the book was extremely bleak was that tiny glimmer of hope. Hope that Gilead won't last and that the bonds of family and friendship can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Be prepared to cry and those with triggers will probably have difficulty digesting some of the content in the show. The story doesn't shy away from difficult topics and the brutality can be startling.
The story is changed in some pretty big ways in an attempt to modernize the story. The setting has been changed to what seems like the present day in a more integrated United States. The television show added extra plot lines, giving more attention to some of the side characters and giving us their points of view seamlessly, something that would have been difficult and confusing in a written format. I loved seeing more of the side characters and with it, seeing Gilead be fully fleshed out and more terrifying than I ever could have imagined. It was wonderful seeing the story expanded to include the infertility epidemic, the fall of the United States, the protests and gradual rise of the nation of Gilead.
I was hesitant at first when I saw images of a young Commander and Serena Joy but the casting couldn't be more on point. Yvonne Strahovski is a powerhouse that really embodies Serena Joy, making her both a sympathetic and terrifying character. Elizabeth Moss, Samira Wiley, Ann Dowd, Alexis Bledel, and Madeline Brewer all deserve some serious praise for the way that they made all of their characters come alive.
An unfortunate casualty from the book were the changes to June's character, who went from being a disoriented every woman who did not recognize freedom when she had it and tragically lost everything. She wasn't ever meant to be the "hero," not like her mother or Moira who were outspoken feminists. This was an intentional set up in the book to be a cautionary tale of the importance of being vigilant and fighting to preserve one's autonomy. The June in the show on the other hand IS our hero, the fact that there is a season two means that we will have the resistance and the story will become more of your stereotypical dystopia where good will prevail and evil will always lose. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's a pretty standard plot that gets recycled over and over.
What the story added where the book was extremely bleak was that tiny glimmer of hope. Hope that Gilead won't last and that the bonds of family and friendship can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Be prepared to cry and those with triggers will probably have difficulty digesting some of the content in the show. The story doesn't shy away from difficult topics and the brutality can be startling.