8 Tiny Details In 'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 2 Trailer You Definitely Missed
This is a big year for Hulu. Last year was the breakout year for the streaming service, who launched the TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale to massive acclaim, taking home the first Best Drama Emmy for a streaming service. But with the first season covering the events of the entire novel, the follow up is walking into uncharted territory, world-building without a safety net, and with a high bar to live up to. So when The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 trailer arrived it was inevitable that fans would obsessively break down the images contained therein to see where the show was going, and if it looked like they were going to pull it off.
In that way, the trailer doesn't disappoint. The spot is only 1:43 seconds, but there is a ton to unpack inside. The opening images pick up where we left off at the end of last season (which is also where the book ends). Offred (real name: June, played by Elisabeth Moss) is inside the van, being taken away to somewhere. Has she been betrayed? Is this some sort of set up by the Mayday resistance? How will the Waterfords react to losing their prize, now that she's carrying their precious baby?
Let's break down the details you might have missed.
1. Offred Has Not Been Taken By The Eyes
This was a question both in the books and at the end of the series. When Offred was taken it wasn't clear if this was Mayday coming for her, or if they had been betrayed. With Emily (Ofglen, later Ofsteven, played by Alexis Bledel) dragged away to the Colonies, it seemed like it may have been the latter. But this trailer gives us hope.
2. The Waterfords Are Terrified
The fact that Captain Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) says Offred "ran away" almost seals the deal that she wasn't taken by the Eyes.
3. Nick Blaine Is What He Says He Is
This is more of a book question. The show seemed to play it from the beginning that Nick (Max Minghella) the chauffeur was part of Mayday and a stand-up dude, but the book isn't so clear-cut, and personally, I spent all of Season 1 waiting to find out he really was a spy for the Eyes. But the trailer reveals he's the real deal, and he's trying to get Offred out.
4. The Handmaids Are Being Punished
It's not clear if this is because of Offred's rebellion at the end of last season, or something else. But the red coffins and the hanging scenes are chilling.
5. There Are Protests Stemming From Canada
Did anyone else get chills at Samira Wiley's "My name is MOIRA" sign?
6. There May Be A Revolt In The Colonies
Both Emily and Janine (Ofwarren, played by Madeline Brewer) are out in the Colonies, a place we never saw in the books And from the looks of it, the authorities might regret sending these firebrands out there.
7. Serena Joy May Have Had Enough
That scene with Captain Waterford where he's about to take a belt to someone? I'm pretty sure that someone is his wife, Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski). A few cuts later we see her in the streets, trying to gin up the crowd. Has she too, had enough of this world she never meant to be like this?
8. Her Name Is June Osborne
We've never heard Offred's full name before. Let's hope this is proof that she is indeed Canada bound.
The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 will arrive on Hulu on Wednesday, April 25, 2018, with the first two episodes. After that, it will switch to a one-episode-a-week release schedule every Wednesday for the rest of the 13 episode run.
