The Testaments: what is the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale worth? (critical)
And we return to Gilead. A few years later the patriarchal empire still stands. The new series sheds light on the inside of the regime, following the future wives, young heroines in search of freedom. A fascinating thriller, even if the political power of the original has disappeared a little.
History repeats itself. The Handmaid’s Tale, a grueling story spread over six seasons and concluded without real satisfaction, returns today with a sequel that it would undoubtedly have been more honest to call The Handmaid’s Tale – Season 7. Because The Testaments is in reality the next chapter. A few years later, certainly, but June (Elisabeth Moss) is still there, in Canada, maneuvering to allow Mayday to continue its action against Gilead. Because Gilead is still there too. Despite the defeat of Boston (at the heart of the finale of the previous series), the empire still stands. And the empire strikes back. The Commanders have regrouped their forces a few hundred kilometers further south, on the East Coast. This is where young girls from good families of the regime are raised, those destined to become the wives of future Commanders. Among them, we find Agnes, heir to the powerful Commander MacKenzie. His real name? Obviously Hannah Bankole, the daughter stolen from June (in season 1) and raised in Gilead from a young age. Enough to be totally recruited?
This is the fundamental question that runs through this sequel carried by the impressive Chase Infiniti. The 25-year-old actress, who played Leonardo DiCaprio’s daughter in One Battle After Another, finds a new rebellious figure to play. Magnetic, charismatic, she takes the saga on her shoulders to tell the story of the power of indoctrination in the face of the desire for freedom. The Testaments finds its strength precisely in this young adult point of view, centering the story on those who have never known anything other than authoritarianism, but who begin to find the courage to act. The series emphasizes this contrast: the banality of fascist daily life, the absurd rules of the regime, and the young women who navigate between adolescent social norms and institutionalized sadism. A funny mix between Gossip Girl and The Handmaid’s Tale, which gives rise to a fascinating and disturbing story at the same time. A new, invigorating voice in this inflexible universe.
The writing is as effective as ever (even if it is too often didactic) and the production is undeniably neat. The stifling atmosphere still manages to capture the horror of Gilead while making it accessible to a Gen Z audience. But then the question becomes: can we still be shocked by Gilead? Not really anymore. The emotional power of the first hours of The Handmaid’s Tale is gone. Its political impact has diminished dramatically. All that remains is an infiltration thriller at the heart of a disproportionate patriarchal regime, to offer these conditioned girls a chance to remove their blinders. Nothing new, really, under Gilead’s watch.
The Testaments, season 1, to watch on Disney+ from April 8, 2026.
