The Testaments Is Now The Biggest Problem With The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 and The Testaments!
The Handmaid’s Tale hasn’t quite ended yet, but the existence of The Testaments is easily the biggest problem that the show has to face in the lead up to its season 6 finale. The Handmaid’s Tale has been one of Hulu’s most critically acclaimed shows throughout its six seasons, and many fans are hoping that it sticks the landing in its upcoming series finale. Unfortunately, much of the show has already been spoiled thanks to the existence of The Testaments, creating a difficult balancing act for the show’s final season.
Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments is the 2019 sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, with the book taking place several years after the events of the original novel. The Hulu series has gone in a different direction with its adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, as the show’s story has deviated from the book since the end of season 1. However, Hulu has already announced that The Testaments will be getting adapted as a TV show, meaning that The Handmaid’s Tale universe won’t be over when the original series ends.
The Testaments Removes A Lot Of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6’s Biggest Stakes
Since We Already Know What Is Going To Happen
Since The Testaments takes place after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, several of the biggest stakes that are featured in season 6 have already been spoiled. The Testaments follows three main characters: Aunt Lydia, Hannah, and Nicole, the latter of whom go by Agnes and Daisy respectively. Lydia and Hannah live in Gilead, while Nicole lives in Canada. Throughout the book, it is revealed that Aunt Lydia is secretly working for Mayday and attempting to take Gilead down from the inside, while Hannah and Nicole unite and try to find June.
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Due to The Testaments, several things about The Handmaid’s Tale are already known. Firstly, June and Luke can’t rescue Hannah, as she has to be in Gilead until she is an adult. Secondly, Nicole will have to be split up from June at some point. Thirdly, June can’t die in The Handmaid’s Tale, as she is still alive in The Testaments. Finally, Aunt Lydia will have to turn against Gilead at some point, meaning that she will probably be radicalized in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6. This answers almost all of the biggest questions that the final season has left, hurting the original show.
The Testaments Means The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Has A Challenging Ending
It Is Hard To Make Satisfying
Thanks to The Testaments, The Handmaid’s Tale‘s ending is so much more challenging. The series has the seemingly impossible task of crafting a satisfying ending to June’ character arc while also leaving the story open for the future. June’s main two goals have been to save Hannah and take down Gilead, neither of which can happen before The Testaments. June is in hiding in the sequel book, meaning that The Handmaid’s Tale will have to end with June failing at all of her goals and going into hiding. After six seasons of build up, this will be an anticlimactic way to end The Handmaid’s Tale.
Even if The Handmaid’s Tale does this, it is expected, which is the worst sin a series finale can commit. Heading into The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 finale, everyone who is familiar with The Testaments will know exactly what they are getting. Unless something is seriously changed, there will be no element of surprise. It is hard to have stakes when the results are predetermined, as the viewer will know that all of June’s actions are in vain.
The Testaments Is Still Exciting, Despite Causing Problems
It Will Continue The Franchise’s Legacy
The Testaments is hurting its original show, but the sequel series is still exciting. Aunt Lydia’s arc is one of the most interesting parts of the book, and it will be exciting for Lydia to complete her The Testaments transformation and become a protagonist. Similarly, it will be nice to finally spend time with grown-up versions of Hannah and Nicole, who in The Handmaid’s Tale are both children with very little screentime.
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The Testaments doesn’t have a sequel, meaning that the ending of the sequel series is far less predictable. The show won’t have a status quo that it has to maintain in its finale, fixing the big problem with The Handmaid’s Tale‘s ending. While it is a shame that the original show will have to suffer, it is nice that The Testaments can carry on the legacy of The Handmaid’s Tale for a little longer.
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- Release Date
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2017 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Hulu
- Showrunner
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Bruce Miller
- Directors
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Mike Barker, Kari Skogland, Daina Reid, Reed Morano, Floria Sigismondi, Jeremy Podeswa, Kate Dennis, Richard Shepard, Amma Asante, Christina Choe, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Bradley Whitford, Dearbhla Walsh, Liz Garbus
- Writers
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Kira Snyder, Eric Tuchman, Yahlin Chang, John Herrera, Jacey Heldrich, Dorothy Fortenberry, Marissa Jo Cerar, Lynn Renee Maxcy
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Elisabeth Moss
June Osborne / Offred / Ofjoseph
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