The second season of The Handmaid’s Tale is, by all accounts, confronting.
The violence and realistic horror in this gritty adaption of Margaret Atwood’s vision of a dystopian future have been stepped up a notch.
But the show’s starring actress, Elisabeth Moss, isn’t sympathetic to those who switch off because they find the drama “too scary”.
In an interview with The Guardian the Golden Globe winner didn’t hold back.
“I hate hearing that someone couldn’t watch it because it was too scary,” she told reporter Jane Mulkerrins.
Just watching the trailer almost gives us nightmares. Post continues.
Moss said it has nothing to do with the fact she stars and produces the show, but because of its parallels with a real-life United States where President Donald Trump wants to arm teachers and strip back women’s abortion rights.
“Not because I care about whether or not they watch my TV show, I don’t give a shit,” she said.
“But I’m like, ‘Really? You don’t have the balls to watch a TV show?’
“This is happening in your real life. Wake up, people. Wake up.”
On the Mamamia Out Loud podcast, Mia Freedman, Jessie Stephens and Holly Wainwright weren’t so sure that The Handmaid’s Tale season two was must-watch viewing.
Mia said that after finding it difficult yet rewarding to watch the first season, she wasn’t sure about going back for the second after all she’d heard about it.
The Out Loud team have a no spoilers discussion on whether or not you should be watching season two of The Handmaid’s Tale. Post continues.
Holly and Jessie, who had watched the first few episodes, agreed that the horror had been turned up.
“Oh my God, I’ve never been more traumatised by a television show in my life,” Holly said. “I found myself saying to my partner, ‘do I have to watch the next one?'”
“I agree that it was so much more violent than I expected,” Jessie said. “I never get nightmares and I’m not particularly sensitive to that stuff and I had a nightmare after the watching the first one.”
While both argued that the “art” was worth consuming if you could, they were not about to recommend it to everyone.
“I think you’ve got to know your own limits and then it’s your responsibility. I wouldn’t ever say ‘everyone needs to watch this’. I wouldn’t say that about this season,” Jessie said.
“If you’re someone who’s sensitive to horror and to violence then this isn’t for you.”
Have you watched The Handmaid’s Tale season two? Would you recommend it to others? Tell us in the comments below.
Top Comments
I agree. Watch this - this is what could be in our future. It's so real - taking away tiny little things ... could lead to something extreme.
I know. I worry about draconian hate speech laws taking away our freedom to have an opinion, but I think suppression of free speech is more of a left wing speciality than the right.
Some people don't want to watch it, that's their prerogative. Acting as if people who decide they don't want to watch a particular fictional tv show need to "wake up" and trying to challenge people with the whole "you don't have the balls to watch a TV show?" doesn't help anyone, or the show.
I haven't watched it but it's because it didn't peak my interest, not because "it's just too scary and confronting."