Enough with ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Despite working as a critic and thus being prone to finding fault with everything, I never find pleasure when a series is canceled, and am generally happy when I hear of a show’s renewal. There are many jobs on the line. And for every big star we associate with a show, there are countless folks behind the cameras and in the production and marketing departments whose livelihoods depend on the series’ success.
That said, I am a bit baffled that Hulu announced the sixth season renewal of “The Handmaid’s Tale” before today’s debut of the harrowing series’ fifth.
I’m not saying that the acting and production values on this dystopian saga aren’t top notch — but it has simply run out of story. The first season was based on Margaret Atwood’s acclaimed and powerful 1985 novel. Subsequent seasons have elaborated on the struggles between the Christian nationalist dictatorship of Gilead, neighboring Canada and what’s left of the United States.
As season five begins, June (Elisabeth Moss) has just led a daring raid that killed Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes), an act of personal vengeance and political terror with profound diplomatic consequences. Meanwhile, Waterford’s once-estranged widow, Serena (Yvonne Strahovsky), makes the most of her role as a political prisoner and symbol of a growing Gilead influence in Canada.
By my estimation, nearly half the season opener seemed to consist of flashbacks and musical interludes. I must admit, I stopped watching “Tale” some time back because of its relentless brutality. And here in season five, I found storylines and characters I thought were long gone or resolved still spinning their narrative wheels.
After Waterford’s death, June seems to confront the aftereffects of personal violence and the all-consuming nature of revenge. When she tries to step back, her co-conspirators treat her like a selfish quitter, out only for her own agenda. And one gets the feeling that Serena and her contacts back in Gilead just won’t let June alone.
The next season will be the last for “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Let’s hope the story moves forward.
Fans of Moss’s intense style of acting and physical fearlessness owe it to themselves to catch the series “Shining Girls,” streaming on Apple TV+. A well-acted sci-fi thriller, it received very little attention and was shunned by the Emmys. It’s very good.
› With streaming bringing new programming every day, it’s easy to forget that TV used to follow the seasons. The autumnal equinox may still be a week away, but TV’s summer is at an end. In my own unofficial calendar, summer begins when Fox premieres “So You Think You Can Dance” and ends when a winner emerges on the finale of “America’s Got Talent” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-PG). Enjoy sweater weather.
Speaking of seasons, ABC glances ahead with “The ABC Fall Preview” (8:30 p.m., TV-14).