“The Handmaid’s Tale” had a remarkable ending — for real-world reasons
CNN
Hollywood studios and streamers aren’t exactly craving politically provocative shows and movies right now. And that’s what makes the timing of “The Handmaid’s Tale” finale all the more interesting.
Hollywood studios and streamers aren’t exactly craving politically provocative shows and movies right now. Producers are thinking twice about liberal-sounding storylines. Media companies are downplaying diversity initiatives. And “The Apprentice,” a biopic about President Trump that contained some critical scenes, struggled to gain US distribution last year. That’s what makes the timing of “The Handmaid’s Tale” finale all the more remarkable. The acclaimed Hulu drama, which streamed its final episode earlier this week, was unavoidably and unapologetically political. In the series, based on the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood, America has been transformed into Gilead, a totalitarian theocratic regime where women are treated like property. The “handmaid” in the title is June Osborne, played by Elisabeth Moss. The actors and producers started working on the first season of the show in 2016 with the belief that Hillary Clinton would be the first woman president. They described in interviews how the entire cast and crew were shocked by President Trump’s victory.
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