El cuento de la criada

In a world that resembles "Children of Men", tormented with ecological disasters and a vision of human extinction - there is a country where citizens decided to take strong actions to prevent from the vision of the grim future. Men are put in charge and women are relieved from their constitution and freedom rights to serve for one purpose only - giving birth to children in a utopian society that follows the rules of Bible. But this show is not just about this - but most of all - it's a study of how a totalitarian regime is born. How a simple and dangerous idea is pushed from the deepest parts of frustrated minds to become a basis for a new society whose happiness is assured by rifles, severe punishments, eradication of basic education and fellings - a society free of any critic thinking, fully devoted to the state. Where fear is the main tool to keep the state united. But like any totalitarian regime - it also starts to eat it's own founders. It's a study of how ordinary people are being corrupted when given absolute power. And it's a study of people who can't stand up and agree to become victims of the cruel ideology. Sounds familiar? This is the show that will help just a little understand the history of the 20th century.

The Handmaid's Tale is a chilling & gripping series set in a dystopian world where the USA is transformed into a class-based society, with emphasis on fertile women who are treated as property for reproduction. The shows does a great job at depicting brutality, repression, authoritarianism, but also how these acts are justified in various forms. The acting really captures the cultish behaviors that can be found on both left & right extremes of today's ideological spectrum. Season 1-3 are definitely top-tier for those who enjoy dystopian/post-apocalyptic genres with high production.

Season 4 however is a snoozefest. The show has lost steam, there's not much storyline development left and it just drags with no objective or goal. Even the good acting & cinematography can't salvage what was once a solid 8-9.

I jumped onto The Handmaids bandwagon pretty late; I started the series a couple of weeks ago & just finished with seasin 4. I chose to disregard the plethora of negative reviews about the last 2 seasons because I wanted to make my own conclusions about the show, as a whole. While many of the negative reviews do make valid points, such as some of the scenes being too slow & the (way) too many unnecessary close-ups of June, I thought the overall show was excellent!!

As an individual who: 1- raised in an extremely strict, religious setting 2- a victim of sexual abuse for many years 3- trapped in very tightly controlled & highly abusive relationships & 4-had a child ripped from my arm because I was deemed "unworthy" of being a mother simply because the grandparents were more financially stable at the time, this show truly resonated with SO MUCH of what I've gone & been through & what I've overcome & recovered from...hence the title of my review.

I understand that my review doesn't give much in reference to the show, itself, but it is a testament not only to those of us who've endured similar circumstances, but a testament to what strongly held beliefs, such as religion can do & the impact it can have on those who do not have those same beliefs.

It is OKAY to have differences of opinions. It is OKAY to have different beliefs. It is OKAY to be who we are, as individuals, but it is NOT okay to be persecuted for those differences. We do not all have to or need to agree with one another, but we all MUST learn to respect one another & accept people for who they are.

-SEASON-1 A masterpiece! Put feminism aside for a moment, this is a brilliantly told story whether you are watching it for empowerment or just as a leisure activity. Each and every character, supporting or lead, hero or villain, is well-written and gets his or her own chance to develop. Season One is slow in parts, but each carefully framed shot is purposeful and powerful. There is no holding back in The Handmaid's Tale, and as the story progresses, there are twists and turns that you have never before seen on T. V.

-SEASON-2 Season Two of The Handmaid's Tale is the perfect continuation of Season One, yet it comes back even stronger with new, shocking conflicts. Moss, Fiennes, and Strahovski all have incredible chemistry together on screen, and this season, the tension is stronger than ever. The Handmaid's Tale manages to get better and better with every episode as the writers and actors push their talents to a whole new level.

-SEASON-3 I almost gave up on this show after season 2. I am so glad that I didn't. There are so many parallels in our world to draw from. The Underground Railroad of the 1860s, the persecution of Jews in the 1940s and the persecution of women in the modern Middle East all serve as inspirations and are ripe with tales of rebels, agitators and heroes. In a day and age when most of our heroes wear capes or have billion dollar steel armor it's refreshing to see the plain old human spirit alive and kicking ass.

Great 10/10.

After 3 and half seasons of the same thing happening over and over, of characters acting irrationally against their own best interests, of June's very sophisticated facial expressions, of one cliff-hanger per episode to keep your curiosity up through the feet-dragging and fake depth... it's probably time to acknowledge that this lemon has already been squeezed dry and move on.