‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ trailer shows grim season 2 for its heroines

MANILA, Philippines – The trailer for Hulu’s award-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale was recently released, only showing that things in the dystopian Republic of Gilead are not about to get happier anytime soon.

The trailer offers several glimpses of the show’s heroine, Offred – played by Elizabeth Moss in a performance that earned her an Emmy and a Golden Globe – who, in the ambiguous first season finale, was taken away in a black van, leaving people to wonder if she was with allies or enemies.

The first glimpse of Offred in the season 2 trailer is not so reassuring, showing her vulnerable with her mouth bound. Her ally, Moira, who managed to flee to Canada at the end of season 1, is also shown in tears.

More images from the trailer show resistance banners being raised defiantly, as scenes of injustice in Gilead are shown. The end of the trailer shows Offred setting something on fire as she looks on coldly.

The second season of The Handmaid’s Tale returns to Hulu on April 25, though at the moment, it is not available to Philippine viewers who are unable to access the streaming service.

In the meantime, those who are interested in the story can pick up a copy of the novel by Margaret Atwood that the series was based upon. The novel – and the series – tells of a dystopian society where women, or “handmaids,” are taken as sex slaves and regularly raped to bear children for the ruling class. – Rappler.com