The sixth and final season of The Handmaid's Tale premieres on Hulu tomorrow. The 10-episode season will bring an end to Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel about a society where fertile women are kept as breeding slaves after a fertility crisis threatens Earth's population. By this point, the show has gone well beyond the text of Atwood's original book, with June (Elisabeth Moss) going on many adventures not contemplated by the author. Does the final season stick the landing?
According to the critics, yes. As of this writing, 13 reviews have come in on Rotten Tomatoes, and all of them are positive. Here's a sampling:
- Collider: "With Season 6, The Handmaid's Tale is a masterclass in how to end a sharp, politically imperative show in times of moral crisis."
- The A.V. Club: "There is a sense of purpose and urgency that was especially missing last season, as well as a very cinematic execution, from Adam Taylor’s inspiring score and some effective Radiohead needle drops."
- TheWrap: "This final season is eminently bingeable, and each episode is tightly paced, with at least a few standout dramatic moments in each."
- FandomWire: "As The Handmaid’s Tale reaches its final season, we have to ask if the Emmy-winning series can sustain the relevance it once had. Through the episodes provided, the show makes a return to form."
So good news all around, right? Well, although all the reviews so far have been positive, some sound only reluctantly so. "Admittedly meandering and often hamfisted, veering more into 'rah rah girl power' than the actual cutting satire it should be. But there’s a comforting air of finality over everything," writes Inverse. And Espinof still sounds incredulous that it took the show this long to reach its endgame: "...at this point, the series isn't simply stretched thin, but rather already exhausted and feeling like it's drifting into its final stretch."
Also, although they like it, some critics mention that the show doesn't fully close out the story, probably so Hulu can leave room for a sequel series called The Testaments. "The Handmaid’s Tale’s last act may be more of a cliffhanger than a conclusion. But it can still give us hope and recognition, an artistic mirror of our own modern history that has only become more prescient since Atwood conceptualized it," writes Observer. And then there's this from ScreenHub: "If you’ve come to the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale expecting June to triumph over a burning Gilead, hold please. The wheels have a way to turn yet."
The Testaments is based on the book of the same name by Margaret Atwood, a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. It's set some 15 years after the original story and features the return of some familiar characters.
It does sound a little lame that fans will watch this final season of a show that's been running for years only to be greeted with a tease at the end to tune into The Testaments whenever it drops. Hopefully the ending is more graceful than that; if it weren't, I imagine the reviews wouldn't be as positive.
The first three episodes of The Handmaid's Tale season 6 drop tomorrow, April 8, on Hulu. After that, episodes will come out at a rate of one per week every Tuesday until the whole thing is over!
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