The Handmaid’s Story Showrunner on Bringing ...

Watching The Handmaid’s Tale for the primary time, the inevitable query quickly rises: how did a spot as oppressive and merciless as Gilead come to be? Over six seasons, we’ve realized the Gilead origin story by means of flashbacks sprinkled into the primary narrative—one thing that feels more and more like a cautionary tale for American viewers in 2025—and the Hulu present has additionally stuffed in blanks for its major gamers. However in a current episode, it gave us one other contemporary look into one character’s life “earlier than.”

We’ve lengthy been fascinated with Serena Joy Waterford, deftly performed by Yvonne Strahovski as a lady who backed Gilead’s right-wing Christian agenda from the beginning and married Fred Waterford, who turned the highly effective Commander Waterford as soon as the US underwent its compelled transformation. Although Serena was as soon as a well-liked creator and political speaker, she willingly put her profession apart and have become a dutiful spouse—for a time.

As The Handmaid’s Story has progressed, we’ve realized Serena is much from a one-note zealot. Her need to turn out to be a mom guided a few of her most odious actions, however she ultimately proved she wasn’t too inflexible to comprehend her failings as a human being—and commenced to really feel deep remorse about her half in turning the world the wrong way up.

In episode two, “Exile,” viewers bought to satisfy Serena’s father for the primary time. (Her mom, who lives in Gilead, made an disagreeable impression again in season three and hasn’t been seen since.) There are two flashbacks within the episode, which within the present’s current day follows Serena’s resolution to return to Gilead—particularly, the extra reformed New Bethlehem area, the place she thinks she’ll have the ability to ease her guilt and get again on the trail God has envisioned for her.

Her relationship along with her father, a pastor, is part of the Serena puzzle the present’s been eager to discover, in accordance with The Handmaid’s Story creator Bruce Miller. Chatting with the Wrap, he defined, “We’ve realized about her, however that is actually attention-grabbing, as a result of it’s not a couple of relationship she selected, like with Fred … Right here, you’re like, how did you turn out to be the girl you might be? I believe that’s the actually attention-grabbing query now, since you’ve plumbed the depths of Serena to know what’s there, you realize the girl that’s there. So whenever you get to season six, you’re asking the query of, what was her father like? And I don’t suppose you might be firstly, as a result of I believe she has one million relationships in her life, however that one will get far more attention-grabbing whenever you understand how a lot metal she has.”

The 2 scenes with Serena’s father unfold just a few years aside; within the first one, she’s simply met Fred and her father is congratulating her on her e book tour. Within the second, her father—who is far older and extra frail-looking—listens as she excitedly tells him “We’re about to vary the nation!”

At that time she thinks she’s making good on her father’s earlier urgings to be a beacon for the motion—however in fact we all know her marriage to Fred might be full of distress, and the “modifications” she helped spearhead will deliver horror and tragedy, not “a brand new Backyard of Eden” as she envisions. Maybe she’s hoping New Bethlehem might be that as an alternative? You’ll be able to by no means predict what Serena will do, however she does have a tremendous method of at all times touchdown on her toes.

You’ll be able to watch new episodes of The Handmaid’s Story Tuesdays on Hulu.

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