(Courtesy of Hulu)
Making its way from book to the Hulu screen, the cast and crew of The Handmaid’s Tale dominated the 2017 Emmy Awards with 8 prestigious wins. The critically acclaimed novel by author Margaret Atwood (The Blind Assassin) has been brought to life by showrunner Bruce Miller and actress Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) as a must-see miniseries event for Hulu.
As we previously mentioned, in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society has take over the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted fundamentalism from its militarized values. As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household. In this terrifying society, Offred must navigate between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids. In a world where anyone could be a spy for Gilead, Offred must survive and find the daughter who was taken from her.
Here are 5 reasons why we love The Handmaid’s Tale dominating the Emmy awards:
5) Life After Peggy Olson
Elisabeth Moss started out as the clueless secretary, Peggy Olson, on Mad Men and would later become the the show’s hero. After being underestimated at every turn, Peggy climbed up the the corporate ladder and used her sophistication to gain power. Though she never won for Mad Men, her Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series makes up for the void.
4) The Leftovers
Ann Dowd was unforgettable as Patti Levin, the provocative leader of the Guilty Remnant, in The Leftovers. I highly recommend you also watch her stellar performance in the indie drama/thriller, Compliance. I am so happy she won her first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a drama series.
3) Shallow Focus
Can you believe it? Reed Morano is the first woman first woman to win a directing Emmy in 22 years. Morano had previous experience as a cinematographer in Divorce. She had never directed a pilot prior to The Handmaid’s Tale.
2) The Gilmore Girl
We will never forget Rory Gilmore, which is why we’re amazed at how Alexis Bledel brings such innocence and earnestness to her roles. Bledel definitely deserved her Emmy win for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. The cameras captured an unforgettable performance for her turn as Ofglen,
1) The Presidential Election
During our visit to BookCon, Bruce Miller discussed how the presidential election had an impact on the show, “I started writing well before the primaries began, before those debates began. I had finished before the season got into full swing. We were writing during the election. And then we were filming during the election. We filmed even on election day. We started in September. Through the whole process of choosing candidates in exceedingly long campaigns, it was part of what we were experiencing. For me it didn’t change consciously what we were doing, it unfortunately made it easier to find examples. But easier to find the language people used to justify this kind of thinking.”
The first season ofThe Handmaid’s Tale can be seen on Hulu. The Hulu drama has been renewed for a second season.
– By Jorge Solis