This April, June returns.
Hulu has released the first official trailer for The Handmaid's Tale season two, set to premiere on the streaming service on April 25th with two new episodes, and subsequent episodes released every Wednesday. Clocking in at only a minute, the first teaser for the second season of the award-winning dystopian series also offers a first look at new corners of the Handmaid's universe: Janine (Madeline Brewer), for instance, stands in a sunlit field that feels rather far away from the Boston setting in which the show takes place. A trip to the enigmatic "colonies," often discussed as a dire outcome but never seen firsthand in season one, looks like it's in the offing for season two.
What's more, the first look at season two of The Handmaid's Tale offers longtime fans of the Margaret Atwood novel on which the show is based something fully new. The first season of the series ends in the same fashion as Atwood's book, which leaves showrunner Bruce Miller's TV adaptation in a position to continue the story of June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) and the dark nation of Gilead without new stories from the source material guiding the way forward.
By design, the new Hulu teaser doesn't give away much in terms of Miller's vision of the Handmaid's Tale's future. The trailer is set to artist Malia J's cover of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth," scoring several dialogue-free images: June in full Handmaid regalia, albeit with the horrifying addition of a muzzle; Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) dressed to the nines at an event in one moment, and approaching a gagged man in the woods with gun in hand at another turn; June and Luke (O. T. Fagbenle) sharing a happy moment with their daughter Hannah, which confirms the show will keep its flashback storytelling mechanism in place for season two; Luke together with June's best friend Moira (Samira Wiley), both of them safely in Canada by the end of the first season; and June tearfully meeting up with Nick (Max Minghella), the father of her unborn child.
Watch the trailer below:
Indeed, it's the most pressing question about the future of the Handmaid's Tale, at least from a narrative standpoint: how will season two handle and advance the story of June's pregnancy, which was revealed in the first season finale. Shortly after the revelation, June and other Handmaids defied Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) by refusing to execute Janine, an act of disobedience that Lydia promised would have consequences. Those consequences apparently came swiftly, as June ended the season in the back of a black van, her fate and the fate of her unborn child unknown.
How will that cliffhanger resolve itself? For her part, Moss has described season two of the series as "inspiring, gut-wrenching," and an example of "resistance." Beyond that tease, Atwood's text provides no clues as to the future of the series, so the book-reading and show-only viewers will all experience the next chapter of The Handmaid's Tale together when the show returns to Hulu in April.
Award-winning and hit drama series, The Handmaid’s Tale, will return for season two on April 25th with two new episodes, and subsequent episodes released every Wednesday only on Hulu.
The 13-episode second season will be shaped by Offred's (Elisabeth Moss) pregnancy and her ongoing fight to free her future child from the dystopian horrors of Gilead. "Gilead is within you" is a favorite saying of Aunt Lydia. In season two, Offred and all characters will fight against – or succumb to – this dark truth.
The Handmaid's Tale comes to Hulu from MGM Television and is created, executive produced and written by Bruce Miller. Executive produced by Warren Littlefield, Elisabeth Moss, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, and Ilene Chaiken. MGM serves as the international distributor for the series. The series stars Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley, Alexis Bledel, Ann Dowd, Max Minghella, Madeline Brewer, O-T Fagbenle and Amanda Brugel.
What do you make of The Handmaid's Tale season two trailer? Sound off in the comments section below with your take, and follow THR.com/HandmaidsTale for more coverage of the series.
