Review: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ creates a chilling man’s world

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By James Poniewozik

Elisabeth Moss as Offred in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Credit George Kraychyk/Hulu

A decade ago, Elisabeth Moss began co-starring in “Mad Men,” which among other things was about how women were objectified and subjugated — in the past, the 1960s, the bad old days. In Hulu’s spectacular “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Ms. Moss is Offred, a baby-making slave in the Republic of Gilead, which is what part of the United States (New England, roughly) has become after a fertility crisis and a theocratic coup. It’s set in a near future that looks like the 1600s. “The Handmaid’s Tale” argues — with an assist from current events — that progress is neither automatic nor irreversible. “The Handmaid’s Tale,” based on the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel, is a cautionary tale, a story of resistance and a work of impeccable world-building. It is unflinching, vital and scary as hell. [link]