Television: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ Season 1, Episode 2: Something Primal

THE NEW YORK TIMES
The Handmaid's Tale 
By Angelica Jade Bastien

Elisabeth Moss, second from right, in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Credit George Kraychyk/Hulu

After two episodes, “The Handmaid’s Tale” has shown that it excels at placing the horrific, the surreal and the achingly mundane side-by-side. In one image, four handmaids speak about the weather as dead bodies are strung up behind them, the only acknowledgment of their supposed crimes being the symbols on the bags that cloak their face. “The Handmaid’s Tale” may be grotesque, but it’s also honest about the cost of survival and the cruel complicity of women like Serena Joy who fiercely hold onto what limited power they have at the expense of others’ subjugation. [link]