Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, paints a very terrifying picture of a dystopian America, in which women are severally oppressed and religion ultimately dictates the ways in which society functions. Within this world, fertile women are forced to bear the children of couples who have been unable to conceive, while older or “barren” women are in charge of domestic and household services. Each household contains a relatively affluent couple, consisting of a commander and his wife, both of whom get their own personal handmaid, who is essentially forced to bear the children of the commander, since the wife cannot. Throughout the five episodes that have aired thus far, there are various flashback scenes depicting the country prior to the desolate one in which the handmaids currently live. These various flashbacks, which come from the perspective of the narrator and protagonist, Offred, played by Elisabeth Moss, depict the gradual transition the country seems to go through, moving from a society in which women have rights to one in which women cannot work, make money, or own property, and are eventually subjugated into reproductive enslavement.

It is difficult to watch this show and not remain keenly aware of the parallels between the United States represented in the show and the one in which we live now. Under the Trump administration, and even prior to it, women’s bodies are and have been policed by older white men. Reproductive rights are constantly under fire, becoming more and more restricted everyday. And, under the new health care plan, pregnancy, C-sections, sexual assault/rape, etc. are all preexisting conditions that will not be covered.

In addition to all this, homosexuality is strictly forbidden, which is often referred to in the show as “gender treachery,” and those found guilty are severely punished through either death or female castration. Another parallel can be drawn here in terms of the inequality and mistreatment the LGBTQ community faces currently. While same-sex marriage is now the law of the land, there are still many restrictions, such as workplace discrimination, hate crimes, and religious freedom laws.

The Handmaid’s Tale is often upsetting, but is nonetheless important to watch. It portrays the dangers of not fighting for one’s rights and how every loss, every restriction of one’s freedoms can quickly add up to gradually form a state of oppression.

This is perhaps best described by the show’s narrator and protagonist, Offred, when she says, "I was asleep before. That’s how we let it happen. When they slaughtered Congress, we didn’t wake up. When they blamed terrorists and suspended the Constitution, we didn’t wake up then, either. Now I’m awake.”