The Handmaid’s Story Showrunner on Bringing Extra Backstory to One in every of Its Most Sophisticated Characters

Watching The Handmaid’s Tale for the primary time, the inevitable query quickly rises: how did a spot as oppressive and merciless as Gilead come to be? Over six seasons, we’ve realized the Gilead origin story via flashbacks sprinkled into the primary narrative—one thing that feels more and more like a cautionary tale for American viewers in 2025—and the Hulu present has additionally crammed in blanks for its important gamers. However in a latest episode, it gave us one other contemporary look into one character’s life “earlier than.”

We’ve lengthy been fascinated with Serena Joy Waterford, deftly performed by Yvonne Strahovski as a lady who backed Gilead’s right-wing Christian agenda from the beginning and married Fred Waterford, who turned the highly effective Commander Waterford as soon as america underwent its compelled transformation. Although Serena was as soon as a preferred creator and political speaker, she willingly put her profession apart and have become a dutiful spouse—for a time.

As The Handmaid’s Story has progressed, we’ve realized Serena is way from a one-note zealot. Her need to change into a mom guided a few of her most odious actions, however she finally proved she wasn’t too inflexible to understand her failings as a human being—and commenced to really feel deep remorse about her half in turning the world the other way up.

In episode two, “Exile,” viewers bought to fulfill Serena’s father for the primary time. (Her mom, who lives in Gilead, made an disagreeable impression again in season three and hasn’t been seen since.) There are two flashbacks within the episode, which within the present’s current day follows Serena’s determination to return to Gilead—particularly, the extra reformed New Bethlehem area, the place she thinks she’ll be capable of ease her guilt and get again on the trail God has envisioned for her.

Her relationship together with her father, a pastor, is part of the Serena puzzle the present’s been desirous to discover, based on The Handmaid’s Story creator Bruce Miller. Talking to the Wrap, he defined, “We’ve realized about her, however that is actually fascinating, as a result of it’s not a few relationship she selected, like with Fred … Right here, you’re like, how did you change into the girl you might be? I believe that’s the actually fascinating query now, since you’ve plumbed the depths of Serena to know what’s there, you recognize the girl that’s there. So whenever you get to season six, you’re asking the query of, what was her father like? And I don’t suppose you might be originally, as a result of I believe she has 1,000,000 relationships in her life, however that one will get far more fascinating whenever you understand how a lot metal she has.”

The 2 scenes with Serena’s father unfold just a few years aside; within the first one, she’s simply met Fred and her father is congratulating her on her e-book tour. Within the second, her father—who is far older and extra frail-looking—listens as she excitedly tells him “We’re about to vary the nation!”

At that time she thinks she’s making good on her father’s earlier urgings to be a beacon for the motion—however after all we all know her marriage to Fred will likely be crammed with distress, and the “modifications” she helped spearhead will deliver horror and tragedy, not “a brand new Backyard of Eden” as she envisions. Maybe she’s hoping New Bethlehem will likely be that as an alternative? You may by no means predict what Serena will do, however she does have an incredible method of all the time touchdown on her toes.

You may watch new episodes of The Handmaid’s Story Tuesdays on Hulu.

Need extra io9 information? Try when to anticipate the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every little thing it is advisable find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.