The Handmaid’s Story Showrunner on Bringing Extra Backstory to One in all 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 principle narrative—one thing that feels more and more like a cautionary tale for American viewers in 2025—and the Hulu present has additionally stuffed 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 the USA underwent its pressured transformation. Although Serena was as soon as a well-liked 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 grow to be 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 started to really feel deep remorse about her half in turning the world the wrong way up.

In episode two, “Exile,” viewers acquired 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 to 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 eager to discover, based on The Handmaid’s Story creator Bruce Miller. Chatting with the Wrap, he defined, “We’ve realized about her, however that is actually attention-grabbing, as a result of it’s not a couple of relationship she selected, like with Fred … Right here, you’re like, how did you grow to be the lady you might be? I believe that’s the actually attention-grabbing query now, since you’ve plumbed the depths of Serena to know what’s there, you understand the lady that’s there. So once 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 attention-grabbing once you notice 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 ebook tour. Within the second, her father—who is far older and extra frail-looking—listens as she excitedly tells him “We’re about to alter 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 shall be stuffed with distress, and the “adjustments” she helped spearhead will convey horror and tragedy, not “a brand new Backyard of Eden” as she envisions. Maybe she’s hoping New Bethlehem shall be that as an alternative? You’ll be able to by no means predict what Serena will do, however she does have a tremendous method of at all times touchdown on her ft.

You’ll be able to watch new episodes of The Handmaid’s Story Tuesdays on Hulu.

Need extra io9 information? Try when to count on the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every part you should learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.