Spoiler warning: This review contains some spoilers for the series premiere of The Testaments.

Why I watched it

I was absolutely going to watch The Testaments. I watched The Handmaid’s Tale, so naturally I needed to see where the story went next, especially knowing that this series would bring us deeper into Agnes/Hannah’s (June’s biological daughter from before the rise of Gilead) life inside Gilead.

Honestly, the casting alone had me interested. The second Rowan Blanchard appeared on my screen, I was like, YAAAAAAS. I already knew I was probably going to enjoy this series; I was a huge fan of Girl Meets World!

Also, within approximately five minutes, I became completely distracted by Chase Infiniti’s hair. The twists, the styling, the buns! I may or may not be stealing some inspiration for my own hair calendar.

What I loved

The premiere did a really good job of immediately making Gilead feel familiar while also showing us a completely different side of it.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, we’ve seen Gilead through the eyes of Handmaids, Marthas, Wives, Commanders, and Aunts. Now, with this show, we’re watching girls who have actually grown up inside this system, and it feels different. Agnes and the other Plums understand the rules they’re supposed to follow, but underneath all of that conditioning, they’re still just teenage girls.

The cafeteria conversations especially made that obvious, and that was one of my favorite parts of the episode. Away from the watchful eyes of the Aunts, suddenly they’re gossiping, questioning things, laughing, and acting like normal girls. Of course, I’m also wondering how loyal any of them actually are to each other when Gilead actively rewards people for turning on one another. I could absolutely see one of these girls ratting someone out if it meant protecting herself.

Apparently, even teenage friendship is dangerous because girls aren’t supposed to form attachments that might interfere with their loyalty to Gilead. The idea that these girls can’t even have best friends is especially disturbing because friendship is such an essential part of growing up.

The premiere gave us just enough mystery to keep everything moving. The co-protagonist, Daisy, turns out to be a girl sent into Gilead from Toronto! And the Aunts are still trash, though we get more insight into them and see how this society is impacting their mental health, too.

Who/What Stole It

My pick: Agnes (and her hair)

I really liked Chase Infiniti in this episode. Agnes has been raised inside Gilead, so there’s this fascinating tension between what she has been taught to believe and the little moments where you can see her questioning the world around her.

I appreciate that she doesn’t immediately embrace her new stepmother because, respectfully, that woman is awful. But I cannot write this review in good faith without circling back to her hair!!

Agnes’ twists and buns are gorgeous. I spent an unreasonable amount of this premiere staring at her hairstyles and thinking about how I could recreate them on my own hair. There is a very real chance The Testaments will influence my fall style calendar.

What I’m watching for

There are so many questions I need this series to answer:

• What exactly happens to a Plum who doesn’t get her period? If she can’t become a Wife, what happens to her? Does she become a Martha? Is there another role for her? I need the Gilead logistics.
• What exactly is Daisy’s mission? I suspected almost immediately that she hadn’t ended up near Agnes by accident, and now I really want to see how much she actually knows.
• How much does Aunt Lydia know? Because, of course, Aunt Lydia is back! Of course she knows exactly who Agnes/Hannah is. Nothing involving that woman is ever simple.
• Can the Plums actually trust each other? They’re able to act like real teenage girls when the Aunts aren’t watching, but Gilead has created a society where self-preservation often means betraying someone else.
• How involved is June? The Toronto connection immediately made me wonder whether June was behind Daisy being sent into Gilead, and by the end of the premiere, I was basically yelling at my TV waiting for confirmation.
• What is going to happen with Agnes and Daisy? Agnes trusting her already feels dangerous, even if Daisy may ultimately be trying to help her.

And I need to know more about the Pearls in general because introducing people who can apparently move between Toronto and Gilead opens up an entirely new part of this world.

The Verdict

Yeah, I’m finishing this series. In fact, it took me about three days to finish the entire thing. I couldn’t stop watching other than to go to work and study, LOL.

The premiere managed to make Gilead feel familiar without making The Testaments feel like The Handmaid’s Tale 2.0. Agnes gives us a completely different perspective because this isn’t someone being forced into Gilead from the outside; this is someone who has spent most of her life being taught that this world is normal.

At the same time, the episode immediately starts planting questions about Daisy, Aunt Lydia, June, Agnes’ future, and what is happening behind the scenes. I spent half the episode making predictions and then yelling every time one of them started looking correct.

It also ended with exactly what I want from a series premiere: I immediately wanted to know what happened next.

Rating: 5/5 ★★★★★

Bottom line: The Testaments pulled me back into Gilead immediately. Seeing this society through the eyes of young women who actually grew up inside it makes the world feel familiar and completely different at the same time.

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What show should I watch next?? Let me know in the comments!

With love,

Ash ♡