Ah readers, there is surely no better way to spend a Friday afternoon than reviewing a series in one of my favorite dystopian universes.

Is it strange that I loved The Handmaids Tale, being a man and all. I couldn’t care less.

Years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments (on Hulu) follows two teenage girls navigating life inside the oppressive regime: the dutiful and pious Agnes (played with quiet intensity and breakout star power by Chase Infiniti) and the spirited newcomer Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a convert from beyond Gilead’s borders. Assigned as mentor and mentee at Aunt Lydia’s elite preparatory school for future wives—where obedience is enforced with brutal, divinely justified precision—their unlikely bond becomes the emotional core and catalyst for upheaval.

To date, I’ve only seen the first episode but that will change this weekend.

What makes this setup so brilliant is how it reframes the dystopia through youthful eyes. Instead of the raw desperation of Handmaids, we get the gilded cage of privilege mixed with stifling control: lavish yet suffocating halls, rigid social hierarchies, and the constant psychological weight of expected perfection. The series smartly avoids retreading familiar ground—no sea of red cloaks in the early episodes—and instead builds a textured, lived-in world that feels both evolved and eerily consistent with what came before. It’s a defiant coming-of-age tale that explores friendship, identity, rebellion, and the quiet power of connection in the face of systemic cruelty.

Visually, The Testaments is stunning. The production design contrasts opulent, pristine settings with underlying menace—think polished marble and elegant uniforms that mask the brutality beneath. Cinematography captures both the grandeur and the claustrophobia of this society, while the score enhances the emotional undercurrents without overpowering the performances.

Giving the first episode 4 stars out of 5.

Have you seen it? What did you think?