‘The Testaments’: New Generation’s Bonds Amidst Gilead

Lucy Halliday, who plays a character named Daisy in the upcoming Hulu series “The Testaments,” says that friendships among young girls during times of adversity are what make the show special. The drama continues the story from “The Handmaid’s Tale” and is set years later.

Halliday explains, “Friendship can flourish even in the darkest places.” She adds that sisterhood and community have always been crucial for survival.

“The Testaments,” created by Bruce Miller and based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, depicts a totalitarian society called Gilead. In this regime, powerful men rule over women following war and fertility crises. Some women are forced into reproductive servitude for elite families.

The new series follows two teenage girls, Agnes and Daisy, as they come of age within the oppressive system. Agnes has lived her entire life in Gilead, while Daisy arrives from Canada as a recent convert. Both meet at a preparatory school for future wives, overseen by Aunt Lydia, played by Ann Dowd.

Dowd says viewers will see a gentler version of Lydia compared to her explosive character in the original series. She is now headmistress of a school for daughters of powerful families within Gilead.

One Battle After Another actor Chase Infiniti, who plays Agnes, notes that “The Testaments” continues to explore the cycle of subjugation defined by Atwood’s novel. The show premieres on Hulu.