: Unlike the original 1985 book, the show keeps characters alive to develop their backstories and explore the complexity of its villains .
: Many critics noted how the 2017 debut felt like a "psychic mirroring" of contemporary political tensions, making the speculative fiction feel like a documentary. The Handmaid's TaleTV Show | 2017
: Production designers and cinematographers meticulously used lighting, color palettes, and close-up lenses to create a feeling of claustrophobic closeness to the characters. : Unlike the original 1985 book, the show
: The series anchors its dystopia in the "uncomfortably recent past," using flashbacks and modern references to Uber to show how quickly society can spiral. : Unlike the original 1985 book