# The Testaments (2026) Review: Gilead Through Younger Eyes > The Testaments is Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale sequel, a tense coming-of-age drama set inside Gilead and led by a breakout Chase Infiniti. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/the-testaments-review/ Published: 2026-07-25 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 4/5 ## Verdict Yes, for fans of The Handmaid's Tale and dystopian drama, who will find it brisker and less punishing. Newcomers can follow it, but some context helps. ## Is The Testaments worth watching? **Yes. The Testaments is a gripping, more propulsive return to Gilead that finds a genuinely new angle on a familiar world by telling its story through teenagers who have never known anything else.** Chase Infiniti's lead performance and Ann Dowd's return as Aunt Lydia are the main draws. The reservations are that the school-set story sometimes slips into familiar young-adult rhythms, and the first season is clearly the opening chapter of a longer tale. ## What is The Testaments about? Gilead, the theocratic regime that replaced much of the United States, still stands, and a generation has grown up inside it. Agnes (Chase Infiniti) is the cherished sixteen-year-old daughter of a powerful commander, and she is being prepared at Aunt Lydia's school to become a proper wife. Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a sharp-tongued teenager raised beyond Gilead's borders, is drawn into that world carrying secrets that could shake the regime. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) watches over both girls with her own long-term plans. [The Testaments](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/the-testaments/) was created by Bruce Miller, who also developed The Handmaid's Tale for television, and adapts Margaret Atwood's sequel novel. It is an American series in English, streaming on [Hulu](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/platform/hulu/). This review covers the first season of 10 episodes; the series is ongoing, so the story continues. ## A theocracy seen from the inside The Handmaid's Tale showed Gilead through the eyes of a woman who remembered freedom. The Testaments inverts that: Agnes has no memory of anything else, and her faith, her friendships and her fear of disgrace are entirely sincere. That shift makes the regime's machinery more unsettling, because the show lets viewers see how an authoritarian system becomes ordinary to people raised within it. The rituals, dress codes and pious language that once looked alien now feel like the texture of daily life. This is also a true coming-of-age story. Agnes's school is full of rivalries, crushes and petty power struggles, and the series draws tension from the gap between normal adolescent emotions and a society that treats girls as property to be assigned. Daisy's outsider perspective adds sarcasm and urgency, and the contrast between the two young women gives the season its spark. ## Chase Infiniti and Ann Dowd make a formidable pair Chase Infiniti gives Agnes a quiet intelligence and a slowly dawning doubt, making the character's inner conflict legible without heavy dialogue. It is a breakout performance, restrained and emotionally precise. Lucy Halliday brings a caustic energy to Daisy that lightens the mood without undercutting the danger she is in. Ann Dowd, meanwhile, deepens Aunt Lydia considerably. Viewers who knew her as a figure of pure menace will find a more calculating, ambiguous woman here, whose motives remain tantalisingly hard to read. Dowd plays every scene with such control that even small gestures carry weight. ## Where the formula shows The series is less punishing than its predecessor, which makes it easier to watch but occasionally lowers the stakes. Some school scenes lean on stock teen-drama conflicts, and a few plot turns rely on convenience to move the girls where the story needs them. The supporting characters, including the other students and their families, are sketched quickly. And because this is only a first season, several threads remain deliberately unresolved, which can frustrate viewers hoping for a complete arc. ## Who should watch The Testaments? It is a natural next step for fans of The Handmaid's Tale and readers of Atwood's novel, and it also works for viewers who like dystopian dramas centred on young characters. Ten episodes make it a manageable binge. Expect themes of forced marriage, religious control and abuse, along with some violence; it is less graphic than The Handmaid's Tale but still aimed at older teenagers and adults. For more stories about people inside controlling systems: - [Silo](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/silo-review/), a dystopian mystery about a closed society where questioning the rules is dangerous. - [Andor](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/andor/), which explores how resistance grows under an authoritarian regime. - [Severance](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/severance/), for another American drama about institutions that shape and control identity. ## The verdict The Testaments is a confident, absorbing extension of Atwood's world, sharper and more energetic than the later seasons of its parent show. Its teen-drama elements and unfinished threads hold it back slightly, but strong performances and a fresh perspective on Gilead make it well worth watching. **Rating: 4/5** ## Related title - [The Testaments (2026)](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/the-testaments/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)