document_title: The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)

question_text: when did season 2 of handmaid's tale start

question_tokens: when did season 2 of handmaid 's tale start

text: The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In the near future, fertility rates collapse as a result of sexually transmitted diseases and environmental pollution.[5] With this chaos, the totalitarian, theonomic government of "Gilead" establishes rule in the former United States in the aftermath of a civil war.[6][7][8] Society is organized by power-hungry leaders along with a new, militarized, hierarchical regime of fanaticism and newly created social classes, in which women are brutally subjugated, and by law are not allowed to work, own property, handle money, or read.[8]

text: Worldwide infertility has resulted in the conscription of the few remaining fertile women in Gilead, called "Handmaids", according to an extremist interpretation of the Biblical account of Bilhah.[8] They are assigned to the homes of the ruling elite, where they must submit to ritualized rape by their male masters in order to become pregnant and bear children for those men and their wives.

text: Alongside the Handmaids, much of society is now grouped into classes that dictate their freedoms and duties. Women are divided into a small range of social categories, each one signified by a plain dress in a specific color: Handmaids wear red, Marthas (who are housekeepers and cooks, named after the biblical figure) wear green, and Wives (who are expected to run their households) wear blue and turquoise.

text: Econowives, the lower-class women who still have minimal agency, are a sort of mixture of all these categories, and they wear gray (a departure from the book in which Econowives wear clothing striped with the aforementioned colors). Women prisoners are called Unwomen and are worked to death clearing toxic waste in the Colonies.

text: Another class of women, Aunts (who train and oversee the Handmaids), wear brown. Additionally, the Eyes are a secret police watching over the general populace for signs of rebellion, Hunters track down people attempting to flee the country, and Jezebels are prostitutes in secret brothels catering to the elite ruling class.

text: June Osborne, renamed Offred (Elisabeth Moss), is the Handmaid assigned to the home of the Gileadan Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski). Offred is subject to strict rules and constant scrutiny; an improper word or deed on her part can lead to brutal punishment.

text: Offred, who is named after her male master ("Of Fred") like all Handmaids, was married and had a daughter, a job, a bank account, and her own name and identity in the "time before", but all she can safely do now is follow the rules of Gilead in hopes that she can someday live free again and be reunited with her daughter. The Waterfords, key players in the rise of Gilead, have their own conflicts with the realities of the society they have helped create.

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne / Offred, a woman who was captured while attempting to escape to Canada with her husband, Luke, and daughter, Hannah. Due to her fertility, she is made a Handmaid to Commander Fred Waterford and his wife, Serena Joy, and is named "Offred".
Joseph Fiennes as Commander Fred Waterford, a high-ranking government official and June's master. Both he and his wife played an instrumental role in Gilead's founding. He wishes to have more contact with June outside of what is lawful between a Handmaid and her master, and starts inviting her to play nightly games of Scrabble.
Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford, Fred's wife and a former conservative cultural activist. She appears to have accepted her new role in a society that she helped create. She is poised and deeply religious, but capable of great cruelty and is often callous to June. She is desperate to become a mother.
Alexis Bledel as Emily / Ofglen / Ofsteven, June's shopping partner. Although June is initially wary of her, it is revealed Ofglen is not as pious as she seems, and the two become friends. Ofglen had a wife and son, and was a university lecturer in cellular biology. Being homosexual is punishable by death in Gilead, and most university professors are sent to labour camps, but Ofglen was spared and made a Handmaid, due to her fertility. She is later captured and cruelly punished for her relationship with a Martha, and is sent to another household where she becomes "Ofsteven". She is involved with a resistance movement called "Mayday".
Madeline Brewer as Janine / Ofwarren / Ofdaniel, a Handmaid who entered the Red Center for training at the same time as June and considers June a friend due to her kind treatment. Initially non-compliant, Janine's right eye is removed as a punishment. She becomes mentally unstable due to her treatment and often behaves in temperamental or childlike ways. She gives birth to a child for Warren and Naomi Putnam, whom they name "Angela", but Janine insists the baby's name is "Charlotte". Janine is later reassigned and becomes "Ofdaniel".  She was temporarily assigned to the Colonies until a bombing at the new Rachel and Leah Center.
Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, a woman in charge of overseeing the Handmaids in their sexual reeducation and duties. She is brutal and subjects insubordinate Handmaids to harsh physical punishment, but she also cares for her charges and believes deeply in the Gileadean mission and doctrine. She appears to have a soft spot for Janine, and even goes so far as to address her by her given name on occasion.
O. T. Fagbenle as Lucas "Luke" Bankole, June's husband from before Gilead. Because he and June began their relationship before his divorce from his first wife, their union is considered invalid in the new society. June is considered an adulteress and their daughter, Hannah, is considered illegitimate. Initially, June believes he has been killed, but it is later revealed Luke managed to escape to Canada.
Max Minghella as Nick Blaine, Commander Waterford's driver and a former drifter from Michigan who has feelings for June. June and Nick develop an intimate relationship and she eventually discovers that he is an Eye, a spy for Gilead.
Samira Wiley as Moira / Ruby, June's best friend since college. She is already at the Red Center when June enters Handmaid training but escapes before being assigned to a home. She is recaptured and becomes "Ruby", a Jezebel. She seems to have given up hope of ever being free, but on meeting June again regains the conviction to escape.
Amanda Brugel as Rita, a Martha at the Waterford home. She had a son who died fighting in the civil war when he was 19 years old.[9]

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam, Commander Warren Putnam's wife.
Tattiawna Jones as Lillie Fuller / Ofglen No. 2, who replaces Emily in the position after Emily is captured by the Eyes. She initially follows the rules and does not wish to upset the status quo, but this is because she believes her life as a Handmaid is better than the difficult, impoverished life she led prior to Gilead, rather than out of religious piety.
Nina Kiri as Alma / Ofrobert, another Handmaid who trained at the Red Center with June, Moira, and Janine. She is frank and chatty, and often trades gossip and news with June. She is also involved with Mayday and becomes June's first contact with the resistance group.
Jenessa Grant as Dolores / Ofsamuel, a local Handmaid with a friendly and talkative nature.
Bahia Watson as Brianna / Oferic, another local Handmaid who is friends with June.
Jordana Blake as Hannah Bankole, June and Luke's daughter. She is later renamed Agnes.
Erin Way as Erin, a young, apparently mute, woman who was being trained to become a Handmaid but managed to escape to Canada.[10]
Sydney Sweeney as Eden Spencer (season 2), a pious and obedient girl who was Nick's wife.[11]
Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence (season 2), the founder of the Colonies.[12]
Greg Bryk as Commander Ray Cushing (season 2)
Rohan Mead as Isaac (season 2), a Guardian assigned to the Waterford home.
Julie Dretzin as Eleanor Lawrence (season 2), Joseph's wife.

text: Guest[edit]

text:
Kristen Gutoskie as Beth (season 1), a Martha at Jezebel's. She has an arrangement with Nick whereby she trades illegal alcohol and other contraband for drugs, which the Jezebels use. She has a casual sexual relationship with him and is aware that he is an Eye.
Marisa Tomei as Mrs. O'Conner (season 2), a Commander's wife who is sent to the colonies as punishment for having sex with another man.[13]
Cherry Jones as Holly Maddox (season 2), June's mother, an outspoken feminist.[14]
Clea DuVall as Sylvia (season 2), Emily's wife.[15]
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Omar (season 2) a man who helps June attempt to escape.
John Carroll Lynch as Dan (season 2), Emily's boss at the university where she worked.
Kelly Jenrette as Annie (season 2), Luke's ex-wife.
Rebecca Rittenhouse as Odette (season 2), a Doctor and Moira's fiancée.
Sam Jaeger as Mark Tuello (season 2), a mysterious stranger who Serena encounters in Canada.
Oprah Winfrey (uncredited) as Newsreader (season 2) on a car radio.[16]

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Series overview[edit]

text: SeasonEpisodesOriginally releasedFirst releasedLast released110April 26, 2017 (2017-04-26)June 14, 2017 (2017-06-14)213April 25, 2018 (2018-04-25)July 11, 2018 (2018-07-11)

text: Season 1 (2017)[edit]

text:
No.overallNo. inseasonTitleDirected byTeleplay byOriginal release date11"Offred"Reed MoranoBruce MillerApril 26, 2017 (2017-04-26)
A family is pursued by a group of armed men. The woman is caught, and separated from her young daughter and husband as shots are fired in the distance. She is now known as Offred, the Handmaid to Commander Fred Waterford. While walking with another Handmaid, Ofglen, they pass by a wall on which men have been hanged for crimes such as being gay, working in an abortion clinic, and being a Catholic priest.[17] In a flashback, various women are indoctrinated into their Handmaid roles by Aunt Lydia, and Offred notices Moira, a woman she knew in college. Handmaid Janine taunts Aunt Lydia and is shocked with a cattle prod, later her right eye is removed as punishment. In the present, Commander Waterford tries to impregnate Offred during "the Ceremony" as she lies in the lap of his wife, Serena Joy. The next day, the Handmaids are encouraged to beat a man to death after Lydia announces he raped a pregnant Handmaid. Janine tells Offred that her friend Moira is dead. On the way home, Ofglen tells Offred that she had a wife and son, and warns her there is an Eye in the Waterford house. Offred affirms to herself that her true name is June and that she intends to survive to find her daughter.
22"Birth Day"Reed MoranoBruce MillerApril 26, 2017 (2017-04-26)
Offred and Ofglen go shopping, and they reveal more personal information about themselves to each other. While they are walking, they see St. Paul Catholic Church, their local church, being destroyed by the new régime.[18][17] Ofglen tells Offred that the régime also bulldozed St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan to try to "erase" the fact that it ever existed. When Offred asks how Ofglen knows this information, she reveals that she is part of a resistance movement against the government, but Offred declines to join.[19] Commander Waterford's driver, Nick, tells Offred that the Commander wants to see her alone later that night, which is forbidden, and warns her that Ofglen is dangerous. Offred and other Handmaids visit a home to witness the birth of Ofwarren (Janine)'s child, named Angela by the Puttnams, but Charlotte by Ofwarren. In flashbacks, June (Offred) remembers the birth of her and Luke's daughter, Hannah. At that time healthy births were already rare, and a woman who tried to kidnap baby Hannah was arrested. Warily, Offred goes to the Commander's office, but he just wants to play Scrabble, to her relief. The next day, when Offred prepares to tell Ofglen what happened that night, a different woman introduces herself as Ofglen.
33"Late"Reed MoranoBruce MillerApril 26, 2017 (2017-04-26)
In flashbacks, the rise of Gilead is detailed. June and all the other women at her office were fired, and the government froze women's bank accounts and ruled they could no longer own property. In the present, Serena takes Offred to see Ofwarren and the baby, and Offred fears Ofwarren is delusional. Back home, Offred is interrogated by an Eye and Aunt Lydia about her knowledge of Ofglen. Offred eventually reveals she knew Ofglen was gay and for this, Aunt Lydia shocks Offred with a cattle prod. Before she can leave the room, Offred quotes one of the Beatitudes from the Bible, which would have earned her a much more serious beating, but Serena intervenes, believing that Offred is pregnant. When Offred later tells Serena that she's not pregnant, Serena angrily locks her in her room. In a flashback, June and Moira attend a protest against the new laws amidst automatic gunfire and explosives. In the present, Ofglen and the Martha she's in a relationship with are charged with "gender treachery". The fertile Ofglen receives a lesser sentence, but the Martha is executed by hanging as Ofglen watches, sobbing and horrified. Later, Ofglen (now referred to by her "old" name, Emily), to her grief and anger, undergoes female genital mutilation surgery as explained by Aunt Lydia.
44"Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum"Mike BarkerLeila GersteinMay 3, 2017 (2017-05-03)
Banished to her room, Offred retreats to her closet where she finds what appears to be a Latin phrase, Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum, scratched discreetly into the wall. When Rita, the Commander's housekeeper, finds Offred lying on the closet floor, Offred tells her that she fainted. Serena then has Offred sent to the hospital for a check-up. During the examination the physician remarks that the Commander is most likely sterile, as is common. He offers to personally impregnate her but she declines. In flashbacks, Aunt Lydia teaches the Handmaids about The Ceremony in which a Commander endeavours to fertilize a Handmaid. Later, June and Moira assault Aunt Elizabeth, and Moira takes Elizabeth's outfit. June and Moira plan to escape via train to Boston, which has safe houses. Moira manages to catch the train without June, who lets Moira know it's okay. June is later caught and punished by having her feet whipped. Commander Waterford has an unsuccessful Ceremony night with Offred, but later that night, they have another game of Scrabble. She asks him about the Latin phrase, and he tells her it means, Don't let the bastards grind you down. When she inquires about the previous Offred, he tells her that she committed suicide because life was unbearable. He then releases Offred from her solitary confinement.
55"Faithful"Mike BarkerDorothy FortenberryMay 10, 2017 (2017-05-10)
Serena suggests to Offred that she have sex with Nick in case Commander Waterford is sterile. Later that day, Serena leads Offred up to Nick's room and waits by the door while Offred and Nick have detached sex. Flashbacks detail Luke and June's first meeting and courtship. At the grocery store, Offred talks to the original Ofglen, now called Ofsteven, but Ofsteven is not as responsive as she used to be. During a Ceremony night, the Commander touches Offred's thigh, which she later tells him never to do again. In their ensuing conversation, the Commander admits that while they thought they were building a better world, they knew that "better never means better for everyone." Nick reveals to Offred that he is indeed an Eye. At an open-air market, Offred questions Ofsteven about the resistance group called Mayday. Ofsteven jumps behind the steering wheel of a security car and drives erratically around the plaza. She hits a guard, and is caught and put into a black van. Offred returns to Nick's coach house alone, and they have passionate sex.
66"A Woman's Place"Floria SigismondiWendy Straker HauserMay 17, 2017 (2017-05-17)
Mexican trade delegates visit the Commander's home to evaluate the effects of the Gilead cultural movement. The female head of the delegation questions Offred about her experience, but she lies, saying that she is happy. Offred visits the Commander's office later, but there is tension. She reluctantly obeys his demand to kiss him, but ferociously brushes her teeth afterward. The Handmaids and children are then taken to a function to demonstrate Gilead's success. Offred's friend remarks that the delegates are only interested in fertile women. The next day, as the delegates are leaving, Offred tells them the brutal truth about Gilead. She pleads for their help, but in response, the Mexican ambassador explains her own country's dire situation. However, the ambassador's assistant quietly claims June's husband is alive and that he can deliver a message to Luke. A flashback details Serena and Fred's life at the beginnings of the Gilead movement when Serena was a conservative cultural activist with passion and intelligence equal to her husband's. Serena Joy wrote a book about her beliefs, titled A Woman's Place. However, after the takeover, she is completely shut out of the new government planning and accepts her new limited role in the society she helped create. A copy of her book is seen being thrown out with the trash.
77"The Other Side"Floria SigismondiLynn Renee MaxcyMay 24, 2017 (2017-05-24)
A flashback chronicles Luke's story after he becomes separated from his wife and daughter. Luke is shot by Gileadan guards, but he escapes when the ambulance crashes, and he takes some medical supplies. He reaches a small abandoned town and, after passing out from his wounds, is rescued by a resistance group traveling to Canada. These survivors included a Roman Catholic nun, a seemingly mute escaped Handmaid, a homosexual man, and a daughter of a US Army soldier.[20] Initially reluctant, Luke joins them after one of the survivors, Zoe, shows him that Gileadan authorities hanged townspeople from the rafters of their church for resisting.[21][22] As they board a boat, Gileadan guards open fire, killing several members of the group, but Luke and Erin, the escaped Handmaid, survive. A further flashback shows Luke, June, and their daughter Hannah before they were separated. June and Luke are helped by Mr. Whitford, a man who knew June's mother. He leaves them at a secluded cabin in the woods while he arranges documentation for them to escape to Canada. Later, a local hunter tells them Whitford has been caught and hanged, but the hunter helps them cross the border. Three years later, in the present, Luke and Erin live safely in "Little America", based in Toronto, Ontario. While in the main administrative office, Luke receives the letter from June, which reads "I love you so much. Save Hannah."
88"Jezebels"Kate DennisKira SnyderMay 31, 2017 (2017-05-31)
Commander Waterford gifts Offred with makeup and a dress as he is taking her out for the night. Nick drives them to Boston to an underground brothel, where prostitutes (known as "Jezebels") work. Offred spots Moira working in the club, and they briefly reunite. Nick trades drugs and pregnancy tests for alcohol with one of the brothel's Marthas. Offred goes to see Moira again, and she explains to Offred how Quakers tried to help her escape but were caught.[23][24] Moira had the choice of being sent either to the colonies or one of the brothels.[24] Moira tells Offred, "Forget about escaping. This is Gilead. No one gets out." Offred reveals to Moira that she knows Luke is alive. Flashbacks detail how Nick got involved with the Gilead movement and how he became an Eye after reporting a Commander for breaking protocol with his Handmaids. There are other flashbacks to the suicide of the previous Offred, with Serena pointedly saying to her husband, "What did you think was going to happen?" In the present, after Nick drives Waterford and Offred home, he ends his relationship with Offred, which upsets and angers her. Offred receives a gift from Serena, a music box. The episode closes with Offred etching "You are not alone" into the closet wall.
99"The Bridge"Kate DennisEric TuchmanJune 7, 2017 (2017-06-07)
Ofwarren's daughter is handed over to Commander Putnam and his wife, and Ofwarren is transferred to another couple and renamed Ofdaniel. However, Offred is worried about Ofwarren/Ofdaniel's mental state. During the first Ceremony night with her new Commander, Ofdaniel forcefully stops it. At the market, Alma pulls Offred aside, tells her that she is involved with the resistance group Mayday, and requests that Offred retrieve a package from the bar at Jezebel's. Offred convinces Waterford to take her to Jezebel's again that night. After Offred and Waterford have sex in their room, Waterford presents Moira, as he believes they have a sexual attraction. Offred asks Moira to retrieve the package, but she refuses, seemingly resigned to her fate. The next day Offred is taken to a bridge where Ofdaniel is standing on the edge with baby Charlotte, while Gileadan guards, the Putnams, the Waterfords, and Aunt Lydia stand fearfully by. Ofdaniel shouts that Commander Putnam promised to leave his wife for her. Offred convinces Ofdaniel to give her the child, and Ofdaniel then jumps into the icy water below. Later, while Ofdaniel lies comatose in hospital, Commander Putnam is led away by guards. When Serena Joy tries to offer comfort to Mrs. Putnam, she reminds Serena of the first Offred's fate, causing Serena to doubt her husband's loyalty. At the market, Offred is given a package by the butcher, sent by Moira from Jezebel's. At the brothel, Moira kills a client and takes his clothes, then jubilantly drives off in his car.
1010"Night"Kari SkoglandBruce MillerJune 14, 2017 (2017-06-14)
A flashback shows June's capture and indoctrination by Aunt Lydia at the Red Center.  After Serena discovers Fred's trips to Jezebel's, she slaps Offred hard and forces her to take a pregnancy test. It is positive. Serena then angrily accuses her husband, telling him the child is not his. Upon learning the news, Nick shares a brief, tender moment with Offred. Serena takes Offred to where Hannah now lives, but Offred is kept in the car, and unable to attract her daughter's attention. Serena warns Offred that Hannah will be cared for as long as the unborn child is safe. Fred participates in Commander Putnam's trial advocating leniency, but Mrs. Putnam wants the harshest punishment possible, and ultimately Putnam's left arm is amputated at the elbow. The package from Jezebel's contains letters from women who have lost family members and been enslaved in the Gilead takeover. Later, an emotional Aunt Lydia gathers the Handmaids for the execution of Janine/Ofdaniel. The Handmaids hesitate, and Ofglen No. 2 is brutally beaten when she voices her angry refusal. Offred, then the other Handmaids, drop their stones. One of the guards threatens to kill Offred, but Aunt Lydia saves her, although assuring the handmaids that there will be consequences. Not long afterward, a black van comes for Offred. Nick urges her to trust him and go with them.  Offred's transfer is unusual, as neither of the Waterfords have any idea this would be happening.  As Offred leaves, she whispers to Rita where to find the hidden letters. In a side story, Moira reaches Canada and is reunited with Luke.

text: Season 2 (2018)[edit]

text:
No.overallNo. inseasonTitleDirected byTeleplay byOriginal release date111"June"Mike BarkerBruce MillerApril 25, 2018 (2018-04-25)
Offred and other handmaids are taken to a dilapidated Fenway Park, where they are made to believe they will be hanged, but it turns out to be a ruse to frighten them. During another punishment, Offred is freed after Aunt Lydia is told of her pregnancy. When she rejects a meal Aunt Lydia gives her, she is shown a pregnant handmaid, Ofwyatt, chained in a prison room due to her attempt to kill herself by drinking drain cleaner. Offred agrees to eat, and during her meal Aunt Lydia, who had told her that her friends would be punished for their disobedience, but her pregnancy would mean that she would be exempted, brings the other handmaids into the room. One by one they each have a hand burned over an open gas flame.  Later, Offred is at a pregnancy check-up, where she is visited by Fred and Serena, but afterwards finds a key in one of her boots, which she uses to escape to a van parked underneath the hospital. The van drops her off to a safe house in Back Bay, where she meets Nick, while Fred authorizes a highly resourced search for her. He tells her to change out of her handmaid outfit, and to cut her hair. After stripping off her handmaid's dress, she burns it before cutting the red cattle tag out of her ear. In flashbacks throughout the episode, Hannah is admitted to the hospital for having a fever while in school; June is questioned by one of the hospital workers about giving Hannah medication to bypass the school's fever policy, as well as about June and Luke's fitness as parents. Later, they arrive home to a news story about the Capitol Building and the White House being attacked.
122"Unwomen"Mike BarkerBruce MillerApril 25, 2018 (2018-04-25)
June has been transported to the abandoned former headquarters of The Boston Globe, another safe place arranged by Mayday.[25] Emily has been taken to the Colonies, where disobedient and lower-class infertile women ("unwomen") are forced to dig on highly toxic land.[26] Many of the unwomen are becoming sick, and Emily is doing what she can to help them. A commander's wife arrives at the Colonies and is not welcomed by the unwomen: Emily befriends her and finds that she was sent to the colonies for committing a "sin of the flesh." Emily holds her in contempt for "holding a woman down while her husband rapes her". She feigns giving her pills for her ailments that are in truth poison, which leads to her death. [25] The unwomen are warned that there will be consequences for this death. Janine arrives at the Colonies, where she is briefly greeted by Emily. June is visited by Nick at the Globe and gets upset when he tells her she needs to wait for several weeks before she can leave because everyone is looking for her. Nick ends up giving her the keys to a car and a gun but she decides to stay, and they have sex. In a flashback, after the attack on the Capitol Building and the White House, Emily is told by her boss, Professor Dan, that she will not be teaching the following semester at the university, giving her a lower profile to avoid attracting criticism for her sexual orientation. Professor Dan is later seen hanged at the university with the word "faggot" spray painted underneath him. While Emily, along with her wife Sylvia and son Oliver, attempt to emigrate to Canada, she is unable to leave the country because their same-sex marriage is no longer recognized, and it becomes known that she is the biological mother of Oliver. June makes a news-clipping memorial for The Boston Globe employees who were executed at the newspaper's former headquarters and prays to God to send an angel to watch over it.[25]
133"Baggage"Kari SkoglandDorothy FortenberryMay 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
Having spent two months at The Boston Globe offices, June has found evidence in their archives of the early emergence of the Gilead movement. Nick visits occasionally. She is abruptly moved to a different place where she meets Omar, who tells her he is bringing her to a safe house near an airstrip in order to fly to Canada. He receives a message that the safe house has been compromised, and tries to leave without her, but she stands in front of his van to make him take her. He takes her to his apartment, where she meets his wife, Heather, and their son, Adam. Left alone when his family goes to church, June finds a hidden Qur'an and prayer rug under the bedsprings; Omar and his family do not return. She dons Heather's Econowife outfit and leaves the apartment, blending in with other Econowives. After a train ride, June runs into the woods. She realizes she has no way of rescuing Hannah and advances to the airstrip that Omar had told her of; however, the plane is intercepted before take-off, the pilot is executed, and June and another fugitive are apprehended by the Guardians. Meanwhile, Moira, now living with Luke and Erin (who is no longer mute) in Canada, gives a tour to a new co-worker but he has a breakdown, traumatized by what he did as a Guardian. In a flashback, June as a child is taken to a Take Back the Night rally by her mother, Holly. When she grew up, Holly was disappointed at June's career choices and plan to marry Luke, hoping that she would have been an activist.  Moira and June learned  during their training at the Red Center that Holly had been declared an Unwoman and was sent to the Colonies to be worked to death.
144"Other Women"Kari SkoglandYahlin ChangMay 9, 2018 (2018-05-09)
June is taken back and chained in a room where Aunt Lydia explains that she must choose between this imprisonment, followed by execution after the birth of her child, or return as a handmaid to the Waterfords.  She chooses the latter and is under close supervision from Lydia. The Waterfords, who still employ Nick, publicly treat Offred's disappearance as a kidnapping, but privately Serena is furious and grabs Offred by the throat. Rita returns the letters she found and tells Offred that she will no longer be involved.  A baby shower is held for Serena, incorporating prayer and a ritual binding of Offred to Serena. Offred learns from Alma that Ofglen's tongue was removed for speaking up to save Ofwarren (Janine) as she was about to be stoned and that Mayday has now gone silent. Aunt Lydia takes Offred out to show her what is presumed to be Omar's hanging corpse. She tells June that Omar's wife, Heather, is now a handmaid and that their child, Adam, was given away to another family. Aunt Lydia tells Offred that this was her fault, and Offred accepts the blame. Aunt Lydia encourages June to distinguish between Offred's identity and June's, saying June is to blame not Offred. In a flashback, June sees Luke's first wife Annie, who tells her that they made wedding vows before God, but Luke rejects her attempts to come between him and June. A few years later, Annie sees Luke and June in a restaurant with their child, Hannah. Offred has collapsed emotionally under the knowledge of Omar's family's fate. June prays that Hannah forget her. Ignoring Nick the following day, Offred appears to be conforming to the expectations of a handmaid.
155"Seeds"Mike BarkerKira SnyderMay 16, 2018 (2018-05-16)
Offred is very subdued, and starts to burn the letters she had been keeping for Mayday.  She notices vaginal bleeding, which continues and gets worse but does not inform anyone, although Rita notices her unsteadiness. Nick notices Offred's apparent depression and lets Mrs. Waterford know about it. Mrs. Waterford becomes alarmed at Nick's interest in Offred and informs Commander Waterford, who arranges for him to be married at a Prayvaganza where loyal Guardians are issued a wife as a reward for their work. Nick's new bride, Eden, moves into his room. Nick later finds Offred unconscious and drenched in the bushes outside the Waterfords' house and she is taken to the hospital. Offred, still pregnant, promises to her baby that they both will escape Gilead. Meanwhile, in the Colonies, Janine assures Emily that God is protecting them through their struggles in Gilead, and helps to arrange a small wedding for a dying worker, officiated by another Unwoman who is a rabbi. Emily, who has begun to lose her teeth, argues with her for attempting to bring brightness to a place that otherwise seems so bleak. When the newlywed Unwoman dies, the rabbi officiates at the burial as she is lowered into her grave in a cemetery adorned with crosses.
166"First Blood"Mike BarkerEric TuchmanMay 23, 2018 (2018-05-23)
Advised by a doctor that a harmonious household would be good for the child, Serena shows increased care for Offred, giving her the sitting room as a bedroom and inviting some handmaids to have brunch with her. When Serena shows Offred the nursery for the baby, Offred asks to see Hannah, upon which Serena moves her back to her previous room, and sets about humiliating her.  Eden reveals to Offred that she fears Nick may be a "gender traitor" due to his reluctance to have sex with her, so Offred warns him and he has sex with Eden to avoid suspicion, but only after he tells Offred that he loves her. Fred visits Offred in secret and gives her a photograph of Hannah, and wants to have sex with her, but Offred refuses. At the opening of the Rachel and Leah Center, a construction and ceremony overseen by Waterford, Nick asks Commander Pryce to be reassigned, and that Offred be protected, to which he agrees. Ofglen runs toward the stage, and detonates a bomb: only Handmaids are seen to have escaped. Flashbacks show Serena being verbally attacked while promoting her book A Woman's Place, and being shot by a protester, and Fred's punishment of those he believes to have been involved.
177"After"Kari SkoglandLynn Renee MaxcyMay 30, 2018 (2018-05-30)
31 handmaids and 26 commanders, and an unspecified number of civilians, have been killed in Ofglen's attack on the Rachel and Leah Center, including Commander Pryce, while others, such as Commander Waterford, were seriously injured. Following the attack, Commander Cushing takes Commander Pryce's role, instituting an increased number of checkpoints and having numerous people summarily executed. He questions Offred, asking who aided her when she tried to flee the country. Offred responds that she was kidnapped, an answer that Commander Cushing does not believe. Mrs. Waterford is alarmed at the possibility of her household being targeted, and is angry at his heavy-handed response to the bombing. She forges orders from her husband to have Commander Cushing arrested for treason and apostasy. Because so many handmaids were killed, some fertile women are taken back from the Colonies and are made to serve as handmaids once again, including Janine and Emily. Both reunite with Offred in the grocery store, with Janine happily telling her that it was God's plan that she be rescued. Offred, who had been sad to discover that none of the handmaids had known Ofglen's name, tells her real name, June, to Emily and another handmaid and following this, several of the handmaids whisper their real names to one another, which Eden overhears. Later, Mrs. Waterford enlists Offred's help in illicitly performing the Commander's work for him while he is in the hospital. At the refugee center, Moira looks through records to try to confirm whether her fiancée, Odette, has died. Through flashbacks Moira is revealed to have been a surrogate for a couple before the war. She met Odette, an obstetrician, during this process. In the present, Moira eventually finds photographs showing Odette was killed.
188"Women's Work"Kari SkoglandNina Fiore & John HerreraJune 6, 2018 (2018-06-06)
June has been helping Serena to complete Fred's work for some months while he is too ill from his bomb injuries to do so himself, but as soon as he returns home he excludes Serena from his office. Serena tells June that the Putnams' child, Angela, (called Charlotte by Janine, who is her biological mother) is sick. June advocates for Janine to be able to see the baby, and Serena agrees to ask about it for the baby's sake. Naomi Putnam dislikes the idea, but she is overruled by her husband, Warren. Serena petitions Fred to allow the sick child to be seen by a Martha who, prior to the Sons of Jacob coup, was one of the nation's top neonatologists. Fred denies the request, saying that whatever happens to the child must now be left to God's will. A dismayed Serena forges Fred's signature to a written order that transfers the Martha to the hospital for a day. Aunt Lydia tells June that she will hold her personally responsible if anything goes wrong with Janine's visit to the hospital. The neonatologist can find no physical explanation for the child's deterioration and can recommend no further treatment. She advises them to unplug the baby from all of the machines and help her to feel safe and warm. When Fred discovers that Serena forged his signature on an order to temporarily transfer the physician/Martha, he beats Serena with his belt as June is forced to watch. Serena later tearfully rejects June's offer of sympathy.  Meanwhile, Eden is working hard to please Nick, but after she rearranges his garret and uncovers the bundle of handmaids' letters he recovered from June, he becomes angry, demanding that she never touch his belongings. The episode ends in the hospital with Janine, partly undressed, singing "I Only Want to Be with You" to her child and bouncing her as her baby gurgles happily.

This is the first episode in this series that does not have scenes from before the formation of Gilead.
199"Smart Power"Jeremy PodeswaDorothy FortenberryJune 13, 2018 (2018-06-13)
Fred and Serena travel to Canada on a diplomatic mission accompanied by Nick, while a Guardian, Isaac, is to be left responsible for the household. Much to Offred's distress, Serena tells her that she will be transferred as soon as the baby is born. In Toronto, Serena is reminded of the time before Gilead, and the Waterfords are ambivalently greeted by Canadian officials. Later, Serena is approached by Mark Tuello, who works for the remnant of the US government in Hawaii, and offers to help her defect from Gilead, but Serena declines. At the Waterford's residence, June tells Rita that when Hannah was baptized, she and Luke chose godparents for her and wishes for Rita to be the godparent of her expected child as soon as it is born.[27] Rita states that she will try her best, though the government of Gilead has prohibited baptisms and severely restricts Marthas. June makes a similar request to Aunt Lydia, prompting her to reveal she was previously godparent to her sister's baby, who died in infancy.[27] At a protest, Luke confronts Commander Waterford. Afterwards, Nick finds Luke and tells him June is pregnant by Waterford, but safe, and gives him the bundle of letters from women enslaved in Gilead. Luke, Moira, and Erin make the letters public, causing an outcry that prompts the Canadians to cancel the rest of the summit. Moira holds a sign up to the Waterfords' car that says "My name is Moira" and Fred recognises her from Jezebel's. Serena burns the Hawaiian matches Mark left her. Meanwhile, Nick gives June news of Luke and Moira, and tells her that the letters were instrumental in getting the talks curtailed. June reveals that Moira is Hannah's godmother and is happy that she escaped to Canada.[28] Nick tells June that he loves her, and tries to kiss her, but she does not allow him to.
2010"The Last Ceremony"Jeremy PodeswaYahlin ChangJune 20, 2018 (2018-06-20)
The commander to whom Emily is newly assigned as handmaid collapses and dies during the Ceremony. June suffers contractions while shopping, forcing her home and to endure a "birthing ceremony" as everyone awaits the birth of the child. However, it turns out to be a false alarm and everyone is dismissed. Following the false alarm, June pleads to Fred to be positioned closer to her daughter Hannah after the eventual birth. After Fred denies this request, June implies that the child she is carrying is not his and that he will never have a biological child of his own. Later, Fred rapes June with Serena holding her down, under the guise of inducing the labor. Eden finds herself attracted to Isaac, a guard, and meets with him late at night. They kiss, but she breaks off once she sees Nick watching. She begs his forgiveness, which he readily gives with a detachment that infuriates her. She accuses Nick of liking Offred. Fred then arranges Nick to take June to an empty and remote house for a short visit with Hannah, who is now named Agnes. After they are once again separated, Guardians take Nick captive, and June is left behind, having hidden in the house.
2111"Holly"Daina ReidBruce Miller & Kira SnyderJune 27, 2018 (2018-06-27)
After Nick is taken away from the house, June finds a car in the garage and car keys and is able to start the car, but she returns to the house and gets a man's coat. Flashbacks throughout the episode show her first pregnancy, and  Hannah's birth and childhood. Fred and Serena arrive at the house in a panic, looking for Offred. They are arguing with each other, with Serena telling Fred she gave up everything for him and the cause, and only ever wanted a child. June finds a gun, and prepares to shoot them, but desists.  They are unable to find Offred and decide to leave, feeling both angry and concerned. After she's certain they're gone, June, having contractions, gets back into the car, but cannot get it out of the garage, which is frozen shut. June is exhausted and in pain, and lays down in front of the fire, finally going into labor and passing out. When she wakes, she's covered in blood, but the baby still hasn't come. She crawls outside and discharges the gun to attract attention, then she ends up delivering the baby by herself. She whispers that her name is Holly, after her mother. Light comes in through the windows, indicating that a car has arrived at the house.
2212"Postpartum"Daina ReidEric TuchmanJuly 4, 2018 (2018-07-04)
Some weeks after the birth, the baby, now named Nichole, is cared for by Serena, while Offred is providing milk through a breast pump. She is unable to pump enough milk and is brought to see her baby in order to induce lactation. Offred requests to nurse her herself, but Fred rejects the idea. Given that Offred's lactation increases during the meeting, Aunt Lydia convinces Fred to allow Offred back in the house for the baby's health. Serena becomes enraged and demands that Offred stay away from the baby. Nick, who is back in the Waterford household and presented as having been key to the rescue of Offred and the baby, suggests lightheartedly that he, Offred and the baby should flee, and Fred attempts to renew the illicit elements of their relationship. Emily is reassigned to a new household as a handmaid after being rejected by four couples. Commander Lawrence, the "architect of Gilead's economy", seems suspicious. His wife, Eleanor, reveals to Emily that Lawrence was the creator of the Colonies. Lawrence interrogates Emily, revealing that he knows much about her past. Meanwhile, Eden and Isaac elope but are soon caught. Eden and Nick admit their faults and ask forgiveness of each other.  Eden and Isaac are brought to a diving board above a swimming pool with chains and weights attached to each of them.  Both refuse to ask for forgiveness, and Eden instead begins to recite a biblical paean to love.  Both are pushed off the diving board and die by drowning in front of a crowd.[29] Distraught by the events, Serena and Offred get to an understanding and Serena allows Offred to nurse the baby herself.
2313"The Word"Mike BarkerBruce MillerJuly 11, 2018 (2018-07-11)
It is revealed that Eden's father was the one who turned Eden and Isaac in, leading to their execution. While searching through Eden's belongings, June discovers a Bible that Eden read from and annotated, despite it being illegal for women and girls to read in Gilead.[30] June argues with Serena about her daughter's future in Gilead, stating that baby Nichole (Holly) won't be able to know God unless she is eventually able to read his word.[30] Serena and a number of wives propose an amendment to the council that girls be taught to read the Bible and Serena reads from the Bible to make her point, resulting in one of her fingers being cut off.[30] Emily reluctantly prepares for her first ceremony with Lawrence, but he dismisses Emily without going through with it. The next day, Emily is visited by Aunt Lydia and, as she is leaving, Emily brutally attacks Lydia by stabbing her in the back with a kitchen knife. Emily continues to kick Aunt Lydia down the stairs, leaving her gasping for breath. Lawrence's Martha, Cora, finds Aunt Lydia and throws Emily into a room and locks the door. Fred suggests to June that he could arrange for her to remain as his handmaid, and when she rejects the proposal, he suggests that future meetings with Hannah could be arranged. As a fire consumes a house across the street, Rita tells June that she and her daughter, Holly, have this chance to get out and need to leave immediately. Fred tries to arrange their capture, but is prevented by Nick, who threatens him with a gun.  Serena catches her mid-escape, but after a tearful goodbye to the baby, allows June to take the baby and flee, assisted by several Marthas. June is reunited with Emily, who is dropped off at the escape van by Lawrence, who says he is getting himself "in deep shit" when asked why he's allowing them to leave. At the last second, June decides to stay behind and gives the baby to Emily. She tells Emily to call her Nichole, and to tell her she loves her.

text: Production[edit]

text: A straight-to-series order by Hulu of The Handmaid's Tale was announced in April 2016, with Elisabeth Moss set to star.[31] Based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, the series was created by Bruce Miller, who is also an executive producer with Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, and Warren Littlefield.[31] Atwood serves as consulting producer, giving feedback on some of the areas where the series expands upon or modernizes the book.[31][32] She also played a small cameo role in the first episode.[33] Moss is also a producer.[34] In June 2016, Reed Morano was announced as director of the series.[35] Samira Wiley, Max Minghella, and Ann Dowd joined the cast in July 2016.[36][37][38] Joseph Fiennes, Madeline Brewer, and Yvonne Strahovski were cast in August 2016,[39][40][41] followed by O. T. Fagbenle and Amanda Brugel in September 2016.[42][43] In October 2016, Ever Carradine joined the cast,[44] and Alexis Bledel was added in January 2017.[45]

text: Filming on the series took place in Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, Oakville, and Cambridge, Ontario, from September 2016 to February 2017.[46][47] The first full trailer of the TV series was released by Hulu on YouTube on March 23, 2017.[48] The series premiered on April 26, 2017.[49]

text: On May 3, 2017, The Handmaid's Tale was renewed for a second season to premiere in 2018.[50] Moss told the news media that the subsequent episodes would cover further developments in the story, filling in some of the unanswered questions and continuing the narrative already "finished" in the book.[51] The second season consists of 13 episodes and began filming in fall 2017. Alexis Bledel returned as a series regular.[52] Showrunner Bruce Miller stated that he envisioned 10 seasons of the show, stating, "Well, you know, honestly, when I started, I tried to game out in my head what would ten seasons be like? If you hit a home run, you want energy to go around the bases, you want enough story to keep going, if you can hook the audience to care about these people enough that they're actually crying at the finale."[53]

text: Broadcast and release[edit]

text: The first three episodes of the series premiered on April 26, 2017; the subsequent seven episodes were released on a weekly basis.[49][54] In Canada, the series is broadcast by Bravo; the first two episodes premiered on April 30, 2017.[55] In Scandinavia, the series is available on HBO Nordic.[56] In the United Kingdom, the series premiered on May 28, 2017, on Channel 4.[57] In Ireland, the series premiered on February 5, 2018 on RTÉ2, with a showing of the first two episodes.[58] RTÉ also became the first broadcaster in Europe to debut Season 2 following its broadcast in the US and Canada.[59] In the Brazil, the series premiered on March 7, 2018, on Paramount Channel.[60]

text: In New Zealand, the series was released on the subscription video on demand service Lightbox on June 8, 2017.[61] In Australia, the series premiered on the TV channel SBS's video streaming service SBS on Demand, on July 6, 2017.[62]

text: The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 13, 2018.[63]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text:
Season

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes

Metacritic

1

95% (107 reviews)

92 (41 reviews)

2

92% (73 reviews)

86 (28 reviews)

text: Season 1[edit]

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 95% based on 107 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Haunting and vivid, The Handmaid's Tale is an endlessly engrossing adaptation of Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel that's anchored by a terrific central performance from Elisabeth Moss."[64] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 92 out of 100 based on 41 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[65]

text: Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter called it "probably the spring's best new show".[66] Jen Chaney of Vulture gave it a highly positive review, and wrote that it is "A faithful adaptation of the book that also brings new layers to Atwood's totalitarian, sexist world of forced surrogate motherhood" and that "this series is meticulously paced, brutal, visually stunning, and so suspenseful from moment to moment that only at the end of each hour will you feel fully at liberty to exhale".[67]

text: There was much debate on whether parallels could be drawn between the series (and by extension, the book it is based on) and American society during the Presidency of Donald Trump.[68][69] A comparison has also been made to the Salafi/Wahabbi extremism of ISIL, under which enslaved women of religious minorities are passed around and utilized as sex objects and vessels to bear new jihadis.[70][71][72]

text: Season 2[edit]

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 91% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 8.31/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Beautifully shot but dishearteningly relevant, The Handmaid's Tale centers its sophomore season tightly around its compelling cast of characters, making room for broader social commentary through more intimate lenses."[73] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[74]

text: However, the second season of the show received criticism for being excessive in its depictions of violence with critics questioning whether it was merely "torture porn" and going too far. The Atlantic's Sophie Gilbert wrote: "There came a point during the first episode where, for me, it became too much."[75] Lisa Miller of The Cut wrote: "I have pressed mute and fast forward so often this season, I am forced to wonder: 'Why am I watching this'? It all feels so gratuitous, like a beating that never ends."[76] And The Daily Telegraph's Rebecca Reid admitted she had an anxiety attack watching an episode of the show.[77]

text: Awards[edit]

text:
Year

Award

Category

Nominee(s)

Result

Ref.

Season 1

2017

Primetime Emmy Awards

Outstanding Drama Series

Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Ilene Chaiken, Sheila Hockin, Eric Tuchman, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Kira Snyder, Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Boccia, and Leila Gerstein

Won

[78]

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Elisabeth Moss (for "Night")

Won

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Ann Dowd (for "Offred")

Won

Samira Wiley (for "Night")

Nominated

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Reed Morano (for "Offred")

Won

Kate Dennis (for "The Bridge")

Nominated

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Bruce Miller (for "Offred")

Won

Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Alexis Bledel (for "Late")

Won

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series

Russell Scott, Sharon Bialy, and Sherry Thomas

Nominated

Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)

Colin Watkinson (for "Offred")

Won

Outstanding Period/Fantasy Costumes for a Series, Limited Series, or Movie

Ane Crabtree and Sheena Wichary (for "Offred")

Nominated

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)

Julie Berghoff, Evan Webber, and Sophie Neudorfer (for "Offred")

Won

Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role

Brendan Taylor, Stephen Lebed, Leo Bovell, Martin O'Brien, Winston Lee, Kelly Knauff, Zach Dembinski, Mike Suta, and Cameron Kerr (for "Birth Day")

Nominated

Peabody Award

Entertainment, children's and youth honoree

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

[79]

Gold Derby TV Awards

Drama Series

The Handmaid's Tale

Nominated

[80]

Drama Actress

Elisabeth Moss

Won

Drama Guest Actress

Alexis Bledel

Won

Television Critics Association Awards

Program of the Year

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

[81]

Outstanding Achievement in Drama

Won

Outstanding New Program

Nominated

Individual Achievement in Drama

Elisabeth Moss

Nominated

American Film Institute Awards

Top 10 TV Programs of the Year

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

[82]

2018

American Cinema Editors Awards

Best Edited Drama Series for Non-Commercial Television

Julian Clarke and Wendy Hallam Martin (for "Offred")

Won

[83]

Art Directors Guild Awards

One-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Television Series

Julie Berghoff (for "Offred", "Birth Day", "Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum")

Won

[84]

Andrew Stearn (for "The Bridge")

Nominated

Casting Society of America

Television Pilot and First Season – Drama

Sharon Bialy, Sherry Thomas, Russell Scott, Robin D. Cook, and Jonathan Oliveira

Won

[85]

Cinema Audio Society Awards

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – One Hour

John J. Thomson, Lou Solakofski, Joe Morrow, and Don White (for "Offred")

Nominated

[86]

Costume Designers Guild Awards

Excellence in Contemporary Television Series

Ane Crabtree

Won

[87]

Critics' Choice Television Awards

Best Drama Series

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

[88]

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Elisabeth Moss

Won

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Ann Dowd

Won

Directors Guild of America Awards

Outstanding Directorial Achievement for a Drama Series

Reed Morano (for "Offred")

Won

[89]

Golden Globe Awards

Best Television Series – Drama

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

[90]

Best Actress – Television Series Drama

Elisabeth Moss

Won

Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film

Ann Dowd

Nominated

Location Managers Guild Awards

Outstanding Locations in Contemporary Television

John Musikka and Geoffrey Smither

Nominated

[91]

Producers Guild of America Awards

Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

[92]

Satellite Awards

Best Drama Series

The Handmaid's Tale

Nominated

[93]

Best Actress in a Drama / Genre Series

Elisabeth Moss

Won

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or TV Film

Ann Dowd

Won

Saturn Awards

Best New Media Television Series

The Handmaid's Tale

Nominated

[94]

Screen Actors Guild Awards

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Ann Dowd, O. T. Fagbenle, Joseph Fiennes, Tattiawna Jones, Max Minghella, Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, and Samira Wiley

Nominated

[95]

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Elisabeth Moss

Nominated

USC Scripter Awards

Best Adapted TV Screenplay

Bruce Miller and Margaret Atwood (for "Offred")

Won

[96]

Writers Guild of America Awards

Dramatic Series

Ilene Chaiken, Nina Fiore, Dorothy Fortenberry, Leila Gerstein, John Herrera, Lynn Maxcy, Bruce Miller, Kira Snyder, Wendy Straker Hauser, and Eric Tuchman

Won

[97]

New Series

Won

BAFTA Television Awards

Best International Programme

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

Season 2

2018

Primetime Emmy Awards

Outstanding Drama Series

Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Elisabeth Moss, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Mike Barker, Sheila Hockin, Eric Tuchman, Kira Snyder, Yahlin Chang, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Dorothy Fortenberry, and Joseph Boccia

Pending

[98]

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Elisabeth Moss (for "The Last Ceremony")

Pending

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Joseph Fiennes (for "First Blood")

Pending

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Alexis Bledel (for "Unwomen")

Pending

Ann Dowd (for "June")

Pending

Yvonne Strahovski (for "Women's Work")

Pending

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Kari Skogland (for "After")

Pending

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Bruce Miller (for "June")

Pending

Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Kelly Jenrette (for "Other Women")

Pending

Cherry Jones (for "Baggage")

Pending

Samira Wiley (for "After")

Pending

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series

Sharon Bialy, Sherry Thomas, Russell Scott and Robin D. Cook

Pending

Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)

Colin Watkinson (for "June")

Pending

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes

Ane Crabtree and Natalie Bronfman (for "Seeds")

Pending

Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)

Burton LeBlanc, Talia Reingold and Erika Caceres (for "Unwomen")

Pending

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More)

Mark White, Elisabeth Williams, Martha Sparrow, and Caroline Gee (for "June")

Pending

Elisabeth Williams, Martha Sparrow, and Rob Hepburn (for "Seeds", "First Blood", "After")

Pending

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series

Wendy Hallam Martin (for "June")

Pending

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour)

Joe Morrow, Lou Solakofski, and Sylvain Arseneault (for "June")

Pending

Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role

Stephen Lebed, Brendan Taylor, Kelly Knauff, Kelly Weisz, Kevin McGeagh, Anderson Leo Bovell, Winston Lee, Xi Luo, and Cameron Kerr (for "June")

Pending


document_title: Claire Underwood

question_text: who plays claire underwood's mom on house of cards

question_tokens: who plays claire underwood 's mom on house of cards

root

text: Claire Underwood

text: Character overview[edit]

text: Claire Hale Underwood is originally from the exclusive Highland Park enclave of Dallas, Texas. Her late father was a major Texas Republican. While at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, she met Francis J. Underwood, a Harvard Law student from South Carolina. She is from a wealthy family, and the show characterizes her as a "Dallas Debutante" and "Lily White". She recounts her father's taking her to Dealey Plaza, where John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and that it made her feel “so sad, so angry".[3] She has a difficult relationship with her mother, Elizabeth Hale (Ellen Burstyn), who despises Frank and is disappointed in Claire for marrying him.[4]

tag: p

text: Brian Stelter of The New York Times described her as Frank Underwood's conniving wife[5] and described the Underwoods as "the scheming husband and wife at the center of 'House of Cards'".[6] She is a woman "who will stop at nothing to conquer everything".[7] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post describes her as an "ice-queen wife".[8] The Independent's Sarah Hughes echoes this description, saying Claire is so dedicated to the couple's schemes that it is clear she will execute them herself if Frank wavers.[9] Following season 4, Robin Wright stated that she felt Claire Underwood was the equal of Frank Underwood and demanded equal pay for her performance. Netflix acquiesced.[10]

text: Relationship with Frank[edit]

text: While Frank is Machiavellian, Claire presents a woman urging on her husband's assertion of power in the image of Lady Macbeth.[11][12] She encourages his vices while noting her disapproval of his weaknesses, saying: "My husband doesn’t apologize...even to me."[12] This gives a credibility to their symbiosis.[13]

text: Willimon notes that "What's extraordinary about Frank and Claire is there is deep love and mutual respect, but the way they achieve this is by operating on a completely different set of rules than the rest of us typically do."[14]

text: Nancy deWolf Smith of The Wall Street Journal describes Claire as "a short-haired blonde who manages to be masculine and demasculinizing at the same time." Smith describes their relationship as pivotal to the show: "Benign though they may seem — and their harmless air is what makes the Underwoods so effective as political plotters — this is a power couple with the same malignant chemistry as pairs of serial killers, where each needs the other in order to become lethal".[15]

text: Upon viewing a four episode preview of season 2, Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter says the series "...sells husband and wife power-at-all-costs couple Frank (Kevin Spacey) and Claire (Robin Wright) Underwood as a little too oily and reptilian for anyone's good."[16] Los Angeles Times critic Mary McNamara makes the case that House of Cards is a love story on many levels but most importantly between Frank and Claire.[17]

text: In season 3, when the Underwoods are President and First Lady of the United States, Claire's marriage to Frank begins to falter, as her jealousy of his power and hatred of being in a permanently subordinate role to him begins to change her perspective, and she ultimately decides he is no longer "enough" for her. She leaves him in the season finale but comes back in the fourth season, treating their marriage as a purely political arrangement to further her own career. When he is shot during a campaign event, Claire privately admits that she feels nothing for him. Throughout the season, she works behind the scenes to undermine Frank's election campaign, before finally joining forces with him in order to become his vice president. She also has an affair with her speechwriter Tom Yates (Paul Sparks), with Frank's approval.[18]

text: Fictional character biography[edit]

text: Season 1[edit]

text: Claire is a lobbyist who runs an environmental group while serving as her husband's primary accomplice.[19] After President Garrett Walker (Michel Gill) goes back on his promise to make Frank Secretary of State, Frank enlists Claire to help him get revenge and propel them both to positions of power. She and Frank scheme nightly over a cigarette, and together they maneuver their way into Walker's inner circle.[19] Frank says of Claire: "I love that woman, I love her more than sharks love blood."[19]

text: Claire is aware of Frank's sexual relationship with reporter Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) and approves of it as long as it achieves their ends. She herself has an affair with an old boyfriend, Adam Galloway (Ben Daniels).[19]

text: By the end of the season, Walker appoints Frank the Vice President of the United States, making Claire the Second Lady of the United States.[20][21]

text: Season 2[edit]

text: Claire's main storyline in season 2 is her advocacy, as Second Lady, for a sexual assault prevention bill. During her campaign for the bill a skeleton from her college days emerges: during a nationally televised interview, she admits that she was raped in college and that her rapist, Dalton McGinnis (Peter Bradbury), is now a high-ranking general. (She had earlier had an uncomfortable encounter with McGinnis at a White House dinner, during which she had told Frank what the general had done to her.)[22] She also admits to having aborted a pregnancy that she claims was the result of the rape; it is later revealed that she in fact aborted Frank's child, with his consent. She then converts the focus on that issue into political support that becomes critical to the Underwoods' ascension to the Oval Office.

text: Claire becomes increasingly ruthless as the season progresses. When Galloway leaks an intimate photo of Claire to appease his jealous fianceé, Claire intimidates him into publicly stating that he fabricated the picture, ruining his reputation. When Gillian Cole (Sandrine Holt), a pregnant former employee, returns to demand health care as part of her severance, Claire says, "I am willing to let your child wither and die inside you, if that’s what’s required,...Am I really the sort of enemy you want to make?"[23][24][25] Claire also manipulates First Lady Patricia Walker (Joanna Going) into believing that her husband is having an affair in order to distract President Walker from Frank's machinations.

text: She shows remorse for her actions only once. When another of McGinnis' victims, Megan Hennessy (Libby Woodbridge), comes forward, Claire uses her as the poster girl for the sexual assault bill, leaving the fragile young woman open to public scrutiny and reprisals from the bill's opponents. Before she can testify about her ordeal before Congress, however, Megan suffers a breakdown and attempts suicide. Upon realizing what she has caused Megan to go through, Claire bursts into tears.[26]

text: In the season finale, she urges Frank to humble himself before President Walker, with whom he has fallen out of favor, in order to complete the plan: "Cut out your heart and put it in his fucking hands."[27] The gambit works: Walker keeps Frank as his Vice President, allowing Frank to succeed him when he resigns. Frank is now President of the United States, with Claire as the First Lady.[28][29]

text: According to Drew Grant of The New York Observer, Claire's season-long storyline was similar to the real life efforts of United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's to legislate an end to military sexual assault.[30] Based upon the 4-episode preview, Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times says that in season 2 Claire "is still ruthlessly pursuing her own agenda as well as her husband’s. She remains an enigma even as she reveals more and more disturbing secrets from her past."[31] Claire remains composed and stylish with or without her husband and plays the press with aplomb.[23]

text: Season 3[edit]

text: In Season 3, Claire feels the need to be something more "significant" than the First Lady, and asks Frank to nominate her to a United Nations post. He nominates her, but the Senate rejects her after a rocky hearing.[32] Frank gives her the job anyway in a recess appointment, but her tenure is brief; she ruins a treaty between the U.S. and Russia by publicly confronting Russian President Viktor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen) about his anti-gay policies and is forced to resign when Petrov uses her as a bargaining chip during a diplomatic crisis.

text: During Frank's election campaign, Claire begins to question whether she still loves him. In the season finale, she and Frank get into an ugly fight in which she says he is not enough for her; Frank replies that without him, she is nothing. Season three ends with Claire leaving Frank as he prepares to go to the New Hampshire primary.[33][34]

text: Season 4[edit]

text: After leaving Frank, Claire goes back to Texas, where she has a tense reunion with her mother, who is dying of lymphoma. She sets her sights on running for a House of Representatives seat in Texas, with help from political consultant LeAnn Harvey (Neve Campbell). Frank persuades her to resume public appearances with him by promising to support her run. However, he sandbags her prospective candidacy by endorsing a political ally's daughter, in order to keep Claire focused on his campaign. Claire retaliates on the day the South Carolina primary by covertly leaking a photo of Frank's father with a Klansman, imperiling Frank's candidacy. Frank figures out that she was behind the leak and confronts her. Claire calmly admits what she did and proposes that she join him in the ticket as his vice president. Frank rejects the idea.

text: Shortly thereafter, Frank is shot by Lucas Goodwin, in an assassination attempt, and falls into a coma. While Frank is in surgery, Claire helps guide Frank's vice president Donald Blythe through a diplomatic crisis with Russia. While Frank is receiving a liver transplant, she declines going to the hospital in favor of negotiating a treaty with Petrov, and strong-arms him into accepting the U.S.' terms. When Frank recovers from surgery, he agrees to let Claire be his vice president. He and Claire advocate for a controversial gun control bill for the sole purpose of creating an atmosphere divisive enough to pick off the potential running mates. In the ensuing open convention, they publicly endorse Secretary of State Catherine Durant (Jayne Atkinson) for the job, while working behind the scenes to undermine her and ensure that Claire wins enough delegates to be nominated. Meanwhile, she reluctantly honors her mother's request to help her die. She and Frank then use the public sympathy from Elizabeth's death to win the nomination; they are now running mates.

text: When a group of terrorists takes an American family hostage, Claire negotiates with their imprisoned leader, Yusuf Al Ahmadi (Farshad Farahat), who agrees to tell his followers to release the hostages. Al Ahmadi reneges on the deal, however, and tells them to kill the hostages. At the same time, journalist Tom Hammerschmidt (Boris McGiver) publishes an investigative news story detailing Frank's crimes. Claire gives Frank the idea to declare war on the terrorists and allow the public to see the hostage die in order to distract from the scandal and create an atmosphere of widespread fear that they can exploit. In the final scene, Claire finally breaks the fourth wall with Frank.[18]

text: Season 5[edit]

text: In season 5, Claire's story begins as the opening scene of the season: shooting a propaganda commercial in order to stir up fear. Throughout the beginning, she helps make the campaign's focal point about the fear of the terrorist Islamic Caliphate Organization (ICO, a fictionalized version of ISIS/ISIL) and how they can stop the threat.

text: On Election Day, Claire and Frank learn that they may lose because of low voter turnout. They exploit a possible terrorist threat to close down multiple polling centers in key states, such as Ohio. This leading to numerous states filing lawsuits and refusing honoring the election results.

text: Nine weeks later, with neither side winning the majority of electors, the House (now Republican-controlled) will decide the President and the Senate (Democrat-controlled) for the Vice President, the first instance of this happening since the 1824 presidential election aftermath. Claire eventually wins when Donald Blythe issues a bill to block any filibuster of coming onto the floor; while the house couldn't reach a majority. In the meantime, Claire is sworn in as Acting President of the United States and begins to exert her limited power by excluding Frank from certain presidential functions, such as the swearing-in of the new Justice of the Supreme Court.

text: During her short-lived presidency, a truck with nuclear energy goes missing and puts D.C. into lock-down, a scheme devised by several members of Frank's cabinet and Conway's campaign. During the emergency, Claire is visited by diplomat Jane Davis (Patricia Clarkson), who says that she can track down a leader of ICO for the Underwoods. Claire is also faced with a series of diplomatic crises: Russian soldiers have also taken over an American base, and the Russians and Chinese are vying for possession of a boat in Antarctica that has a stowaway American working for the Russians. After making a deal with the Chinese, Claire orders for the boat to be destroyed so that neither the Chinese nor the Russians can get what is on board. Around this time, Claire agrees to an open election in Ohio for not only the President, but also the Vice President, in order to avoid a possible Conway-Underwood administration.

text: The Underwoods discover evidence to blackmail Conway's campaign manager, Mark Usher (Campbell Scott), into helping them. Frank acquires a recording of Conway verbally abusing a pilot, as well as a recording of Conway's running mate, General Brockhart (Colm Feore), threatening to kill Frank; when he releases them, voters turn against Conway and the Underwoods win the election.

text: Soon afterward, Congressman Alex Romero (James Martinez) encourages the Republicans to start up the Declaration of War committee to investigate Frank, which puts Claire and Frank in damage control.

text: By this time, Claire and Tom Yates have fallen in love, which complicates both their lives. During an unguarded moment, Claire tells Yates that Frank murdered Zoe Barnes and Congressman Peter Russo (Corey Stoll). She immediately regrets it, and tells Yates that they can't see each other anymore. In response, Yates threatens to publish a book detailing the Underwoods' crimes. Claire invites him to Usher's home, and poisons him. He dies while having sex with Claire, and she has Usher get rid of the body. Around this time, Claire and Frank convince Doug to take the fall for Zoe Barnes' death. Frank also starts to become suspicious of Claire as she disappears for a period of time (she had started talking to Davis in a secret corridor) and starts to memorize her testimony defending herself but not Frank, in case she has to testify.

text: Walker publicly testifies against Frank, prompting him to appear before the committee and resign the presidency. When an incredulous Claire confronts him, Franks says that it was his plan all along to resign and set her up to be president, so that the two of them can run Washington together - she from the White House and he from the private sector. For the plan to work, Claire must pardon Frank, which would damage her politically. Frank resigns and Claire is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.

text: However, in contrast to the plan, Claire does not announce that she is pardoning Frank in her first address to the nation as President. Frank calls her repeatedly, but she forwards the calls. She sees that Frank has burned a hole into the American flag in the Oval Office, and breaks the fourth wall, saying: "My turn."

text: Reception[edit]

text: Wright's performance is described as "nuanced and compelling".[7] Claire has "chilly poise" but the "coolly regal doyenne" softens over the course of the first season according to New Republic's Laura Bennet.[19] Wright plays the role with "an almost terrifying froideur".[9][1] As a couple Frank and Claire are said to "reverberate with tension and wit".[1] Michael Dobbs, who wrote the trilogy of novels upon which the British miniseries is based, compares the compelling nature of the relationship between Frank and Claire favorably to the original characters in House of Cards and likens them to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.[9] He is not alone.[7] In season 2, she remains "equally steely".[35] Despite suggestions to the contrary, Wright insists that the character is not based on Hillary Clinton.[36]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: On July 18, 2013, Netflix earned the first Primetime Emmy Award nominations for original online only web television for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. Three of its web series, Arrested Development, Hemlock Grove, and House of Cards, earned nominations.[37] Among those nominations was Wright's portrayal of Claire Underwood for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series as well as Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Frank Underwood for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Jason Bateman's portrayal of Michael Bluth in Arrested Development for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, making these three roles the first three leading roles to be Primetime Emmy Award-nominated from a web television series.[37] The role has also earned Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama award at the 71st Golden Globe Awards on January 12, 2014.[38][39] In so doing she became the first actress to win a Golden Globe Award for an online-only web television series.[40]

text: For season 2, Wright earned a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series nomination at the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards.[41] Wright was again nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards and Best Actress – Television Series Drama at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards.[42][43] She was nominated for both Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards.[44]

text: In season 3, she was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards,[45] Best Actress – Television Series Drama at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards,[46] as well as both Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards.[47]

text: Her performance in season 4 earned her a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards.[48]

text: Wright's performance in season 5 earned her a fifth consecutive Primetime Emmy nomination at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.[49]

text: Notes[edit]

text:
^ Jump up to: a b c Lacob, Jace (January 30, 2013). "David Fincher, Beau Willimon & Kate Mara On Netflix’s ‘House of Cards’". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Sexual Politics (COMM 401): Sex, Power, and Violence: Life in Frank Underwood’s House of Cards". blogs.denison.edu. Denison University Blogs. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Netflix show House of Cards has an unexpected link to North Texas". Pop Culture Blog. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
Jump up ^ Rorke, Robert (March 7, 2016). "Ellen Burstyn is a real mother on 'House of Cards'". The New York Post. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
Jump up ^ Stelter, Brian (January 18, 2013). "A Drama’s Streaming Premiere". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Stelter, Brian (July 18, 2013). "Netflix Does Well in 2013 Primetime Emmy Nominations". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c Cornet, Roth (January 31, 2013). "Netflix's Original Series House of Cards – From David Fincher and Kevin Spacey – May be the New Face of Television". IGN. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
Jump up ^ Stuever, Hank (January 31, 2013). "‘House of Cards’: Power corrupts (plus other non-breaking news)". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c Hughes, Sarah (January 30, 2013). "'Urquhart is deliciously diabolical': Kevin Spacey is back in a remake of House of Cards". The Independent. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ Peck, Emily (May 18, 2016). "Robin Wright Demanded The Same Pay As Kevin Spacey For 'House of Cards'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Ostrow: Kevin Spacey shines in "House of Cards" political drama on Netflix". The Denver Post. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Stanley, Alessandra (January 31, 2013). "Political Animals That Slither: ‘House of Cards’ on Netflix Stars Kevin Spacey". The New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
Jump up ^ Poniewozik, James (January 31, 2013). "Review: House of Cards Sinks Its Sharp Teeth into Washington". TIME. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
Jump up ^ Oldenburg, Ann (February 13, 2014). "'House of Cards' promises more 'plotting and scheming'". USA Today. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
Jump up ^ deWolf Smith, Nancy (January 31, 2013). "Fantasies About Evil, Redux". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
Jump up ^ Goodman, Tim (February 3, 2014). "House Of Cards: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
Jump up ^ McNamara, Mary (February 14, 2014). "Review: 'House of Cards' plays new hand with brutal, clear resolve". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, Brian (March 10, 2016). "Review: ‘House of Cards,’ The Complete Fourth Season for Binge Viewers (SPOILERS)". Variety. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Bennett, Laura (February 5, 2013). "Kevin Spacey's Leading-Man Problem The star of the 13-hour "House of Cards" is as impenetrable as ever". New Republic. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Chapter 13". House of Cards. Season 1. Episode 13. February 1, 2015.
Jump up ^ Jancelewicz, Chris (May 4, 2013). "House Of Cards Season 1, Episode 13 Recap: All's Well That Ends Well (Or Not)". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
Jump up ^ Barney, Chuck (February 11, 2014). "Review: 'House of Cards' returns for more political dirty deeds". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b Smith, Sara (February 7, 2014). "Second season of ‘House of Cards’ is a vote for vice". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
Jump up ^ Valby, Karen (February 5, 2014). "House Of Cards". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
Jump up ^ Deggans, Eric (February 14, 2014). "Antihero Or Villain? In 'House Of Cards,' It's Hard To Tell". NPR. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
Jump up ^ Dockterman, Eliana (February 17, 2014). "The 9 Most Shocking Moments from House of Cards Season 2". TIME. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
Jump up ^ Jeffries, Stuart (March 5, 2014). "House of Cards recap, series two, episode 13 – 'Cut out your heart and put it in his hands'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Chapter 26". House of Cards. Season 2. Episode 13. February 14, 2014. Netflix.
Jump up ^ Jeffries, Stuart (March 5, 2014). "House of Cards recap, series two, episode 13 – 'Cut out his heart and put it in his hands'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
Jump up ^ Grant, Drew (February 17, 2014). "The Anhedonia of Antiheroes: Why House of Cards’ Second Season Isn’t as Fun as It Should Be". The New York Observer. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
Jump up ^ Stanley, Alessandra (February 13, 2013). "How Absolute Power Can Delight Absolutely: ‘House of Cards’ Returns, With More Dark Scheming". The New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
Jump up ^ Jeffries, Stuart (February 27, 2015). "House of Cards recap: episodes two, three and four= Frank speaks to God". The Guardian. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Chapter 39". House of Cards. Season 3. Episode 13. February 27, 2015. Netflix.
Jump up ^ Stern, Warlow (March 16, 2015). "The Explosive ‘House of Cards’ Finale: Creator Beau Willimon on the State of the Underwoods". Daily Beast. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
Jump up ^ Lowry, Brian (January 31, 2014). "TV Review: ‘House of Cards’ – Season Two". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
Jump up ^ McCalmont, Lucy (February 12, 2014). "Robin Wright: Claire Underwood not based on Hillary Clinton". Politico. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b Stelter, Brian (July 18, 2013). "Netflix Does Well in 2013 Primetime Emmy Nominations". The New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
Jump up ^ Farley, Christopher John (December 12, 2013). "Golden Globes Nominations 2014: ’12 Years a Slave,’ ‘American Hustle’ Lead Field". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
Jump up ^ Zurawik, David (December 12, 2013). "'House of Cards' star Robin Wright earns series' sole Golden Globes win". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
Jump up ^ Hyman, Vicki (January 12, 2014). "2014 Golden Globes: Robin Wright wins best actress for online-only 'House of Cards'". The Star-Ledger. NJ.com. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Critics' Choice TV Awards 2014: And the nominees are...". Entertainment Weekly. May 28, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
Jump up ^ "2014 Emmy Nominations: ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘True Detective’ Among the Honored". New York Times. July 10, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
Jump up ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (December 11, 2014). "Golden Globes: Fargo, True Detective Lead Nominations; Jane the Virgin, Transparent Score Multiple Nods". TVLine. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
Jump up ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (December 10, 2014). "SAG Awards: Modern Family, Thrones, Homeland, Boardwalk, Cards Lead Noms; Mad Men Shut Out; HTGAWM, Maslany and Aduba Get Nods". TVLine. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
Jump up ^ "67th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Emmys. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
Jump up ^ Lang, Brent (December 10, 2015). "‘Carol,’ Netflix Lead Golden Globes Nominations". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
Jump up ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 9, 2015). "SAG Awards: Game of Thrones, Homeland, House of Cards Lead Noms; Empire, Inside Amy Schumer Shut Out; Mr. Robot's Rami Malek Sneaks In". TVLine. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Emmys 2016: The Full List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Emmys 2017: The Full List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. July 13, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.

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House of Cards (U.S. TV series)

Seasons

1

"Chapter 1"
"Chapter 2"
"Chapter 3"
"Chapter 4"
"Chapter 5"
"Chapter 6"
"Chapter 7"

2
3
4
5

Characters

Frank Underwood
Claire Underwood
List of politicians

See also

Awards and nominations

Related

House of Cards (UK TV series)

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text: House of Cards (U.S. TV series)Fictional characters introduced in 2013Fictional Democrats (United States)Fictional characters from South CarolinaFictional characters from TexasFictional First Ladies of the United StatesFictional Vice Presidents of the United StatesFictional Presidents of the United StatesFictional business executivesDrama television charactersFictional ambassadorsFictional sexual assault victimsFictional murderersFictional smokersFemale characters in television

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text: Use mdy dates from September 2016Good articlesArticles using Infobox character with multiple unlabeled fieldsPages using infobox character with unknown parameters