document_title: The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)

question_text: how many episodes are there in the handmaid's tale season 2

question_tokens: how many episodes are there in the handmaid 's tale season 2

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 sex workers 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 husband and 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 / Ofjoseph, 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 (recurring season 1, main season 2–present), a Martha at the Waterford home. She had a son who died fighting in the civil war when he was 19 years old.[9]
Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence (recurring season 2, main season 3), the founder of the Colonies.[10][11]

tag: ul

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.[12]
Sydney Sweeney as Eden Spencer (season 2), a pious and obedient girl who was Nick's wife.[13]
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.[14]
Cherry Jones as Holly Maddox (season 2), June's mother, an outspoken feminist.[15]
Clea DuVall as Sylvia (season 2), Emily's wife.[16]
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.[17]

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.[18] 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.[19][18] 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.[20] 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 gay man, and a daughter of a US Army soldier.[21] 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.[22][23] 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. 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 sex workers (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.[24][25] Moira had the choice of being sent either to the colonies or one of the brothels.[25] 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 the 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, is granted asylum there as a refugee, 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 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 are burned with a 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.[26] Emily has been taken to the Colonies, where disobedient and lower-class infertile women ("unwomen") are forced to dig on highly toxic land.[27] 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 taken to the colonies for committing a "sin of the flesh." Emily gives her tablets that turn out to be poison, which leads to her death. Emily blames her for "holding a woman down while her husband rapes her".[26] The unwomen are warned that there will be consequences for this death. Janine arrives at the Colonies, where she is briefly greeted by Emily. Nick visits June and she 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.[26]
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.[28] 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.[28] 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.[29] 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.[30] 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.[31] 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.[31] 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.[31] 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.[32] 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.[32] Atwood serves as consulting producer, giving feedback on some of the areas where the series expands upon or modernizes the book.[32][33] She also played a small cameo role in the first episode.[34] Moss is also a producer.[35] In June 2016, Reed Morano was announced as director of the series.[36] Samira Wiley, Max Minghella, and Ann Dowd joined the cast in July 2016.[37][38][39] Joseph Fiennes, Madeline Brewer, and Yvonne Strahovski were cast in August 2016,[40][41][42] followed by O. T. Fagbenle and Amanda Brugel in September 2016.[43][44] In October 2016, Ever Carradine joined the cast,[45] and Alexis Bledel was added in January 2017.[46]

text: Filming on the series took place in Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, and Cambridge, Ontario, from September 2016 to February 2017.[47][48] The first full trailer of the TV series was released by Hulu on YouTube on March 23, 2017.[49] The series premiered on April 26, 2017.[50]

text: On May 3, 2017, The Handmaid's Tale was renewed for a second season to premiere in 2018.[51] 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.[52] The second season consists of 13 episodes and began filming in fall 2017. Alexis Bledel returned as a series regular.[53] 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."[54]

text: Season 2 was filmed primarily in Toronto, Ontario, but some scenes were shot in Hamilton, Ontario and in Cambridge, Ontario.[55] Season 3 is to start production in Toronto in October 2018.[56]

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.[50][57] In Canada, the series is broadcast weekly by Bravo and the streaming service CraveTV; the first two episodes premiered on April 30, 2017.[58] In Scandinavia, the series is available on HBO Nordic.[59] In the United Kingdom, the series premiered on May 28, 2017, on Channel 4.[60] In Ireland, the series premiered on February 5, 2018 on RTÉ2, with a showing of the first two episodes.[61] RTÉ also became the first broadcaster in Europe to debut Season 2 following its broadcast in the US and Canada.[62] In the Brazil, the series premiered on March 7, 2018, on Paramount Channel.[63]

text: In New Zealand, the series was released on the subscription video on demand service Lightbox on June 8, 2017.[64] In Australia, the series premiered on the TV channel SBS's video streaming service SBS on Demand, on July 6, 2017.[65]

text: The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 13, 2018.[66]

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."[67] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 92 out of 100 based on 41 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[68]

text: Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter called it "probably the spring's best new show".[69] 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".[70]

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.[71][72] 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.[73][74][75]

text: Season 2[edit]

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 92% 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."[76] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[77]

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."[78] 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."[79] And The Daily Telegraph's Rebecca Reid admitted she had an anxiety attack watching an episode of the show.[80]

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

[81]

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

[82]

Gold Derby TV Awards

Drama Series

The Handmaid's Tale

Nominated

[83]

Drama Actress

Elisabeth Moss

Won

Drama Guest Actress

Alexis Bledel

Won

Television Critics Association Awards

Program of the Year

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

[84]

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

[85]

2018

American Cinema Editors Awards

Best Edited Drama Series for Non-Commercial Television

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

Won

[86]

Art Directors Guild Awards

One-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Television Series

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

Won

[87]

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

[88]

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

[89]

Costume Designers Guild Awards

Excellence in Contemporary Television Series

Ane Crabtree

Won

[90]

Critics' Choice Television Awards

Best Drama Series

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

[91]

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

[92]

Golden Globe Awards

Best Television Series – Drama

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

[93]

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

[94]

Producers Guild of America Awards

Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama

The Handmaid's Tale

Won

[95]

Satellite Awards

Best Drama Series

The Handmaid's Tale

Nominated

[96]

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

[97]

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

[98]

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

[99]

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

[100]

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

Nominated

[101]

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Elisabeth Moss (for "The Last Ceremony")

Nominated

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Joseph Fiennes (for "First Blood")

Nominated

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Alexis Bledel (for "Unwomen")

Nominated

Ann Dowd (for "June")

Nominated

Yvonne Strahovski (for "Women's Work")

Nominated

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Kari Skogland (for "After")

Nominated

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Bruce Miller (for "June")

Nominated

Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Kelly Jenrette (for "Other Women")

Nominated

Cherry Jones (for "Baggage")

Nominated

Samira Wiley (for "After")

Won

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series

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

Nominated

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

Colin Watkinson (for "June")

Nominated

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes

Ane Crabtree and Natalie Bronfman (for "Seeds")

Nominated

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

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

Nominated

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

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

Won

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

Nominated

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series

Wendy Hallam Martin (for "June")

Won

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

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

Nominated

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")

Nominated


document_title: The Fifth Element

question_text: who did luke perry play in the fifth element

root

text: The Fifth Element

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1914, aliens known as Mondoshawans arrive at an ancient Egyptian temple to collect, for safekeeping from World War I, the only weapon capable of defeating a great evil that appears every 5,000 years. The weapon consists of four stones, containing the essences of the four classical elements, and a sarcophagus containing a fifth element in the form of a human, which combines the power of the other four into a divine light capable of defeating the evil. The Mondoshawans promise their human contact, a priest from a secret order, they will come back with the weapon in time to stop the great evil when it returns.

tag: p

text: In 2263,[b] the great evil appears in deep space in the form of a giant ball of black fire, and destroys an attacking Earth spaceship. The Mondoshawans' current contact on Earth, priest Vito Cornelius, informs the President of the Federated Territories about the history of the great evil and the weapon that can stop it. As the Mondoshawans return to Earth they are ambushed by Mangalores, a race hired by the industrialist Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, who has been directed by the great evil (sending messages as “Mister Shadow”) to acquire the element stones.

text: The Mondoshawans' spacecraft is destroyed, and the only "survivor" is a severed hand in a metal glove from the Fifth Element's sarcophagus that still contains some living cells. Scientists take it to a New York City laboratory and use it to reconstruct a powerful humanoid woman who takes the name Leeloo. Terrified of the unfamiliar surroundings, she breaks out of confinement and jumps off a high ledge, crashing into the flying taxicab of Korben Dallas, a former major in the special forces.

text: Dallas delivers Leeloo to Cornelius and his apprentice, David, whereupon it is revealed that she is the Fifth Element. Cornelius learns from her that the element stones were not on the Mondoshawans' ship, as they entrusted the stones to the alien Diva Plavalaguna, an opera singer. Zorg kills many of the Mangalores because of their failure to obtain the stones, but their surviving compatriots determine to seize the artifacts in revenge. Upon learning from the Mondoshawans that the stones are in Plavalaguna's possession, General Munro, Dallas' former superior, recommissions Dallas and orders him to travel undercover to the planet Fhloston to meet Plavalaguna on a luxury cruise; Dallas takes Leeloo with him. Meanwhile, Cornelius instructs David to prepare the temple designed to house the stones, then stows away on the space plane transporting Dallas to the cruise liner.

text: Plavalaguna is killed when the Mangalores attack the cruise ship, but Dallas succeeds in retrieving the stones from the Diva. During his struggle with the Mangalores he kills their leader, rendering the remaining Mangalores unwilling to continue fighting. Meanwhile, Zorg arrives, shooting and seriously wounding Leeloo before taking a carrying case that he presumes contains the stones back to his spacecraft, leaving behind a time bomb that forces the liner's occupants to evacuate. Discovering the case to be empty, Zorg returns to the ship and deactivates his bomb, but a dying Mangalore sets off his own device, destroying the ship and killing Zorg. Dallas, Cornelius, Leeloo, and talk-show host Ruby Rhod escape with the stones aboard Zorg's spacecraft.

text: The four join up with David at the weapon chamber in the temple as the great evil approaches. They arrange the stones and activate them with their corresponding elements, but having witnessed and studied so much violence, Leeloo has become disenchanted with humanity and refuses to cooperate. Dallas confesses his love for Leeloo and kisses her. In response, Leeloo combines the power of the stones and releases the divine light onto the great evil, stopping it and destroying its power, causing it to be proclaimed dead by Earth scientists.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas
Gary Oldman as Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
Milla Jovovich as Leeloo Minaï Lekatariba-Laminaï-Tchaï Ekbat de Sebat
Ian Holm as Father Vito Cornelius
Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod
Charlie Creed-Miles as David
Brion James as General Munro
Tricky as Right Arm
Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. as President Lindberg
Christopher Fairbank as Professor Mactilburgh
Lee Evans as Fog
John Bluthal as Professor Massimo Pacoli
Luke Perry as Billy Masterson
John Bennett as Priest
Kim Chan as Mr. Kim
John Neville as General Staedert
Al Matthews as General Tudor
Maïwenn Le Besco as Diva Plavalaguna
Inva Mula provides Diva's singing voice
John Bennett as Priest
Ivan Heng as Left Arm

text: Themes[edit]

text: In an interview Besson stated The Fifth Element was not a "big theme movie", although the film's theme was an important one. He wanted viewers to reach the point where Leeloo states "What's the use of saving life when you see what you do with it?", and agree with her.[9] Jay P. Telotte, writing in the book Science Fiction Film, credited the film with exploring the theme of political corruption.[10]

text: An article by Brian Ott and Eric Aoki in the feminist journal Women's Studies in Communication considered gender to be one of the film's main themes. The authors accused the film of erasing women from the introductory scenes, noting that Leeloo's reconstruction marked only the second appearance of a female in the film's first 20 minutes; the other is an androgynous, mostly speechless presidential aide. When females appear in the film, they do so as passive objects, such as the sexualised flight and McDonald's attendants; or stripped of their femininity, such as the "butch" Major Iceborg.[11] Stefan Brandt, in the book Subverting Masculinity, also said that the film "echoes stereotypical beliefs about gender" of all females in the film, including Leeloo, who he thought only left her passive role in the film during her fight with the Mangalores. With the exception of Tiny Lister's portrayal of the President, all males in the film were considered to be as unmanly as possible in various ways, such as Ruby Rhod's effeminacy, Vito Cornelius's clumsy form of speech, and General Munro's stupidity; their purpose was to make Korben's masculinity appear "god-like" by comparison.[12]

text: In the book The Films of Luc Besson, Susan Hayward considered The Fifth Element to be a classic story of a man "making his break from the tribe, proving his manhood, over-throwing the malevolent forces and killing the chief, finally to reap the rewards of security and marriage".[13] Korben's journey, however, is under threat not only from the Mangalores and Zorg, but also from Leeloo, who relents and helps him only at the last minute, accepting his declaration of love.[13] The love story within The Fifth Element was considered to be one of the main narratives in the film, and it faces the same deadline as the main storyline.[13] Hayward also considered the issue of environmental damage, in so far as waste and pollution are visible throughout the film.[14] Whereas science fiction films often show a world wherein some new technology or threat either surpasses or fails humanity, The Films of Luc Besson included The Fifth Element amongst the minority of science fiction films that "hold up a mirror" and show humankind as responsible.[15] The film was said to be skeptical of capitalist consumerism, in so far as the gadgets in Zorg's office make an unhealthy obsession of his lust for technology.[15] The tension between technology and man is treated as a problem requiring a final resolution.[15]

text: Production[edit]

text: As a teenager, Besson envisioned the world of The Fifth Element in an attempt to alleviate boredom. He began writing the script when he was 16, though it was not released in cinemas until he was 38.[16] The original storyline was set in the year 2300, and was about a "nobody" named Zaltman Bleros (later renamed Korben Dallas) who wins a trip to the Club Med resort on the planet Fhloston Paradise. There he meets Leeloo, a "sand-girl" who has the "beauty of youth" despite being over 2,000 years old.[17] Besson continued to work on and modify the storyline for years; by the time his documentary film Atlantis was released in 1991 he had a 400-page script. Nicolas Seydoux and Patrice Ledoux from Gaumont were the first people to take on the project. In November 1991, while looking for actors for the film, Besson met French comics creators Jean Giraud and Jean-Claude Mézières and recruited them[18] for the film's production design.[19][20] Giraud and Mézières's comics were a major source of inspiration for Besson's futuristic New York City.[21] Mézières wrote the book The Circles of Power, which contains a character named S'Traks, who drives a flying taxicab through the congested air traffic of the vast metropolis on the planet Rubanis. Mézières showed images of the flying taxi to Besson, who was inspired to change the background of Korben Dallas from a worker in a rocketship factory to that of a taxi driver who flies his cab around a Rubanis-inspired futuristic New York City.[22] Five other artists were hired for the project, and Jean-Paul Gaultier was hired to design the film's costumes. The team spent a year creating over 8,000 drawings, during which time Besson approached both Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson for the lead role. Willis expressed interest, though he was reluctant to take on the role as the film was considered risky after his previous two films, Hudson Hawk and Billy Bathgate, had been received poorly; Gibson eventually turned down the role.[23] While the team impressed film companies with their designs, they struggled to find one willing to take on the film's budget of almost $100 million. In December 1992 production of the film stopped[24] without any prior warning, and the team disbanded.[4]

text: Besson went on to direct the commercially successful film Léon: The Professional, which was released in September 1994. While shooting and releasing Leon, he continued to work on the script for The Fifth Element, shortening it and reducing the film's budget to $90 million before attempting to find a studio willing to produce it. Columbia Pictures, who had a partnership in Leon, agreed to finance the film. By this time Besson had decided to go with a lesser-known lead actor in order to save on production costs.[4][9] Besson was in Barry Josephson's office when Willis called regarding a different film. Besson asked to speak to Willis "just to say hello", and told him that The Fifth Element was finally going ahead, explaining the decision to go with a less-expensive actor. After a short silence, Willis stated "If I like the film, we can always come to an arrangement";[4] he agreed to take on the role after reading the script. Production of the film commenced in early August 1995. Besson traveled to various places for casting, including Paris, London and Rome.[26] He hired Gary Oldman (who had starred in Léon) for the role of Zorg, describing Oldman as "one of the top five actors in the world."[9] For the character Leeloo, Besson chose Milla Jovovich from the 200 to 300 applicants he met in person.[9] The "Divine Language" spoken in the film by Leeloo is a fictional language with only 400 words, invented by Besson. Jovovich and Besson held conversations and wrote letters to each other in the language as practice.[27] Besson was in a relationship with Maïwenn Le Besco, who played the role of Diva Plavalaguna, for six years when filming commenced; however, he left her for Jovovich during filming.[28] Jovovich and Besson later married, but divorced in 1999.[29]

text: Wishing to shoot the film in France, Besson could not find suitable facilities and "with a heavy heart" filmed in London.[30] It was primarily filmed at Pinewood Studios on seven soundstages[31] including the 007 Stage.[32] Construction of sets began in October 1995.[18] The opera scene was filmed at the Royal Opera House.[33] Scenes depicted as being in Egypt were filmed in Mauritania;[34] the first shoot for the film, a background shot of the desert, occurred there on 5 January 1996.[35] Filming with actors began in late January, and was completed 21 weeks later.[36] Willis finished filming on 16 May,[37] while Oldman only commenced filming the following week;[38] the film's protagonist (Korben) and antagonist (Zorg) never actually share any screen time.[39] Despite being filmed in London, The Fifth Element was a French production,[40][41] and went on to become the costliest European film ever made at the time.[42] The buildings in New York were derived from both metabolist-inspired masses of modular apartments from the 1960s, and the futuristic designs of architect Antonio Sant'Elia in the 1910s.[43] Besson demanded that most of the action shots in the film take place in broad daylight, as he was reportedly tired of the dark spaceship corridors and dimly lit planets common in science fiction films, and wanted a brighter "cheerfully crazy" look as opposed to a gloomy realistic one.[21] Gaultier designed every one of the 900 costumes worn by extras in the film's Fhloston Paradise scenes, and checked each costume every morning.[39] His designs, described as "intellectually transgressive",[44] were said to challenge sexuality and gender norms.[45] A single jacket he designed for the film cost $5,000.[46]

text: The original name of the character Ruby Rhod was Loc Rhod. The name appears in both the original script and in the novelisation of the film.[47] Speculation has been raised that the name change was a play on information in the periodic table. Rubidium is the first of the Period 5 elements, and exactly halfway down that row is the element Rhodium. Taking the first half of each element yields "Rubi Rhod".[48] Others have speculated his name is a play on his gender bending personality; having a feminine first name and phallic surname.[11] The term "ruby rod" also refers to the essential component of the first working laser design.[49]

text: Effects[edit]

text: Three different teams handled the three different types of special effects used in the film. Nick Allder was placed in charge of mechanical and pyrotechnical effects, Nick Dudman was placed in charge of 'creature' effects and Mark Stetson headed the visual effects team.[31] Visual effects company Digital Domain was hired for the film, and Karen Goulekas was given the role of digital effects supervisor.[50] Alias,[34] Autodesk Softimage, Arete, Side Effect's Prisms, RenderMan, as well as in-house software, were used by Digital Domain to create effects.[51] Some individual shots used a combination of live action, scale models, computer-generated imagery and particle systems.[52]  The lanes of traffic in the scenes in New York City were created with particle systems:

text: We had maybe 80 cityscape shots with CG cars hurtling around, and you couldn't animate them all by hand because there were just too many of them in each scene ... When the cars turned a corner, the velocity changes were automatic, so the animator didn't have to worry about that. They just planned the moves in a very blocky way, and the mathematics smoothed out the rest.

text: Amongst the scale models used for filming were the buildings seen in New York City. Dozens of apartment blocks and 25 skyscrapers, some 20 feet (6.1 m) high, were constructed in 1/24th scale.[53] It took a team of 80 workers five months to build the models used in the film.[53] The windows of the buildings were cited by the team as one of the most time-consuming tasks, along with details behind the windows, such as furniture, blinds, lightboxes and tiny pieces of flat artwork.[53]  Virtual sets built within digital environments were created to enhance the use of miniatures.[54] Motion control cameras moved throughout the scale sets, and the data they collected was exported to track and generate the CG animation and particle systems.[43] Other techniques used in the film included digital matte paintings for backgrounds[55] and the NURBS mathematical model for certain animations, including the sequence in which Leeloo's body is reconstructed.[56]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: The Fifth Element is one of Besson's films which have been described as "intrinsically musical";[57] some kind of music is playing during about 90 percent of the film.[58] The film's score was composed by Éric Serra. He relies heavily on the use of orchestral textures, such as the oboe and strings heard as the surgeons prepare to regenerate Leeloo, and the pizzicato as she is reconstructed. Serra also used many exotic influences, such as the Stalinist fanfare heard before the spaceport sequence, the reggae piece played in preparation for the flight, and the hula music that greets the passengers as they arrive in Fhloston.[59] More conventional scoring techniques are present in the leitmotif that first appears when professor Pacoli mentions the fifth element, the militaristic snares as the warship prepares to attack the dark planet, and the Mahlerian funereal piece heard when Leeloo learns about war.[59] The music used for the taxicab chase scene, titled "Alech Taadi" by Algerian performer Khaled,[60][61] is excluded from the film soundtrack, but is available on Khaled's album N'ssi N'ssi.[62]

text:
"The Diva Dance"

A sample of Inva Mula's vocals in The Diva Dance
Problems playing this file? See media help.

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text: The Diva Dance opera performance used music from Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor:  "Il dolce suono",[63] the mad scene of Act III, Scene 2. It is one of the few pieces of music in the film that is diegetic.[64] It was sung by Albanian soprano Inva Mula,[65] while the role of Plavalaguna was played by French actress Maïwenn Le Besco.[28] Part One (titled "Lucia di Lammermoor") and Part Two (titled "The Diva Dance") of this piece are included as separate tracks on The Fifth Element soundtrack, but are sequenced to create the effect of the entire performance seen in the film. The end of Part One blends into the beginning of Part Two, creating a smooth transition between the two tracks.[66]

text: Released as an album under Virgin Records, the soundtrack peaked at No. 99 on the Billboard 200.[67] More than 200,000 copies of the lengthy soundtrack were sold in France alone.[68] Rodney Batdorf of AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars, stating it was "diverse and accomplished, and it is just as effective outside of the film as it is within it."[69] A review from Filmtracks.com also awarded the album three out of five stars.[70]

text: Release[edit]

text: Initial screening[edit]

text: The film premiered on 7 May 1997 at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected as the opening film.[71][2] Gaumont built an area for the screening that was over 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2). Guests were given a "Fifth Element" Swatch, which was used as their ticket for entry. The event included a futuristic ballet, a fashion show by  Jean-Paul Gaultier, and fireworks. Gaumont spent between US $1 million and $3 million on the event, a record at the time.[72]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The film debuted at number 1 in the US, earning $17 million on its opening weekend.[40] It went on to become a box-office success, grossing over $263 million, almost three times its budget of $90 million.[8] Seventy-six percent of the receipts for The Fifth Element were from markets outside the United States,[8] and it was the ninth-highest-grossing film of the year worldwide.[8] It was the most successful film at the box office in France in 1997,[73] with more than 7.69 million seeing the film.[74]  In Germany the film was awarded the Goldene Leinwand, a sales certification award for selling more than three million tickets at the box office.[75] The Fifth Element went on to become the highest grossing French film at the foreign box-office,[42][76] a record it held for 16 years until the release of The Intouchables in 2011.[77]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The Fifth Element holds a 72% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 61 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Visually inventive and gleefully over the top, Luc Besson's The Fifth Element is a fantastic piece of pop sci-fi that never takes itself too seriously."[78] It has a weighted score of 52/100 at Metacritic, based on 22 professional reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[79] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[80]

text: The Fifth Element polarised critics on release. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times described the film as an "elaborate, even campy sci-fi extravaganza, which is nearly as hard to follow as last year's Mission: Impossible." He concluded that The Fifth Element was "a lot warmer, more fun and boasts some of the most sophisticated, witty production and costume design you could ever hope to see."[81] On film review show At the Movies, both Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel gave the film a "thumbs up";[82] in his own review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4, calling it "One of the great goofy movies", and concluding, "I would not have missed seeing this film, and I recommend it for its richness of imagery. But at 127 minutes, which seems a reasonable length, it plays long."[5]

text: The film was, however, subject to a number of harsh reviews that expressed disapproval of its overblown style. Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote, "A largely misfired European attempt to make an American-style sci-fi spectacular, The Fifth Element consists of a hodgepodge of elements that don't comfortably coalesce."[2] David Edelstein of Slate was even more critical, saying, "It may or may not be the worst movie ever made, but it is one of the most unhinged."[6]

text: Chris Tucker's performance as Ruby Rhod also polarised critics.[83] He was praised in the Los Angeles Times[84] and in Time; the latter called him "the summer's most outrageous special effect."[85] Josh Winning of Total Film, however, singled out Tucker's performance as the low point of the film, ranking it as No. 20 on his 2011 list, "50 Performances That Ruined Movies".[86]

text: Legacy and related media[edit]

text: The film has been described by CBS News, Rotten Tomatoes, and ComingSoon.com as a science fiction cult classic.[87][88][89] However film critic Mark Kermode reported that The Fifth Element was one of the most divisive films among his readers, regarded as both the best and the worst summer blockbuster of all time. Kermode recalled his own experience: "I remember very clearly being in Cannes when [The] Fifth Element was first played, and it really divided the audience."[90] Stephen Cass of Discover ranked the film the third-best science fiction film on subscription service Hulu, writing, "People seem to either like or loathe The Fifth Element ... Lavish visuals and entertaining performances from Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Gary Oldman make this movie worth watching."[91] In some circles the film has gained a "so-bad-it's-good" status; Meredith Woerner of io9 listed The Fifth Element as one of "The 20 Best Worst Science Fiction Movies of All Time".[92] In 2007 the Visual Effects Society placed The Fifth Element at No. 50, tied with Darby O'Gill and the Little People, on their list of the 50 most influential visual effects films of all time.[93] In 2014, Time Out listed the film at No. 42 on their "100 best sci-fi movies" list.[94]

text: Willis spoke favourably of the film in a 1999 interview, concluding "it was a real fun movie to make."[95] Tucker and Jovovich also spoke favourably of both their experiences making the film and working with Besson in interviews on the Ultimate Edition DVD; Jovovich described Besson as "the first really amazing director I had worked with".[96] Asked in a 2014 interview if he liked the film, Gary Oldman stated, "Oh no. I can't bear it."[97] He had explained in 2011: "It was me singing for my supper because Luc had come in and partly financed [my film] Nil by Mouth."[98]

text: Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jean Giraud sued Besson after the film was released, claiming The Fifth Element had plagiarised their comic The Incal. Giraud sued for 13.1 million euros for unfair competition, 9 million euros in damages and interest and two to five percent of the net operating revenues of the film. Jodorowsky sued for 700,000 euros. The case was dismissed in 2004 on the grounds that only "tiny fragments" of the comic had been used[99] and also because Giraud had been hired by Besson to work on the film before the allegations were made.[19]

text: A novel adaptation of The Fifth Element, written by Terry Bisson, was published by HarperPrism in 1997.[100][101] There were rumors after the film's release that it would be followed by a sequel, tentatively titled Mr. Shadow. In 2011, Besson stated that a sequel was never planned, and that he has no desire to make one.[102]

text: A video game adaptation of The Fifth Element was created by Activision for the PlayStation game console and PC in 1998. The PlayStation version was generally met with negative reviews,[103] though the PC version was better received.[104] Lauren Fielder from GameSpot called the PlayStation version "quite possibly the worst game I've ever played."[105] Doug Perry from IGN commented: "Take Tomb Raider, add in Leeloo Multipass and boring puzzles, and you've got Fifth Element."[106] A racing game based on the film, New York Race, was released in 2001.[107] Eurogamer gave the game 6 out of 10, concluding: "New York Race is a fun little arcade racer which oozes style, but it's something you'll grow tired of extremely quickly and as such remains fun only in short bursts."[107]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: The Fifth Element was nominated for Best Sound Editing at the 70th Academy Awards,[108] and for Best Sound Editing at the 1998 Golden Reel Awards,[109] but lost to Titanic in both cases. It won the BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects,[110][111] and the Lumières Award for Best Director.[112] It was nominated for seven César awards, winning three: Best Director,[113] Best Cinematography and Best Production Design.[111][114] It was nominated for Film of the Year at the 1997 European Film Awards,[115] as well as the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation,[116] and the Satellite Award for Best Visual Effects.[117] Thierry Arbogast was awarded the Technical Grand Prize at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival for his work on both The Fifth Element and She's So Lovely.[111] The film received four Saturn Award nominations: Best Science Fiction Film, Best Costume, Best Special Effects,[118] and Best Supporting Actress for Milla Jovovich.[119] Jovovich's fight against the Mangalores was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight,[119][120] and the actress was also nominated for Best Actress – Newcomer at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.[121]

text: Conversely, Jovovich received a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Supporting Actress, and Chris Tucker was nominated for Worst New Star for his performances in both The Fifth Element and Money Talks.[122]

text:
Year

Event

Award

Nominee

Result

1998

Academy Awards

Best Sound Editing

Mark Mangini

Nominated

1998

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

Best Actress – Newcomer

Milla Jovovich

Nominated

1997

British Academy of Film and Television Arts

Best Special Visual Effects

Mark Mangini

Won

1997

Cannes Film Festival

Technical Grand Prize

Thierry Arbogast

Won

1998

César Award

Best Cinematography

Thierry Arbogast

Won

Best Director

Luc Besson

Won

Best Production Design

Dan Weil

Won

Best Costume Design

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Nominated

Best Editing

Sylvie Landra

Nominated

Best Film

Luc Besson

Nominated

Best Music Written for a Film

Éric Serra

Nominated

Best Sound

Daniel Brisseau

Nominated

1997

European Film Awards

Film of the Year

Patrice Ledoux

Nominated

1998

Golden Raspberry Awards

Worst Supporting Actress

Milla Jovovich

Nominated

Worst New Star

Chris Tucker

Nominated

1998

Golden Reel Awards

Best Sound Editing

Mark Mangini

Nominated

1998

Hugo Awards

Best Dramatic Presentation

The Fifth Element

Nominated

1997

Lumières Award

Best Director

Luc Besson

Won

1998

MTV Movie Awards

Best Fight

Milla Jovovich vs. Aliens

Nominated

1998

Satellite Award

Best Visual Effects

Mark Stetson

Nominated

1998

Saturn Award

Best Science Fiction Film

The Fifth Element

Nominated

Best Costumes

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Nominated

Best Special Effects

Special effects team

Nominated

Best Supporting Actress

Milla Jovovich

Nominated

text: Home media[edit]

text: The original home video release of The Fifth Element took place in North America on 10 December 1997, on VHS, LaserDisc, and DVD.[123] The original DVD presented the film in its original 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen format though carried no special features.[124] The film was released in Sony's Superbit format in October 2001.[125] In his review, Conrad Jeremy from IGN gave the picture quality of the original DVD release 9 out of 10, though awarded the Superbit version a perfect score for picture quality. Overall the Superbit version was given 8 out of 10; the final score was brought down by the version's complete lack of special features.[125]

text: An "Ultimate Edition" set of two DVDs was released on 11 January 2005.[123][126] The only difference between the Superbit version and the Ultimate Edition disc one is the addition of a "fact track", which when turned on displays trivia about the film, cast and crew as the film plays. The second disc provides various special features, focusing on visual production, special effects, fashion in the film, featurettes and interviews with Willis, Jovovich, and Tucker, as well as featurettes on the four different alien races in the film and Diva Plavalaguna. Ian Jane of DVD Talk praised the Ultimate Edition for its special features.[126]

text: The first Blu-ray release of the film on 20 June 2006 was criticised as having poor picture quality by Blu-ray standards, and for its lack of special features.[127] In what has been called "an extremely rare move" Sony responded to complaints by making a remastered Blu-ray version available, released on 17 July 2007, and also offered a replacement exchange program for customers unhappy with the original Blu-ray release.[128] Ben Williams from Blu-ray.com stated the remastered version "absolutely" made up for the lacklustre initial release and praised its high video and audio quality; however, he criticised the continued lack of special features.[127]

text: The 20th anniversary 4K remaster was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on July 11, 2017.[129]

text: Notes[edit]

text:
Jump up ^ Conflicting sources stated the film's budget to be various figures between $50 million and $100 million, however, $90 million is the most frequently cited figure, and is also the figure cited by Besson in his book, The Story of The Fifth Element.

Jump up ^ The film's opening scene states the year is 1914, and the following scene in space states it is “300 years later”, though Korben's alarm clock clearly shows the year as being 2263. The year is given as 2257 on the DVD sleeve notes published by Pathé in 1997, and as 2259 by Besson in The Story of The Fifth Element.

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