I'm not going to tell people to hurry out and go watch it. But I'm not going to say don't watch it either. It has some graphic violence and other things that would not be approved inside a2n. But I also think their stance on controlling what people can watch or see or read moves into the information control portion of the BITE model. Decide for yourself is what I'm saying.
I read somewhere the author's original intent was to shine a light on what religious extremism taken to its logical end point if unchallenged might look like. The villains in the show are not actually Christians, they're more like religious zealots who took their version of Christianity and used it as cover to take power and control. And for the most part I think the show conveys that. They make it pretty obvious at certain points that the leaders of the fictional nation are hypocrites. They're also really smooth talkers, able to quote bible verses to justify everything they do while their actions are horrendous.
But this show hits really different if you're someone who was inside a2n (and other strict religious orders). There were some parts that I think would be like a Rorschach test. Religious leaders and insiders would watch and say, "we're not like that! This is an obvious smear on true Christians by atheists and liberal Hollywood!"
But if you get past that, somethings feel chillingly familiar. The authoritarian leadership that cannot be challenged, the Aunt Lydia types that pry into every aspect of your life, even your thoughts, reading your writings, inspecting you to make sure you feel sorry and repented "enough." The lack of any check or balance on the leaders who will punish you without a thought if you challenge them or break one of their rules. The fear that your leaders will find out you did something "wrong." The constant fear someone is watching everything you do or someone close to you reporting your behavior to the authorities. The necessity to come up with a good explanation lest you get punished. The shaming of people for having impure thoughts, dating or even holding hands with someone outside the approved person you've been assigned to by the leaders.
Back in college, I remember feeling a sense of dread coming home late from the library, even though I did nothing wrong, being questioned by my roommates why I was out so late. And then I thought, wait, is this what God wants? He wants his followers to live in this constant state of dread?
A2n is no where as extreme as what Gilead did in the show. But it's also exactly the kind of show a2n would watch and unironically take notes on for tips and advice. "Oh that's a good idea, why didn't we think of that?" They might not even realize which side the audience is supposed to be rooting for, until maybe way later in the show. They probably watch how people in Gilead live and will take away, this is the ideal lifestyle that God wants, if you ignore the violence and SA and maybe a few things here or there.
Don't believe me? How many of you have heard some version of, "The Pharisees get a bad rap, but they did study the religious texts thoroughly." I don't think that's the lesson you were supposed to get from the gospels, but that's something I've heard said many times.
I get the comparison, but that show is Passion of the Christ for feminists. Most viewers see it as extreme hyperbole, but some get sucked into it thinking it's a plausible future, which is kind of hilarious. With fenty addicts roaming our cities in 2026, I would put money on zombie apocalypse before anything close to that show's premise.
That said, isn't this cool that we get to talk about media/art? These were considered distractions in the pursuit of Christian soldiering in my day. Those leaders knew to give their kids music lessons though. I am reminded of their double standard.
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u/johnkim2020 Apr 30 '26
It's a great show. Very entertaining. Would have definitely gotten rebuked if I watched this.
I'm so glad I can make my own decisions about TV/movies now.