EW's Best of Shows podcast: Why Handmaid's Tale needs help

The Handmaid's Tale type TV Show network Hulu

Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale took a big risk in the final minutes of its second season finale, which ended with — 11-month-old spoiler alert — June (Elisabeth Moss) choosing to stay in Gilead and find her daughter Hannah (Jordana Blake) rather than escaping with Emily (Alexis Bledel) and baby Nichole.

It's a decision that some viewers understood (now June can take down Gilead's brutal, misogynistic theocracy from within!), while others — like myself and fellow EW TV critic Darren Franich — found perplexing and worrisome. After two seasons and 23 episodes of chronicling June's struggle as a handmaid, had the show just squandered an opportunity to move her story forward in a dynamic new way?

Hulu recently made the first six episodes of Handmaid's season 3 available to critics for review, and on this week's episode of EW's Best of Shows podcast, Darren and I preview what we've seen… which, we're sorry to say, confirms our fears about the show's direction. (A note for spoilerphobes: Our discussion is limited to what's already been revealed in Hulu's official trailer.)

Also on the podcast this week: Darren and I rejoice over the announcement that the first season of the best show on television, CBS All Access's The Good Fight, will air FOR FREE on CBS starting June 16. Now you have no excuse, people! This news sent Darren into a fond reverie about NBC's failed experiment known as Quarterlife… anyone here remember that? Anyone? Don't worry, if you don't, we'll tell you all about it.

Listen to the full episode below. You can also listen and subscribe to EW's Best of Shows podcast via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Radio.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are available every Monday morning. Tweet counterarguments to @KristenGBaldwin or @DarrenFranich. <iframe src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=DGT2494757872" width="100%" height="200" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="" allowfullscreen="" resize="0" replace_attributes="1" name=""></iframe>

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