Anyone else having conflicting feelings about the end of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2? On the one hand, it is SO GOOD, and we will for sure have a palpable void on Wednesday evenings for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, it is SO STRESSFUL, and hitting a bit too close to home, so the break will probably be good for our sanity and cortisol levels. Praise be, though, that there are numerous other feminist, dystopian, and sci-fi-adjacent books, movies, podcasts, and other tv shows at our fingertips to binge! We’ve compiled a list of some that we’ve liked, and would love to hear ones that we’ve missed! We may have been sent good weather, but we’ll need to fill these summer days with Handmaid-esque content…

TV Shows:

Topping our list for good reason, this one is a goodie and, lucky you, there are five whole seasons to binge! If you haven’t heard of it yet, we definitely think fans of Handmaid’s Tale will take a liking to Tatiana Maslany, who plays a slew of characters in this story that follows many clones and how they interact and figure out their lives after discovering their clone-ness.

A definite favorite of ours (that we may or may not have recommended before!), Black Mirror explores the intersection of technology and humanity based in the near future, and darkly shows us where we could end up.

If 2% of the population suddenly and instantly vanished, what would the repercussions be? That’s the question ‘The Leftovers’ answers, and it does so in a similarly dystopian feeling. Equally stress-inducing, we love this pick as a fast-follow to Handmaid, as it has many multi-weaving story lines to get lost in.

If your favorite part of Handmaid’s Tale were the first few episodes where the story, characters, and plot weren’t quite clear, then The OA is for you. A cliff-hanger-y kind of show that leaves you with more questions than answers, it blends science fiction with dystopian and fantasy themes, culminating in a dramatic and beautifully rendered narrative.

If you haven’t jumped on the Westworld train quite yet, now’s your chance! Taking a different approach to what our near-future could hold, Westworld’s focus is on our rampant desire to consume “experiences” and what that could entail. Don’t worry, once you’ve binged its two seasons, we’ve got another follow up guide for you on that one!

Movies:

Utilizing a similar extreme theme of infertility, Children of Men follows the desperation surrounding the human race’s future when all women stop bearing children. The movie centers around one woman who has become pregnant, and the dramatic pilgrimage to keep her safe.

We’re partial to the 1975 version of this film, though the 2004 revival does a decent job at recreating (…until the end). Based on Ira Levin’s book of the same name, Stepford, CT is home to an idyllic group of families, where a newcomer is uneasy about the group of too-perfect wives.

As George Miller revisited his classic franchise, Fury Road brought a modern twist with women casting off their oppressive, power-mad sexual abuser. If you’re looking for some catharsis post-Handmaid’s, this delivers in a triumphant way with stunning sets and visual effects.

While a different take on an extreme set of social issues, Gattaca also involves the central elements that define their shared dystopia: repression of individuality and the elimination of human connectedness.

Telling the stories of three women from three different eras, If These Walls Could Talk focuses on one house where many scenarios play out in regards to a woman’s right to choose to continue or abort her pregnancy. The film delivers a more documentary-esque look at America’s past from the point of view of the everywoman.

Podcasts:

This is definitely a podcast June and Moira would have listened to in the pre-Gilead era. Deemed the “anti slut-shaming podcast,” the hosts of Guys We Fucked, Corinne and Krystyna, bring on men they’ve slept with to be interviewed. As comedians, they definitely know how to bring humor to what could be (and sometimes is) an awkward situation, and we love them for it.

For sure one of our favorite things of this entire list, CYG is here to give you hope in our current climate, where Handmaid’s Tale doesn’t feel like fiction. Long-distance best friends Amina and Ann bring us news, pop culture, and hilariously real anecdotes from all over, and, most importantly, don’t leave out the hard political stuff and what it is exactly we can be doing to help.

Beyond a breakdown of each and every episode of the Handmaid’s Tale, hosts Sarah and Justin also have tracked down cast and crew of the show for interviews. If you just want to go even more in depth on all things Handmaid, this is the pod for you.

Another weekly recap series, hosts Holly, Erin, and Heather take a more humorous approach to their deep dives on each episode. Highly recommend for commute or on-the-run listening!

Not at all in the dystopian realm, Death Sex & Money is a podcast from our world, right now, and one we think everyone should be listening to. It covers all those taboo subjects that have been deemed uncouth to chat about with a vigor and realness we hope keeps us far from the reality found in Handmaid’s Tale.

Books:

Considered to be one of the first modern dystopian novels, Zamyatin’s We takes place in a world of mass surveillance and uniformity, where people are solely referred to by their given number and all children are turned over to be raised by the state. As O-90, the book’s protagonist, learns when she becomes pregnant, the bond between mother and child may be stronger than the state assumes and acknowledges.

Even if you read this one during high school or college as a required text, we definitely recommend giving it another read, as its themes of censorship, knowledge, and life and death, feel pretty relevant in today’s era. It might also have you second-guessing the very thing (TV) that brought you to all of these recommendations in the first place!

When She Woke tells the story of a woman who has been branded for her crime, and is then released back into the general population to survive as best she can, while carrying such a visible stigma.

Feel like all this doom and gloom of our near-future has you itching for antidote? This book is your answer. When teenage girls turn out to have a power that can overtake the world, how does the world change to treat them, react to them, and, potentially, harm them?

A different kind of struggle for a singular woman, this book tells the story of a kidnapped woman who has been trapped for seven years and raised her son while in captivity. Told from his perspective, as a a child who has only ever known life in one room, it is exhilarating and suspenseful in the best ways a book can be. (psst – we definitely recommend reading the book before seeing the movie! they did a great job with it, but we loved conjuring up some of the imagery)

Does anyone else have great recommendations now that we’ve finished watching The Handmaid’s Tale? Let us know in the comments!

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