It all started on a flight from my hometown city Calgary to Montreal and we happened to be on a flight that still had the old mini TV screen embedded in the seat directly in front of you. I love those things and it made flying Ok because I knew I could entertain myself for a few hours. This whole nonsense of renting an ipad or downloading movies on your own device and then taking it on the plane is just cumbersome, time consuming and ridiculous in my opinion. Just another way these airlines are cheap and to top it off have you do all the work for them.

I happen to come across a TV series called The Handmaids Tale and thought I would take a look. Well one episode after the other and before I knew it we were in Montreal. The story is bizarre and strange but not surprising because the book, written by Margaret Atwood, is what the show is all about.

The TV series is filmed in a dark, shadowy and gloomy setting which is perfect given the story line. The only noticeable colors are the red dresses of the handmaids which truly foreshadows their fate and the green dresses of the Commanders wives. The background music is  eerie and flat toned which sets the perfect stage for the twisted, creepy and disturbing story line. You may wonder why on earth I would watch something like this but I am hooked and can’t wait for the 3rd season.

Often I think about what it is that has me so captivated but on some level I can relate to the handmaids to some extent. In the story the handmaids have no voice, no rights and are mere vessels for procreation in a life where infertility is rampant. This due to years and years of a toxic lifestyle that made its way into the bodies of healthy people destroying any hope of reproducing. The human species is at risk of becoming extinct and a secular group called Gilean decided to take matters into their own hands.

Where the story resonates with me is how women are still under the thumb of men.  In the show women are held captive by a group of power obsessed men hell bent on ensuring they always have control. To do so means degrading women to nothing more than vessels in which to procreate and to serve men at all costs. Although the show is extreme in its depiction of this lopsided power, the basis of the show still exists for all women today. We are still under the control of men. We are sexualized, objectified and devalued for all that makes us women. The fight for equality is in its infancy and we have a very long way to go to achieve complete equality. And as we progress men will always be there to put us in our place frightened about what a world could be should women have an equal voice in the rule of the land.

With men solely in charge of the world since its inception, the outcome has seen much carnage, hopelessness and greed. Just look around you. Why can’t they see that?

The Handmaids Tale does a great job of showing us how truly out of control things really are when you leave men solely to rule the world.

Just imagine a world where true equality exists and I will show you a much calmer and peaceful existence.