analysis

1. The Handmaid’s tale television series script analysis
This script is a Television series script adapted from Margret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s
Tale.
The script starts with a title page, including the title, episode title, director and other
production and copyright information. We then see Scene 1 on page two which is
labelled in bold as a flashback. Stage directions are written in as expected and dialogue
is in the centre of the page. The scene finishes with the words ‘END FLASHBACK’ on the
right of the page. We then move onto other scenes written in the standard script format.
We can see clearly from the fact that the first scene is a ‘FLASHBACK’ that this is not a
standard chronological structure seen in many television shows. Regarding Todarov’s
(1969) narrative theory, I would suggest that this script does not fit as we start in the
disruption of equilibrium with flashbacks to a time of equilibrium. Additionally, as this is
a dystopian series, so we know that it is unlikely to see a return to a new equilibrium due
to the common theme of no hope.
This is a dystopian television show which can be seen immediately within the script
through the unsettling setting in which the ‘handmaids’ are praying whilst the ‘Aunts’
patrol with cattle prods. The heavy religious themes suggest this narrative could be
based on the corruption of a religious text within a totalitarian state, which is also very
typical of the genre.
The target audience is definitely adults over the age of 18 due to the heavy themes of
sexual violence. I would suggest that this may appeal more to women since the majority
of the characters are female and there is more for the audience to relate to.