The Testaments: Showrunner Reveals Major Plot Twist
acter that June plays in The Testaments would also be a character that would be very intriguing if you have no idea who she is [at first]. The June we meet in The Testaments has changed a bit since The Handmaid’s Tale ended. “We’re trying to build up a ‘where is she now’ [for June],” Miller explained. “She’s kind of a patient person when [before] she was so impatient. She doesn’t want to have any conflict; she’s conflict-averse, whereas before she was very [conflict-driven]. So I didn’t want to have you imagine her story all together before you saw it. I’m just hoping that I can give people kind of a fun reveal and a fun story in the first three episodes. And then to feel like she’s operating from the outside, [once] you actually know who June is and what she would be doing as she’s pulling strings off screen.”
Without getting into any spoilers for the yet-to-air episodes, the first season feels very much like an opening chapter with more story to follow. So far, Hulu has only confirmed one season of The Testaments, but Miller has hopes that won’t be the end.
“I’m trying to be very practical. Of course, on the creative [side], I think these guys are spectacular actors, and the performances are great, and the stories are so rich that I could go on as long as they will keep the lights on,” he said. “But I also feel a responsibility to try to make an ending for the story … I am hoping that I have enough time to think it through, but my sense is that—given the vagaries of television—I’m thinking between three seasons and five seasons and trying to be flexible within that creatively to build an ending that people can feel satisfied with.” He’s also, he emphasized, well aware that might not happen. “The business just doesn’t work that way—they don’t tell you usually until it’s too late to pivot. But with that in mind, I’ll try very hard to make it as satisfying as possible.”
The first three episodes of The Testaments are streaming now on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
