History Trivia / TheHandmaidsTale

* OvertookTheManga: Retroactively subverted: the series overtook the novel's ambiguous ending with the second season until Margaret Atwood released ''Literature/TheTestaments'', meaning the series is now just filling the gap between books until they adapt the second one.

* ActorAllusion:
** Moira at Jezebel's is going by the name "Ruby". Ruby is the name of Daisy's cat in ''Film/GirlInterrupted'', whom Moss' character adopts at the end of the film.
** Commander Winslow's wife Olivia shares a first name with Detective Stabler's partner from ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit''.

* MethodActing: [=McKenna=] Grace spent the entire day of the hospital scene in Season 5 in handcuffs, resulting in swollen wrists and bruises.
** Shortly after this, she had surgery to correct scoliosis, watching the episode in question while recovering in hospital.

** Elisa Bauman has a small role in season two as Serena Joy's assistant, who seems to agree with her ideals and praises her work. Bauman herself is an openly bisexual feminist -- i.e. the exact sort of person Serena Joy is looking to eliminate.

* IKnewIt: Ever since the book was published, fans had speculated that one of the names in the list from the first chapter was Offred's real name, with June the most popular guess. The series went with this, with the implicit approval of Margaret Atwood.

** 20-year-old Creator/SydneySweeney plays 15-year-old Eden.[[note]]More than likely deliberate since there's a sex scene featuring the underaged Eden.[[/labelnote]]

* TheWikiRule: [[http://the-handmaids-tale.wikia.com/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale_Wiki The Handmaid's Tale Wiki]] -- covers both the book and the series.

* DawsonCasting: 20-year-old Creator/SydneySweeney plays 15-year-old Eden. [[labelnote:note]] More than likely deliberate since there's a sex scene featuring the underaged Eden.[[/labelnote]]

** Elisabeth Moss directed episodes in seasons 4 and 5.

** Elisa Bauman has a small role in season two as Serena Joy's assistant, who seems to agree with her ideals and praises her work. Bauman herself is an openly bisexual feminist -- i.e., the exact sort of person Serena Joy is looking to eliminate.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://the-handmaids-tale.wikia.com/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale_Wiki The Handmaid's Tale Wiki]] - covers both the book and the series.

* MethodActing: McKenna Grace spent the entire day of the hospital scene in Season 5 in handcuffs, resulting in swollen wrists and bruises.

* NamesTheSame: Gilead shares its name with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilead the mountainous northern regions of Transjordan]] and [[https://www.gilead.com/ a pharmaceutical company]]. When the CEO of the latter met up with UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump, fans joking declared it [[https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/gbsiwq/under_his_eye/ a sign of the end times]].

* DawsonCasting: 20-year-old Sydney Sweeney plays 15-year-old Eden. [[labelnote:note]] More than likely deliberate since there's a sex scene featuring the underaged Eden.[[/labelnote]]

* DirectedByCastMember: Elisabeth Moss directed episodes in seasons 4 and 5.

* WordofGod: The show's creative team have said that handmaids are allowed to keep one item of red clothing from before among their wardrobe while in Gilead. For June, this is her red sweatshirt she sometimes wears.

* DirectedByCastMember: Elisabeth Moss directed "The Crossing", "Testimony", and "Progress".

* NamesTheSame: Gilead shares its name with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilead the mountainous northern regions of Transjordan]] and [[https://www.gilead.com/ a pharmaceutical company]]. When the CEO of the latter met up with UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump, Rance joking declared it [[https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/gbsiwq/under_his_eye/ a sign of the end times]].

* ShownTheirWork: Offred's presumed real name of June is the last word in the first chapter of the book, in which future Handmaids are exchanging names.

* FanNickname:
** Some commenters on Website/YouTube has taken to referring to a certain Aunt as "Aunt Chlamydia".
** Christopher Meloni plays Commander Winslow. Meloni's most recognizable role is Detective Stabler from ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', so the character is often called "Commander Stabler".

* OvertookTheManga: The series overtook the novel's ambiguous ending with the second season.

* DawsonCasting: 20 year old Sydney Sweeney plays 15 year old Eden. [[labelnote:note]] For once it's a good thing since there is an underage sex scene.[[/labelnote]]

* ActorAllusion: Moira at Jezebel's is going by the name "Ruby". Ruby is the name of Daisy's cat in ''Film/GirlInterrupted'', whom Moss' character adopts at the end of the film.

**

** ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'''s HaloweenEpisode has a set of men dressed in the handmaids' iconic red costumes. It's part of the precinct's traditional heist.

* ActorAllusion:
** It could just be a coincidence, but [[spoiler: the second time we see Moira in Jezebel's]] she's going by the name "Ruby." Ruby is the name of Daisy's cat in Film/GirlInterrupted, whom Moss' character adopts at the end of the film.
** Aunt Lydia says she used to be a smoker, a possible reference to Ann Dowd's role in ''Series/TheLeftovers''.
** A bit HilariousInHindsight - before marriage and Gilead, Emily was a ShrinkingViolet Hollywood Nerd, attended an Ivy League University and is descriped as "unnaturally smart". Yep, we've basically seen [[Series/GilmoreGirls Rory]] [[Creator/AlexisBledel Gilmore]] shanking someone.

* FanNickname: Some commenters on Website/YouTube has taken to referring to a certain Aunt as "Aunt Chlamydia".

* {{Parody}}: ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' parodies the series with ''Handmaids In The City'', while ''Funny Or Die'' presents a GenderFlip parody called ''The Handman's Tale''.