One of the most acclaimed shows of its era,The Handmaid’s Tale, is currently midway through its sixth and final season. The show premiered in 2017 to excellent reviews, and has largely maintained its quality throughout its run. Butthe sixth season, which premiered in early April, seems to have annoyed a section of the audience.There’s a difference between review-bombing and plain, old bad reviews, but considering the show’s themes liberation and equality, it’s no wonder that it has become a victim of the former.This is whena group of viewers makes a dedicated effort to manipulate a film or show’s rating on an aggregator platform.
In this case, it’s the show’sRotten Tomatoesscore that’s being messed with. WhileThe Handmaid’s TaleSeason 6 holds a “certified fresh” 94% critics' score on the aggregator website, its audience score is languishing at a poor 51%. One glance at the user reviews makes it clear that people are finding the most irrational reasons to outrage against it, like how the show deals with the theme of feminism, and that it stars a woman —Elisabeth Moss— in the lead role. One person complained that they were tired of close-ups of Moss, and gave the show a one-star rating in retaliation. Typically,any film or show that reveals itself to be politically progressive gets trolls in a tizzy.Something similar can currently be observed withthe second season ofThe Last of Us; despite excellent reviews, the new season of the post-apocalyptic drama has been viciously targeted by review-bombers.
Rotten Tomatoes amended its rules in 2019 to prevent this sort of thing, when the superhero movieCaptain Marvelwas targeted for starBrie Larson’s political statements. Three years before that, the all-femaleGhostbustersreboot was viciously targeted by self-appointed gatekeepers of the franchise.You’ll notice that it’s always women and other minorities who are targetedby trolls. More recently, the Disney filmsThe Little MermaidandSnow White, or, more precisely, the women leading them, were also made victims of review-bombing.The Handmaid’s Talehas also attracted criticism from folks who view it as a fear-mongering parable of the current political climate in America, and the position of women in it. The show did, after all, premiere in the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s first term. It’s ending in the wake of his second. The source novel, byMargaret Atwood, was written during the Reagan years.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 Received Acclaim Upon Release
The show’sreviews don’t reflect this audience backlash. Its Rotten Tomatoes consensus reads, “Setting its characters on a collision course with their own personal reckonings amid a desperate push against fascism,The Handmaid’s Taleconcludes on a high note.“In his review, Collider’sJeff Ewingwrote that “the final season doubles as a compelling conclusion thanks tostrong plotting, incisive commentary, and never-better performances.” Also featuringBradley Whitford,O-T Fagbenle,Yvonne Strahovski,Ann Dowd,Max Minghella, and others,
The Handmaid’s Taleis airing on Hulu, and aspin-offis in the works. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
The Handmaid’s Tale
