The reviews are unanimous in their approval, and the praise gathers in the same places. Most critics find the adaptation faithful to Atwood’s novel while working as television in its own right, and nearly all remark on how closely it seems to speak to the present political moment. Elisabeth Moss’s performance as Offred is singled out more often than anything else, called captivating, nuanced and magnificent. The production is also widely admired, several reviews pointing to the precise compositions and the unhurried pacing.
There is little disagreement. The spread is narrow and no critic is in two minds; the reservations are small. The Times, reviewing the final episode, finds some of the music choices misjudged while still praising the closing hour. A few critics note that the series adds material not in the book, though they treat this as a strength. Where the praise does tilt, it is towards the show’s timeliness rather than the drama itself.