The Twist Behind Daisy’s Mother in ‘The Testaments’ Book and Hulu Series

For those seeking clarity on Daisy’s mother in ‘The Testaments’, it’s important to note that there are two distinct answers based on whether you’re diving into Margaret Atwood’s novel or watching the Hulu adaptation. The teenage character at the heart of this sequel series carries a family secret that reverberates through the narrative established in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.

In Atwood’s book, the revelation regarding Daisy’s parentage is one of the most emotionally impactful moments in the entire Gilead saga. Conversely, showrunner Bruce Miller made a conscious choice to alter this connection in the Hulu series, resulting in two unique interpretations of the same character and two different mothers awaiting her story’s conclusion.

In Atwood’s novel, Daisy is raised in Toronto by her parents, Neil and Melanie, who own a secondhand clothing store named The Clothes Hound. This shop serves as a cover for the Mayday resistance, an underground network dedicated to smuggling women out of Gilead. Unbeknownst to Daisy, she feels a peculiar disconnection from her adoptive parents.

Her life takes a dramatic turn on her sixteenth birthday when a car bomb at the store tragically kills Neil and Melanie. A family friend, Ada, then helps Daisy escape. It is during this flight that she uncovers the truth about her identity, a secret her adoptive parents died protecting.

Daisy was born in Gilead and smuggled into Canada by her mother, an escaped Handmaid. Neil and Melanie were Mayday operatives tasked with keeping her hidden from a regime that had long sought her return.

Upon discovering her past, Daisy learns she is the infamous child known throughout Gilead as Baby Nicole, a propaganda figure that the regime turned into a national obsession after she was smuggled out as an infant. Her biological mother is Offred from ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, who became pregnant by Nick and managed to escape to Canada.

This revelation means Daisy and Agnes Jemima are half-sisters, both daughters of the same Handmaid. Agnes discovers earlier in the novel that she is the half-sister of Baby Nicole, the girl whose return Gilead has been demanding for years. The two narrators of the book are connected by blood without realizing it for much of the story.

Atwood has been notably ambiguous about confirming the identity of the mother. In an interview with Time, she stated, “We are pretty sure, but we don’t really know,” embracing the same anonymity that characterized Offred in the original novel. The author encourages readers to draw their own conclusions, especially since Offred’s real name is never mentioned in either book.

The Hulu adaptation makes a significant alteration to Atwood’s source material, particularly regarding Daisy’s identity. Showrunner Bruce Miller confirmed that due to the age differences between Hannah and Nicole in the finale of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, Daisy is not Nicole in ‘The Testaments’ series. Holly, also known as Baby Nicole, remains a young child being raised by June.

Instead, Daisy is portrayed as a distinct Toronto teenager, with her biological parents’ identities remaining undisclosed in the series. She was born in Gilead and smuggled out as a baby to be raised in Toronto by two loving parents whose identities the show keeps hidden. After their murder due to their Mayday connections, June Osborne steps in to protect her. June becomes Daisy’s handler rather than her mother, serving as the link between the two series.

Miller explained to The Hollywood Reporter that the four-year time jump following ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ finale necessitated this change, as making the original Daisy work would have meant aging Holly into a teenager overnight. He aimed to retain the essence of Nicole while crafting Daisy into her own character.

Despite the altered parentage, the core of the story still revolves around the two girls. Lucy Halliday plays Daisy, the young Canadian teen serving as an undercover Mayday operative within Gilead, while Chase Infiniti portrays Agnes MacKenzie, the biological daughter of June Osborne, known to long-time fans as Hannah. Their relationship within Aunt Lydia’s preparatory school propels the entire series forward.

In the novel, the emotional climax is profound as the girls discover their sisterly bond for the first time. After returning to Canada with documents that dismantle Gilead, Agnes and Nicole reunite with their mother. Atwood’s closing inscription names them as sisters tied to the same family.

The show, however, presents a different interpretation of that closeness. Miller noted that he aimed to alter as little as possible about the character, emphasizing that Daisy resembles June and embodies her mannerisms, with Lucy Halliday mirroring those traits in scenes with Elisabeth Moss. The mother-daughter dynamic persists even without the literal blood connection.

For fans who grew up with Atwood’s revelation that Baby Nicole was Offred’s smuggled daughter, witnessing the Hulu adaptation subtly adjust that lineage is a choice that may divide the fanbase. Which version of Daisy’s mother resonates more with you: the book’s emotional reunion with Offred or the show’s surrogate relationship between June and a girl in need?