Handmaid's Tale: the most intriguing talking points from season two's opener

*Spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale season 2, episode 1*

Praise be. The Handmaid's Tale is back on British screens - and the dystopian drama shows no sign of letting up when it comes to its nerve-jangling blend of harrowing torment and glimmers of hope.

Season two's opening episode is an eventful one, full of thought-provoking exchanges, surprising turns of events, and typically upsetting moments - along with the odd dose of wry humour.

As Elisabeth Moss's Offred continues to struggle against an oppressive, brutal regime, here are all the most pressing talking points.

A harrowing beginning

What other TV show's season premiere would kick off with a mass, mock execution in a sports stadium, soundtracked by Kate Bush's 'This Woman's Work'?

Oh, Handmaid's Tale. How we've missed you.

Even by Gilead's standards, this is twisted (Photo: MGM/Channel 4)

While many viewers will doubtless have predicted the bluff (Gilead is hardly going to kill off dozens of fertile women over one act of insubordination), the sight of terrified, crying, urinating Handmaids bundled out of vans, ushered onto gallows, and admonished by Aunt Lydia with nooses still around their necks, certainly makes for grim viewing.

Our Father, who art in heaven - what the actual f*** indeed.

True horror in Gilead is a trip to the kitchen

Of course, the torture doesn't end there. Aunt Lydia warned there would be consequences when the Handmaids refused to execute Janine last time around.

She really wasn't lying.

Tears in the rain: before the stove, came the outdoor stress torture (Photo: Hulu/Channel 4/MGM)

In perhaps this episode's most stomach-turning, hideous act of cruelty, the women are lined up and forced to watch as the first is led to a kitchen cooker, handcuffed to it, and then burned slowly and agonisingly as the hob is turned on. The others know they will be forced to endure the same.

While this is going on, Offred calmly sits and eats her soup - shielded from further physical torment due to her pregnancy.

Offred's conversation with Aunt Lydia is the crux of the episode

Offred initially attempts to continue her air of defiance. But Aunt Lydia - newly fervent despite previous signs of uncertainty - hits her with a terrible home-truth.

"Your friends will suffer the consequences. But not you."

Offred's decision to stand up to the regime will see others tormented and brutalised, while she is protected due to her condition.

Their conversation in the dining room is a riveting highlight of the episode. And it hints at an internal battle that is in some ways even more troubling than the torture.

Offred faces some painful home truths (Photo: Hulu/Channel 4/MGM)

Offred is torn between selflessness and selfishness. Between standing up to the regime and self-preservation. As last season's finale drove home, there are hundreds of women trapped in Gilead, suffering and displaced from their loved ones.

The idea that rebelling will only hurt others, and the harsh reminder that her actions have consequences that extend far beyond herself, raises some compelling moral dilemmas that are sure to be explored further this season.

A certain character's fate

Aunt Lydia also berates Offred for sparing Janine from stoning at the end of season one.

"She would have died quickly, surrounded by her friends," scolds Lydia, a mite disingenuously. But the suggestion that Janine faces a fate worse than death certainly gets Offred - and our - attention.