The Testaments’ Daisy Is Actually [SPOILER]’s Daughter in the Book, But Not the TV Series

The new Hulu series The Testaments is based on the book of the same name, but there have been some major changes to the character Daisy.

The series is a sequel to the acclaimed show The Handmaid’s Tale and features some characters from the original show, including June’s daughter Hannah, who is now known as Agnes.

The Testaments follows young teens Agnes (Chase Infiniti), dutiful and pious, and Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a new arrival and convert from beyond Gilead’s borders. As they navigate the gilded halls of Aunt Lydia’s elite preparatory school for future wives, a place where obedience is instilled brutally and always with divine justification, their bond becomes the catalyst that will upend their past, their present and their future.

Daisy has a major secret that is revealed at the end of episode one and then we learn more about her backstory in episode three.

Daisy is introduced in the show as a “pearl,” a new addition to the Gilead society who is basically going through training. At first, she seems like she’s devoted to the ways of Gilead, but when she’s forced to watch a guard get his hand chopped off as punishment, she breaks down and reveals that she isn’t fully supportive.

We eventually find out that Daisy is actually a Mayday spy who has infiltrated the Gilead society as part of the resistance.

In episode three, we learn more of Daisy’s backstory.

Daisy grew up in Toronto with her parents, who owned a vintage shop. One day she arrives home to find that her parents were killed. Elisabeth Moss‘s June shows up to rescue her from Gilead spies, who tried to abduct her from the police station.

June explains to Daisy that she actually was born in Gilead and was smuggled out of the country to Canada, where she was adopted by her parents.

So, how is this different from the book?

In the book, Daisy is actually June’s daughter Nichole (aka Holly at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale TV series). She is NOT in the TV show.

Margaret Atwood‘s “The Testaments” novel takes place about 15 years after the end of her “The Handmaid’s Tale” novel, while the TV shows only have a four-year time gap.

“We’re definitely trying to follow the overall story of the book, but the ins and outs of the actual storyline are difficult because characters are different ages, and we had to redefine the Daisy character to keep things practical in our world,” series creator Bruce Miller told THR.

“Holly would only be four or five,” he added. “So in our story, because of the timeline, baby Holly, as far as we know, is safe growing up in Toronto… for now!”

Learn all about the changes to the characters’ ages in the TV show.