The Handmaidâs Tale has enlisted its next quietly powerful scene-stealer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tony and Emmy Award winner Cherry Jones will appear in the showâs upcoming second season as Offredâs activist mother, Holly. (Well, she was an activist â until the whole Gilead thing happened.) Jones was apparently Elisabeth Mossâs âfantasy choiceâ for the part. Itâs known for now that Holly will appear in episode three, and a preview photo suggests weâll meet her in a flashback, at the very least. In the book, Offred has no idea what happened to her mom until she sees Holly in a training video that suggests she was shipped to the Colonies. The second season of Handmaidâs Tale will actually go to the Colonies, so you do the math (while itâs still legal for women to do math).