Beloved 'Handmaid's Tale' Characters Return in the Emotional Series Finale

Elle

5 days ago

Spoilers below.
It might be the last episode of The Handmaid's Tale, but June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) and the Mayday resistance's war against Gilead is far from over. The penultimate episode ended with the deaths of Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitfield), Nick Blaine (Max Minghella), Commander Wharton (Josh Charles), and the rest of Boston's influential leaders, whose plane blew up after taking off. Now, Boston is free. 'Praise fucking be,' says June.
However, Gilead still stands, and America needs to be taken back state by state. Not to mention that June's daughter, Hannah, is still living under the control of Commander MacKenzie. There is the forthcoming adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 2019 follow-up novel, The Testaments, to consider, as it is currently in production with Ann Dowd reprising her role as Aunt Lydia. I won't spoil other details from the novel, but knowing that a sequel is in the works ensures that book readers are more than prepared for developments that won't happen. But there are plenty of other threads to tie up, including the fate of Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), Janine (Madeline Brewer), and the surprising return of Alexis Bledel as Emily.
Now, June must decide what to do next as The Handmaid's Tale takes one last ride. Moss directs this concluding episode, proving once again that she has a strong creative eye while delivering an equally strong lead performance.
After Lawrence's final explosive act, Gilead held onto Boston for 19 days of fighting before pulling out altogether. If, like me, you kept thinking (or hoping) that maybe Nick pulled a Rachel Green in the Friends series finale and somehow got off the plane, then June's memories of Nick followed by the image of him boarding the death flight confirm that he is gone. All of Boston's commanders are dead, and June's voiceover notes that 'God always requires a sacrifice.'
Boston needs a lot of work to get it back to where it was, including turning the power back on and opening Logan airport so people like June's mother, Holly (Cherry Jones), can reunite with their families. Luke (O-T Fagbenle) is an integral part of this crew, focusing on getting the city up and running before moving on to the next target.
The Boston Globe building (where June hid in season 2) is now a base of operations for the Americans, with Mark Tuello (Sam Jaeger) continuing his leadership role. He tells June that Hannah's commander is getting reassigned from Colorado to Washington, DC, meaning she will be 2,000 miles closer. They are still trying to find out where Janine is, but they know she is still trapped in Gilead, and Aunt Lydia is assisting with this search.
Serena congratulates June on her victory, which is only possible thanks to Serena providing the flight details. Serena quotes J. Robert Oppenheimer ('I am become Death, destroyer of worlds'), reflecting that she has helped Boston fall twice now. Serena hits a nerve when she gives her condolences about Nick. June is still raw about what happened at Jezebel's and says that her former lover 'reaped what he sowed. He led a violent and dishonest life.' Serena counters this, remarking that if Nick ever thought he had a real choice, then he would've chosen June.
Serena also mentions her lack of options (again, because of her own making) and can't get a passport for Canada or the EU, so she is stuck in citizenship purgatory. Serena says she is 'nobody,' but June reminds her that she is Noah's mother.
The future is uncertain as Serena and Noah must journey to a refugee camp. Given how many times Serena and June have parted over the seasons, it might be hard to imagine how this farewell will differ. But for once, Serena admits to the horrors she enacted without adding the caveat that June treated her poorly too. June doesn't let her off easy because Serena should be ashamed of everything she has contributed to Gilead. However, June can finally offer the unimaginable: her forgiveness. Moss and Strahovski have gone toe-to-toe throughout these past six seasons, and both women have deftly portrayed each brushstroke of this complex relationship. This emotional conclusion is no different.
Perhaps the finale's biggest surprise is Bledel's return, as her departure before the start of season 5 was unexpected. Her character, Emily, was full of rage as she tried to deal with the trauma of the mental and physical torture she suffered in Gilead. Unable to return to civilian life, Emily went back to Gilead to help bring it down from the inside. June is astonished at seeing her friend ('My fucking God' is the appropriate response) in this incredibly welcome twist. It is a full circle moment as the pair takes a walk to catch up by the wall that was a looming sight of death. The bodies of Gilead Guardians now hang from this symbolic landmark.
June tells Emily that Hannah is still inside Gilead, and it feels impossible to get her back. Emily reminds June of everything they have achieved and survived against the odds, and that she is considering adjusting her concept of impossible.
The reunion is a lovely reminder of their bond, which is followed by a dream sequence of a world where the handmaids and Rita (Amanda Brugel) had crossed paths if Gilead had never existed. June pictures hanging out with Moira (Samira Wiley), Emily, Rita, Janine, Alma (Nina Kiri), and Brianna (Bahia Watson). It is a bittersweet and beautiful moment that makes me a little teary at seeing characters who died in season 4 (Alma and Brianna), Janine with both her eyes, and the kind of merriment that shouldn't seem out of the ordinary for these women. This glimpse of a life they never had is followed by June burning the red handmaid cloak. As the symbol of their oppression is set aflame, the lights in the city are turned back on. Power is restored in more ways than one.
Throughout the finale, June has memories of Hannah before Gilead snatched her away, mirroring the pilot. June doesn't get reunited with her daughter, but she witnesses a similar miracle firsthand. June is awoken in the night to see a familiar face—Gilead has agreed to return Janine. But there's more: The recently widowed Naomi (Ever Carradine) relents and gives Charlotte (the name Janine chose) back to her birth mother. I am unsure what caused this dramatic change of heart other than Lawrence's impact on her.
Janine has been through physical and psychological torture; her path to recovery will be a long one. Like Serena, Lydia doesn't get a free pass for making a good choice amid the innumerable terrible ones, but June thanks Lydia for doing the right thing. 'Blessed is the woman who does not walk in stride with the wicked,' says June. It reminds Aunt Lydia to continue to fight for 'her girls' and not for the men who hold them prisoner.
The airport is open, meaning June is reunited with her mother and youngest daughter, Holly. It is an emotional yet heavy moment, as June will have to leave soon to carry on the fight to get Hannah back and bring Gilead down. June assures her young daughter that her love will always find her.
While everyone is sleeping, June asks her mother for a considerable favor: to look after Holly a little longer. Holly Sr. worries about June's safety, to which June counters that they are unsafe in a world with Gilead. The totalitarian country needs to be broken, not beaten.
Holly thinks June should write her experiences down in a book that will spread the anti-Gilead message and tell Holly Jr. what her mother has been doing. June worries that it will make a bleak tale of violence and fear; Holly counters that it is a story about not giving up. Some people might never find their babies, and this book will be for them (as well as June's two daughters).
Later, Luke makes a similar suggestion about June writing down her escape story. It wasn't all horrors along the way as she had people who helped and loved her, like Janine, Emily, Lawrence, and even Nick. Yes, Luke mentions Nick because they are all worth remembering. June apologizes for underestimating Luke, who is demonstrating independence as he forges a Mayday leadership role. The people they were before no longer exist; and while their marriage is over in a traditional sense, they will continue to look for Hannah and meet each other wherever this journey takes them.
Serena is making the best of her situation in the refugee center by shifting her focus to motherhood. It was the one thing she hoped for, and that is enough. Or at least, it is enough for now. Will we see Serena in The Testaments? It is unclear, but the door is left open for her return.
Meanwhile, June returns to where this story began. Tuello gave June a pass to enter her old neighborhood, where the old Waterford house is. The main building is derelict after the fire in the season 3 premiere, and Nick's apartment above the garage is untouched. June slowly makes her way up the burned staircase to her former bedroom, and it is eerie being back in this familiar space. This sequence is a full circle moment back to the pilot, with June pulling out a dictaphone to recall her experience. The lines match June's narration from the pilot episode, suggesting that everything we have watched and the thoughts we have heard are from June's book.
We know this tale is coming to a close, but with the forthcoming Testaments adaptation, this compelling story has not reached its conclusion. Nevertheless, Moss makes her mark on this definitive role, staring down the barrel of the camera as she holds a defiant gaze that offers hope in the darkness.