'The Handmaid's Tale' reveals the limits of dystopian television
IN THE SPRING of 2017 a troubling vision of America arrived on television screens. Based on Margaret Atwood's novel of 1985, 'The Handmaid's Tale' depicted a country that had been transformed into Gilead, a theocratic dictatorship. Women were stripped of their civil rights. Those who were fertile were enslaved as 'handmaids': childbearing vessels for the ruling class.
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The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
The Handmaid's Tale season 6 has wrapped in the US, but here's where to watch episode 6 in the UK
The final season of The Handmaid's Tale is slowly creeping toward its end. Episode 6, Janine, just dropped on Channel 4 and Prime Video, and it's a brutal one. Elizabeth Moss 's June and Moira go undercover at Jezebel's, a mission that quickly spirals into violence. The fallout? We're about to find out. If you're watching in the UK, we're still a few episodes behind the US, where the finale has already aired on Hulu (a subscription service only available in the US – or with the use of a VPN). But with episode six airing later this week, we're edging closer to the end – and to the adaptation of Margaret Atwood 's The Testaments, the Booker-prize -winning sequel. Episode 6 is set to air on Channel 4 and Amazon Prime Video at 10pm on Sunday 8 June, a day later than usual. Whether you're waiting for the next episode, or just looking to catch up on every episode so far, here's where you can watch The Handmaid's Tale in the UK. Where to watch 'The Handmaid's Tale' in the UK Episode 5 started streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Channel 4 on Sunday, 1 June. The show used to air on Saturdays, but since episode 4, it's now got a regular Sunday 10pm slot. Episode 6 will also begin streaming on Sunday, 8 June, at the same time, airing first on Channel 4 before landing on Prime Video shortly after. If you want to watch The Handmaid's Tale without ads, you'll need an Amazon Prime subscription. A regular membership costs £9.99 per month. But if you haven't been an Amazon Prime member in the last 12 months, you can also sign up for a 30-day free trial, which gives you all the perks of a Prime membership, including free next-day delivery. On top of that, Amazon Prime Video has seasons one to five in its back catalogue if you want to catch up before the season premiere. If you're not a Prime subscriber but still want to watch the show without adverts, you can sign up for Channel 4+. It costs £3.99 per month or £39.99 annually. Like Amazon Prime, Channel 4+ also offers all of the previous seasons of the show. How to watch 'The Handmaid's Tale' in the US Viewers in the US have been able to watch The Handmaid's Tale for months, and it's already finished airing on US streaming service Hulu, which is not available in the UK and can only be accessed with the help of a trusted VPN. The show's 10-episode run ended at the end of May. A subscription to Hulu costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, while a Hulu subscription without the ads costs $18.99 per month. What is The Handmaid's Tale season 6 about? Without giving away any spoilers, Hulu's official synopsis for the sixth and final season of The Handmaid's Tale states that June's 'unyielding spirit and determination pull her back into the fight to take down Gilead. Luke and Moira join the resistance. Serena tries to reform Gilead while Commander Lawrence and Aunt Lydia reckon with what they have wrought, and Nick faces challenging tests of character. This final chapter of June's journey highlights the importance of hope, courage, solidarity, and resilience in the pursuit of justice and freedom.' Season six's showrunner Yahlin Chang also revealed in an interview with TV Insider that the upcoming adaptation of The Testaments will also be teased in the sixth season. 'There will be cliffhangers for The Testaments,' she said. 'Any fans that are left wanting more are going to get more in The Testaments, which will be great for them. But [ The Handmaid's Tale ] does conclude – in some very satisfying ways – many of the storylines, but not every single one.'
The Review Geek
27-05-2025
- The Review Geek
The Handmaid's Tale – Season 6 Episode 10 Recap, Review & Ending Explained
The Handmaid's Tale Episode 10 of The Handmaid's Tale season 6 begins with Boston free from Gilead occupation. By the time the Marines land in Southie, the fighting is actually nearly over. Gilead has pulled out of the city after 19 days of fighting, but the rest of America is still caught in the tyrannical grip of Gilead. What's the plan to overthrow Gilead? Each State is going to follow a similar trajectory, with Mayday intending to take each by force, ever-growing in numbers as more States fall, eventually overthrowing the oppressive regime of Gilead once and for all. Eventually they'll make it to Colorado, where June hopes to be reunited with Hannah. But we're a long way off from that just yet. Gilead are without leaders, given all the High Commanders have been killed, but the rebels certainly have plenty they can lean on. One in particular who's really coming into his own is Luke. He's stepped up as a leader but he's also not sleeping. He has a crazed look in his eye but also one of determination and purpose. He's juiced, working with the Boston engineers to turn the power back on, envisioning Holly and Nichole flying back over, then they'll be hitting New York next. Mark speaks to June afterwards and reveals that most of the Western District Commanders have been promoted, including Mackenzie. What this means is that Hannah is actually moving closer to where they are, which could given them a lot of hope to get her back home quicker. What happens to Serena? Serena is also here too and June thanks her for her part to play in the intel regarding the plane. She does stir the pot a bit when the conversation turns to Nick, bringing up that despite his dishonest life, if Nick really had a choice he would choose to be with June. Serena doesn't really have anywhere to go here, given she's been denied a passport to the EU and the US, so Mark ships her off to a UN refugee camp for the time being. He does promise to find her but the last we see of Serena, she's alone with only Noah for company. Is Janine returned? While in Boston, June finds Emily again and the pair are reunited. She was in Bridgeport this whole time, which happens to have been a hotspot of rebellion for a while. She's been fighting back this whole time, just like June has been, but the latter is starting to lose hope that she'll ever get Hannah back. Emily helps to changer her opinion on matters, as they walk down by the side of the river together. The Guardians have been hung down by the shore while graffiti on the wall next to it shows the bright sparks of liberation, with people writing their names up as a way of expressing freedom. Mark calls June out in the middle of the night, right over to Millerville, Mass. They're near the old Rhode Island line, which happens to be the new border with Gilead. Two men show and drop Janine off, dumping her on the road where she's reunited with June and the others. Aunt Lydia is here too, alongside Naomi who gives Charlotte back. While Lydia and Naomi head back into Gilead, there's a nice moment of respect between Lydia and June here. What's the significance of The Handmaid's Tale title? This opens the flood gates for more children being reunited with their parents, including Nichole and June. Not everyone gets their happy endings though, as Holly sits with her daughter and encourages her to write a book about her escape experience as a way of giving them all hope. This also explains the name of the show too, and how powerful words can be. Luke manages to get the power back on and he's moving over to the New York border to fight the good fight. As for June, she's going to work with Mark and get Hannah back no matter what. They agree to meet each other later on down the line, and close off with a rousing 'fuck, yeah'. How does the episode end? June heads off to check out the old Waterford house, which has been destroyed now and stands as a derelict tombstone over the horrors that took place in the past. Whilst there, she imagines standing with Hannah, before getting a voice recorder out and talking about her experience. The Episode Review The finale of Handmaid's Tale works as a somber reflection over everything these women have been through and the open-ended conclusion certainly isn't going to be for everyone. In a way though it makes sense, given this fight is far from over, but it's hard not to shake the feel that we could have squeezed a few more seasons of fighting on the borders out of this story. There are a lot of nice nods to earlier seasons though and most notably that scene of Emily and June walking by the shore, just like they did earlier in the show. It's a nice bit of symmetry and if there's one thing this series has always done well with, it's the artistic vision. Serena finally gets her comeuppance too, caught as a refugee with just her son and not really fitting in anywhere as a consequence of her actions. In the end she becomes anonymous and forgotten; the worst punishment for a woman desperate to be somebody. Luke finally gets some purpose here too after a few seasons of meandering around and not actually doing too much and this leadership role definitely works for him. There are some good moments here though, like June learning that Mark is a Commander and the good type, not the Gilead oppressive type. This works well to give her character some closure, even if we don't get the rousing finale with a Hannah reunion as many (including myself) would have liked. However, we do get one in the form of Janine and Charlotte though, and it's hard not to get emotional at this. Ultimately, The Handmaid's Tale finale wraps things up about as well as it could do, given the limited run-time. As a somber reflection over everything that's happened these past 8 years, and serving as a bridge to The Testament series with Aunt Lydia as the protagonist, there's enough in this to make for a decent enough finale. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
Economist
22-05-2025
- Economist
'The Handmaid's Tale' reveals the limits of dystopian television
IN THE SPRING of 2017 a troubling vision of America arrived on television screens. Based on Margaret Atwood's novel of 1985, 'The Handmaid's Tale' depicted a country that had been transformed into Gilead, a theocratic dictatorship. Women were stripped of their civil rights. Those who were fertile were enslaved as 'handmaids': childbearing vessels for the ruling class.
