After six harrowing seasons, Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale has finally come to a close, and it's left audiences' hearts collectively broken as it lay the scene for the show's prequel The Testaments. The most tearjerker moment came when audiences learned that June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) is not reunited with her daughter Hannah, but the closing episode was peppered with Easter eggs of what's to come and full-circle closures for other lingering storylines. FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE This is the finale of The Handmaid's Tale de-coded.
What does the ending of The Handmaid's Tale season six mean? The episode picks up where it left off in episode nine, which focused on the demise of resistance sympathiser Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) and June’s longtime lover Commander Nick Blaine (Max Minghella) along with their fellow Commander Gabriel Wharton (Josh Charles) after a bomb was planted on a plane full of Commanders and Gilead leaders. With Gilead's oppressive leadership decimated, and Massachusetts is freed, the Mayday group sets its sights on liberating New York City — and, eventually, June's daughter Hannah.
Steve Wilkie Later in the episode, Serena Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski), who has been stripped of her power and exiled to a refugee camp with her child, has a moment of reckoning after helping June take down the Commanders in the previous episode. While saying goodbye, U.S. Government agent Mark Tuello (Sam Jaeger) promises Serena that he’ll 'find her' no matter where she ends up, nodding to the simmering romantic tension between the two. Serena tearfully apologises to June, telling her she’s 'ashamed' for her past behaviour, prompting June to ultimately tell her, 'I forgive you, Serena.'
Elsewhere in the episode, June also reunites with Janine (Madeline Brewer) who was taken by the Eyes in episode nine. In an uncharacteristic act of mercy, Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Mrs. Putnam (Ever Carradine) return a battered Janine to June in the woods, allowing Janine to be reunited with her daughter, Angela. And then, in the final moments of the episode, June starts to reflect on her past, walking through the shattered remains of the Waterford home where she was held captive as a Handmaid for so many years.
Hulu June, who starts voice recording her experiences to write a book about Gilead — encouraged by Luke and her mother who tells her earlier in the episode that June’s daughter Holly 'should know her mother is a warrior' — sits on the same windowsill in the Waterford home where she sat in the series' first-ever episode and recites the same monologue from the first season's first episode. 'A chair, a table, a lamp, there’s a window with white curtains,' June begins, 'the glass is shatterproof but it isn’t running away they’re afraid of. A Handmaid wouldn’t get far.'
She delivers her final line with her trademark smirk, 'My name is Offred,' before the screen turns black. That's not all though: in this final scene, June is seen wearing a green overcoat that nods to the uniforms worn by the Wives throughout the series instead of the red Handmaid robe she'd worn for so many years. In the final moments of the series, it becomes clear — not only did June survive Gilead; she now has all the power.
The Handmaid's Tale season six can be streamed on both Prime Video and Channel 4. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
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