HANDMAIDS TALE S6 -ch 4 - sun 10pm - TV PACE. NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

I was late coming to this. Didn’t watch it in 2017 - possibly as had just given birth to mini blondes

but finally got into it maybe 2yrs ago and watched it

so s6 is back and last series ever. How will this end

I know it’s around for those who binge tho this is weekly paced

The only thing worse than waiting two and a half years for the sixth and final season of The Handmaid's Tale (https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/kOwOCLPWOHVV3MLTBfVcyyDSV?domain=radiotimes.com/)
is waiting to escape Gilead itself.

Over five seasons, the woman formerly known as Offred escaped and infiltrated Gilead more times than the fruit have been blessed.

It all comes down to this now, the final season (although a sequel series called The Testaments is also in the works). Still, it's safe to say that The Handmaid's Tale will bring an explosive, probably harrowing end to this story of a gender scorned.

But to enjoy it fully, you'll need to remember what happened previously. That's where we come in.

Join us as we lift the veil and journey back to season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale, just when the walls of Gilead had begun to crumble.

The Handmaid's Tale recap
Five seasons ago, The Handmaid's Tale began with June and her husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle) trying to escape Gilead with their daughter, Hannah.

As fans probably remember, they failed to get away, which led to June's servitude and her daughter being taken away to be raised by strangers.

After many failed rescue attempts, June learned in season 5 that (a still very young) Hannah — or Agnes, as she's known in Gilead — was being fast-tracked into a Gilead marriage.

Season 5 ends with Hannah still trapped there, so expect her rescue to play heavily on June's mind in the final 10 episodes of season 6.

It's also worth noting that June has already escaped to Canada by this point, reunited with Luke, her bestie Moira (Samira Wiley), and Nichole, her other daughter she gave birth to in Gilead. You know, the one her father, a Gilead officer named Nick (Max Minghella), helped smuggle out.

June isn't the only one popping out babies in this dystopian future. Her former owner, for want of a better word, named Serena Joy, also brought a bundle of joy into the world when her son Noah was born. June actually helped Serena give birth in No Man's Land, but she was later separated from Noah in Canada when she was thrown into a detention centre.

Towards the end of the season, Serena (https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-handmaids-tale-serena-wharton-newsupdate/)
was reunited with her son, though, and managed to escape with him.

Things have been rocky for June too, even after she escaped literal hell on earth. With anti-refugee sentiment rising and Gilead gaining popularity outside of its borders, Canada isn't as safe as it once was for everyone's favourite former handmaid.

Following an attack at a memorial service, June was targeted again when a truck sporting a Gilead bumper sticker ran her over, in front of her own home, no less.

Being the dutiful husband he is, Luke rushes out to save her, but he gets a bit carried away and accidentally kills June's attacker in the process.

You'd think the police would have given him a medal for that, but no, they instead issue a warrant for his arrest. The pair make a run for it, planning to escape Canada via a train that's transporting refugees out west to Alaska.

Their plan hits a slight snag, however, when they see officers checking documents at the station.

Luke nobly offers himself up to the police so June and Nichole escape in the chaos that ensues. Men aren't exactly known for doing the right thing in this show, but June's husband has usually been the one exception to that rule.

On board the train, June grapples with what's just occurred, realising that she must now save Luke as well as Hannah. But her thoughts are interrupted when she hears another baby cry...

Yep, after everything they've been through, Serena and her son Noah made it onto the same train as June, presumably under false pretences. The two women kind of smile at each other, shocked by this surreal twist of fate.

"You got a diaper?” asks Serena. June doesn't answer because the final season credits roll then, but it's safe to say that there's a s**t-storm gathering in store for them both at the end of this train journey, or even earlier for that matter.

The same is also true of Gilead, where Janine (Madeline Brewer) suffers as a handmaid for Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) and Naomi Putnam (Ever Carradine), who are due to get married.

In the face of abuse, Janine fights back, which leads to the Eyes taking her away. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), who's always had a soft spot for Janine, isn't best pleased by this development, sowing the seeds for not just this final season but also the sequel show, The Testaments. If you know, you know…

Meanwhile, good old reliable (and boring) Nick has agreed to secretly with the US government in exchange for June's safety. But when he becomes convinced that Commander Lawrence is the one behind the attacks on her, he storms Joseph's wedding reception and hits him.

While in prison, his pregnant wife leaves Nick, rightly convinced that he's still in love with June.

So, with all that said and done, how will this impact the sixth and final season? Episode 1 is simply titled Train, so it should come as no stretch to the imagination that the season 6 premiere will pick up where the previous season left off.

What's not clear is where June and Serena now stand. Can they work together as friends? Or will one inevitably betray the other before reaching their final destination?

June and Serena's relationship is complicated at the best of times, so instead of making more impossible guesses, we'll leave you with the official logline for season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale to look for more clues.

"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 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."

No. The Testaments is set years later and follows the next generation.

I think you are recalling correctly about Hannah

re angela she definitely looked older than Nichole but should be younger I think

I thought Janine had the baby before June. I don't want to google though in case I see any spoilers!

Angela's about a year older than Nichole. I started binging the old seasons last weekend, almost at the end of season 2!

It is off that Nicole only seems to be about 2. To think it’s only been 2 years since June gave birth in that house in the snow. Loads has happened since - Fred arrested and died, Serena got pregnant and gave birth, June was rescued from Texas. It can’t possibly be just a couple of years

The Testaments is set 15 years later.

Actually I think you are right.

but Nichole has barely aged in five seasons

Yeah I find it odd as well that Hannah didn't remember June - had it really been that long?

Baby Angela was born season 1 ep 2 and Nicole season 2 ep 11. There’s about a year age difference between them.

Hannah was 4/5 when Gilead came to being, June mentions to Emily in S1 that she’d be 8 then, so around 12 now.

Every series picks up directly from where the previous one left off, so just because we’ve waited 2+ years between seasons, the same time hasn’t passed in Handmaid world. Overall the timelines do add up, apart from when Angela was unwell in hospital and was still tiny.

It'll be interesting if we see Hannah in this season as she should be 12 but the actress will obviously be much older. She looked about 14 in the scenes at Fred’s funeral in S5!

Yes I thought it was odd Hannah didn't remember June. She remembered her when they reunited at the country house but then didn't remember her when she was in that glass cube. There can't have been that much time that had passed. And Hannah remembered her own name cos she wrote it down.

I also think it’s probably just June’s perception that Hannah couldn’t remember her. Hannah seemed more afraid of her in their last interaction, but she’s a young girl who has been brainwashed by Gilead for 8 years. She’s probably been told June is a terrible sinner. Hannah wrote ‘Hannah’ rather than Agnes on her drawing still in S5 so obviously has some memories from her early years.

That's true. I'd forgotten a lot of this so am enjoying watching it again!

Angela was supposedly 10 months old when she was in hospital but she looked a lot smaller.

Nicole should definitely be older.

It does make you think about the relationships between mothers and daughters. As my relationship with my mother isn’t good, I didn’t get the reaction that many others got to the final scene. I definitely wouldn’t want it as the final scene of the whole thing!

I loved episode 2. Serena just can’t help herself can she? She wants that position of power! Loved the flashbacks to her dad and her apologising for not tending his garden. She’s clearly never been one to care or do anything she sees as subservient. I thought it was a nice touch that the fruit she was picking in the hostel garden was red tomatoes. The red of the handmaid’s clothes. So she clearly saw the role at the hostel as beneath her.

I still can’t make up my mind about Nick. I don’t know why he threw the SIM card away. Has Rose’s dad scared him into toeing the line? Is he worried that they’re onto him so he has to get rid of the evidence? I wonder if Rose has guessed there’s more to his relationship with June? She didn’t look very happy.

Thought the relationship between Commander Lawrence and his new wife was hilarious. They clearly can’t stand each other. I wonder if either of them are as ‘godly’ as they’ve been portraying. Neither of them could put a prayer together at the table.

Cant wait for episode 3. Everyone is getting in place for the showdown.

Not as good as episode one but still liked this episode. It’s like they’re setting the scene for what will come. That said, I do prefer the tense, action filled episodes. Too many dreamy scenes of New Bethlehem here. And so much was watered down! Surely both June and Hollie would want to tell each other in great detail what had happened in the intervening years, not just a skirt around the basics! Love that Nichole (ie child of Nick) is really called Hollie too.

I’ve been starting to wonder if one of the reasons for Hollie telling June she cannot trust Nick is because June will betray Nick for Hannah/Luke.

I cannot think how the triangle will resolve otherwise. If Luke dies, we’re still left with Nick’s marriage and the complications of it. If Nick dies but not at June’s hand then she ends up with Luke but it feels a bit ‘second place prize’ for Luke. If June dies, who raises Nicole? That one maybe works if Hollie and Luke raise her - possibly after Nick lets her go for a better life. But if June betrays Nick and he dies, he dies so for her and Nicole but Luke feels less like the consolation prize.

Not totally sure but have been pondering it.

I've read in several interviews that they are keeping The Testaments and The Handmaid's Tale completely separate, so what happened in The Testaments the book has no impact on writing the final series of The Handmaid's Tale. I'm sure this was also said by the "show runner " in an interview on the Eyes On Gilead podcast.

Surely it has to have some impact though? If a character is in The Testaments then they can't kill them off in HMT.

They've said both adaptations are separate from each other. I don't know. We'll see. Luckily I can't remember at all what happened in The Testaments so it doesn't matter to me!

I think approx 10. She must have been 3 at the very beginning of series 3. In previous series I think there was concern she is heading towards puberty and Gilead are train up girls as good Gilead citizens and get them pregnant once they start their periods. A horrible thought. I just caught up with episode 2 and Luke said to Mark something like "don't you know what they do to girls". I take that to mean puberty= rape and pregnancies.

I think Handmaid's Tale has departed so far from the book and they probably had plots planned out before Testaments was written that it's probably unavoidable they'll clash in places

That makes sense. Atwood probably wouldn't have known how this one would pan out when she wrote The Testaments.

Something I’ve just thought about, how would the girls like Hannah who are training to be wives date? With a chaperone or is it just arranged like when it was arranged with Nick and Eden?

I’ve just watched and really enjoyed too. Loved that song at the end.

Wish they would release more than one at a time! Like Andor on Disney+ my other current obsession!