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Elle
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
'The Handmaid's Tale' S6: With Two Episodes To Go, 5 Theories On How The Series Will End
*This article contains spoilers if you've not seen episode 8, season six of 'The Handmaid's Tale'. If you're up to speed with season six of The Handmaid's Tale, then there's no doubt that theories of the season's ending will be whirring in your mind and group chats, especially after the events of Serena and Commander Wharton's wedding massacre played out in the most recent episode. Led by none other than the Mayday resistance group, and headed by June (Elisabeth Moss), episode eight, titled Exodus, saw the Handmaids and their supporters devise a plan that aimed to dismantle a core pillar of Gilead's power: the Commanders. By the end of the episode, 37 Commanders were killed, with help from Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) who freed the Handmaids from the Red Centre). But as we've seen before, Mayday may have to face life threatening consequences for their actions, and we're certain episode nine and 10 will be no different, meaning every single theory we had about the supposed endings of the character leads and their arcs has now completely changed. Below, we detail our new theories on how we think The Handmaid's Tale will end. A lot of blood was shed during the wedding massacre, and naturally, the Gileadean regime will be on the hunt for those responsible. There's a good chance that characters who were involved in the killings and letting them happen will be sent to the gallows, including Janine (Madeline Brewer), Moira (Samira Wiley), Aunt Lydia, Aunt Phoebe (D'Arcy Carden) and Luke (O-T Fagbenle). While Aunt Lydia may have been one of the main perpatrators of violence and enabling it upon the Handmaids throughout the series, she's had a real change of heart this season far, especially in the last episode when she agreed to let them leave the Red Centre and partake in the killing of the Commanders. Although Aunt Lydia is still very much a pious woman, she is beginning to see the cruelty in Gilead's way of life. An example of this occurred when Janine successfully pleads with her to be freed, 'He hurt me, Aunt Lydia. They hurt us. They raped us. You gave us to them.' As a confirmed character who will feature in the series sequel, The Testaments, Aunt Lydia may keep position but will become some sort of infiltrator, secretly working for Mayday, or working to enlighten other high-ranking women in Gilead. Okay, so we won't get ahead of ourselves and even begin to think that the Mayday resistance group have done anywhere near enough to fully take down Gilead, especially since we know that The Testaments is set in the state, 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale. However, the murder of 37 Commanders is no small feat, and will do some damage to the core structure of Gilead and its logistics. Whether this means that the Mayday will be able to slip through the weakened cracks or the Commanders turning against themselves through internal conflict, time will soon tell. If it wasn't the drop of the knife during the ceremony, Aunt Lydia almost blowing June's cover or Rita Blue distracting Serena from attempting to uncover the Handmaids' wings, then June's visceral reaction towards Serena's speech is surely what would have ruined the wedding day massacre. June was barely able to stand still while the newlywed Mrs. Wharton spoke of her relationship with a 'former handmaid', who she 'could have been nicer to', but ultimately believed that she had earned the Handmaid's forgiveness. A final confrontation between the two might see Serena's luck finally run out, largely due to the fact that June has already saved her once and will no longer empathise with Serena, who is now effectively on the run. If the Handmaids and their supporters are not killed by Gilead, then this means that they'll be saved by Mayday. We're thinking they both groups will meet at a designated safe house, and will then be transported to Alaska, hopefully in one piece. 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.
Gizmodo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
How ‘The Handmaid's Tale' Made Sure at Least One Character Got a Genuinely Happy Ending
Madeline Brewer's Janine sure went through a hell of a lot of hell over six seasons on Hulu's dystopian drama. In the first episode of the first season of The Handmaid's Tale, viewers met Janine, played by Madeline Brewer. Like June, the main character played by Elisabeth Moss, she's been abducted by Gilead and is now in the Red Center, where new handmaids are forced to learn their horrifying new duties. When Janine talks back, she's hauled off for a biblical punishment: the loss of her eye. That set the tone for Janine's harrowing journey throughout the series—but she never lost her spirit, and in the end, the show rewarded her with an ecstatically happy last moment. Her missing eye—often, but not always, concealed with her trademark patch—was more or less the only constant for Janine over six seasons. After being the first handmaid in June's group to give birth, she entertained fantasies of keeping her baby girl. Of course, that is not the way of Gilead, and Charlotte (Janine's name for her daughter; her captors, Commander Putnam and his wife Naomi, called her Angela) was ripped from her arms, almost literally. After that, she held different roles with varying levels of freedom—at one point she ended up in exile, shoveling toxic waste in the dreaded Colonies; at another, she survived a bombing after briefly escaping Gilead for Chicago. In the last seasons of The Handmaid's Tale, we saw her assisting Aunt Lydia in the Red Center, building on a complicated relationship rooted in power, guilt, shared trauma, and the occasional attempt at kindness. In season six, former handmaid Janine is forced into a different kind of sexual slavery, toiling at Jezebel's, the brothel created for the pleasure of Gilead's two-faced commanders. There, she encounters Angela's new adoptive father: the grumpy but not-evil Commander Lawrence, who reluctantly married Naomi for reasons that are frankly too long to get into here. (It's The Handmaid's Tale—expect the worst!) He's aware of Janine's situation and brings one of the little girl's drawings to her, an act of kindness that renews Janine's hopes that one day she'll get to see her again. That situation feels ever-bleaker when Jezebel's is destroyed and Janine is snatched up by a commander who's taken a cruel interest in her. Eventually, though, her prolonged suffering finally ends when June kills the guy (stabs him in the eye, in fact), and after another brief yet awful stint in captivity, she's freed from Gilead forever. Best of all, though, as June and company are rushing to get her to safety, we see Aunt Lydia and Naomi appear. Incredibly, they're bringing Angela/Charlotte to be with her mom, to live a life away from Gilead's cruelty. Though The Handmaid's Tale series finale ended with a lot of characters still at the mid-points on their journeys, that's not the case for Janine. This is a real and true happy ending for her, at long last. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Brewer was understandably thrilled that her character finally got her greatest wish. 'I thought it was so beautiful. I'm so satisfied with the ending for Janine,' she said. 'It could have gone a lot of different ways and it's all she's ever wanted.' She continued. 'I don't think I really, truly hoped for anything because I couldn't even imagine. That's also not my job (laughs) [to write the show], but it's the same reason why I never made too many decisions about Janine's life before … So I didn't want to make too many decisions. I wanted it in ways to surprise me. And it did … I'm just so proud of Janine for always being herself and not letting them take the fire away from her. And for being a good friend and a good mom and a good person.' The show was often very bleak, but praise be—at least Janine finally triumphed in the end. All seasons of The Handmaid's Tale are now available on Hulu.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘The Handmaid's Tale' Series Finale: Madeline Brewer Will Miss Janine
Madeline Brewer's Janine finally gets a happy ending but saying goodbye to the beloved character ... More won't be easy. Madeline Brewer has a lot of strong feelings about how things ended for her beloved character, Janine Lindo, on the series finale of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale. She spent six seasons in the hell that is Gilead as a former Handmaid-turned-Jezebel-favorite, and saying goodbye to this character isn't easy. In a recent interview tied to the series finale of Netflix's You, Brewer hinted about Janine's fate without giving anything away, saying, 'I'm immensely proud to have seen Janine through to the end, and I think that she gets the only ending that she deserved…anything else I don't think would have been just.' Naomi (Ever Carradine), the high-ranking wife of a Commander, who was raising Janine's daughter Charlotte (renaming her Angela), begrudgingly releases Janine by throwing her to the ground like a pile of trash. Ann Dowd's Aunt Lydia is also there, but the look on her face isn't one of anger, but rather love. Janine is released to her friend, Elisabeth Moss' June Osborne, and she's also reunited with her daughter in that highly anticipated moment that fans have waited years to see. This was a very emotional scene for fans of the show who have followed Janine's horrifying journey for six seasons. She was not only a fan favorite but a career highlight for Brewer, who said in an interview post-finale that it won't be easy to let Janine go. Madeline Brewer's Janine got a happy ending in Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale.' 'Janine went through some of the most horrific things of any of the characters. Losing an eye was just one of many things she endured. Because of the world that they exist in, all of the characters have unique tragedies, but I think Janine's are the most literal because they're the most physical. She wears those tragedies on her face and in her personality. She's been literally and psychologically beaten down.' Brewer credits the writers with allowing Janine to grow and change. 'They didn't try to keep the crazy redhead from season one. They allowed her to evolve. Her point of view changes, and her ability to function under these oppressions changes. Her friendships, especially with June, change. In the final moments of Janine's time on the show, she's still fighting for these women.' As for her final moments on screen, Brewer says that even though she's finally free, how she's dumped on the ground embodies how women were seen and treated in Gilead. 'It's like she's disposed of, and it shows how they're still willing to treat a Handmaid. The way they're willing to drop her in a heap on the ground feels like a final f**k you from those Guardians.' Though Janine suffered years of abuse from Aunt Lydia, in the end, their relationship had evolved. Brewer describes Janine's complicated relationship with Aunt Lydia similarly to how Moss described June and Serena's relationship. Both relationships bring Stockholm Syndrome to mind. Madeline Brewer in 'The Handmaid's Tale' on Hulu. 'Janine and Lydia loved each other,' explained Brewer. 'It's hard to even put words to it. Janine was Lydia's favorite of all the Handmaids and prisoners. It's like winning a horrible contest. It would've been easier for the writers to create two characters, one in a position of power and the other in a position of subservience, and to have them dislike each other. That dynamic isn't as interesting as having them also have love for one another. That was challenging to navigate, especially in the final season. Janine's final plea to Aunt Lydia is the nail in the coffin for Lydia, who realizes she has to let these girls go.' Brewer adds that Janine was the only one who could've gotten through to her. 'Lydia needed to be right there with Naomi, giving Janine her life and daughter back.' Brewer said it won't be easy to say goodbye to Janine. 'I've spent nine years with Janine holding half of my heart. I'm ready for something new, but she's irrevocably part of who I am. I can't even begin to describe the gratitude I have for having had this opportunity as an actor. I'm also grateful for the experience as a woman, a daughter, and a future mother. It's indescribable. It truly is.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ann Dowd Breaks Silence on Aunt Lydia's Shocking Decision Ahead of ‘Handmaid's Tale' Series Finale
The Handmaid's Tale is pulling out all the stops — especially when it comes to Aunt Lydia's story line — ahead of the series finale. During the Tuesday, May 13, episode of the hit Hulu series, Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) realized that June (Elisabeth Moss) was back in Gilead for the revolution. But instead of turning June's and the other handmaid's seeking retribution in, Aunt Lydia stepped aside to allow them to complete their revenge mission. Dowd, 69, exclusively told Us Weekly that Aunt Lydia's decision surprised even her. "To tell you the truth, I didn't know what to expect. She has become more gentle, let's say. She's a softer human being," Dowd shared about her character's evolution. "Because she has come to love in a real way — [Madeline Brewer's] Janine and the girls. So the wall that keeps her, it crumbles over six episodes." What to Know About 'The Handmaid's Tale' Spinoff 'The Testaments': Returning Cast Members and More Dowd recalled having to see the situation from her character's perspective, adding, "The fact that they had the nerve to do what they did — all of them participating and listening to June. She is a criminal. It takes Aunt Lydia back to the very beginning in the way she dealt with her. Then June does what she does, which is put the reality right in front of her." While reflecting on Aunt Lydia's arc, Dowd credited her bond with Janine. "She's where she is," she continued. "Because she loves Janine as her daughter, she's there and she's present. Dowd admitted that Aunt Lydia's journey wouldn't get easier in the final two episodes, saying, "She was quite literally brought to her knees. What happens when you're there? You have to begin again. There's no going back. She lets them go. She understands what she's done. She can't bear it. I'm sure she's begging for forgiveness. She's not going to deny anything. When it comes to what she's done, she would do it again." Coshowrunners Yahlin Chang and Eric Tuchman also weighed in on how Aunt Lydia's arc is preparing her for The Handmaid's Tale spinoff The Testaments. "Her decision in episode 8 is really a natural progression from the journey she's been on from the very beginning of the show. But especially that is heated up with her realizing more and more how horrible these commanders are. So when June says, 'You've learned things you can't unlearn, you've seen things you can't unsee.' That's what she is referring to," Chang told Us in April. "Lydia really believed was a true believer. But she started to understand that these commanders are incredibly toxic — the best examples of toxic male behavior. So that decision to let them go, she's really just broken down again." Chang added: "So in that moment, she can't see what to do other than let them go. She does it out of love for Janine. She just goes over to Janine and says, 'I'm sorry I hurt you.'" Everything 'The Handmaid's Tale' Cast Has Said About the Show Ending After Season 6 Tuchman elaborated on how Aunt Lydia's story is just getting started. "We've chipped away at Lydia's unbelievable denial about the truth of Gilead and her willful blindness," he teased. "But moving forward, now we know she's made that decision to liberate the Handmaids. She's aligned with them in the eyes of Gilead. She has betrayed her duties to Gilead, so I can't spoil what happens with her, but she's on very shaky ground moving forward." It remains unclear where Lydia's story goes from here. "We don't know what's going to happen to Lydia now. She can be blamed for the massacre that took place when the Handmaids took out all those commanders," he noted. "So that's what we'll see. But she's now on a path that she can't stray from. She's made a very strong decision that she'll need to account for." New episodes of The Handmaid's Tale are released Tuesdays on Hulu.
Express Tribune
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
‘The Handmaid's Tale' finale brings closure and sets up ‘The Testaments' spinoff on Hulu
The Handmaid's Tale has concluded after 8 years and 6 seasons, ending with reunions, emotional closure, and the groundwork for Hulu's upcoming sequel series, The Testaments. The finale follows June Osbourne (Elisabeth Moss) as she reconnects with key figures from her past and begins to envision a new path forward. Among the standout moments, June meets Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and shares a long-awaited moment of forgiveness. The episode also surprises viewers with the return of Dr. Emily Malek (Alexis Bledel). June's shock turns into joy as the two women embrace and reflect on their shared past. A deeply moving reunion occurs when Janine (Madeline Brewer) is finally reunited with her daughter, Charlotte. The closing scenes show June dictating her story into a recorder, inspired by her mother and Luke. Her final words, 'My name is Ofred,' are delivered directly to camera with a resolute smile, bringing her journey full circle. Set 15 years after The Handmaid's Tale, The Testaments follows Aunt Lydia, Agnes, and Daisy as their lives intersect within the oppressive regime of Gilead. The series explores secrets, rebellion, and the evolving power dynamics through the eyes of a new generation. Ann Dowd reprises her role as Aunt Lydia, joined by Chase Infiniti, Lucy Halliday, and Rowan Blanchard. Production began in April 2025, with Mike Barker directing the first three episodes. A release date is yet to be announced.
