Handmaid's Tale

Most of the main cast have returned including Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne, Samira Wiley as Moira Strand, and Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy. However, fans ...

June is relishing in her victory and revenge with her fellow handmaids when she realizes that her close companion Emily (Bledel) is nowhere to be seen. Showrunner Bruce Miller said to HollywoodLife: "Alexis is a pro and talked to her people and let us know as early as she could. "That was hard because we lost a lot of puzzle pieces at one time." She said: "After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid's Tale at this time. To find Aunt Lydia if she can. However, fans will have noticed the absence of Gilead rebel Emily/Ofglen, played by Alexis Bledel, 40.

How do you solve a problem like Dark June? A recap of “Morning,” episode one and the premiere of season five of Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale.'

But of course, it is Luke — that absolute prince of a husband — who gets June to a semi-good place in the end by encouraging her to comfort Nichole, who is crying in the bath. Plot momentum is minimal in this episode, which is more concerned with reacquainting audiences with the world of the show and June’s mental state — which is frayed, to say the least. She would like to go back to Gilead to bury Fred properly in the nation he built. The episode ends back at home with June, Luke, Moira, and Nichole, where Luke is pouring celebratory drinks but Moira and June are both still freaked. For anyone not even passingly familiar with the plot of Macbeth, this is a visual metaphor for guilt. Anyway, Officer White Night — excuse me, Officer Tuello — later comes to give her more details, including that the prison received a package addressed to her containing Fred’s ring finger, which immediately tells Serena that this was June Osborne’s justice, not Gilead’s. And June, who spends two-thirds of the episode out-damn-spotting her bloody fingernails, doesn’t seem to regret killing Fred, but at the same time, she thinks she belongs in prison. Luke insists that June did nothing wrong and has decided to just “take the fucking win.” June’s fellow handmaids are ready to begin their murder tour of Gilead, on which Emily already has a head start. Can what June and the other handmaids did to Fred be called justice? Should June herself be brought to justice for leading the murder? it sure feels weird to be back in Gilead in the context of a post-Roe world, doesn’t it? Actually, we begin season five of The Handmaid’s Tale in Canada, where somehow no one has yet referred June to a professional therapist experienced in dealing with compounded trauma and PTSD.

The Handmaid's Tale season 5 has now begun – and it didn't take long to find out what happened to Emily following Alexis Bledel's exit from the Hulu drama.

[The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 release schedule](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-handmaids-tale-season-5-release-time-date-episodes/) to make sure you don't miss an episode. Sylvia explains that Emily has gone back to Gilead – despite her brutal escape back in season 2 – to find Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and continue the fight against the oppressive cult. [Entertainment Tonight](https://www.etonline.com/media/videos/elisabeth-moss-explains-alexis-bledels-handmaids-tale-exit-exclusive-190682) (opens in new tab) that they were "very sad" that Bledel couldn't return. "After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid's Tale at this time," Bledel said. The season premiere picks up in the wake of Commander Waterford's murder at the hands of June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss), Emily, and a bunch of other disgruntled former handmaids. June is eating breakfast with her co-conspirators following the deed when she realizes Emily is missing.

Elizabeth Moss is returning for Season 5 of the Hulu series “The Handmaid's Tale” as June Osborne, a woman resisting the oppressive government of Gilead.

He’s moving into action this year in a way he never has,” Whitford said. It’s important to talk about these things, it’s important to have an opinion," Moss said. The dystopian storyline is based on the 1985 novel of the same name by author Margaret Atwood.

Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. Don't let the bastards grind you down. The mock Latin phrase has become synonymous with The Handmaid's Tale, ...

Is this sick comfort enough to justify watching 10 more episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale, plus a recently-announced sixth and final season? Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 offers more of the same. June isn’t the only character who seems to have collapsed under the weight of The Handmaid’s Tale’s five-season run. Repetitive storylines and questionable character arcs run rampant across the first few episodes of the new season, which follow June as she deals with the fallout of murdering Fred. Sure, our current political and social situation might be a nightmare, but it could be even worse, I say to myself, as I press play on another episode. This identity has subsumed all else, rendering her a hero devoid of any specific character traits or idiosyncrasies — and one largely unfamiliar to viewers, at that. She clearly still believes in Gilead’s religious values and social mores — which she helped develop — despite being reminded again and again of her inferior status. [jumped the shark](https://www.primetimer.com/about/jon_hein). Since choosing to remain in Gilead at the end of Season 2, June has become a woman defined by her determination to save her child, even if it requires adopting a “the end justifies the means” mentality. If June leaves Gilead, it stands to reason, The Handmaid’s Tale loses its main source of narrative tension, and the series will have to work harder to horrify viewers. The mock Latin phrase has become synonymous with The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu’s Emmy-winning adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel. Finally (blessed be the fruit!) June makes it to Canada, where she reunites with Moira (Samira Wiley) and her husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle).

As The Handmaid's Tale Season 5 arrives, here's what happened to June, Janine, Emily, Fred and Serena Waterford, Aunt Lydia, Nick, and new character Esther ...

[Aunt Lydia](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-handmaids-tale-season-4-episode-8-review-is-june-channelling-aunt-lydia/) brutally punished Janine and then put her to work at the Red Centre, where Janine became a protector to a recalcitrant young Esther, captured from the farmhouse and now stripped of her Wife status and being prepared for life as a Handmaid. [Commander Lawrence](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-handmaids-tale-is-commander-lawrence-good/), whose troubled wife had taken her own life in season three, had helped June to arrange the Angel’s Flight operation. Therapeutic talk of acceptance and forgiveness was very much not on June’s mind when it came to their Gileadean abusers, and against Moira’s wishes, June rallied the group to express their most violent revenge fantasies. Always one to use a situation to her advantage, Serena agreed to join forces with Fred, knowing that a united couple with a baby on the way would be looked upon more favourably in the public eye. Aunt Lydia had been tortured under suspicion for her role in the Angel’s Flight operation, and was severely demoted as a cause of June’s rebellion. Shackled, they ran across a railway line but [only June and Janine survived](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-handmaids-tale-season-4-episode-3-review-elisabeth-moss-directorial-debut-pulls-no-punches/). June and Janine stowed away on a milk train and entered the war-torn city of Chicago, where they met up with a group of anti-Gilead American resistance fighters. [Season five](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-handmaids-tale-showrunner-season-5-story-hints-its-now-a-june-serena-thing/), streaming now in the US, and the sixth and final season, will tell. It started with June encouraging a young rape survivor to stab one of her multiple abusers to death, and ended with June and a pack of former-Handmaid wolves tearing Fred Waterford to shreds. [they salvaged him](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-handmaids-tale-season-4-episode-10-review-a-brutal-reckoning-but-was-justice-done/). When the legal system betrayed June and the others by failing to bring Fred to justice for his many crimes, June may have been in the bosom of her family – Luke, Moira, baby Nichole – but her suffering was such that healing was still a long way off.

By her hand! Season 5 sets up its June v Serena battle in an emotionally powerful episode about consequences. Spoilers.

Weeping, she remembered the [tango they performed in Washington D.C](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-handmaids-tale-season-3-episode-7-review-under-his-eye/). [Serena](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-handmaids-tale-showrunner-season-5-story-hints-its-now-a-june-serena-thing/) in a calming pregnancy idyll, doing yoga in the stylish décor of her glass prison cell. If she could present herself as the loving and gracious widow, and paint the US government as monstrous for denying her grieving wishes, she could use it to get what she wants. Though theirs is clearly a new relationship (she doesn’t know yet that he takes milk in his coffee) Nick has confided in her about June and what she did to Fred. Leaving the morgue, Serena saw the candle-lit vigil being held in the Waterfords’ honor and instantly calculated her odds. What followed was the beatific joy of self-baptism in the ocean followed by a drive confess and accept her penance like a good Catholic. The lure of Gilead, and of Hannah, is powerful. The dream (dream, dream, dream, dream) couldn’t last of course. [Fred’s murder](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-handmaids-tale-season-4-recap/), June was blood-drunk and enchanted. The absurd comedy of her confessing to murder and being told she had to pay an $88 fine would not be lost on this show’s audience. She swooned like a schoolgirl to that inner 1950s love song, and ate like a horse in that diner to Dolly Parton’s [Getting Happy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAIhxyaOcH0) – which she absolutely was. [The Handmaid’s Tale](https://www.denofgeek.com/the-handmaids-tale/) viewers won’t know what it feels like to tear their tormentor to actual shreds (see that corpse prosthetic in the mortuary scene?

Live stream The Handmaid's Tale Season 5 online for free from wherever you are. Start time, teams, full start list, expert analysis, free live stream and ...

[ExpressVPN](https://xvtelink.com/offer/coupon?a_fid=744&data1=whathifi-gb-6824132108086615000&offer=3monthsfree) (opens in new tab). [Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days](https://xvtelink.com/vpn-service/sbs-vpn?a_fid=744&data1=whathifi-gb-4331758914930763000&offer=3monthsfree) (opens in new tab) Based on the season 4 air date, season 5 could show up on Channel 4 sometime in mid October... [ExpressVPN](https://xvtelink.com/vpn-service/sbs-vpn?a_fid=744&data1=whathifi-gb-3283348341780267500&offer=3monthsfree) (opens in new tab) which offers a 100 percent risk-free money back guarantee. In the UK, Channel 4 is yet to reveal when it will air The Handmaid's Tale season 5. For The Handmaid's Tale S5, you may wish to choose 'Australia' to access SBS. Even if you have subscribed to The Handmaid's Tale season 5 rights holders, you won't be able to use them when outside your own country. Episode 1 (Morning) and Episode 2 (Ballet) are available now. Season 5 is expected to pick up from the (rather shocking) events of the season 4 finale. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. Ready for season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale? The Handmaid's Tale stars Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) as June, rebel leader trying to bring justice to a totalitarian society in which handmaids have no bodily autonomy, are abused, mistreated, and used as breeders.

"The Handmaid's Tale" would appear to be returning at an auspicious time, as the overturning of Roe v. Wade has thrust Margaret Atwood's dystopian vision ...

The Hulu series obviously hasn’t lost any of its relevance, and indeed, some of its themes resonate in a more pointed manner. There are also other less-developed subplots, among them Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), and what the burdens of a conscience might look like; Nick (Max Minghella), still pining for June as he seeks to chart his own path; and Bradley Whitford’s Commander Lawrence, whose belief in the goal of quietly reforming Gilead from within has become a central tension on that larger level. While shedding old grievances would surely be the practical move, that’s simply not in her, much to the chagrin of her husband, Luke (O-T Fagbenle). But the arc of this fifth season is ill-suited to the moment, more narrowly focused on the bond of hatred between June and Serena, at the expense of almost everything else. Yet even in a patriarchal society, Serena is not without the political skills of a survivor. With Moss again wearing multiple hats as star, producer and occasional director, “Handmaid’s Tale” seldom fails to deliver stark or shocking moments.

In the first two episodes of 'The Handmaid's Tale' season 5, Fred might be dead, but June's troubles are far from over. Read our recap.

As they focus all their attention on the massive screens, they see a close-up of their daughter Hannah, who brings Serena a bouquet of flowers before standing by her side and holding her hand. Lawrence informs Serena the commanders denied her request for a bigger funeral, Janine is briefly reunited with her birth daughter Angela before Naomi puts a stop to it, and Warren creepily feeds Esther chocolates in an attempt to "get to know her." This prompts her to help Rita in the kitchen, where she tries to fire up the former Martha about getting revenge on Serena. In fact, commander Putnam and his wife are in the market for a new handmaid, and Lydia thinks the "young and fertile" Esther could be a great fit for the family. Things take a dark turn, however, when Esther accuses Janine of using her to gain access to the Putnams' so she could see Angela. She picks up the crying baby, and is quickly able to soothe and quiet her as only a mother can. With Tuello and Fred's cardboard casket in tow, she arrives at the airport, where she's greeted by commanders Nick Blaine ( But June feels better after talking to the kind agent, as Tuello says her actions not only scared Serena, but probably all of Gilead. [Sam Jaeger](https://ew.com/search/?q=sam+jaeger)) breaks the news that Fred was traded for 22 Gilead prisoners, a new deal that somehow left him hanging in the woods. Slow motion scenes of Fred's beating and murder are intercut with glimpses of June smiling, all while the Everly Brothers' "All I Have To Do Is Dream" plays in the background. Emily's partner informs her that [she's fled to Gilead](https://ew.com/tv/how-the-handmaids-tale-wrote-off-alexis-bledels-character/) to hunt down the evil-doing aunt Lydia ( [Ann Dowd](https://ew.com/search/?q=ann+dowd)). Of course, that intercepted mailing was Fred's severed finger, the bloody digit June attempted to send to Serena Joy (

In the premiere of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale season 5, Emily (Alexis Bledel) is missing and June (Elisabeth Moss) is given an explanation.

“Emily is still very much part of the story this year,” explains Miller, offering a hint of what June will be wrestling with as the season goes. [portrayed life after trauma](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/handmaids-tale-elisabeth-moss-june-sexual-trauma-survivor-season-4-1234957790/) when it followed the handmaids who survived Gilead in their lives as refugees in Canada, which has taken in those who escaped in hopes of giving them a better life. “It didn’t feel healthy, but it felt correct,” says Miller of Emily’s decision to go back to Gilead and continue the fight, even if it means she likely wouldn’t survive there on her own. Listen to Miller talking about the perpetual relevance of the series on THR’s TV’s Top 5 podcast “I am forever grateful to [showrunner] [Bruce Miller](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/bruce-miller/) for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support.” And June spends the whole season asking herself if Emily was right: ‘Well, if Emily thought that was the right thing, I feel so shitty, maybe that will make me feel better?'” “At the beginning, June is rudderless without Emily and feels like she could easily be that person and disappear. [Alexis Bledel](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/alexis-bledel/)), is missing from the meetup. And, even if Bledel doesn’t return, Emily’s impact is set to reverberate — as her decision deeply affects June when the starring handmaid sets out on her season-five course. “[Alexis] made that decision completely on her own; it was a complicated time and she let me know,” Miller tells The Hollywood Reporter. While the fifth season was in production, Bledel, an original star on the series, announced that she had departed The Handmaid’s Tale after four seasons. [Elisabeth Moss](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/elisabeth-moss/)-starring series reconnects with June (Moss) right where viewers left her — cradling her youngest daughter, Nichole, while covered in Fred’s blood and brushing off questions from her husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle) while internally plotting her next move.

Every product on this page was chosen by a Harper's BAZAAR editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Culture · Film ...

- "I used to think of my body as an instrument for the accomplishment of my will. - "There was a time when women were able to choose. - "The mouth of a woman is a deep pit. I feel like the word shatter.” — June, Season 1, Episode 4. - "Fuck Aunt Lydia! - "No mother is ever completely a child's idea of what a mother should be. I have given myself over into the hands of strangers. [The Handmaid's Tale](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/handmaids-tale-tv-show/) continues to grip viewers, as we follow June Osbourne's journey outside of Gilead. - "It's gonna end the same no matter what you do, so there's no point trying to be tough or brave. The girl who thinks her boyfriend with the perfect hair is just playing a sexy prank. I just need to scream." Here, we round up 30 of the best quotes from The Handmaid's Tale so far.