The Handmaid’s Tale Finale is here. Or is it? Season 6 Episode 10 is available now on Hulu and Disney+ (with Hulu). It wasn’t the conclusion you might have expected. Read on for the recap and thoughts! Spoilers ahead!
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Episode 10
“Boston is free.” But Gilead remains. The gallows have been taken down, and it’s burning. June (Elisabeth Moss) is thinking about what’s next, especially Hannah (Kenzyn Hoffman). People are celebrating their freedom from the tyranny of Gilead. But Janine (Madeline Brewer) is missing. Nick (Max Minghella) is dead. And so is Joseph (Bradley Whitford). So, it’s all bittersweet for June.
Luke (O-T Fagbenle) is energized, and he says taking down Gilead is the way to get Hannah back. Mark (Sam Jaeger) gives June good news. Commander MacKenzie and his wife are relocating from Colorado to Washington, D.C., with their daughter, Hannah. The Eyes have taken Janine, but Aunt Lydia escaped, and she’s working to find Janine.
We learn that Mark has an ex-wife and son in Hawaii, and he’s fighting to bring down Gilead “so he [his son] doesn’t have to do it.” It’s the first time we’ve learned something about him. Mark’s been a part of June’s story for a while now, so it’s about time we learn what makes him tick.
While at a wall of remembrance, June has a flashback of losing Hannah at a carnival. She tells her daughter, “Mommies always come back.” It’s a touching moment that every mother fears, losing their child. June has been avoiding these feelings while she struggled to survive. But now, in this moment of calm, she can’t avoid it anymore.
Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) is struggling with accepting her part in everything, both when Gilead assumed power and now. She gives June her condolences for Nick’s death. June says, “He reaped what he sowed.” But Serena is kind and says he would have chosen June if he thought he’d had a choice. More importantly, Serena wonders who she is now. June tells her she’s a mother.
Mark puts Serena and the baby on a bus. She’s going to a refugee camp. The last thing Mark says to her is, “I’ll find you.” Is there something more happening there? In Serena’s goodbye to June, she admits she’s ashamed of everything that happened to June and her part in it. She apologizes. June forgives her, and Serena shows so much gratitude. They’ve made peace with each other.
Mark tells June that her old neighborhood is open and gives her something that looks like an Army pass. He says to give his name if she has any trouble. And we find out his rank is Commander.
In a surprising return, Emily (Alexis Bledel) approaches June while she’s visiting the old neighborhood. Then they catch up while walking. Emily has been doing her part in the resistance, but she’s kept in touch with her partner and son. She’s fighting for them. They stop in front of a wall of graffiti.
Perhaps the most victorious scene for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Episode 10 is June, Moira, Rita, and other women celebrating. They’re singing along to Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. It’s a lovely moment. As the song continues, June takes a Handmaid’s dress to a bonfire and burns it.
June is awakened during the night and told that something is urgent. She’s taken to meet Mark in a remote place. The Eyes stop a short distance away and carry a Handmaid by the arms to the middle of the road. They drop her there, and we see it’s Janine.
Naomi (Ever Carradine) approaches with Charlotte, and Lydia (Ann Dowd) is with her. Naomi says goodbye to the little girl before setting her down by Janine and leaving. It’s the kind of thing that leaves you feeling hopeful. Lydia tells June to take care of Janine and Charlotte. June has kind words for Lydia, too.
When June’s mother (Cherry Jones) and daughter arrive, there is more joy. A family reunited is a wonderful thing. June tells her daughter that she has a sister and maybe another daughter. She’s not finished fighting and, to keep her child safe, she has to leave her again.
Her mother is afraid for her. But she is also proud of the warrior June has become. And we learn that it was her mother who showed her how to fight by going to protests and standing up for herself. She tells her that she should write a book to tell her story.
Luke and June have changed a lot since The Handmaid’s Tale began, and they are at peace with each other. They both know things are different, and they each have their part to play in the continuing fight. Luke is going with Mayday. June is continuing with Mark. She’s going to get Hannah back. But they both mean to reunite. Luke encourages her to write her story. It’s nice to see them understanding each other.
The End, Thoughts, and Emotions
This is the finale for The Handmaid’s Tale. But it’s clearly not the end of the story. The Americans and Mayday have a lot of work to do to bring down Gilead and free all of the states still held under that regime.
The final scenes of the Season 6 episode 10 have Serena coping with life as a refugee. She has very little for her child, but she has her child. Then we see June return to the house where she was a captive of the Waterfords. It’s where the story began. She goes up to the room where she stayed. And she begins to write her story, the book that started it all.
What’s next for June, Luke, Serena, and everyone? Surely we all want to know. The Handmaid’s Tale and its characters have left an impression on us that we won’t soon forget.
We do know that a spin-off series, The Testaments, started production in April. It’s based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name. And Ann Dowd will return as Aunt Lydia. There’s more to come for The Handmaid’s Tale story.
