As The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 came to a close, the series finale revisited one of its most long-held traditions despite its somewhat controversial reception to bring the drama story full circle. Based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, the Hulu series explores a frightening world where America is taken over by an extremist, tyrannical theonomic regime, who force fertile women into the position of child-bearing slaves. The Handmaid’s Tale focuses on Elisabeth Moss’s June Osborne, a young woman forced to become a Handmaid, but she begins to rise up against the regime.

Across its six seasons, The Handmaid’s Tale saw June attempt to escape her services as a Handmaid, working with covert groups and individuals within Gilead to undermine the regime and help others escape. Eventually, June fled to the safety of Canada, but chose to make her way back to Gilead in order to help bring the regime down. By the end of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, June has helped liberate the area of Boston, allowing her to return to the Waterford household where she was once forced to be a Handmaid, to reflect on her experience.

The Handmaid’s Tale’s June Close-Up Ended The Finale – And Dozens Of Other Episodes

The Series Finale Ties Back To A Majority Of The Series’ Episodes

Image via Hulu

Image via Hulu

In the final episode of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, June returns to the Waterford household, having helped liberate the Boston area and eliminate the Gilead leaders stationed there. Choosing to commit herself to the fight against Gilead, the former Handmaid chooses to write about her experiences following recommendations by her loved ones. The final shot of the series is a close-up of June’s face as she sits in the Waterford home, beginning to write about her ordeal.

However, this isn’t the only time such a shot has been employed within the series. An estimated 33 episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale have ended with an extreme close-up of June’s face, varying in how close to the actor the camera is placed. This trend hasn’t gone unnoticed, and has become gradually more discussed for both its merits, and also how it hurts the series.

The Handmaid’s Tale’s Close-Ups Were A Major Trademark

While Overused, The Shot Type Was Powerful

Image by Yeider Chacon

Image by Yeider Chacon

 

While The Handmaid’s Tale narrative expands to focus on more characters, June remains the central driving force behind the show’s story. Furthermore, the series explores how these women are stripped of any autonomy and power by the fascist regime, making it an incredibly personal, powerful, and ever-relevant tale. As such, not only do these shots emphasize who the protagonist is, but help audiences empathize with June’s personal battle.

Despite the intention, however, many fans have begun to joke about how often an episode would end on a close-up of June’s face. For some, it is a case of overusage, while others were more specific in their criticisms, noting how certain shots linger too long on her, resulting in the execution not working for them. With this, the original intent behind the production choice had gradually lost its effectiveness.

The Handmaid’s Tale’s Finale Was Divisive, But Brought Things Full Circle

The Series Finale Returns Focus To The Leading Character

Image made by Yeider Chacon

While the series may have overplayed the usage of its type of shot, there is no doubt that its final employment was effective. The use of a close-up of June in an abandoned Waterford home helped parallel the first season perfectly, bringing June back to the home where her journey began in a way that shows just how much the world had changed by her hands. Furthermore, as June begins to look back to her start as she writes her story, bookending her story with close-ups adds a meta twist to the series, framing the entire show as her recollection.

The Handmaid’s Tale series finale has finally been released, wrapping up all of the character’s arcs. However, some are more satisfying than others.

Between certain dialogue choices, scenes calling back to key moments, and the episode’s title itself being taken from the series’ name, The Handmaid’s Tale finale was a perfect epilogue to the entire series. With most of the series’ physical conflicts resolved in the prior episode, the final episode focused on resolving June’s personal arc. As such, even if the shot type may have become overused for some, ending with one last close-up helps return viewers to the character who started it all.