The Handmaid’s Tale has captivated viewers worldwide since its release in 2017(Image: Hulu)

The Handmaid’s Tale fans are gearing up for the release of the show’s sixth and final season which promises a “full-scale rebellion.”

The much-anticipated first three episodes of the Hulu hit will premiere in the US starting April 8, followed by weekly releases leading up to the grand finale on May 27. For those in the UK, Channel 4 and Amazon Prime Video are the go-to platforms for their Gilead fix, with Channel 4 offering all five previous seasons for free viewing.

Based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale plunges viewers into a chilling world where women’s rights are obliterated. The series follows June Osborne (played by Elisabeth Moss), once a successful career woman and mother, now forced to bear children for powerful couples.

As anticipation builds for the upcoming episodes, devotees of the series have been discussing the most shocking and heart-wrenching moments from the past five seasons.

The sixth and final season begins in April(Image: Channel 4)

One particularly haunting scene that has stayed with fans is from Season 5, where Commander Putnam (portrayed by Stephen Kunken) feeds chocolate to his young handmaid Esther (McKenna Grace), reports the Mirror.

“There are many that are arguably worst, but I had the hardest time watching Putnam feed Esther the chocolate. Maybe because it was up close and personal and captured her age, as well as showing he sees her as a child,” one viewer confessed. “The actress was the same age she is playing, which makes it that much more heartbreaking.”

Actress Grace shared with Elle magazine that she felt “genuinely very, very anxious” during the filming of that scene. “It was an interesting scene to shoot for sure, but it was a real moment for my character,” she revealed to the magazine.

Fans of the series shared the scenes that they’ll never forget(Image: Hulu)

“So as much as I was stressed out and anxious, I just really let myself feel that. After we were done, I went and sat outside, even though it was snowing. I was like, phew, I need to detox from that.”

Another viewer pointed out the early flashbacks to how Gilead began as the most impactful moment. “Season one flashback when the women are all let go from their jobs. They all know its pointless trying to fight back and none of the men speak up for them. They simply pack their desks up and leave silently. They don’t attempt to rebel or form a group together to try to fight it,” they expressed.

“It’s like they know what’s coming and it will be impossible to stop it. The lack of solidarity from Luke and men more generally is telling.”

What will become of Serena Joy?(Image: (Image: Hulu))

Several fans of the show pointed out the harrowing scene where June visits Washington with Serena Joy, where Handmaids are subjected to having their mouths sewn shut. Others were still reeling from the brutal scene in the first season where Emily Malek, also known as Ofglen, was forced to undergo genital mutilation for being in a same-sex relationship.

“I audibly gasped at that scene and the one where they mutilated Emily when she was caught with the Martha,” one fan recalled.

While many fans will be disappointed to see the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale come to a close, there is some welcome news. A spin-off series based on Margaret Atwood’s novel The Testaments is in the works, with Elisabeth Moss serving as an executive producer.

The highly anticipated sequel will introduce a new generation of young women growing up in the dystopian society of Gilead.