After six seasons, Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” came full circle in its series finale that aired Tuesday.
Spoilers ahead for “The Handmaid’s Tale” series finale.
After several prominent Gilead Commanders were killed by a bomb while onboard a plane, Boston is freed from Gilead’s rule. June (Elisabeth Moss) vows to keep fighting for her oldest daughter Hannah (Jordana Blake), who is still in Gilead.
June (Elisabeth Moss) with her daughter Hannah.
Elisabeth Moss as June in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
June decides to part ways with her husband, Luke (O-T Fagbenle), and is reunited with her younger daughter Holly/Nichole and her mother Holly (Cherry Jones), who arrive in Boston with other refugees from Alaska.
June also makes amends with both Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), who is sent to a refugee camp with her baby son Noah.
In a noble gesture, Aunt Lydia and Mrs. Putnam (Ever Carradine) let Janine (Madeline Brewer) finally be with her daughter Charlotte.
Madeline Brewer as Janine in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”Disney
O-T Fagbenle, Elisabeth Moss in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”Disney
Emily (Alexis Bledel) makes a shocking return as she reunites with June in Boston. Emily reveals that she became a Martha to fight against Gilead from the inside. She confirms that she joined the resistance for her wife, Sylvia (Clea DuVall), and their son Oliver.
June and Emily go on a walk in Boston, reminiscent of their strolls as captive Handmaids in Gilead in the earlier seasons. They visit the Wall, which is filled with inspiring messages painted by women who survived Gilead. There are also bodies of Gilead Eyes hanging on the other side.
Alexis Bledel as Emily and Elisabeth Moss as June in “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 6 finale.Disney
Emily (Alexis Bledel) and June (Elisabeth Moss) reunite.Disney
At the end of the episode, June returns to her old room in the Waterford’s house and begins sharing her story with an audio recorder.
At the end of her voiceover, June looks straight at the camera and says, “My name is Offred.”
Elisabeth Moss as June in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”Disney
In an interview with Variety, Moss, who also directed the series finale, said that the poetic final scene was creator Bruce Miller’s idea.
“I love this ending. As someone who has lived telling this story for nine years, I can’t imagine it ending any other way,” Moss, 42, told the outlet. “I would never have said yes to anything that I did not feel was exactly the way that series should end.”
June (Elisabeth Moss) in the final scene of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”Disney
The actress also explained that they wanted to be “loyal” to Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel in their decision to not have June reunite with Hannah.
“There is literally no one more aware of the audience’s desire for June to get Hannah back than me,” Moss said. “It is the number one question I’m asked. It is the number one thing people want. I don’t want to call it a burden, but I’ve carried this question with me for many years.”
Bledel, 43, told the Hollywood Reporter that she didn’t hesitate to return as Emily for the finale, after exiting the series before Season 5.
Alexis Bledel as Emily in “The Handmaid’s Tale” series finale.Disney
“It was an immediate yes,” said the “Gilmore Girls” alum. “It felt right to bring closure to Emily’s journey and offer the audience a sense of completion. Bruce put together such a kind and talented group, and so many of the original crew were still there in Season 6. The production runs like a well-oiled machine — everyone brings their best.”
The story of “The Handmaid’s Tale” will continue in the upcoming spinoff series “The Testaments,” based on Atwood’s sequel book. The show will center around Aunt Lydia and Hannah.
Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection
June’s daughter Hannah in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”Disney
Executive producer Warren Littlefield previously told The Post that the spinoff is “a very different point of view” than the original series.
“It’s young women coming of age in Gilead, four years after the killing of the harvest,” he said at “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 6 red carpet premiere in April. “It’s a different world, it is a different palette, it is a different population, so much is different, and yet… we’ll pull the veil back and reveal that, yes, we’re still in Gilead.”
Littlefield also confirmed that “The Testaments” was about to start filming.
