Audiences the world over who watch The Handmaid’s Tale can universally agree on many things about what they hope the show’s final series will deliver, one of which is the fact that Janine (Madeline Brewer) is in dire and desperate need of a break.
With the sixth — and final — season of the hit show now available to watch weekly on Channel 4 and Prime Video in the UK, viewers have left with questions about what became of Emily and whether Janine will die.
We’re pleased to say that we have some answers for you (well, sort of). This is everything you need to know about Janine’s fate.
Does Janine die in The Handmaid’s Tale?
It’s difficult to ascertain what Janine’s fate will be, given that her character doesn’t die in Margaret Attwood’s 1985 novel and isn’t mentioned in the 2019 sequel The Testaments, however there are a few hints as to what might become of her.
Janine managed to escape Gilead with June (Elisabeth Moss) in season four, only to be captured and returned while June made it safely across the border into Canada. Once back in Gilead, Janine was poisoned by Esther Keyes (Mckenna Grace), who’d been demoted from Wife to Handmaid. Janine nearly died in the attack, and spent the majority of season five recovering.
We begin season six with Janine sent to Jezebels to work as a sex slave, to the horror of Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), who believes that the Handmaid, who has become one of her favourites, deserves more. While it’s not yet known what her fate will be, her placement in the Jezebels has led many to believe that Janine may not survive.
Brewer has, however, hinted in interviews that Janine will be alive at the end of the sixth series. Speaking to The Cut, the actor revealed, ‘I had enough time between seasons to prepare myself for the goodbye.’
‘But Janine doesn’t end with much fanfare; she ends in a quietly beautiful way, to the point where you can kind of just imagine what her life might be like. It’s such a cyclical thing, starting the show in 2016 and finishing the show in early 2025. I’m ready to leave this world and take everything it’s taught me.’
The Handmaid’s Tale is on Prime Video and Channel 4 in the UK, on SBS and SBS on Demand in Australia and Hulu in the US.
