The Handmaid’s Tale star Elisabeth Moss has explained the meaning behind the surprise reunion in the first episode of season six, saying that “it has to do with the ending”.
Debuting in the UK on Saturday, a few weeks behind its US release, the premiere episode of the final-ever season of The Handmaid’s Tale saw one character make an unlikely appearance.
In the episode, June Osborne (Moss) came face-to-face with Yvonne Strahovski’s Serena Waterford while travelling on a train taking refugees away from Gilead.
Towards the end of the episode, June and her baby ended up at a refugee camp in Alaska where June was greeted by her mother Holly, who was working as a member of the camp’s medical staff.
Played by Succession star Cherry Jones, Holly, a women’s rights advocate, has so far only appeared in June’s flashbacks. In season two, June discovered that Holly had been sent to work in Gilead’s Colonies, a death sentence for most.
However, the season six episode revealed that she had survived and escaped Gilead. The ending of the episode saw Holly reading from a list of arrivals, where she found June’s name and said: “June Osborne? Sweetheart?” June heard her mother and the pair shared an emotional embrace.
Opening up about the reunion between the mother and daughter, Moss said it “really has to do with the ending” and “with where we’re going” in the final season.
Speaking to TVLine, Moss continued: “The whole show is so much about June’s motherhood and June’s role as mother. But I feel like, in order to really, fully tell that story, you’ve got to bring her own mom into it.”
Upon hearing that Jones “was open to coming back on the show,” Moss said it was “a no-brainer to get her back for this final season”.
Season 1-5 of The Handmaid’s Tale are available to stream now on Prime Video.
The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 will air on Prime Video and Channel 4 in the UK.
