The Handmaid's Tale Season 5 recap: All you need to remember ahead of Season 6 premiere

The Handmaid
The Handmaid's Tale (Image via Youtube/@Hulu)

The Handmaid's Tale has been one of Hulu's most popular original dramas. This is since its 2017 premiere. This drama is based on Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel. The series's vivid depiction of a totalitarian society in which women are deprived of their rights. and the women were compelled to work as reproductive slaves.

The Handmaid's Tale Season 5 debuted on September 14, 2022, and ended on November 9, 2022. The Season 5 finale, “Safe,” abruptly ended multiple plotlines, like June and Luke leaving Canada following a deadly encounter, Janine being imprisoned for rebellion, and June and Serena Joy reconnecting.

The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 is set to release on April 8, 2025. New episodes will be released weekly. This would mainly be until the final episode releases on May 27, 2025.


More about The Handmaid's Tale Season 5

youtube-cover

The Handmaid's Tale's fifth season debuted on September 14, 2022, and ended on November 9, 2022. This was done in the tenth episode, which was titled "Safe." Following Commander Fred Waterford's murder—a pivotal moment brought about by June Osborne and other former handmaids. Primarily due to this, the season immediately got underway.

June sought justice at first, but she soon saw that seeking revenge has psychological costs of its own. Her obsession with punishing the perpetrators of Gilead's horrors caused tension in her marriage to Luke and her relationship with her daughter, Nichole.

Serena Joy Waterford resurfaced as a major opponent as June attempted to adapt to civilian life in Toronto. Her dispute with June grew more intense as a result of her manipulation of the media and use of her pregnancy to get sympathy from the public. Several tense meetings resulted from this competition. This primarily included Serena's ignominious demise at the hands of the Wheelers and a pious Canadian couple with Gilead affiliations.

As per the storyline, Luke murders the man who attempted to run June down. This eventually forces June and Luke into flight in the season's last act. Their safe sanctuary swiftly became hostile as Canada's stance toward American refugees tightened.

A dramatic reunion was put in motion when the last second revealed Serena Joy on the same train. Every character was on the verge of a fresh conflict, both personal and political, as Season 5 came to a close, with all of the main protagonists dispersed, incarcerated, or hiding.

The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 premieres on April 8, 2025, with the first three episodes available on Hulu. This last season is supposed to feature June's war against Gilead.

Luke and Moira are likely to join the resistance, while Serena works to transform Gilead. The season is supposed to emphasize optimism, courage, and the desire for freedom. New episodes will be broadcast regularly, with the last episode due on May 27, 2025.


Cast of The Handmaid's Tale Season 5

Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name served as the inspiration for the drama The Handmaid's Tale. Since its April 2017 release, the series has been one of Hulu's most popular original series. It features quite a diverse cast.

Elisabeth Moss, who plays June Osborne, a former handmaid who became a resistance fighter. She is the series' main character. Yvonne Strahovski's Serena Joy Waterford portrays a lady who was both a victim and participant in Gilead's brutality. Commander Joseph Lawrence is played by Bradley Whitford. He is a key player in the changing power dynamics.

Other important cast members included Ann Dowd, who kept adding nuance to Aunt Lydia, a character caught between obedience and compassion; Max Minghella as Nick Blaine, who was conflicted between his love for June and his responsibilities in Gilead; and O-T Fagbenle as Luke Bankole, June's husband, who struggled with his incapacity to protect his family. One of the series' most emotionally intense performances to date came from Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo.

Read More: The Handmaid's Tale showrunner assures fans of a complete ending for June despite a sequel series

Edited by Sroban Ghosh