Emily’s Mysterious Disappearance in The Handmaid’s Tale: Unveiled in Season 6?

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In a short while, The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 will be streaming on Hulu; however, there is one lingering question: the fate of Dr. Emily Malek, who went by Ofglen and later Ofjoseph in Gilead, remains unknown.

As a devoted admirer, I can’t help but reflect on Emily (Alexis Bledel) and her pivotal role in June’s (Elisabeth Moss) path towards joining the Mayday resistance movement. Her experiences under the Gilead regime were unimaginably harsh, as she was exiled to the colonies following a compulsory procedure that left her irreversibly scarred.

As a gamer, I managed to escape from the confines of Gilead, thanks to the assistance of Commander Joseph Lawrence, portrayed by Bradley Whitford. However, an unforeseen twist led me to make a daring choice: I decided to return and confront my tormentors in Season 4.

After that point, she seems to have disappeared from sight. With her pivotal part in the captivating series, it’s speculated that The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 might shed light on Emily’s fate following her departure from Canada.

What happened to Emily?

In The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, it is revealed that Emily returned to Gilead with the intention of resisting after collaborating with June in the murder of Commander Fred Waterford (played by Joseph Fiennes). However, her ultimate fate is left uncertain, as her whereabouts and survival status are shrouded in mystery.

Towards the close of Season 2, Emily managed to escape Gilead along with June and Nick’s (Max Minghella) child, Nichole. Despite the initial plan for June to leave with her, June opted to remain behind in an attempt to rescue Hannah instead.

Emily managed to get back in touch with Samira Wiley’s character Moira and O-T Fagbenle’s character Luke, while they were in Canada. Later on, she returned to her spouse Sylvia (played by Clea DuVall) and their child Oliver. However, the emotional turmoil from her past experiences posed a significant challenge for her to overcome.

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By the fourth season of the dystopian show, June had left her situation and was resolved to seek vengeance against the Waterfords. Fortunately, Nick provided assistance in setting up this plan, leading Fred to No Man’s Land. Simultaneously, June recruited other surviving characters for help.

In unison, June, Emily, and the group overpowered and tormented Fred. The next day, they gathered at a diner to rejoice in their victory, seeming quite enthused by violence. However, June noticed that Emily was nowhere to be found.

As a devoted fan, I rush home to catch up on the latest developments, only to learn from Sylvia that Emily has returned to Gilead. “I believe she went back to fight,” Sylvia explains. “To seek out Aunt Lydia if possible. It was something she felt compelled to do.

June suggested a solution, but Sylvia told her to be quiet about it. However, Sylvia had previously told me not to wake Oliver up, and I’m curious as to why she would say that.

Sylvia remarks, “She’s no longer here. There won’t be another chance for me to meet her,” and she emphasizes that it’s pointless to search for someone to hold accountable.

We’ll cherish every moment spent with her, as she returned after being absent for some time. The time we had together exceeded my expectations. Considering the circumstances, we are truly fortunate.

June asks if she’ll get in touch if she hears from Emily, to which Sylvia says no. 

Although we don’t know what happened to her after she left Canada, fans have their theories. 

A Reddit user suggested an imaginative twist that deviates from the show’s usual themes: “I envision Emily as a character reminiscent of Robert DuVall’s role in Apocalypse Now, commanding a group of fighters within Gilead territory, strolling around, and discarding ‘death markers’ on slain Eyes following a skirmish.

Another said, “I feel like she’s training freedom fighters.”

The reason Emily left so abruptly

In my fandom enthusiasm, let me share this: It’s straightforward that Alexis Bledel, who brought Emily to life in The Handmaid’s Tale, chose to bid farewell after four seasons. Consequently, the creators had the challenge of devising a compelling way to say goodbye to her character from the Hulu series.

In her statement, the actress explained that after careful consideration, she decided it was necessary for her to leave The Handmaid’s Tale production at that moment.

I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to Bruce Miller, who crafted authentic and powerful scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the entire cast, and crew for their unwavering backing.

In an interview with THR in 2022, Miller discussed her exit from the series, revealing that the scene where Sylvia explained her departure was penned based on genuine feelings.

As a gamer, I’ll share a personal story here. During a challenging phase, [Alexis] took a significant step all by herself. She kept me in the loop about it, ensuring I was informed every step of the way.

In the spirit of how everyone was feeling at that moment, I aimed to handle it as such, expressing something like ‘Wow!’ Indeed, in certain aspects, genuine feelings seemed to steer the course.

Some spectators think that Bledel temporarily stepped away from the show due to a challenging divorce process with her co-star and child’s father, Vincent Kartheiser. It should be noted, though, that these are merely assumptions.

Will she be in Season 6?

Since Bledel has permanently departed from the series, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Emily again in The Handmaid’s Tale during its sixth season. Yet, there’s a possibility that her character might be referenced in the finale episodes as the story concludes.

There’s been a lot of discussion about the possibility of her character being featured in flashbacks, or her return to Gilead being mentioned by other characters.

Hey there! As a dedicated gamer and avid follower of this series, let me share my thoughts: “I sure hope we get to see Emily again in some capacity during Season 6. The way her character was handled in the previous season left me scratching my head, it just didn’t seem right.

The response was, “I’m sorry, but no. Writers often face practical limitations due to real-life circumstances, and it seems that the actress has permanently departed following the events in her private life after we finished shooting Season 4.

They might incorporate old recordings briefly as a swift flashback, or casually hint that there was interaction with her outside of the screen.

I concur that her departure felt abrupt. To be honest, it appeared unusual to me, as it happened immediately following a short period of time in the story where she was part of the Fred mission.

Then, unexpectedly, they led us astray by suggesting she was after Lydia. They knew we’d spot Lydia but not Emily. In other words, it wasn’t until much later that many viewers realized that was essentially Emily’s goodbye scene.

A third added, “Even though the actress is gone I hope we can hear some details on her in passing.”

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2025-02-26 14:20