Handmaid’s Tale Season 6: Shocking Character Updates You Can’t Miss!

June’s fight to rescue her daughter, Hannah, and to stop Gilead once and for all, continues.

The acclaimed series “The Handmaid’s Tale” is back on Hulu, with the initial three episodes of its sixth and concluding season now accessible for streaming. It has been some time since fans last saw June Osborne (played by Elisabeth Moss); the Season 5 finale was broadcast on November 9, 2022. Throughout the show, both Gilead and Canada – the usual refuge for Gilead escapees – have undergone considerable transformations over the course of the Emmy-winning drama’s previous seasons.

In the world of Gilead, Commander Joseph Lawrence (played by Bradley Whitford) is diligently working towards setting up New Bethlehem. This secluded location within Gilead serves as a sanctuary for runaways and dissidents, providing them with security and refuge upon their return to the country. Lawrence envisions New Bethlehem to function distinctly from the rest of Gilead. Moreover, it’s strategically designed to deter more people from leaving, and to enhance Gilead’s global image.

As a refugee from Gilead seeking safety, I’ve been considering that sanctuary might not just be an alternate route out, but a viable replacement for the typical escape path. Lately, Canada – once welcoming to Americans – has grown increasingly hostile due to its rising anti-refugee and anti-American sentiments. Canadians are now staging protests against us, and it seems that this country which once embraced us is turning its back. Desperate to find a new home, some of us are boarding westbound trains, aiming to settle beyond Canada’s borders.

The strained relationship between Gilead and the United States administration has been escalating. During Season 5, attempts were made by Americans to save children from Gilead, including June’s daughter, Hannah. However, this specific rescue mission ended tragically with several American lives lost. Yet, it’s clear that this ongoing conflict is far from being resolved.

Here’s where all the major characters are at by the beginning of Season 6.

June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss)

June and baby Nicole are traveling on a train heading west, searching for a safer environment where June can persist in her mission to rescue Hannah from Gilead. In the beginning of Season 5, viewers witnessed June grappling with her act of killing Commander Fred, which played out as a chase through the woods alongside other women who had been in Gilead. Tension escalated when a televised funeral for Fred was aired, showcasing Hannah dressed in purple attire. This color symbolized that Hannah was attending a school for potential wives-in-training.

Due to their recent discovery, June and her husband, Luke, felt compelled to explore the forbidden territory known as No Man’s Land in search of additional information about the school. They managed to secure a hard drive containing this data but were subsequently captured. In the end, June found herself at the mercy of Serena and was miraculously spared. Coincidentally, she went on to deliver Serena’s baby and was eventually reunited with Luke.

In the fifth season, June contemplated Lawrence’s invitation to reside in New Bethlehem to visit Hannah. She held on to the belief that an American rescue mission might bring her daughter back, but it didn’t work out. In the final episode of Season 5, June was intentionally struck by a vehicle adorned with the Gilead emblem. Prior to Luke surrendering himself to Canadian authorities to avoid hindering June’s escape, they had planned to board a train with Nichole headed west. As June and Nichole got onto their train, she encountered Serena one more time in the last moments of Season 5.

Serena Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski)

Serena brings her baby Noah back from the oppressive and unsettling Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler. She shares the same train compartment as June, having spent an entire season questioning where she belongs, neither in Gilead nor in Canada. At the beginning of Season 5, Serena returns to Gilead for Fred’s grandiose funeral, hoping to settle there permanently. However, the male authorities had other plans and made her a permanent ambassador in Canada to oversee the Gilead Information Center instead. This venture was short-lived due to Luke’s interference, who got the center in trouble for breaking building regulations. Serena was subsequently moved to the Wheelers’ house, where she was welcomed by aspiring Gilead supporters – a growing faction in Canada. The Wheelers’ home, however, soon felt more like a prison as Serena was kept under house arrest, unable to leave the property.

After June got caught in No Man’s Land, Serena persuaded Mr. Wheeler to allow her to kill June. However, instead of carrying out the execution, Serena shot her bodyguard, Ezra, and fled with June. Shortly after, June went into labor. In the confusion following the shooting of Ezra, Serena asked June to raise Noah for her. But June declined, prompting Serena to agree to go to a hospital. At the hospital, she was taken into custody by immigration officials. Desiring to see Noah once more, she returned to the Wheelers and later managed to escape with him.

Luke Bankole (O-T Fagbenle)

In the final episode of Season 5, Luke violently attacked the individual who had struck and injured June. On the train station platform, he understood that his actions would lead to his arrest upon attempting to board the train, which in turn would hinder June’s and Nichole’s escape. Faced with this reality, Luke intentionally surrendered himself to the authorities, drawing their attention with a whistle. This act of self-sacrifice was a manifestation of the remorse he felt for not doing enough to help June earlier on. However, it was this sense of guilt that Serena had instilled in him during his visit to her at the Gilead Information Center, where she manipulated him into believing he hadn’t done enough to protect June. This notion, later contradicted by June herself, came from Serena.

Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford)

Lawrence is fully committed to New Bethlehem and has been making efforts to bring June back in Season 5 so she can reunite safely with Hannah. He’s been growing more powerful lately and, during the latest season, managed to eliminate Commander Putnam, who was a troublesome adversary. (Putnam was killed because he raped Esther, a Handmaid, before she was officially assigned to his household.) Subsequently, Lawrence married Naomi, Putnam’s widow, as per Gilead society’s expectations for him to remarry in order to maintain his status.

Commander Nick Blaine (Max Minghella)

In Season 5, Nick found it challenging to juggle his marriage life with Rose while maintaining his bond with June. Rose was expecting a child, and within the confines of Gilead, Nick assumed the role of a high-ranking Commander who mingled with the upper echelon and collaborated closely with Lawrence. However, he also remained a crucial ally for June. He was the one to explain the significance of the purple garments to her, and he even visited June in the hospital after she was involved in a car accident. At the onset of Season 5, Nick opted against secretly collaborating with the Americans. By the finale, he reconsidered his stance and decided to aid the resistance movement fighting against Gilead.

Moira Strand (Samira Wiley)

Despite June and Luke leaving Canada towards the end of Season 5, Moira remains in the country. It’s likely that she can leverage her connections within Canada to aid Luke following his arrest. Initially, Moira was hesitant about working with June after she killed Fred, but she continued to collaborate with them to gather information about Gilead. In Season 5, Moira shared knowledge of a group of refugee women at the border, who were later revealed to be part of Mayday and assisted June in reaching out to Nick, enabling her to uncover details about the purple attire.

Janine Lindo (Madeline Brewer)

In my perspective as a movie reviewer, the cliffhanger at the end of Season 5 leaves us questioning the fate of the resilient character, Janine. As the season concluded, she was forcibly taken away by Gilead officials in a van, bound for an undisclosed location. This harsh punishment came after she dared to voice her dissent towards Naomi, who was poised to become her new matron under the arrangement proposed by Aunt Lydia. The arrangement, intended to allow Janine to live with her daughter, Angela, would have been a rare blessing in Gilead. However, when a Martha shared with Janine the harrowing news about June and the dangers that even ex-Gilead residents may face, it sent shockwaves through Janine. Overwhelmed by the information, she lashed out at Naomi, calling her “Ofjoseph,” and confessed to her that she harbored deep hatred. This emotional outburst has left us on edge, eagerly waiting for Season 6 to unfold the next chapter of Janine’s story in Gilead.

Even though Aunt Lydia promised the men escorting Janine that she’d reach out to Lawrence for aid, they clarified that it was Lawrence who decided on the punishment initially. Additionally, Janine had a close brush with death during Season 5, as Esther deliberately poisoned herself and inadvertently affected Janine too.

Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd)

Aunt Lydia, once a staunch supporter of Gilead, has begun to recognize its deceptive brutal nature. The harsh treatment of Esther prompted Aunt Lydia to challenge Lawrence and demand retribution. However, Putnam paid the price for his misdeeds, and at first, Lawrence suggested that Aunt Lydia must be aware of the Gilead men’s mistreatment of Handmaids. Later on, it was Esther who confronted Aunt Lydia about her role in instigating such violence. Despite clinging to her faith in Gilead’s religious foundations, Aunt Lydia’s actions and beliefs appear to be increasingly at odds with the horrific realities she encounters, suggesting a potential weakening of her unwavering support for Gilead even as the story reaches its climax.

Mark Tuello (Sam Jaeger)

Mark Tuello functions as a bridge between the U.S. government and Gilead, acting as a political intermediary for both parties. He effortlessly crosses borders, providing assistance to June and refugees while maintaining friendly relations with Commanders. In Season 5, he assisted Serena in returning to Gilead to arrange Fred’s funeral, showing empathy towards her predicament. Moreover, he attempted, unsuccessfully, to orchestrate a rescue mission aimed at saving children from Gilead, including Hannah. Significantly, Tuello played a pivotal role in helping June and Nichole escape during the Season 5 finale.

2025-04-08 07:48