Just a bunch of juicy fan theories about the Handmaid's Tale in one convenient place.

Warning: This article contains MANY spoilers for The Handmaid’s Tale season three. If you’re not caught up yet, bookmark us and come back once you’re ready to properly debrief. Ready? Let’s go!

From the moment the long-awaited third season of The Handmaid’s Tale kicked off, the theories of what might go down next in Gilead having been rolling in thick and fast.

If you’ve been keeping up-to-date with your episodes, you’ll know that June decided to stay in Gilead and resist from behind enemy lines, in the hopes of retrieving her eldest daughter Hannah.

Watch the trailer for The Handmaid’s Tale season three below. Post continues after video.

Her choosing to stay has given us an insight into what’s happening with some of the major characters, and frankly we cannot wait.

While we wait for the rest of the season to unfold, the wonderful people of the internet have some theories about what might happen next and we’re most certainly here for them.

If you’re a super fan who doesn’t mind a spoiler or two, you’ll want to wrap your eyeballs around them, too.

Here are 9 of the best from various people lurking around the internet.

1. Nichole isn’t actually Nick’s daughter.

As we saw in last week’s episode, the fight for Nichole is well and truly underway, and while we’re prrreeeettty sure Nick is her father, we haven’t actually seen a paternity test.

Redditor bethesong thinks a plot twist could be on its way: “My fear is that is that the baby is miraculously Fred’s baby as a plot twist, and Nick will be taken to the wall for sleeping with a handmaid.”

We truly hope this is not the case.

2. The Waterfords are trying to take Gilead down.

OK so whoa.

According to one fan who commented on a post from the show’s Instagram recently, The Waterfords are actually trying to take down Gilead from the inside.

Yep.

“The Waterfords are not actually trying to get the baby back. The videos are a ruse to take down Gilead from the inside. They know the videos will insight a revolution from the already amped up Canadians. Serena knows she now ‘owes June’ and this is her repayment. And right before sh*t starts to go down, she’s using that cell phone to call Mr. Coconuts and get the hell out of Dodge,” Instagram user twinsoulpoets said.

We would LOVE to see this happen.

3. Hannah will escape Gilead, but June might not.

Seeing as the only reason June is still in Gilead is to rescue Hannah, this wouldn’t be all that unsatisfying (I mean, por que no los dos, but what can you do?)

In a Reddit thread for season 3’s episode six gaybotox posted, “My guess is that Hannah will get out of Gilead in the final episode and June somehow will manage to stay back again.”

Bloody hell, June.

4. Nick is an undercover rebel.

The theory is that Nick has actually joined rebel forces against Gilead after his deployment to Chicago, perhaps even becoming a spy for them.

"From the maps we know that American forces are standing their ground against the Guardians all along the West Coast, plus Texas and Florida," Reddit user Kspence92 writes in the very juicy thread.

"Could Nick be captured and perhaps defect to the US army and/or Mayday/Anti Gilead militia?,” they added.

Others agree that this could be a likely story line, with one adding that Nick may seek the rebels out of his own volition. Interesting.

“[Maybe he's] not being captured but seeking them out,” Reddit user oceaniadx wrote. “I’m excited to see what the rebel areas are like. Hopefully, we will.”

Reddit user kanjilal_s also suggested that Nick might be an “undercover agent like CIA or possibly an American agent there to bring down Gilead,” while NothappyJane added: “I think he’s a spy for other countries/resistance.”

It's very compelling stuff.

5. Commander Winslow and Commander Waterford's affair will come out.

Now THIS.

OK, so we're all suspecting something romantic is going on between the two commanders, right? And we know that if you're gay in Gilead – what they refer to as a "gender traitor" – you're typically sent to the "wall" to be hanged.

Enter Chrysblade's Reddit theory: "I feel like Serena is going to catch Fred in the middle of something with George and then it is to the wall with the commanders."

While we certainly don't agree with them being killed for this reason, we wouldn't mind seeing the back of them tbh.

6. Janine is pregnant again.

In episode 4, we found ourselves at the Putnams, who have ownership over Janine’s baby Angela. Commander Putnam also told Janine he would leave his wife for her a while back.

Ultimately, Janine – who was suicidal over the whole ordeal with the Putnams last season – was reassigned to a different Commander, and Commander Putnam’s hand was chopped off by the council.

During Janine's visit, Mrs. Putnam allowed her to hold Angela, which led her to ask to return to be their Handmaid.

“By God’s grace, she could have a little brother. Or sister,” she told them.

Look, we think it’s unlikely Commander Putnam has managed to sneak away with Janine to impregnate her, but some Reddit users think she this could be foreshadowing something their affair reigniting.

7. One of the prominent women will pull through.

Again, this is a little out there, but considering we've seen a teensy glimmer of kindness from Lydia and Serena (TEENSY), one Redditor thinks one of them could have a change of heart.

"Prediction: out of Lydia and Serena we have two prominent female characters who uphold the Gilead regime," they said.

"By the series finale I predict one will redeem themselves in some way and possibly even sacrifice themselves literally, and the other will go down hard and be punished in some way, possibly in a post conflict human rights tribunal."

Some even think Serena is going to join the resistance, forming an alliance with June.

We probably won't count on it, considering how shady Serena has been in the past.

Listen to Mamamia's recap of season 3, episode five of the Handmaid's Tale below. Post continues after podcast.

8. Commander Lawrence and his wife are rebels.

People on Reddit are convinced Commander and Mrs Lawrence are against Gilead, given the commanders' kindness to Emily in the past, among other clues along the way.

Reddit user ThatChelseaGirl further theorised that Mrs Lawrence is actually pretending she's ill to avoid supporting Gilead:

"I think she was vehemently against Gilead and was probably even a protester," she said. "When her husband became the creator, it devastated her... I don't think she's someone who could live a dual life or has a poker face. The thought of what those women have had to endure in the Colonies has weighed on her which is why she's depressed in their room. It's just safer if Lawrence says she's ill to protect that she's actually a rebel."

_MaryQuiteContrary added that she thinks Commander Lawrence is also part of the resistance. "I think as we learn more we'll realise that he's an integral part of the resistance – a wolf in sheep's clothing so to speak," shared the Reddit user.

9. Serena is going to run off with Mark Tuello.

Remember when Mark Tuello (Mr. Coconuts, as previously named) offered Serena an out from Gilead in Hawaii? And remember when she said NO, infuriating precisely everyone?

Well, he of course offered her the same thing in season 3, episode 5 and she turned him down again because UGH.

But Reddit users can't and won't let their hinted romance go.

"I would not need Tuello to offer me anything twice," shared NannyDearest. "Hot damn, Serena you so dumb."

Agreed. But might she change her mind?

So there you have it. Plenty to mull over until the next episode drops.

You can catch up on the latest episodes of The Handmaid's Tale on SBS On Demand.

For more on this topic:

• The 7 things you may have missed in The Handmaid's Tale season 3, episode 5, Unknown Caller.
• There's a new Handmaid's Tale fan theory that claims Nick is a rebellious American spy.
• "36 minutes into the new Handmaid’s Tale, I saw how refugees could be treated. It left me in tears."

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