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Warning: This article contains spoilers for all of The Handmaid's Tale season 4.
How did we get here so soon?
It feels like only yesterday we saw June stretchered out of Boston by a group of Handmaid friends after season three's epic The Handmaid's Tale finale.
Six weeks later, we've seen her survive a gunshot wound, encourage a child to commit murder, commit a mass-poisoning, be captured and tortured, escape again, avoid drowning via milk bath, survive the bombing of Chicago, *takes deep breath*, be rescued by Moira, finally make it Canada, be reunited with Luke and Nichole, go grocery shopping, scream into Serena's face, testify against Fred Waterford and turn everyone she comes into contact with into raging revenge-machines.
Read more: Mamamia recaps The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 9: A deal with the devil.
It's been a busy few weeks, actually. Now we're only one week away from another season finale.
Watch: The Handmaid's Tale season 4 finale trailer. Post continues below video.
Historically, Handmaid's finales are... brutal. At the end of season one, June found out she was pregnant and was bundled into a mysterious black van by Nick. In season two, we screamed our lungs out as June was given the opportunity to escape with Nichole, only to hand her baby to Emily and stay in Gilead. And in season three, well that was the Angel Flight, and we were left not knowing if June was dead or alive (okay, who am I kidding? She was never going to die).
Anyway. All that history has me nervous.
Yvonne Strahovski told The Wrap the finale is "the most satisfying one yet", which sounds promising but... vague.
"I remember reading it with my jaw on the floor, just thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, this is going to be epic.' And epic it is," she said. "So it's very hard to talk about it without spoiling anything, but I think that's all I can say. Yeah, the satisfaction factor A++."
EEK. Well, June's already made it out of Gilead alive, so at least we don't have to worry about that this time around.
Instead, there are plenty of other questions that have been raised across season four which we need answers to. Please.
Whose side is Joseph on?
A few facts:
- Bradley Whitford is wonderful
- Joseph Lawrence has the best lines on this show ("Would your heart glow or something?")
- He's the most confusing, sly, infuriating character because SIR DO YOU ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT TAKING DOWN GILEAD OR IS THIS ALL ABOUT SELF-PRESERVATION CAUSE IT IS KIND OF HARD TO TELL
This season has seen an intriguing quid pro quo between Aunt Lydia and Joseph, that saw Joseph reappointed to the Commander's Council of tiny penises and stopped Aunt Lydia's retirement from torturing Handmaids.
And at points, it seems like he's also trying to soften Aunt Lydia, whose loyalty to Gilead may also be waning. Or is that wishful thinking?
But in the penultimate episode, he told June he'd get her Hannah... only in exchange for 10 children from the Angel Flight. I guess, logically, he could sell this to the rest of the Commanders, but it's also a horrible, horrible thing to do.
It kind of harps back to season three, when Joseph told June to choose five women to become Marthas, or they'd all die in the Colonies.
Joseph loves a game, but what does he want to be the result???
Who is Nick married to?
That wedding ring reveal was... shocking.
It shouldn't be. He's a Commander. Commanders have Wives.
But remember what happened to his first wife, Eden? And why were we not privy to the marriage? Will he get a Handmaid? DOES HE ALREADY HAVE ONE?
So many Nick-based questions.
Also, and perhaps most importantly, will Nichole grow up to inherit his beautiful brows?
What's going to happen to Serena's baby?
Serena's pregnancy is quite far along now, and there has definitely not been enough details shared about what is going to happen to the baby once it's born.
Gilead want the baby as its own but Fred's deal with Tuello is to stop that happening.
I think a Waterford labour would be a bloody good finale feature tbh, but surely we're all in agreement... She can't be allowed to raise this baby.
Also side note, assuming the baby will be safe in Canada and kept away from the Waterfords, I really hope it's a girl. Just to shut them up with their 'our son' bullshit.
Will Moira and June's friendship survive?
I am Team Joira (Mune?) until I die, but even I have to admit their friendship might be a sacrifice June is willing to make in order for revenge.
I hope not, because they love each other and have an incredibly important understanding of each other's trauma (more so June of Moira's, I'd say, given June was there longer and still has a child in Gilead). But things are tense and they have very different responses to healing.
Will Luke realise June is no longer the woman he married?
It's hard to see any future where Luke and June's marriage can go on long term.
He's been trying so hard, and the way in which he's gently navigated her trauma has been admirable and really lovely, but no amount of patience in the world is going to make him understand her.
I think when Luke told June to visit Nick, he was letting go of her a little, as much as that realisation devastated him.
She's not the woman he married anymore and after witnessing her raging outburst at Tuello, he is surely going to have to face that.
Can Janine and Esther escape?
Gilead is desperate for Handmaids, so they've made pesky, disruptive Mrs Keyes swap teal for red.
She has not been taking it well, which quickly attracted the very torturous attention of Aunt Lydia. And Janine, who is (almost) back in Wings despite begging Aunt Lydia not to send her back into service.
Janine warns Esther to stop acting out, because she needs to keep herself alive for when things get better. Shit, I love how nothing can kill Janine's hope that she'll one day be free.
Justice for Janine!!!!
Does Aunt Lydia's dissatisfaction at Gilead continue?
She's been increasingly... angsty at the system this season, especially as it deemed her unsuitable for service and blamed her for the wayward Handmaids.
Thanks to Joseph, she's got her seat at the table back (literally, she's in Jesus' spot at the Last Supper), but she's still going against the grain by avoiding finding Janine a new commander.
Could her fondness for Janine be the key required to unlock Rebel Aunt Lydia?
Is Fred actually going to go free?
THAT SIMPLY CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN.
I WILL RIOT.
There are only a few more days to wait until some answers, but I'm not sure my fingernails will hold up that long.
Read more:
- Mamamia recaps The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 1: June just turned into Aunt Lydia.
- Mamamia recaps The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 2: Serena gets her biggest wish.
- Mamamia recaps The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 3: GET THE HECK AWAY FROM THAT TRAIN.
- Mamamia recaps The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 4: F*** you, Steven.
- Mamamia recaps The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 5: OH MY GOD, MOIRA.
- Mamamia recaps The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 6: I'M EMOTIONALLY RUINED.
- Mamamia recaps The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 7: Operation Destroy Serena Joy.
- Mamamia recaps The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 8: Seven heart-wrenching minutes.
- Mamamia recaps The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 9: A deal with the devil.
Feature image: SBS.
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Top Comments
OMG, that's such an interesting point, anonymous. Imagine if Fred sacrificed Serena to get himself back into Gilead's ranks. That would be such a plot twist!
I do wonder about Nick too...