10 Things The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Must Get Right To End The Show Properly

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 & The Testaments!

The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 is set to wrap up the story of Hulu’s critically acclaimed dystopian series, and there are still 10 things that the show must get right in order to end The Handmaid’s Tale properly. The world of The Handmaid’s Tale is absolutely massive, and with only a few episodes left in the saga, some viewers are wondering how the show will manage to fit everything into one final season. There are a lot of character arcs to finish and mysteries to solve, meaning that The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 will have to balance these 10 elements.

The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 ended with things getting worse than ever for June and the world of the franchise, which is surprising considering that the show should have started winding down. Season 5 saw Gilead’s ideology make waves in Canada, causing June, Serena, and many other refugees from Gilead to have to flee their former safe haven. Meanwhile, characters like Luke and Nick are getting into dangerous situations that could end up costing them their lives, with many of the other side characters being in similarly bad spots.

10 June Needs To Find Peace (Even Though She Can’t Win)

Because Of The Upcoming Spinoff

The main thing that The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 must do is conclude June’s arc, meaning that she must find peace. Despite getting out of Gilead, June has gone down a dark path, with her anger and thirst for vengeance meaning that she can never be the same. She has again been split up from Luke and is now fleeing her new home in Canada, but the show really needs to give some resolution to June’s constant tragedies.

Unfortunately, it will be impossible for June to win in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 due to the series having to set up a spinoff. Hulu is currently working on a series based on The Testaments, and in the book, it is revealed that June has gone into hiding and still hasn’t reunited with her children. Thus, June can’t achieve her goal of getting her family back together in season 6, but she still needs to find happiness in some small way.

9 The Handmaid’s Tale Must Finish Serena’s Redemption Arc

Whether She Continues To Improve Or Gets Worse

Despite Serena Joy being one of the main villains in The Handmaid’s Tale for a long time now, she has begun to have a bit of a redemption arc, one that season 6 must conclude. Serena’s pregnancy, relocation to Gilead, and team-up with June have caused her to reassess her priors, with her beginning to question the work of Gilead in the wake of the death of her husband Fred.

The end of The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 sees June and Serena get on a train that is fleeing Canada, meaning that the duo will most likely continue working together in season 6. Despite June’s hatred for Serena and her role in creating the world of Gilead, June can continue to be a positive influence on her. The Handmaid’s Tale could see Serena fully reject Gilead and embrace the Canadian system, rounding out her positive change from throughout the show.

8 Luke & June Must Reunite Again

After His Season 5 Capture

Luke and June had an eventful season 5, with things going horribly wrong as the finale approached. While June was being attacked, Luke ended up killing his assailant. Although it was in self-defense, June and Luke immediately became wanted fugitives, causing them to have to avoid the authorities in the increasingly fascistic world of Little America. As they were attempting to board a train to flee Canada, Luke sacrificed himself to the authorities, getting arrested so that June could escape.

Because of this, June and Luke will be separated again at the start of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 after having been together for only a short time. It would be incredibly tragic for season 6 to conclude without the show revealing Luke’s fate, and since saving Luke will undoubtedly be on of June’s big goals, it needs to happen.

7 Hannah Has To Be Set Up As The Next Handmaid’s Tale Protagonist

Giving Her A Bigger Role In The Testaments

The main goal of June throughout The Handmaid’s Tale has been to rescue her daughter Hannah, something that still hasn’t happened as of the start of season 6. At the end of season 5, Hannah is still enrolled in one of Gilead’s schools for future wives, with an attempted rescue plan going awry after some bad intel gets the rescue planes shot down.

Unfortunately, it is doubtful that Hannah will see June before The Handmaid’s Tale concludes, as she will continue to be within Gilead based on the story of The Testaments. In the spinoff, Hannah is still in Gilead 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, with her not meeting June until the end of the book. Thus, the show has to prepare Hannah to star in her own series after June fails to rescue her in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6.

6 Nick’s Gilead Fate Must Be Revealed

Will He Be Executed For Helping June?

Nick was one of the only friends that June had during her time in Gilead, with him continuing to provide June and Luke with intel throughout The Handmaid’s Tale season 5. Nick’s love for June becomes public as he begins to oppose Gilead’s handling of her, leading to him even assaulting Commander Lawrence at one point. This winds Nick up in jail, with his wife then leaving him.

Since Nick’s commitment to Gilead is being questioned, it is entirely possible that Nick could be executed by the state. After all, treason would undoubtedly be treated harshly by Gilead, and the discovery of his affair with June in earlier seasons could also get him the death penalty. Many fans are hoping that Nick makes it out of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 alive, but it seems unlikely that this will happen.

5 Gilead’s Invasion Of Canada Must End (Whether It Ends In Victory Or Defeat)

Will They Take Over Canada?

Gilead has continued to gain influence over Little America and Canada throughout The Handmaid’s Tale seasons 4 and 5, so much so that season 5 ends with many of the Gileadean refugees having to flee the country. Gilead will undoubtedly be interested in continuing to gain influence over its main rival country, and season 6 will have to show the conclusion to this storyline.

It seems most likely that Gilead will fully usurp the government of Canada, gaining a powerful ally in the West. Gilead’s victory over Canada seems almost inevitable, but it is also possible that The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 could show that the tides have changed, with Gileadean influence being driven out of the country. This will undoubtedly be one of the biggest storylines in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, despite June having fled the country already.

4 Season 6 Can’t Ignore Janine’s Story

She May Be In The Colonies

Janine is the main protagonist character who still resides within Gilead proper at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, and despite her not being connected to the show’s main June storyline, she needs to continue to get the spotlight throughout the final season. Janine was taken under Aunt Lydia’s wing in season 5, but after she refused to be posted at the house of Commander Lawrence, her season 5 story was concluded with her being hauled away by the Eyes.

It is possible that Janine could be sent back to the colonies in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, bringing her back to her imprisonment location from season 2. Janine’s mysterious The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 ending means that she most likely has a dark future ahead, but season 6 needs to show what happens next, even if ends in tragedy.

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3 Janine’s Arc Needs To Continue Pushing Aunt Lydia Against Gilead

Transforming Her Before The Testaments

Janine’s arc continuing in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 could have one positive impact, as it could continue to push Aunt Lydia against Gilead. Despite Aunt Lydia being one of Gilead’s most faithful servants in previous seasons, season 5 saw her begin to question the tenants of the country. Gilead’s treatment of Janine and Esther began this transformation, and Aunt Lydia’s opposition to the fascist state has to be explored further in the final season.

It is known that Aunt Lydia will have to turn against Gilead at some point, as this is a major reveal in the story of The Testaments. In the spinoff, Aunt Lydia has been secretly working against the state of Gilead, with her having a hand in helping reunite Hannah with June. Instead of having this transformation happen offscreen, it would be better to see it occur in The Handmaid’s Tale‘s final season.

2 Esther’s Tragic Story Needs To Be Wrapped Up

After Her Depressing Season 5 Story

Although Esther isn’t one of the main characters in The Handmaid’s Tale, she does need some more focus in season 6. Season 5 revealed that Esther had gotten pregnant after Commander Warren raped her, leading to Warren’s execution by Gilead. However, Esther will have to keep the pregnancy, and this child’s birth could be an interesting way to continue Esther’s storyline.

Since Janine is now imprisoned, Esther is one of the only characters who is still around for Aunt Lydia to interact with, meaning that she too could be important in pushing Lydia against Gilead. Actress McKenna Grace has become a much higher-profile actress in the years since she debuted in The Handmaid’s Tale, so it would only make sense for the final season to want to use her even more.

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1 Season 6 Has To Set Up The Testaments Spinoff While Still Being A Satisfying Ending

This Is Season 6’s Biggest Challenge

A common theme throughout this list has been that The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 is locked into several storylines due to the confirmation that Hulu is making a The Testaments spinoff series. Since The Handmaid’s Tale TV show has departed from the original book so much, a unique plethora of challenges will have to be faced as a result of this, something that could damage the ending.

While season 6 has to leave enough storylines open for The Testaments to work, the big fear is that this could lead to The Handmaid’s Tale not having a satisfying ending. The series will somehow have to wrap up the six-season arcs of characters like June, Luke, Hannah, Lydia, and more while still having them play active parts in The Testaments, with this being the biggest challenge of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6.

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian television series based on the 1985 novel by author Margaret Atwood. The series was created by Bruce Miller and stars Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, and Yvonne Strahovski. The show follows the story of a young handmaid as she is forced to deal with a new totalitarian government that subjugates women in this dark societal twist.

Cast

O-T Fagbenle , Joseph Fiennes , Alexis Bledel , Elisabeth Moss , Amanda Brugel , Bradley Whitford , Max Minghella , Ann Dowd , Samira Wiley , Madeline Brewer , Yvonne Strahovski

Release Date

April 26, 2017

Seasons

5

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu

Writers

Bruce Miller , Margaret Atwood

Showrunner

Bruce Miller

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