Nearly five months after its premiere, The Handmaid’s Tale‘s fifth season concluded Wednesday on Hulu. Following a season that saw growing tensions between Gilead and what remains of the United States government and anti-refugee sentiment directed at Gilead survivors now living in Canada, the Season 5 finale ended in a way that left viewers shocked and devastated. Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 finale, “Safe.”
Titled “Safe,” the Season 5 finale saw the characters searching for exactly that: safety. Following a shooting in last week’s episode, June, with a massive target on her back not just from anti-refugee protesters, but also Gilead, found herself the target of yet another assassination attempt that left her hospitalized after she was struck and run over by a truck. Making things worse, and ultimately paving the way for the final moments of the season, Luke became a wanted man by Canadian police after the driver of the truck succumbed to his injuries, which Luke inflicted in his attempts to save his wife. Fearing that he could be arrested and hey could be separated, June told him that they needed to run, but despite her desire to remain together and not repeat the events that led to them being separated for years before, Luke ultimately sacrificed his own safety for his wife’s, forcing her to get on a train to America, with the parting words of, “I love you, June Osbourne.”
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But things weren’t any brighter for one beloved character still in Gilead. Following a several-episode absence, “Safety” brought viewers back to Janine. Having been living in the relative safety of the Red Keep under Aunt Lydia’s protective eye since she was recaptured in Season 4, the shroud of “safety” Janine found came crumbling down when Aunt Lydia was pressured to assign her to a new household as a handmaid. Although she ended up assigned to Commander Lawrence, who recently married Naomi Putnam, Janine proved that she wasn’t willing to conform to Gilead’s standards and channeled her inner June in a move that resulted in her arrest by The Eyes, the secret police and intelligence unit of the Republic of Gilead.
As the season closed with a shot of June walking through the train alone with her daughter only to stumble upon a familiar face – Serena with her son Noah – fans flocked to social media to react. For many, the ending not only proved to be shocking, but also heartbreaking. Keep scrolling to see what fans are saying about The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 finale.
‘How am I supposed to sleep’
“How am I supposed to sleep knowing i watched the season finale and god knows who long it’ll take for season 6 to come back,” one viewer asked.
‘Fantastic’
“The season finale of Handmaid’s Tale was fantastic!!!!” tweeted one fan. “You all did a good job! Amen!”
Nick
“Nick is just- there’s no words to put, that man loves June so much he took the risk and went to see her as soon as he knew she was hurt,” a viewer tweeted. “My heart.”
Janine
“The moment the reality of Gilead finally set in for Janine,” added somebody else. “The veil has slipped and I don’t think she’s going to be the good girl and Aunt Lydia’s pet any longer.”
June and Luke
“The parallels in this season were clever & yet sad. June & Hannah were the ones taken into Gilead custody in the beginning,” one person noted. “Now, Luke is the one taken into custody, separating the family AGAIN but this time June makes it out w/ 1 of her daughters.”
Serena
“Oh they can’t escape each other so june & serena better work together for survival and burn gilead down,” tweeted one person. “i am so f-ing ready for it.”
Hopes for Season 6
“idk how they’re gonna end it, but i need at least a semi-happy ending for june, nick, and janine. i need june and luke to get hannah back finally. i also need june and nick to be together somehow. i need janine to escape the shackles of aunt Lydia,” wrote a viewer.
