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The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Trailer: June’s Rage Reaches a Boiling Point

Will June’s anger destroy her — or move her to bring down Gilead once and for all?

June looks on sternly in The Handmaid's Tale Season 5
Courtesy of Hulu

Talk about an agonizing wait. The Handmaid’s Tale has provided TV watchers with some of the most compelling, edge-of-your-seat drama in recent memory, and fans are exclaiming “praise be!” as the Season 5 trailer appears to promise even more tension, conflict, and of course plenty of menacing close-up shots of Elisabeth Moss—something to which Handmaid’s Tale fans have grown a tongue-in-cheek attachment since way back in Season 1.

The trailer kicks off with a return to Season 4’s shocking finale: the handmaids, now faithful followers of their pseudo-messiah June Osborne, savagely beat Commander Waterford to death after he is lured to No-Man’s land with the help of Nick (Max Minghella) and Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford). Cut to current day, and June’s loved ones, including best friend Moira (Samira Wiley) and husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle), are growing increasingly concerned as they watch her unbridled anger reach a boiling point. We are only left to wonder now what horrors, however justified, she might inflict on the newly widowed and very pregnant Serena (Yvonne Strahovski).

With Fred gone, Serena’s main source of protection has died right along with him. Will Serena rise up and fight for her cause? Set out to destroy June herself? Or will her long prayed-for pregnancy finally convince her to step aside and be the mother she always wanted to be? June’s comment, “She’s bringing it here—Gilead,” suggests that Serena is not done trying to indoctrinate the rest of the world into her sanctified cult. Anyone who watches the show, though, knows that Serena’s motivations can, frustratingly, be very erratic—and her moral compass seems to change with the wind. We will just have to wait to see which side of the coin she flips this season.

Serena in a black veil in The Handmaid's Tale Season 5
Courtesy of Hulu

Almost equally as riveting as the relationship between June and Serena is that of another female pair: Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Janine (Madeline Brewer). The trailer gives us a brief shot of Janine, as she is once again back under the watchful eye of Aunt Lydia. This after yet another painfully close escape from the grips of Gilead for Janine in Season 4. It will be interesting to see if Janine resigns to her fate or makes another attempt, however seemingly futile, at gaining freedom.

The Season 5 trailer also treats us to a quick glance of the beguiling Nick Blane, June’s once-love and biological father of her baby, Nicole. The nature of their relationship is still very unsettled, with Nick still in Gilead and June having finally escaped to Canada. Plus, a final trailer scene in which June and Luke agree to go back to Gilead together (sigh…) seems to hint that her relationship with Nick has cooled, and that Luke and June have re-formed a close bond in their combined quest to win back their daughter, Hannah, from the strong and cold arms of Gilead.

One thing is for certain based on the thrilling teaser: the conflict between June and Serena will reach a peak it has yet to have hit before. The hot-and-cold, on-again-off-again dynamic between the female leads has long-been the strongest and most endearing aspect of an already enthralling show, so putting a laser-focus on their relationship should provide viewers with some of the most nail-biting tension yet.


The Handmaid’s Tale returns to Hulu for Season 5 with a two-episode season premiere on September 14th.

Written by Cassie Hager

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