In 2017, 'The Handmaid's Tale' was dubbed 'the main dystopia of our time,' and Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name was read by millions. Today, Hulu presents the finale of the long-running story about the fictional state of Gilead and its inhabi...

EPISODE I.

A Date with the Enemy

The first episode continues the intriguing cliffhanger of season 5: sworn enemies June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) and Serena Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski) share a passenger car on a refugee train, trying to figure out where to go next. June unsuccessfully battles mounting paranoia and fear (a result of PTSD from her time in Gilead), while Serena successfully adopts the role of a poor refugee, convincing everyone around her of her goodwill.

Roman Kovalev

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Between Two Fires

In Gilead, Commander Nick (Max Minghella) prepares to face punishment for his righteous anger: in the season finale, he punched Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) for his cruelty toward June. The crime is committed, but no punishment follows. In the High Commander's worldview, young and ambitious Nick is destined for an important role—to guide and protect the new project of totalitarian Gilead. 'New Bethlehem' is an improved and liberalized version of the theocratic state with a more democratic approach to fertility issues. Nick accepts the new rules of the game, continuing to be torn between his duty and his love for June Osborne.

A Step into the Abyss

The situation on the refugee train escalates when Serena's past is revealed—the former Commander's wife shows her true colors, calling infertile women 'unfit.' Blinded by rage, former prisoners of the Gilead regime prepare to literally tear Serena apart. Losing control of the situation, June makes a contradictory decision—to save Serena and her child by throwing them off the speeding train. By the way, whether Serena survived or not, we will only find out in the next episode.

New Hope

The tireless Moira (Samira Wiley) tries to get June's husband Luke (O.T. Fagbenle) out of custody, enlisting the support of American diplomat Mark (Sam Jaeger). Meanwhile, June and her daughter successfully reach the lands of Alaska and meet her mother Holly (Cherry Jones), with whom contact was lost during Gilead's aggression.

In the first episode, you can feel the season slowly picking up pace, stretching the exposition and reminding viewers of the main problems facing the characters. Here we practically don't see Gilead and have no idea how the handmaids are living there now, which only fuels curiosity. The season trailer made it clear—we should expect revolution, a powerful climax, and the victory of the righteous. But that's still far off.

EPISODE II.

Let the Seeker Find

Serena and her child Noah (a baby with a telling name) miraculously survive the fall from the train and find shelter in a charitable home that welcomes women and dislikes men. The former Commander's wife introduces herself under a false name and makes a willful decision to stay in the shadows, if not forever, then at least for a while. It's interesting whether Serena can endure a long life away from her 'brainchild'—Gilead.

A Few Words About the Past

After an emotional reunion with her mother, June learns details about her life in Gilead—Holly worked as a medic in the colonies, the most terrifying places in the country, where radioactivity exceeds all permissible norms. Remembering her experiences in Gilead, June admits she never managed to pull her eldest daughter Hannah out of the system, and in a way, she repeats the storyline of her mother from the first season of the series.

The King's Move

In the closed chambers of the Commanders, chess games continue: the 'New Bethlehem' project needs to be skillfully 'sold' to foreign guests, so the High Commander proposes as an ambassador of their new 'brand'—Fred Waterford's widow, Serena. The need to bring the rebellious woman back to Gilead displeases Commander Lawrence, but there's no choice—he sets off with his new wife to find Serena (hoping to make her an offer she can't refuse).

Mayday

Moira and Luke decide to join the ranks of the opposition group 'Mayday,' which operates on Gilead's territory, while June is granted one weekly phone call—their conversation with Luke is perhaps the most poignant and emotional moment of the episode. Luke doesn't share his plans with June, only promising a quick reunion with hope for a bright future. But the heroes' future is murkier than ever before.

Time to Go Home

Serena meets Lawrence at her 'rest home' and after a brief conversation transforms into her old, 'Gilead' version: now her mission is to lift the country from its knees, help women give birth just as she did, and restore Gilead's reputation through the prosperity of New Bethlehem. Serena Waterford's mood is masterfully conveyed through close-ups and a shift in the color palette around her.

June loses contact with her husband and friend, and it eventually turns out they fell into a trap during an operational mission for 'Mayday.' The solution hinges on Nick—the only loyal face in Gilead capable of saving Luke and Moira. June is unequivocally clear—only she can convince her former lover to embark on another dangerous mission. After a dramatic and painful conversation with her mother, June Osborne decides to leave her child with her grandmother and heads back into the thick of it.

The paths of Serena and June unmistakably echo each other; while June moves by stages toward the border with Gilead, Serena, in a soft pink coat, studies her new possessions and prepares—to fight for them to the last.

EPISODE III.

Save Everyone

The sixth season of 'The Handmaid's Tale' delights us with flashbacks to the characters' past—so in each episode, June at least once disconnects from reality to calm herself on the waves of her own memory. The episode begins with the baptism of little Hannah—a strictly religious act that, in the context of the plot, takes on special significance for June. She herself prepares for an imminent meeting with Nick, who must help her save Moira and Luke from a trap in the neutral zone between Canada and Gilead.

Love or Duty

New Bethlehem prepares to welcome its first guests from abroad—Nick meets the new project manager, Commander Blaine, who seems suspiciously odd. But he has no time for long conversations—June is waiting for him in the forest for an emotional greeting and another impossible request. The writers certainly know where to strike—for several seasons now, the scenes between June and Nick have been the most romantic and touching, because a huge number of circumstances simply prevent the characters from being together. Despite the risk to himself and his pregnant (!) wife, Nick heads to the water park zone where Luke and Moira are stuck.

Who Are You?

The blissful sandy shore and freshly painted houses don't fool Serena; she quickly gets to the heart of the matter and tries to understand what specific task the Council of Commanders has set before her. The conversation between her and Commander Lawrence sounds like a conversation between him and the viewer: who exactly is this Lawrence? What is his motivation, what are his fears? How did he rise in Gilead's system and why doesn't he sabotage it, fully understanding the failure of the totalitarian regime? Lawrence hasn't opened up for a good half of the seasons, and finally they throw us this bone. Soon, very soon, we'll learn more about this character.

A Shortcut to Jezebel's

Finally, it's time for the handmaids under Aunt Lydia's (Ann Dowd) command! It's obvious that her system of control over the girls has long since failed, and Lydia is trying to hold on to what remains in her power. After an unsuccessful attempt to assign her favorite Janine (Madeline Brewer) to an old mistress, Lydia loses the handmaid and for a while can't figure out where she disappeared to (was she sent to the colonies?).

But the truth for the aunt is even more terrifying—Janine and other handmaids have found refuge in the underground strip club Jezebel's, where June Osborne and Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) used to go in the first seasons. Words cannot describe the shock Lydia felt when she saw 'pure' girls in such a God-forsaken place. She was also struck by Janine's words, for whom such a life is far better than serving in the Commanders' homes. So it turns out that everything is relative.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Foreign delegations step onto the lands of New Bethlehem, extremely skeptical of Commander Lawrence's project. His loud promises to no longer violate human rights and not torture women don't particularly convince the audience until Serena takes the stage. Her poignant and emotional monologue about her own pregnancy and the opportunity to live freely thanks to Gilead's ideas surprisingly convinces the delegation representatives, and the display of baby Noah melts all hearts. It seems that Serena Waterford holds the entire future of the fallen country.

Parting Again

Nick and June rescue the prisoners from the neutral zone—this scene is among the most awkward in the entire series—but they run into Guardian guards. Nick kills both, and the group escapes into the forest. The parting of the Commander and the former handmaid is once again super-dramatic, and it seems their love for each other will play no small role in the resolution of the plot.

In the sixth season, 'The Handmaid's Tale' has grown significantly in terms of drama and visuals, which is justified by its impending plot resolution. The need to bring the main characters' storylines to a logical conclusion has expanded the episode time for each, which can only please. We await new episodes, prepare to evaluate them, and empathize with June!