The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 Finale: 7 Ups & 1 Down From 'The Word'
Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum.
Contains spoilers from The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 Episode 13.
The finale of The Handmaid’s Tale has ensured that nothing will ever be the same again for the people of Gilead.
It's been an incredibly tough season to watch as the hit show put its protagonist (and the viewers, for that matter) through the ringer. June Osborne has faced trauma after trauma - hanging and rape, to name a few - and yet she's still standing strong. But the finale finds her in awkward position, which gives us some wonderful moments to re-watch over and over - specifically the confrontation with her commander.
Eden’s death continues to haunt all of the show’s leading women, with several struggling to comprehend how a young woman’s demise is what God would want. But they can’t read The Bible to figure it out, because they aren’t permitted to read. The 60-minute conclusion saw a lot of changes, as Serena takes a stand against her opressors, Emily has retribution on her mind, and June ponders what is likely the hardest decision she’ll ever have to make. There were confrontations and conflict galore, with an excellent script penned by Handmaid's Tale exec Bruce Miller. Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski and Alexis Bledel deliver astounding performances.
The Handmaid's Tale has wrapped up for another year, and it could be quite some time before we see the third season. But not to worry, because The Word ensured that the Emmy-award winning series went out on an extreme high - even if there is one really disappointing low.