The Handmaid’s Tale is finally back. When we last saw June and co., she and a group of other women killed Fred Waterford. In the season 5 premiere, June begins to face the consequences of her actions. Read on to find out the biggest takeaways from the season premiere.
Warning: Spoilers beyond this point.
Facing the Music
When season 5 starts, June is still at home, but Luke and Moira have yet to fully learn what happened. In a frenzy, June tells them she killed Fred before heading off. She meets with the other women. One of them, Danielle, wants to do the same thing (or something similar) to her former mistress, but June seems to be out of the fight now. At least the fight that doesn’t immediately concern her. When she leaves them, she pays a visit to Emily’s place, but Emily isn’t there, according to Sylvia. She went back to Gilead. June tries to take the blame, but Sylvia doesn’t think it really matters in the end. She and Oliver got more time with Emily, and they’re content with that.
Later, Luke finds June, who’s at the police station. She confesses to killing Fred and explains everything that happens. Despite this, she won’t face any charges as the murder happened off Canada’s soil. Though she will have to pay a fine for sending the finger.
Back home, Moira is worried about June, but Luke just wants to take the win. June mentions Emily to Moira, who says people going back is more common than you’d think. Moira goes to give Nichole a bath, and June wants to do it. Moira shares that she’s scared, and so is June. (She does get to help at the end of the episode.) Tuello arrives, and he and June talk outside. He tells June that Serena, and probably Gilead, are scared. Before he leaves, he commends June for doing what she had to.
The Widow Waterford
Serena finally learns about Fred and is moved to a different location for her safety. When she sees Tuello again, she believes he had something to do with it despite his protests to the contrary. He tells her about the ring, the finger, and the message on the wall. He thinks it was Gilead, but Serena knows it was June.
Serena goes to see Fred’s body, currently covered, when Tuello meets her again. He breaks the news but says he can protect Serena. She doesn’t believe that. To emphasize her point, she uncovers Fred’s body and reminds Tuello what June is capable of. When they leave the building, a group of supporters are holding a candlelight vigil for Serena and Fred. Serena decides that she wants to return to Gilead and give Fred a proper burial.
Commander and Mrs. Blaine
Earlier in the episode, we meet Nick’s wife for the first time. As he gets settled, she asks about June. It’s obvious Nick clued her into some of what happened, but it remains unclear just how much she knows.
The first two episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 are streaming now on Hulu. New episodes drop weekly each Wednesday. Read our review here and keep up with our recaps here.
