Handmaid's Tale Finale

Handmaid’s Tale Finale

The Handmaid’s Tale Finale: A Disappointing End?

The finale of The Handmaid’s Tale, after five long seasons, landed with a thud for many viewers. After so much suffering and resistance, the ending felt strangely anticlimactic, leaving a bitter aftertaste of missed opportunities and unresolved threads.

June, having finally escaped Gilead and rebuilt a life in Canada, is still haunted by her trauma and consumed by a thirst for vengeance. The episode hinges on the capture and potential trial of Commander Lawrence, a key architect of Gilead. June, along with other former Handmaids, is given the chance to testify against him. However, the proceedings are largely sidelined, making Lawrence’s ultimate fate feel like an afterthought. He strikes a deal, promising to dismantle Gilead from within, a plan that rings hollow after witnessing his ruthlessness for so long.

While June’s rage and her desire to protect her children are understandable, the finale fails to deliver the satisfying catharsis many viewers craved. We see her confront Serena Joy, but the encounter is brief and lacks the emotional weight it deserves. The long-standing animosity between them, the core of much of the show’s tension, fizzles out instead of exploding. Serena, surprisingly, expresses a level of understanding, a shift that feels unearned and ultimately diminishes the impact of their shared history.

Furthermore, the finale seems to prioritize setting up potential spin-offs over providing a conclusive resolution to the main storyline. The focus on Lawrence’s dubious scheme and hints about Gilead’s future feels like a deliberate attempt to keep the franchise alive, sacrificing narrative integrity in the process.

One of the most frustrating aspects is the lack of significant progress in dismantling Gilead. Despite years of resistance, including the Mayday network and countless acts of defiance, the regime continues to persist. The finale provides little hope for its imminent collapse, leaving the characters, and the audience, in a state of perpetual struggle.

Ultimately, the Handmaid’s Tale finale felt like a wasted opportunity. Instead of offering a powerful conclusion to June’s journey and the fight against Gilead, it delivered a lukewarm ending that lacked emotional depth and narrative closure. It’s a disappointing note to end on, especially considering the show’s initial promise and its powerful exploration of trauma, oppression, and resistance.