The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 5), Episode 6 Recap and Ending, Explained: The blind justice that pays people back in their own coin reaches the most unlikely places. In Gilead, Aunt Lydia finally stands alongside women by denouncing the abuse of a high-ranking Commander. Joseph Lawrence, suspected of betraying the country’s patriarchal system, decides to intervene in this situation to regain his stature as a founding father. Not far away, Serena Waterford is given a chance to avenge her husband’s death, but a more significant motive forces her to let fate condemn the sins of others.
The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 5), Episode 6 Recap:
June Osborne and Luke Bankole are taken to a trapdoor in no man’s land. A group of unidentified armed men proceeds to take their mug shoots as the couple explains to them that they are actually refugees who got asylum in Canada. One of them recognizes Osborne’s Handmaid plug, but she diverts the attention with a curse before getting moved to an improvised prison. At the Wheelers’, Serena Waterford is about to leave for an ultrasound exam when Dr. Alan Landers arrives and tells her the hots arranged an equipped room for it upstairs. Although she looks uncomfortable with that situation, the procedure is done; the doctor informs her that her blood pressure is high and recommends rest. In the end, he awkwardly invites Mrs. Waterford for dinner, to which she just responds by saying it is an interesting proposal.
Aunt Lydia goes to visit Esther Keys at the hospital and finds out the Handmaid is three weeks pregnant. Assuming that they were at Fred Waterford’s funeral in that period, the middle-aged woman decides to investigate the case. She steps into Key’s room and asks if she behaved in a way that might have invited Commander Putnam’s attention that day. The girl reveals she was rapped by him, accusing Lydia of conspiring with that attitude since all the Handmaids go through the same. The superior attempt to counterpoint such accusations, but Esther starts screaming and thrashing against the handcuffs that tied her to the bed until the scene changes. At Joseph Lawrence’s office, the Aunt makes a formal complaint about the assault. However, he responds that no crime was committed, considering that Warren got Esther pregnant a day before she was posted. Lydia interprets this response as an insult to the Sacred Ceremony, Gilead’s ritual to conceive children, and demands justice be done.
Bankole goes around in circles while thinking of an escape. His wife, who is pondering the situation in a cell next to his, gets annoyed by her husband’s impatience and reminds him she had survived that before. Still, Luke feels responsible for getting them out since he was not able to support her the other times. Back at the Wheelers’, Serena and Alanis talk about Dr. Landers in the greenhouse. The widow says that even though the gynecologist was quite a gentleman that morning, she does not plan to go on a date with him. Mrs. Wheeler, on the contrary, insists on the idea, hoping that Alan will be a father to her guest’s child. Mrs. Waterford opposes the assertion, telling her they are not in Gilead. At that moment, she decides to go for a walk, her hostess rushes to block the passage, justifying that the weather is too cold and she needs rest. Serena resists, but Alanis sends her to her room, where the woman goes to cry alone.
The armed men return to the trapdoor and enter June’s compartment to check her fingerprints. As this happens, she asks them if she will be taken back to Gilead, to which they give a positive answer. The protagonist claims the henchmen to call Lawrence or Blaine, but they just push her against the railing, turning their focus to Luke. She advises her partner not to react, but as soon as the men open his door, he tries to escape and ends up being beaten to near death. The scene then cuts off to a conversation between Joseph Lawrence, Warren Putnam, and Nick Blaine. The older one mentions Esther Key’s rape, still in disbelief that it had such huge political implications. Mrs. Putmam reacts with a distasteful remark and takes advantage of the situation to underline his displeasure with Joseph’s plan to reopen Gilead’s borders. Ignoring the tension that fills the room, the duo exchange a few sexual jabs, whereas Nick remains silent in an attempt to maintain a good relationship with them.
Ryan Wheeler calls Serena to his office to announce that June Osborne and her husband have been apprehended by his team. He adds that she won’t have to worry because Ezra Shaw will be sent to deal with the situation once and for all instead of dispatching Osborne back to Gilead. Mrs. Waterford agrees with his decision, pleading to go as a witness, but the host denies it due to her condition. Lastly, she argues this point by saying she wants to be the one to tell her son what happened to his father’s killer, so Mr. Wheeler relents.
In the following sequence, Bankole wakes up on the ground as June starts apologizing for bringing him on that journey. He, on the other hand, takes responsibility for his decision, changing the subject to mention that there was no opportunity to say goodbye the last time they got separated. His wife, taken by emotion, replies they will find each other again regardless of the circumstances. After that moment, Ryan’s henchmen come back and proceed to escort them to a courtyard, where the couple is split into two vehicles. While Luke’s destiny remains unknown, June is driven to meet Serena in no man’s land.
The Putnams are having lunch at a restaurant under the suspicious gaze of the people around them. Naomi turns to her husband and questions what he did do, but the man just answers that it was something for which she will be thankful. A few seconds later, the Eyes arrive at the table, asking Mr. Putnam to go with them. Due to his reluctance, they take the Commander by force and drag him despite his wife’s protests. As Warren is thrown in the garden, Lawrence and Blaine, who were already waiting there, announce that The High Criminal Court of Gilead made a special overnight session and found Warren guilty of apostasy for the rape of unassigned property. He tries to counter the argument, explaining that Esther Keys belonged to him, but Nick pulls out a gun and shoots him in the head.
Once at home, Blaine has a conversation with his wife. She worries about how the previous event is going to affect his character, but he reassures her it was part of the duty to make Gilead a safer place for their child. The next take shows Mr. Putnam’s hooded body lifted by a rope in front of a group of Handmaids. They stare at him as Aunt Lydia describes that Warren took advantage of his position to do evil, hence justice was served. She finally ensures that girls are holy vessels who must be protected and leads them safely to the Red Center.
The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 5), Episode 6 Ending Explained:
June and Serena come face to face on the roadside. The first drops to her knees under Mr. Shaw’s threat, while the second switches places with him to point the gun at her rival, ordering her to pray. Osborne asks God that their daughters, especially Hannah and Nichole, do better than them in a peaceful life far from hatred and violence.
In the end, Mrs. Waterford says “Amen” and shoots Ezra instead, planning on using the former Handmaid as a way out of the abusive routine she has been experiencing lately. The widow then begins to feel what appears to be labor pains, yelling at her opponent to enter the car as both drive toward the unknown. Despite all the bonds they have made to destroy each other, the last one has brought them together, and even if its knot seems too fragile, it will last long enough until the two ends start to fray.
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THE HANDMAID’S TALE (SEASON 5) EPISODE 6 EXTERNAL LINK: IMDB
THE HANDMAID’S TALE (SEASON 5) EPISODE 6 CAST: ELISABETH MOSS, YVONNE STRAHOVSKI, ANN DOWD, O-T FAGBENLE, JOSEPH FIENNES, MADELINE BREWER
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