Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale will be a bitter showdown between June (Elisabeth Moss) and Serena (Yvonne Strahovski). Hulu released the full-length trailer on August 24 with a major glimpse at how June’s decision to kill Commander Waterford may come back to bite her. “He was a monster. The founding father of Gilead. He took away our country. He had to pay for what he did,” June says in the trailer, before telling he husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle), “I killed him and I loved it so much.”
June wants Serena to know she murdered her husband, but Luke isn’t happy about that. Serena, who is pregnant, is suspicious about Commander Waterford’s death, which was masterminded by Nick (Max Minghella) and Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford). Serena is in Canada and appears to be forming a pro-Gilead group of her own. “Serena has the world behind her. She’s bringing it here, Gilead,” June says.
U.S. Government Agent Mark Tuello (Sam Jaegaer) warns June that she’s in trouble for killing Commander Waterford. “I think you scared Gilead as well. A handmaid killing her commander, I don’t think they’ll be able to let that stand,” he says. Meanwhile, someone in Gilead refers to June as “a cancer,” and that they “have to cut her out.”
Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) is still in charge of the captive Handmaids including Janine (Madeline Brewer). She tells them that “there are consequences for disobeying God.” Nick warns June to stay safe from Gilead, but June and Nick appear to return to Gilead to rescue their daughter Hannah who’s still there.
Season 4 of The Handmaids Tale concluded in June 2021. The entire cast is back for season 5, except for Joseph Fiennes, a.k.a. Fred Waterford, who was brutally killed in the finale, and Alexis Bledel, who played Emily/Ofglen since the start of the show. Alexis announced her departure from the Emmy Award-winning series on May 27. “After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid’s Tale at this time,” the actress told Variety. “I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support.”
In an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife in April, Samira Wiley teased how the dynamic between BFFs Moira and June will play out in season five. “We saw so much last season that June is so gung-ho ready to kill everybody, and Moira was like, ‘Hold on, we got a baby to take care of, calm down,’ ” Samira told us. “So really, it’s trying to figure out how to fight Gilead from within Canada. And how do they do those things differently? And also is it possible to fight Gilead from within Canada, or is that impossible? And if that isn’t possible, then what’s the next step?”
The Handmaid’s Tale is based on Margaret Atwood’s novel, where a futuristic dystopian society is ruled by fundamentalists who treat women as baby-rearing bodies. Season five premieres September 14 on Hulu.