The Handmaid's Tale season 6 spoilers are kept to a minimum in this review.
The Handmaid's Tale has long represented different things to different people.
For some, it's a cautionary tale. For others, it's a more direct reflection of what women have historically faced already (a point the writers often seem to forget). Either way, this alternate reality has also been labelled everything from 'prestige TV' to 'torture porn', and has become an award-winning show that's known for losing the most Emmys ever in just one night.
It's a lot to reconcile now that the final season is upon us; it is out now in the US, but has not yet arrived for those wanting to watch from the UK.
But what's in store for the final season? In just ten episodes, the show's last run must deliver a satisfying end for longtime fans of the series, based on Margaret Atwood's book, while also setting up an already-confirmed sequel titled The Testaments.
June Osborne (played by Elisabeth Moss) isn't exactly a stranger to pressure of this magnitude though. In fact, the titular handmaid seems to thrive on it these days, foregoing safety in order to keep fighting the good fight against Gilead.
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This is the drive of season six, a final chapter that regularly asks us to accept the impossible, be it major coincidences and gaps in logic or even decisions that are unbearably frustrating, all in the name of entertainment.
Yet somehow it mostly works still, and for that, we are blessed.
Episode one picks up where the previous season left off, throwing June and Serena together in the cramped confines of a train full of refugees hurtling towards Alaska. As always, TV's most back-and-forth relationship continues to thrill and confound in equal measure. One minute you'll be rooting for them, and the next you'll be screaming at their choices and overcome with a biblical rage.
Yet these final episodes aren't characterised purely by anger. Despite everything June — and everyone else who's suffered at the hands of Gilead — has been through, the writers do carve out space for moments of hope, and dare we say joy? Not of the "Serena" variety, but actual joy in rare scenes where the characters are reminded why they still keep fighting.
In that regard, there is at least some truth to claims made by co-showrunner Yahlin Chang that these final episodes would be "feel-good" in comparison to what's come before. Don't let that fool you, however. The horrors still persist, as they should, because anything to the contrary would betray the message of this show and the warning it brings.
But The Handmaid's Tale is so hellbent on reaching its final coda that the first half jolts ahead too quickly at points, brushing over (what would usually be) key developments in a rush to set all the pieces in place.
Luke, Moira and a surprise character who returns at the end of the premiere suffer most from this awkward momentum. At one point, June's husband and her bestie go through a major development that doesn't even take place on screen – we just get to hear about it when June does.
There's a lot to juggle when a show of this size and stature comes to a close, but it's not a good look when key characters of colour continue to be sidelined after years of criticism. Yet The Handmaid's Tale does, at least, engage with this conversation at last in later episodes where Moira and June come to blows in a confrontation that's long overdue.
Elisabeth Moss is typically brilliant in these scenes, and throughout the entire season, bringing that same ferocity and technical proficiency to her directing duties as well. But with Gilead's downfall imminent, or at least the beginnings of its demise now apparent, there's no better time to celebrate the rest of the ensemble too, each a vital piece in this totalitarian hellscape.
Samira Wiley clearly relishes the opportunity to sink her teeth into something substantial again, especially in the back half of season six where we're reminded why she was such a standout in the early days of this show.
Other award-worthy performances that round out the final chapter come via Madeline Brewer and Ann Dowd, whose interplay between Janine and Aunt Lydia remains a highlight, propelling The Handmaid's Tale towards its conclusion (and a future beyond that too, given Dowd will return again in The Testaments).
D'Arcy Carden also impresses as a new character we can only tease at this point. But we can talk about how Yvonne Strahovski once again delivers a tour de force of righteous delusion so palpable you'll end up crafting your own Emmy trophy to send her way if she doesn't win this year.
Oh, and Max Minghella also exists, bringing his usual blandness to the role of Nick.
Thankfully, another given you can take for granted is how beautifully crafted this season is. The Handmaid's Tale has always been as stunning as it is cruel, and that remains true now towards the end.
It seems Hulu didn't run out of money this late in the game, with its gorgeous cinematography and lavish needle drops that will make you fist-pump as June marches on to the final stages of her (very just) vendetta.
Said marching slows down in the back half of the season though, shifting from the weird pacing of the first few episodes to a more gradual buildup of tension now all the final pieces are in place. The result is electric, a reminder of this show at its best, even if it's become too easy now for June to pop back and forth to Gilead like she's out buying milk for her nan.
Where the story might end is still unclear, however, as critics were only given eight out of the final ten episodes to watch. Reviewing an incomplete story is challenging at the best of times, and even more so when you're considering the culmination of a series that's resonated with so many people over the years in so many different ways.
There's every chance the end will be an all-timer, but it could just as easily fall flat too if this somewhat inconsistent final stretch is anything to go by. Either way, it's a blessed day when a show of this calibre and standing is given the space to end on its own terms, regardless of how it actually turns out.
Season 1-5 of The Handmaid's Tale are available to stream now on Prime Video.
The Handmaid's Tale season 6 will air on Prime Video and Channel 4 in the UK.
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
