After six brutal seasons, The Handmaid’s Tale has ended with a finale that is as restrained as it is heavy. With Gilead ousted from Boston in just 19 days and June Osborne still standing, the question lingers: Does she finally get her daughter Hannah back? *Spoiler alert*: She doesn’t. But this story isn’t done yet.
The finale offers a sight of freedom but not closure, and while fans were hoping for blood, catharsis, or reunion, they got a haunting setup for The Testaments instead.
The Handmaid’s Tale finale opens not with battle but with the aftermath. Boston is free, and June’s narration confirms it. But this victory feels hollow.
June remains separated from Hannah, who is now being moved to Washington, D.C., under the watch of the newly promoted Commander MacKenzie. Though she’s physically closer, Hannah remains out of reach.
In response, June recommits to the fight for motherhood, declaring she’ll “go state to state” to form a plan, one that involves Luke (now aligned with Mayday) fighting near the New York border.
The Handmaid’s Tale Series Finale Leaves Hannah Out of Reach
Despite the public’s desperate hope for a mother-daughter reunion, the series finale affirms what The Testaments requires: Hannah (renamed Agnes in Gilead) is not freed by June. At least not yet.
The Handmaid’s Tale showrunner Bruce Miller confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Margaret Atwood gave him a small “no-kill list,” which included Hannah and Nichole. So, while the logic of the series may have pointed to June rescuing Hannah, the sequel demanded otherwise.
Elisabeth Moss, in the same Hollywood Reporter interview, acknowledged that June “maybe getting her out” was something they considered. But ultimately, they had to pave the road for The Testaments. Moss added, “The final episode is that she’s not a handmaid anymore… she’s Onjune.”
June’s transformation from enslaved to sovereign is no longer defined by her trauma, even if she’s not yet reunited with Hannah.
That task will likely fall to The Testaments, which is already in production with Ann Dowd returning as Aunt Lydia and new faces Chase Infiniti and Lucy Halliday portraying Agnes and Daisy. Until then, June’s journey remains unfinished.
Janine’s Reunion, Serena’s Redemption, and More
While June doesn’t get Hannah back, other mothers do.
Janine, long regarded as June’s “little sister,” is finally reunited with Charlotte in a moment of stunning relief. That scene in The Handmaid’s Tale, orchestrated with Aunt Lydia’s quiet help, is the passionate payoff fans needed.
And a hint that Lydia may have finally turned against Gilead for good!
Serena, meanwhile, gets her redemption. Though June never truly calls her a friend, Serena’s betrayal of Gilead to aid Mayday earns her forgiveness.
Her final exchange with June has both an apology and validation for Team Nick fans: “If Nick had a real choice, he would’ve chosen you.”
As June goes up the staircase of the bombed Waterford mansion in the final scene of The Handmaid’s Tale, the horror-tinged framing reminds us that healing isn’t linear. And that Gilead’s shadow still looms.
She reaches for Hannah’s hand in her mind, a gesture that signals what’s to come rather than what’s been won.
Watch The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.
