User Reviews

I was not a very bog fan of season 4, but it seems like the show is returning to former glory!

This episode was beautiful, especially the last segment with the funeral/ballet. I could have done without the last close up of a scowling June, but I guess we hadn't had a whole lot of those this episode. After that power display from Gilead, I am ready for a show down between June and Serena. And after seeing Hannah again, Luke may be ready to join that fight.

As frustrating as it is, I am happy that we get to see June struggle with PTSD and returning to a normal world. Trauma like this doesn't just go away.

The acting is overall superb. Mckenna Grace is delivering some powerful scenes, and I hope that Esther survives, so we get to see more of her. Also, Esther is becoming a fast favorite for me.

This season is doing very well so far, this episode is really well written. Great performance by Elizabeth moss as always.

We can clearly see that some hard work went into filming and directing this episode. I also like the storyline and the power dynamics between June and Serena.

The show still has the ability to make the viewer feel very inconfortable, angry, sad... not many shows can do that. Some people mind find it slow, but I liked every scene so far, there was no filler, the pacing is good and the actors are great. Good Quality show !

I' m looking forward to what's coming next this season !

Episode 1 kind of dragged on and it was just to update the viewers with what's happening with the characters. There is not much to say and a bit slow moving. We get to find out what's going on with Janine and Esther. June a a bit out of control.

Episode 2 we see that June has the upper hand and Serena is alone and not much help from the commanders when she takes Fred's body to Gilead. But the end of the episode is pure Serena evil and boy she really gives it to June !!!!! I am now very intrigued and looking forward to more of what the season will bring.

Hang in there Handmaid's Tale fans - it's bound to be a blessed ride.

I wish Elizabeth Moss directs the rest of the episodes. She need to be considered for her directing in the upcoming Emmys.

Brilliant episode...

This first episode of this Season was Ok but this is the answer ... it escalated to this where we need to expect evil, revenge and destruction!

I believe Yvonne Strahovski should also be nominated in the Emmys for her role she was amazing and proving to be a real deal in the series.

I wish the season will bring the end of the show since it seems that everything is wrapping up unless the producers will bring up a new unexpected thing as good as the first season.

Anyway even if it has more seasons, I would be watching since I doubt I will be disappointed by it!

I love the fact that Serena let's June know that she can get to her daughter whenever she wants. I love the smile by Serena at the end. I really hope that Serena comes out on top of this story. I am so over June getting away with everything. I really dislike June and I am not a fan of Elizabeth Moss. I think she over acts. I really hope they don't kill off Janine I think her heart is in the right place. She just needs to be a little stronger. Ester is beginning to be like June and I am not a fan of that.

I liked this episode a lot more than the first one. The first one just kind of drug on and on.

Once again, The Handmaid's Tale delivers a masterfully crafted episode. Serena's portrayal as a reluctant yet determined emancipated woman navigating the shadows of her husband's reign is simply divine. Her return to Gilead showcases her authority as she boldly imposes her vision despite the apparent hostility from the likes of Commanders Blaine and Lawrence. Serena's realization that the funeral she envisions for her husband does not align with Gilead's dictates sets the stage for a captivating power play.

In a seductive dance of persuasion, Serena advocates for Fred to be immortalized as a martyr, insisting on broadcasting his funeral worldwide to amplify Gilead's voice. Her triumph at the episode's conclusion, marked by a grandiose funeral, not only achieves her goal but also serves as a deliberate provocation to June, leveraging the presence of Hannah, June and Luke's daughter, in the ceremony. With the funeral broadcast globally, Serena anticipates June's reaction to the imagery, further fueling their complex dynamic.

Meanwhile, the Putnams take center stage as Tante Lydia orchestrates the placement of a new handmaid, Esther, under Janine's guidance. However, Esther's sense of entrapment culminates in a harrowing violation by Commander Putnam. Seeking retribution, she poisons chocolates shared with Janine, leaving both on the brink of death and Tante Lydia powerless in the face of Janine's suffering.

June's trauma intensifies with Serena's resurgence in Gilead, sparking fury and discord within her. Struggling to cope, tensions escalate with her longtime friend Moira, who bluntly labels her as unhinged. Encountering images of Serena and Hannah during a mundane outing triggers June's inner turmoil, reigniting past wounds with profound implications.

Episodes like this delve deep into character psychology, showcasing Serena's resilience in a male-dominated society while unraveling the complexities of June's psyche. The Handmaid's Tale continues to captivate audiences with its nuanced storytelling and compelling character arcs, offering a poignant exploration of power, resilience, and the enduring struggle for freedom.

We are led to believe that in a male dominant society that has repressed all women into servitude and sexual slavery that suddenly one woman whose husband a former commander now dead, is able to dictate to the command structure what kind of burial service her husband will receive. This also coming after this particular, dead commander has spilled his guts to Gilead's enemies on the outside about their society and their command structure, and anything else that would be of value to foreign enemies about how it is organized, and how best to attack it. But still this wife, of a dead and traitorous commander thinks she can order the command structure of men running this misogynistic society to do as she bids. I see no good reason why they would not have told this woman that they'll have her head or she'll get in a car and return to the airport and fly the "F..."back to Canada. To continue to tolerate her presence in the country and in the home of high commanders for the traitor's funeral is ridiculous.

And June's descent into madness continues right under the very noses of her "friends" but all that her best friend can say is "What the f... is wrong with you?" Gee ain't it obvious. This is not good science fiction or even good fiction.

So here we are with a once very good story now just being written by sad, desperate writers, who have no good imagination.

And yet again we get an episode of The Handmaid's Tale that ends with June angrily staring at the notion of Serena. The character needs to get out of this revenge zombie mode, not just for her own mental wellbeing as her friends and family will tell her, but just for the sake of the viewer. This is not the kind of thing that is going to expand the fanbase of the show or keep any long-term fans engaged.

There was not a lot going on in tonight's episode other than June and Serena's respective points of views. The awkward stuff with the chocolate first at the home and then back with the handmaids was not exactly fascinating.

I remember the first, let'ts say 2 seasons of The Handmaid's Tale. It had interesting urgent topics. The recent anti-abortion laws only underline that.

But somewhere along the way, that urgency has made full way for some sort of kitsch. Scenes in slow-motion, unnecessary gazes of the actors, eye-movements that (i suppose) should demonstrate emotion, yet are almost satirical, bizarre choices of music. Even the clothing and decor are 'off'. And editing the ballet scenes with Waterford's funeral, it's just too much.

It is now simply a show about 2 women that hate eachother and are looking for revenge. Yes, that can be called k-i-t-s-c-h, folks.

This was a show about human rights. But is has lost it's purpose and overstayed it's welcome. And we have almost 2 seasons still to go ... Blessed day (translation: Good God!!)

Ballet, for heck's sake? When you daughter that you want to rescue so badly is still in the fanatical religious state? When your sworn enemy went there and you know that she is capable well just right about anything?

The show has lost its credibility and urgency starting season 2. I mean as the original book ended and the script writers stepped in, it went quickly off the rails. Atwood is a consultant and thus may prompt whatever direction of events as she pleases, this is for sure, but it started going in circles. Oh, the close-ups make me sick to the bone, I mean stop making facial expressions and start acting.

This episode is even worse than the first one. The ballet/funeral scene was so cringe I cannot comprehend how did it get to the producing stage. The music on this show is so soap opera level dramatic and poorly chosen it makes it look like a pastiche of the first seasons and just pure kitsch. The plot is so empty, silly, the potential for plot lines are constantly wasted. In the past I was gripped by the show and now I am just rolling my eyes most of the time. I mean the scene when they see Hannah at the funeral. Was that a joke? The pathos, unlikeliness of something like this and the emptiness of the plot left me just embarrassed for the writers. Seriously now we have a close up after close up after close up about Serena and June having a beef and that is pretty much it. I know Hulu is milking that money off of their most popular title, but come on guys this is just sad.

Only slightly better than Season 5 Episode 1. Still WAY too much emphasis on being "artistic" and trying to push emotional buttons (especially via excessively long extreme closeups on facial expressions), and way too little focus on storytelling. It still feels like it has more in common with reality tv, which I detest, than with its once-great drama & suspense roots. What little forward motion of story there is drags on slowly. I don't know why imdb is mandating 600 characters in this review... I've already said everything there is to be said in 500 characters... anything more is just unnecessarily dragging out this review, much the way Handmaid's Tale drags out its story.

Another indescribably awful episode where zero happens. I can't believe that Moss is directing again. She struggles as an actress with her constant non-performances and her direction is diabolical too. If there were awards for the most boring TV series ever made then surely this would be a contender. I wasn't a fan of the first three seasons but they look like masterworks compared to this travesty of writing and production. Great if you want dead-eyed people staring out your TV set but 0/10 if you want anything approaching solid writing, character development, momentum, suspense, you name it...this show doesn't have it.