The Handmaid's Tale recap: What you need to remember before season 6

Based on Margaret Atwood's classic novel, The Handmaid's Tale follows June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss), one of many women forced into sexual servitude by a Christian-based totalitarian regime.

Over five seasons, the woman formerly known as Offred escaped and infiltrated Gilead more times than the fruit have been blessed.

It all comes down to this now, the final season (although a sequel series called The Testaments is also in the works). Still, it's safe to say that The Handmaid's Tale will bring an explosive, probably harrowing end to this story of a gender scorned.

But to enjoy it fully, you'll need to remember what happened previously. That's where we come in.

Join us as we lift the veil and journey back to season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale, just when the walls of Gilead had begun to crumble.

The Handmaid's Tale recap

Five seasons ago, The Handmaid's Tale began with June and her husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle) trying to escape Gilead with their daughter, Hannah.

As fans probably remember, they failed to get away, which led to June's servitude and her daughter being taken away to be raised by strangers.

After many failed rescue attempts, June learned in season 5 that (a still very young) Hannah — or Agnes, as she's known in Gilead — was being fast-tracked into a Gilead marriage.

Season 5 ends with Hannah still trapped there, so expect her rescue to play heavily on June's mind in the final 10 episodes of season 6.

Read more:

• The Handmaid's Tale reveals first look at season 6 with June on the run
• Industry season 4 reveals original cast member exit and adds The Handmaid's Tale star

It's also worth noting that June has already escaped to Canada by this point, reunited with Luke, her bestie Moira (Samira Wiley), and Nichole, her other daughter she gave birth to in Gilead. You know, the one her father, a Gilead officer named Nick (Max Minghella), helped smuggle out.

June isn't the only one popping out babies in this dystopian future. Her former owner, for want of a better word, named Serena Joy, also brought a bundle of joy into the world when her son Noah was born. June actually helped Serena give birth in No Man's Land, but she was later separated from Noah in Canada when she was thrown into a detention centre.

Towards the end of the season, Serena was reunited with her son, though, and managed to escape with him.

Things have been rocky for June too, even after she escaped literal hell on earth. With anti-refugee sentiment rising and Gilead gaining popularity outside of its borders, Canada isn't as safe as it once was for everyone's favourite former handmaid.

Following an attack at a memorial service, June was targeted again when a truck sporting a Gilead bumper sticker ran her over, in front of her own home, no less.

Being the dutiful husband he is, Luke rushes out to save her, but he gets a bit carried away and accidentally kills June's attacker in the process.

You'd think the police would have given him a medal for that, but no, they instead issue a warrant for his arrest. The pair make a run for it, planning to escape Canada via a train that's transporting refugees out west to Alaska.

Their plan hits a slight snag, however, when they see officers checking documents at the station.

Luke nobly offers himself up to the police so June and Nichole escape in the chaos that ensues. Men aren't exactly known for doing the right thing in this show, but June's husband has usually been the one exception to that rule.

On board the train, June grapples with what's just occurred, realising that she must now save Luke as well as Hannah. But her thoughts are interrupted when she hears another baby cry...

Yep, after everything they've been through, Serena and her son Noah made it onto the same train as June, presumably under false pretences. The two women kind of smile at each other, shocked by this surreal twist of fate.

"You got a diaper?” asks Serena. June doesn't answer because the final season credits roll then, but it's safe to say that there's a s**t-storm gathering in store for them both at the end of this train journey, or even earlier for that matter.

The same is also true of Gilead, where Janine (Madeline Brewer) suffers as a handmaid for Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) and Naomi Putnam (Ever Carradine), who are due to get married.

In the face of abuse, Janine fights back, which leads to the Eyes taking her away. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), who's always had a soft spot for Janine, isn't best pleased by this development, sowing the seeds for not just this final season but also the sequel show, The Testaments. If you know, you know…

Meanwhile, good old reliable (and boring) Nick has agreed to secretly with the US government in exchange for June's safety. But when he becomes convinced that Commander Lawrence is the one behind the attacks on her, he storms Joseph's wedding reception and hits him.

While in prison, his pregnant wife leaves Nick, rightly convinced that he's still in love with June.

So, with all that said and done, how will this impact the sixth and final season? Episode 1 is simply titled Train, so it should come as no stretch to the imagination that the season 6 premiere will pick up where the previous season left off.

What's not clear is where June and Serena now stand. Can they work together as friends? Or will one inevitably betray the other before reaching their final destination?

June and Serena's relationship is complicated at the best of times, so instead of making more impossible guesses, we'll leave you with the official logline for season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale to look for more clues.

"June’s unyielding spirit and determination pull her back into the fight to take down Gilead. Luke and Moira join the resistance. Serena tries to reform Gilead while Commander Lawrence and Aunt Lydia reckon with what they wrought, and Nick faces challenging tests of character.

"This final chapter of June’s journey highlights the importance of hope, courage, solidarity and resilience in the pursuit of justice and freedom."

The Handmaid's Tale season 6 arrives on Hulu in the US on Tuesday 8th April. It will air on Channel 4 and Prime Video in the UK – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.

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