The Handmaid’s Tale series finale aired on May 27, 2025, wrapping up six intense seasons with emotional reunions, losses, and June Osborne’s ongoing quest to find her daughter Hannah.
The episode started just after the American resistance’s risky plan to bomb a plane carrying Gilead’s top commanders on their way to Washington, D.C. Tragically, both Commander Joseph Lawrence, a key ally, and Nick Blaine, June’s love interest and Nicole’s father, died when the plane exploded on takeoff.
In a voiceover, June explained how Boston had been reclaimed from Gilead’s grip thanks to the death of its most powerful commanders. “We won here, at least. Boston is America again. Praise f, be,” she said while rebels burned Gilead flags and regalia. By the time Marines landed in South Boston, Gilead was already pulling out, and the fighting was almost over after 19 days. But June made it clear this was only the start: Massachusetts was free, and the plan was to keep pushing east to New York, then west through Ohio, Kansas, and someday Colorado, all while trying to rescue Hannah. “Gilead tried to fight, but they had no leaders. The Boston commanders were all dead before the fighting even started,” June added.
The finale gave fans a look at what happened to several key characters and how June began tying up loose ends before continuing her fight. Serena Waterford, June’s former mistress turned ally, was in the hands of U.S. agent Mark Tuello. As Serena headed to a refugee camp with her son Noah, she admitted she was scared. Many people wanted her dead, and her efforts to get foreign passports had failed. Before leaving, she tearfully apologized to June for the terrible things she forced her to do. June, showing compassion, told her, “I forgive you,” and wished her to “go in grace.”
Walking the streets of newly liberated Boston, June unexpectedly ran into Emily, a former handmaid she feared dead after Emily risked returning to Gilead to fight from inside. Emily explained she had worked undercover as a Martha for seven months and secretly stayed in touch with her wife, Sylvia, and their son through phone calls. Then June reunited with Janine, who had been captured by Gilead’s Eyes. In the middle of the night, June received a call from Tuello and went to the woods where Janine was dropped off by Gilead’s guardians. Aunt Lydia and Mrs. Lawrence, formerly Mrs. Putnam, later reunited Janine with her daughter Angela.
Meanwhile, June and her husband, Luke, greeted June’s mother and daughter, Holly, as they arrived in Boston from Alaska. Though her mother was worried, June revealed she planned to continue fighting to rescue Hannah and others trapped in Gilead. Both she and Luke had unfinished business with the rebellion and remained committed to freeing young girls still in the regime’s grip.
In the final scenes, June wore teal as she returned to the Waterford family’s old home, the site where her nightmare began. The house had been burned to the ground, but June entered the ruins, sat on the windowsill of her old quarters, mirroring the first episode’s opening scene. She smiled, imagining the reunion with Hannah she’d long dreamed of. Then she pulled out a voice recorder and recited the iconic monologue from the series premiere: “A chair, a table, a lamp, there’s a window with white curtains, My name is Offred.”
This ending left fans with a hopeful but open question, did June finally reunite with Hannah? While the show didn’t give a clear answer, it made one thing clear: June’s fight for freedom and family wasn’t over.
The Handmaid’s Tale finale was a powerful mix of victory, loss, forgiveness, and hope, perfectly closing out the story of June Osborne and the fight to overthrow Gilead.
