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S06.E10: The Handmaid's Tale

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Anela

Anela

(edited)

I was bawling when June was holding Nicole, and telling her that she was going to have to go away again. Just because I miss my own mother.

I’m not a fan of the second book. I wish they had just let the series end, and that the second one hadn’t been written.

Loved Janine getting Charlotte back. I don’t know why they had to dump her on the ground, like trash. Lydia didn’t get her cattle prod out for them? I don’t understand what happened to them when the planes flew over, and bombed buildings. I thought they were all supposed to be safe. 

I didn’t mind Serena getting the end she did. She gets to “just” be a mother, at least until she gets her footing.  The genuine humility was good to see. And the apology.

I didn’t mind the way they left things with Luke, either. Nick shippers at least got a nod there, too.

Emily!! Loved seeing her, too. I don’t quite buy her being friends with a commander, but at least she had a better experience as a Martha, and was able to FaceTime with her wife and son.

I liked the ending, too. The setup of her book being the beginning of the show. 

 

Edited by Anela
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kitkat343

kitkat343

It really felt like that episode had about 15 minutes of useful, watchable content and a lot of wasted airtime.  

At least Naomi did the only thing she could do for Charlotte, which was give her up. 

And it was interesting to compare Serena's reaction to the tiny bag of baby supplies to how angry she was at the end of her baby shower for Holly's birth, when she actually slapped Rita while they were sorting through an enormous pile of gifts.

 

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aghst

aghst

Ok not surprising that June will continue to fight.  It would have been surprising if she didn’t.

Forgiveness and gratitude.  June forgives Serena, who was redeemed.  Serena was iconic character because she was a true believer, who believed she was helping shape Gilead, until she was put in her place.

Gratitude to Lydia and Naomi for releasing both Janine and her daughter?  Why would they do that?  You would think they’d get in trouble.

June is going to tell her or Offred’s story, including her traumatic dealings with Serena and Lydia.

The happy endings are a little too easy.  June might need therapy as much as continuing her quest to get Hannah back and defeat Gilead.  In fact all these women do.

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Helena Dax

Helena Dax

Ok, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. There were good things, especially the fact that Janine FINALLY got her freedom. And her daughter! However, I honestly don't understand what happened. I mean, last time we saw Aunt Lydia, she was raging against the Commanders, but we don't know how, she isn't punished for that and, instead, she seems to have the same authority she had before, at least enough to convince someone to let Janine go. And the little girl should be more upset over being sent away from the woman she thinks of as her mum, but ok. 

I'm not sure Serena deserves redemption, but ok again. In fact, without being a June/Nick shipper, I think that Nick deserved redemption way more than Serena. Both helped to create Gilead in different ways, but I'm rewatchingh the show and let me tell you, Serena was brutal and cruel in ways Nick never was. 

The best part? Emily! I wasn't expecting it at all and was a great surprise!

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Black Knight

Black Knight

(edited)
1 hour ago, Helena Dax said:

In fact, without being a June/Nick shipper, I think that Nick deserved redemption way more than Serena. Both helped to create Gilead in different ways, but I'm rewatchingh the show and let me tell you, Serena was brutal and cruel in ways Nick never was. 

I agree Nick was not given to cruelty, unlike Serena. But he was a Commander, and ultimately every Commander does cruel things even if they are not personally cruel, because keeping a dictatorship like Gilead going requires cruelty. We never saw much of Nick being a Commander, but it was something we knew he was. Nick chose Gilead because he didn't have the personal strength to be a good man if it might cost him his life. The only thing he was willing to risk dying for was June. I found June's epitaph for Nick to be measured and fitting.

I'm fine with Serena's ending because it makes me smile to think how she'll be bouncing off the walls after some time in a UN refugee camp doing nothing but taking care of her kid. She's not having her feet kissed as a sudden heroine, she's not going to be involved in June's book, June didn't include her in her fantasy scene, and she's never going to be able to return to America. All of this is very difficult for a narcissist. I rather like that she got this instead of the death doing something heroic that I long assumed the show would give her. I'm sure eventually she'll manage to marry again, which will let her get citizenship in her husband's country and settle down to the sort of quiet domestic life she never wanted, and hopefully she uses better judgment in selecting Husband #3. It would be interesting to see if she ever acquires enough self-awareness and humility to be able to write the sort of book about her own involvement in Gilead that wouldn't get her excoriated all over the place for being self-serving. She managed to scrape up a believable amount of remorse and humility in her scene with June, perhaps because she'd realized at long last that no, they aren't friends, but there's a long way to go between taking accountability for actions in regards to one specific woman and taking accountability for all the other stuff - starting with her first handmaid who died by suicide and ending with how she tried to justify Gilead because all the women who were raped, lost their kids, etc. were just whores, gender traitors, bad people.

I figured the show would do whatever it took to get Alexis Bledel back for a cameo and that Bledel would be willing because it's just a short time back in Emily's skin and she could see as well as anyone that the series began with June and Emily and so really needed Emily's presence for the finale. I liked seeing June and Emily take a walk together just like in the beginning - but in normal clothes this time!

I just laughed at the line about the Eyes releasing Lydia. I suppose it wouldn't have been fitting for the series finale not to have one last bit of atrociously illogical writing. I've read the second book (which I personally really liked) and so I know why Lydia's been cleared and continues to have power in Gilead as an Aunt, but as ever with these writers they refuse to put the work into making things happen in a coherent, logical way and just handwave whatever they want to have happen. And hey, now we have a new border which will be as easy or as difficult to cross according to whatever the writers need in a given episode - sometimes both in the same episode!

All in all, a good series finale for a show that should have ended several seasons ago.

Edited by Black Knight
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crashdown

crashdown

58 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

She's not having her feet kissed as a sudden heroine, she's not going to be involved in June's book, June didn't include her in her fantasy scene, and she's never going to be able to return to America

Never say never--Tuello is essentially "America," and he can make whatever he wants to happen come to pass with a wave of his hand. I think the fact that June is joining forces with Tuello instead of Mayday and the fact that Tuello is Serena's only link to the world leaves things pretty open. (There's also the fact that Lizzie Moss has said she'd love to see what Serena's up to in The Testaments, of course! She's apparently the one who saved Serena at all, BTW. Bruce Miller wanted to push her off the train and have her dead on the side of the road as an anonymous corpse.)

1 hour ago, Black Knight said:

I figured the show would do whatever it took to get Alexis Bledel back for a cameo and that Bledel would be willing because it's just a short time back in Emily's skin and she could see as well as anyone that the series began with June and Emily and so really needed Emily's presence for the finale.

I wondered if the fact that Emily had been hanging out in Connecticut was some sort of sly meta joke about Gilmore Girls. If so, I chuckled.

 

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bmoore4026

bmoore4026

Well, I returned to see the last two episodes and I was a little pleased by what I saw.  A little.  I'm pleased it ended where it did with June starting to record her story and not jumping ahead a hundred years into the future with people going over her recordings and questioning their veracity. 

June's road still goes on, being the Joan of Arc against the still formidable Gilead.  Her mother crying asking why it had to be her and not someone else and June saying it was her that made her so strong got to me a little because I lost my mother six months ago and she made me appreciate things like classic oldies and Westerns and it made me realize how much I miss her.

I don't know how I feel like Serena getting a comeuppance of being reduced to essentially being homeless with a baby.  Feels even crueler that having her baby taken away and being put in prison.  But, I guess that's the point - she's no longer on top.  She no longer has power.

And of course we couldn't let the series end without Janine getting one last bit of abuse at the end.  She has her daughter, yes, but she's also going to have a lot of emotional trauma due to her abuse at the hands of Gilead.  I hate that abusive Wife that really believed in the ideals of Gilead gets off scot-free after the horrible things she said about Handmaids.  Then again, maybe she did with her losing the daughter Janine beared for her.

I'm guessing Aunt Lydia is working with the resistance now?  She is going to be a major character in the spinoff.

I got a feeling of nostalgia with June coming across the Waterford house at the end.  I wonder why it was never torn down and just left to rot.  I wonder if June cared that the house could have come down over her head and then there would be no leader to fight against Gilead.  But since when has this show been consistent about such things.  It was nice to see her smile now that she has her freedom and still has the will to fight against an overwhelming oppressive regime.

Don't know if I'll tune in for The Testaments.  I think I've had my fill of Gilead. 

I know this much - Elisabeth Moss should put in her acting for the penultimate episode rather than this one for all awards and stuff.  She did a better job in that episode than this one.

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tennisgurl

tennisgurl

We end this show where we began it...June starring into the camera as we see so much of her I can count her pours. 

As much as I think this show needed to end a few seasons ago, and as bad as the writing has gotten, I think this was a pretty good ending. June going off to continue the fight knowing that her family is as safe as they can be, and working on telling her story, is a good ending for her. Tons of speeches but they were a lot better than most of the speeches we have gotten and as silly as the constant "you should write a book" refrains were, like we get it its based on a book, but I did like the ending as June returned to the Waterford house and she starts the book. 

Serena still sucks and I wish that we had gotten her to truly express remorse about what she did when it doesn't involve something bad happening to her, but she did actually seem sincere at the end with June, and when she didn't have to be, and while I think she deserves to answer for her crimes, its probably not going to be easy for her to adjust to be in a refugee center with just the basics, so I will take it until we get to the spin-off. 

I fully squealed when we saw Emily, thank God we got to see her again and confirm that she's alright. I hated what they did with Emily so I am glad that the show begged Alexis to come back for this, and she and June got to walk and talk in Boston now without their Handmaid nonsense. 

I am not that interested in the spin-off after so many seasons of crappy writing, but this is at least as good of an ending as we were going to get after so much nonsense. 

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anna0852

anna0852

(edited)
31 minutes ago, bmoore4026 said:

I hate that abusive Wife that really believed in the ideals of Gilead gets off scot-free after the horrible things she said about Handmaids.  Then again, maybe she did with her losing the daughter Janine beared for her.

 

Don't know if I'll tune in for The Testaments.  I think I've had my fill of Gilead. 

Mrs. Putnam receiving no consequences is very sadly true to history. Think about all the Germans, who went to scott-free following World War II. They just picked up and went on with their lives. Only a handful were ever held to account.
 

I don’t think I’ll watch the Testament either. I’d much rather watch something focused on American society being rebuilt. Not with June front and center, I’m over her. But again, harkening back to World War II there is quite a historical template to be used when you think about the survivors of the concentration camps returning home and trying to restart their lives.

Margaret has always said that all the elements within the book were drawn from history.

Edited by anna0852
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Maurina

Maurina

(edited)

I have a lot of thoughts on this finale, but for right now what stuck out to me was Serena's fate (at least for now).  All those years of power and fear revolving around the idea that a woman's ultimate goal and role in life is that of a mother - by any means necessary - and now, she is told that while she now has absolutely nothing, she at least is a mom and needs to make THAT her entire life.  It's.... alarming?  Appropriate considering the character?  A sly (albeit) obvious observation about women's roles and expectations in our society in general?  All those things?

Edited by Maurina
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Boofish

Boofish

1 hour ago, Maurina said:

I have a lot of thoughts on this finale, but for right now what stuck out to me was Serena's fate (at least for now).  All those years of power and fear revolving around the idea that a woman's ultimate goal and role in life is that of a mother - by any means necessary - and now, she is told that while she now has absolutely nothing, she at least is a mom and needs to make THAT her entire life.  It's.... alarming?  Appropriate considering the character?  A sly (albeit) obvious observation about women's roles and expectations in our society in general?  All those things?

Be careful what you pray for; you just might get it

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watch2much

watch2much

Sorry, count me among those that were very disappointed in the last few episodes of this. I confess I wanted more retribution. With all we had to endure of the handmaids being abused and killed, I really wanted to see them incapacitate their commanders and use their tiny little blades to cut off their nether parts. What I didn’t want to see was the constant, silent June thought bubbles,  including the over 5 min. Of June wandering thru the house at the end. And I know I’m an outlier but it seems to me that Serena was the reason for the success of the rebellion and would still be a valuable source of information, so her fate was unrealistic. I, however, look forward to the Testaments and seeing more of Lydia.

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crashdown

crashdown

40 minutes ago, AstridM said:

What?

Nick/June shippers (Osblaine) are feeling betrayed by the show because Nick was killed and June isn't mourning him properly. They've turned against June viciously. I'm sympathetic to shippers, but if you worship the sort-of-Nazi guy at the expense of the female resistance heroine, you've sort of lost the plot of what The Handmaid's Tale is supposed to be about.

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Anela

Anela

4 hours ago, Maurina said:

I have a lot of thoughts on this finale, but for right now what stuck out to me was Serena's fate (at least for now).  All those years of power and fear revolving around the idea that a woman's ultimate goal and role in life is that of a mother - by any means necessary - and now, she is told that while she now has absolutely nothing, she at least is a mom and needs to make THAT her entire life.  It's.... alarming?  Appropriate considering the character?  A sly (albeit) obvious observation about women's roles and expectations in our society in general?  All those things?

Yes, all of this. 

1 hour ago, crashdown said:

Nick/June shippers (Osblaine) are feeling betrayed by the show because Nick was killed and June isn't mourning him properly. They've turned against June viciously. I'm sympathetic to shippers, but if you worship the sort-of-Nazi guy at the expense of the female resistance heroine, you've sort of lost the plot of what The Handmaid's Tale is supposed to be about.

Oh, I've seen some of that. I muted the subreddits, so the posts wouldn't be on my main feed when I'm there, because I couldn't take all of the posts about Nick. I just meant the "he would have chosen you, if he felt he had a choice." And I totally agree you on the worship of his character. 

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marinw

marinw

(edited)
On 5/27/2025 at 2:52 AM, Anela said:

 "Rage is a gift from God. It's meant to be shared with the most deserving." As they walked past the men hung on the wall. 

That bugged me. Who put them there? The Americans? That is not a good portent of the new American to come.

Speaking of, I’m sure they could let Serena and her son stay in Boston. She did give June the information she needed to kill the remaining commanders.

Edited by marinw
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crashdown

crashdown

(edited)
8 minutes ago, Anela said:

I just meant the "he would have chosen you, if he felt he had a choice."

Yes, you're right--that was probably intended to be a sop to Osblaine shippers. However, it didn't go over well, because the idea of Serena, of all people, giving Nick more grace than June did is anathema to them.

I personally love that line, because it's such a weird thing for Serena to be saying--Serena, who never manages to empathize with anyone except June. But Nick and Serena have always had a fascinating link through June: they've been set up as sort of literary doubles, torn between choosing June (whom they both love) and choosing Gilead (which gives them status and power). Ultimately, Serena chose June and Nick chose Gilead, but it easily could have gone the other way. Serena said that "he would have chosen you" line because she REALLY  understands what it's like to want to choose June and not feel able to do so.

Edited by crashdown
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AstridM

AstridM

1 hour ago, crashdown said:

Nick/June shippers (Osblaine) are feeling betrayed by the show because Nick was killed and June isn't mourning him properly. They've turned against June viciously. I'm sympathetic to shippers, but if you worship the sort-of-Nazi guy at the expense of the female resistance heroine, you've sort of lost the plot of what The Handmaid's Tale is supposed to be about.

I don’t even acknowledge the word “shipper,” LOL, but thanks for the explanation. Make it stop! 😂

40 minutes ago, marinw said:

That bugged me. Who put them there? The Americans? That is not a god portent of the new American to come.

Speaking of, I’m sure they could let Serena and her son stay in Boston. She did give June the information she needed to kill the remaining commanders.

Idk, I think they deserved what they got. Serena got much better than she deserved.

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marinw

marinw

Is there a reason Serena can’t go back to that weird commune she lucked into at the start of the season? With Serena’s luck, she will have a reversal of fortune soon and end up in a comfortable place. Her sense of entitlement is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The comment about children not being allowed in the refugee centre confirms my suspicion that the fertility crises that started all this is resolving itself, or else Noah would be fawned over.

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Black Knight

Black Knight

8 hours ago, crashdown said:

Never say never--Tuello is essentially "America," and he can make whatever he wants to happen come to pass with a wave of his hand.

That's overstating Tuello a great deal. I know they teased a possible hookup a little bit, the show's always liked to flirt with it, but Tuello can't wave his hand and make all the people who want Serena dead disappear. And ultimately I doubt he would make himself a pariah as well by getting publicly involved with her. Tuello could potentially be elected President of America if he survives the war, but not if he were to get involved with Serena. If he did marry her he'd have to leave America too, thus leaving his son behind, or live under incredibly heavy security which still has its limits. She'll never be able to live there safely.

5 hours ago, Maurina said:

I have a lot of thoughts on this finale, but for right now what stuck out to me was Serena's fate (at least for now).  All those years of power and fear revolving around the idea that a woman's ultimate goal and role in life is that of a mother - by any means necessary - and now, she is told that while she now has absolutely nothing, she at least is a mom and needs to make THAT her entire life.  It's.... alarming?  Appropriate considering the character?  A sly (albeit) obvious observation about women's roles and expectations in our society in general?  All those things?

It can be taken in many ways, but for me personally I cackled because I saw it as a way of her getting her just deserts, since she's avoiding going to prison. Stuck in a refugee camp for a while as a nobody doing nothing but childcare is a prison of a different kind for someone like her. And there's another way in which I think it's appropriate, in that for all that Serena says she's ashamed of her part and actions, I think she'd still choose to have it all happen anyway because she got Noah out of it. (Whereas June I fully believe would give up Holly's existence, her sisterly relationship with Janine, etc. for the sake of preventing the great evil of Gilead.) Well, here you go, Serena.

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txhorns79

txhorns79

1 hour ago, marinw said:

Is there a reason Serena can’t go back to that weird commune she lucked into at the start of the season? With Serena’s luck, she will have a reversal of fortune soon and end up in a comfortable place. Her sense of entitlement is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

She said she couldn't get a passport into Canada, and it's too dangerous for her to try to travel through Gilead, so presumably she can't get back there.

 

48 minutes ago, waterytart said:

Also, was that Alma in the karaoke scene?

Yes.

 

1 hour ago, Black Knight said:

Stuck in a refugee camp for a while as a nobody doing nothing but childcare is a prison of a different kind for someone like her.

Honestly, given she's seen what happens when unfriendly people recognize her, I have to think she'd welcome the anonymity. 

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LoveIsJoy

LoveIsJoy

Blessed be the boredom. 🥱

I guess I’m in the minority, but I thought this was one of the dullest series finale I’ve ever seen.  From the slow-as-molasses story pacing and lingering fantasy sequences, to the relentless, hackneyed, end-of-series conversations between characters.  This episode also managed to fit in the ultimate (and totally expected) leisurely sequence to June’s final camera shot.

 I kept nodding off during this interminable finale.  None of it felt inspired or interesting to me.  Count me in as one who thinks the series should have ended a few seasons ago.

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AngelaHunter

AngelaHunter

10 minutes ago, LoveIsJoy said:

I guess I’m in the minority, but I thought this was one of the dullest series finale I’ve ever seen.

Praise be! I thought I was the only one made nearly comatose by the endless slo-mo, the interminable dreamy-hazy sunlit flashbacks, the unrelenting sappy music, and the ton of filler, all revolving around June's face. I fairly had to pinch myself to stay awake. I think this is the first finale ever where I was so annoyed and bored that I preferred my phone game.

I didn't like June casually dismissing Nick with a kind of "Oh, well. He deserved it" shrug when Serena talked about him. She must have forgotten how much he did for her, often risking his own life to do it. He certainly did way more than her husband ever did. Speaking of Luke, it's been obvious for a long time that there's nothing between him and June. About time they put their marriage out of its misery.

Emily appears out of nowhere. She left her child to go and be a Martha in Gilead, for some reason. Her Commander was a good guy or helped with the resistance... I dunno. It was hard to concentrate by then.

So Serena has no real, serious consequences for the horrid, cruel things she did, and when she said "I'm sorry," June and I said at the same time, "You should be."

We got a little tease when Tuello, who has had a woody for Serena since he first saw her, said, "I'll find you." He'll come riding up and whisk her and the child off to a happy ever after. Yay.

But it was great to see they got to mistreat Janine one final time!

 

 

4 minutes ago, Jaundiced Eye said:

I kept alternating between looking out the window and my watch. Utter snooze fest.

Yes! At one point, I wailed, "How much longer?" and I paused it to see if it was nearly over, but it was only half done.

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Souris

Souris

Emily! Alma! Seeing them again was the best part. I may have squealed happily.

Rather a lugubrious finale with some major flaws and plot holes, and yet I teared up several times. Many finales are absolute train wrecks, and at least it wasn't that.

All I could think of at the end was "That house cannot be structurally sound! You are being dumb to climb the stairs. Is this when the house caves in on June?"

I am so glad Janine got her daughter in the end, but I don't believe for a second that Naomi would give her up just like that. She sure did a heel turn. Why was Lydia let go without any punishment after almost being hanged? (Sequel armor excepted.) Why did Guards/Eyes take them and Janine to the Americans?

Why would they bring a baby into what is effectively a war zone? Nineteen days is not enough time to make a newly liberated city safe for infants and returnees. It could have been retaken. How did they get buses into Boston? 

Why was Moira barely in the episode?

So many questions, answered only by lazy writing.

So Tuello is a ... commander.

"Not fighting is what got us Gilead in the first place." Pointed and accurate.

All in all, a once fantastic show that went on too long and suffered from weakening writing and self-indulgence, as more than a few shows do.

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AngelaHunter

AngelaHunter

Just now, Souris said:

I am so glad Janine got her daughter in the end, but I don't believe for a second that Naomi would give her up just like that.

No matter how heinous the kidnappings were, Naomi is still the only mother the child has known, and "Angela" is the only name she's known.  Naomi takes her out in the dark to a desolate road and hands her over to a stranger (Janine) and walks away. Angela/Charlotte laughs. Okay.

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crashdown

crashdown

(edited)
3 hours ago, Black Knight said:

That's overstating Tuello a great deal. I know they teased a possible hookup a little bit, the show's always liked to flirt with it, but Tuello can't wave his hand and make all the people who want Serena dead disappear. And ultimately I doubt he would make himself a pariah as well by getting publicly involved with her. Tuello could potentially be elected President of America if he survives the war, but not if he were to get involved with Serena. If he did marry her he'd have to leave America too, thus leaving his son behind, or live under incredibly heavy security which still has its limits. She'll never be able to live there safely.

Of course Tuello wouldn't become genuinely involved with Serena or (gasp!) marry her! But he could easily pull the strings necessary for her to become an American asset and have the protection that such assets get. In fact, it's exactly what would have happened if this weren't the final episode, necessitating a Fitting End for Serena. They could not have taken back Massachusetts without Serena's intel, which June freely admitted. She'd have been rewarded for that with safety in Boston. But since she's obviously not ready to full-on fight against Gilead, they had to move in another direction. If they want her back for The Testaments for an occasional cameo, I have no doubt that they'll figure out a reasonable way for that to happen. I also have no doubt that Elisabeth Moss will *really* want that to happen, if The Testaments is successful at all. I don't imagine we'll see Serena before a few seasons have passed and they're scrambling around for some new story. At the very least, I'm confident that someone will mention her in passing.

3 hours ago, Black Knight said:

And there's another way in which I think it's appropriate, in that for all that Serena says she's ashamed of her part and actions, I think she'd still choose to have it all happen anyway because she got Noah out of it. (Whereas June I fully believe would give up Holly's existence, her sisterly relationship with Janine, etc. for the sake of preventing the great evil of Gilead.)

I think it's appropriate, too. Serena has the two things she wanted most--June's forgiveness and Noah--and exactly nothing else. It's a good ending for her. Whether she'd do it all over again, knowing that she'd get Noah at the end of it, is an interesting question. I'm pretty sure that she'd do it all over again with some anonymous Handmaid, even though she HAS changed in many ways. Would she do ALL of it all over again, TO JUNE? No, I actually don't think that she could manage that--she loves June too much for that. I also agree that June would give up Holly/Nichole and Janine to prevent Gilead, but I don't think she'd give up Hannah for it. There are limits for both of them.

 

1 hour ago, LoveIsJoy said:

I guess I’m in the minority, but I thought this was one of the dullest series finale I’ve ever seen.

I think objectively it was not a particularly good series finale--too much forced fan service, not much really happening. The fact that it also had to move a few chess pieces around to set up for The Testaments didn't help. But really, there are very few series finales that I really think are GOOD: Star Trek TNG; Six Feet Under; The Americans; Halt and Catch Fire; Friday Night Lights; Newhart; Bojack Horseman; Freaks and Geeks. (Man, that's off the top of my head! I watch too much television!) The point is, series finales are hard, and expectations should necessarily be low. This wasn't a great finale, but it certainly isn't the worst one that I've ever seen.

1 hour ago, Souris said:

All I could think of at the end was "That house cannot be structurally sound! You are being dumb to climb the stairs. Is this when the house caves in on June?"

I thought exactly the same thing, and it would actually have been a dark and hilarious ending--June dies in the remnants of the Waterford house after surviving everything else. It would have been fire! :-)

Edited by crashdown
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AngelaHunter

AngelaHunter

8 minutes ago, crashdown said:

there are very few series finales that I really think are GOOD...Six Feet Under

That finale had me sobbing like a child. I also liked The Sopranos finale, although many people detested it.  Dexter's finale was worse than THT. It didn't just bore me. It pissed me off, so much so that it nearly ruined the series for me. I haven't watched any other series, not in full anyway.

11 minutes ago, crashdown said:

They could not have taken back Massachusetts without Serena's intel, which June freely admitted.

I still think Serena wouldn't have told June a thing if it weren't for Noah. Having a child did change her, but not that much. Whenever she does something good, you can be sure it's what's best for her. She could have said nothing, and let her dictator husband come home, dominate her again, and make her watch him raping Handmaids. I gather that option was so distasteful, she'd choose anything else so that spilling the beans to June was in her best interests.

Just a little aside, but right after the finale, I turned on the very first episode, just as a reminder of how truly monstrous Serena was. She couldn't forbid her weaselly husband from raping other women, so she turned her rage and frustration on those who couldn't fight back.

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Anela

Anela

(edited)

I think I'm fine with the finale, because I had low expectations. I'd seen the spoiler pics for episode nine, and knew that it seemed that Boston was liberated. They gave a few people as happy an ending as they could get, and set up potential future storylines, mainly The Testaments. June and Luke still working with Mayday. 

I've never watched all of Six Feet Under, or a few others mentioned. I keep meaning to. I do remember the finale for The Americans. That was good. I was really sick, but I made it through the finale that night. 

Edited by Anela
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marinw

marinw

(edited)
On 5/27/2025 at 11:12 PM, LoveIsJoy said:

I guess I’m in the minority, but I thought this was one of the dullest series finale I’ve ever seen.  

You're not, that was my reaction as well. So self-indulgent.

So I suppose Lydia has to stay in Gilead

Spoiler

because of The Testaments.

 

On 5/28/2025 at 12:00 AM, Souris said:

I am so glad Janine got her daughter in the end, but I don't believe for a second that Naomi would give her up just like that

She just lost her husband. No way she would let go of "her" child.

Edited by marinw
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chaifan

chaifan

It wasn't a great finale, but it wasn't a horrible one, either.  Other than June wandering aimlessly though an abandoned Commander neighborhood and being stupid enough to go into a condemned house (how is that stairwell still standing???), I could have done with about 90% less of speechifying to infants/toddlers.  ugh, both June & Serena's baby-time speeches were awful.  Oh, and the ode to Nick.  Sorry, I was never a "shipper" for them, never liked Nick.  It was not a healthy relationship.  

Why the hell was Serena sent to a refugee camp with next to nothing, especially baby supplies???  It was obviously planned, she and June were sorting through baby clothes.  Could they not have packed more than a grocery bag for her?  

I would have liked to see the departure apology scene done while they were sorting the baby clothes.  I think it would have been more meaningful if Serena wasn't being deported at that moment.  And then a simple "I forgive you" by June, just as Serena is getting on the bus.  The "I will find you" by Truello was just weird, and unnecessary.  And is "commander" really a rank in the CIA, or was he being snarky?  I couldn't tell.

I don't think Serena is all that much use as an asset - I think the CIA pretty much got whatever useful background info they could from her when she was in Canada.  And since then, she really hasn't been exposed to much high level stuff.  She knew when the Commanders were flying to DC, but other than that?  Not sure what she'd know at this point.  Wharton wouldn't have been sharing stuff with her.  But...  I would like to think that any mother and child would be getting priority treatment.  Yes, maybe the fertility crisis is lifting a bit by this point, but there's still been several years with few babies being born, and those kids would likely be getting good housing, medical care, education, etc.

At the refugee center, did anyone else notice the yellow taped lines around each set of cot & table?  Is that something that is normally done?  I could see it being helpful when people are all "her stuff is in my space", but it also seems to be a lot of work and would be very demoralizing.

I agree with comments above that it's silly to bring families back into Boston after only 19 days, with an active war still going on in other areas.  That made -0- sense, and wasn't necessary.  We really didn't need to see Holly or Holly again.  I'd rather just know they're safe in Alaska and will be reunited when it makes sense to do so.  Also, isn't Holly a doctor?  Wouldn't she be better utilized in any remaining hospitals rather than as a babysitter to her granddaughter?

Janine...  yep, just one more swipe at abusing Janine.  If Lydia is working with or somehow friendly to the resistance, it would have made more sense for Lydia to have smuggled Janine and Charlotte out. With the assistance of Aunt Janet/Phoebe/Ava, of course!  (Sort of disappointed we didn't get a last glimpse of her.  I still want a Truello/Phoebe spinoff series.)  They could have said that Nadine had defected to Canada, a little nod to Lawrence getting through to her just a bit.  But I still don't understand how Lydia is still alive & free in Gilead after her little speech at the hangings.  (Yeah, I know, sequel...)  Janine & child just being released by the Eyes made no sense.  

I'm glad Emily came back, that was a nice touch.  The karaoke was stupid, considering that the power was still out!!!  I did not like people hanging on the wall, not a good look for re-establishing democracy.

I'm not sure if I'm up for The Testaments or not.  I'll probably tune in.  Trying to figure out whether to read the book first or not.  I do know I want to go back and re-read THT, as I haven't read it since high school.  

 

 

 

 

  • Like 1
anna0852

anna0852

37 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I'm glad Emily came back, that was a nice touch.  The karaoke was stupid, considering that the power was still out!!!  I did not like people hanging on the wall, not a good look for re-establishing democracy.

The karaoke didn’t really happen, it was just June envisioning what could have been without Gilead.

And I’m going to assume that the people on the wall were extra judicial killings, similar to how concentration camp survivors turned on their guards at the end of World War II. Not some sort of official execution.

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crashdown

crashdown

8 hours ago, Anela said:

They gave a few people as happy an ending as they could get, and set up potential future storylines, mainly The Testaments. June and Luke still working with Mayday. 

Actually, only Luke (and Moira) is working with Mayday. June is going to be working with Tuello, and I guess occasionally the interests of the Americans and Mayday will intersect, as they did for the Take Back Boston mission. It's a little confusing, but I assume it's partially a way to give a reason for Luke and June to split up. Luke is full-on Mayday, and June is not.

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circumvent

circumvent

(edited)

Well, that was boring. I was dozing off and had to rewind a couple of times.  

14 hours ago, LoveIsJoy said:

I guess I’m in the minority, but I thought this was one of the dullest series finale I’ve ever seen.

I'm with you. And agree with the whole post

 

The corpses on the wall just show how pathetic Bruce Miller is. He can't even follow his own distorted logic for the events of this show.

I really having nothing to say. The show was so bad, the ending was, in a way, fitting. 

Actually, I do have more to say.

My old peeve of the babies that remain babies forever. Angela/Charlotte is supposed to be only one year older than Holly/Nichole but one looks like she is 4, while the other is stuck between 1 and 2. Meanwhile, Hannah is a young woman who can now bear children. Wasn't this a fear they had like, two seasons ago?

Agree with Angela showing no problem being left alone with a woman she probably doesn't even remember ever seeing. What a soap opera. 

As for June visiting the house and bringing back the speech from season one episode one,  was it a pathetic attempt to honor Margaret Atwood, using her words from the book? If it was, it was indeed, pathetic. 

On a side note, I am pretty sure those ruins were CGI. Something seemed off in that scene. 

Good riddance show. For the next one my expectations are already so low, if they can disappoint me they should get some anti-award for incompetence. I consider writing an art form. These people, the producers and writers, are in the business for money. The result is this crap

 

 

 

Edited by circumvent
Had more to say
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