Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Handmaid’s Tale series finale and The Testaments!
Hulu has already announced that it will be adaptingThe Testamentsinto a TV show, and here is how the finale ofThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6 sets it up.The Handmaid’s Talehas finally come to a close after eight years, with the story of June, Luke, and the rest of the main cast coming to a close. However, Hulu will be continuing the story of manyThe Handmaid’s Talecharacters inThe Testaments,with the final seasons of the original show already setting up the sequel series.
The Testamentsis Margaret Atwood’s 2019 sequel noveltoThe Handmaid’s Tale, with it taking place over a decade after the original story. The book follows several characters fromThe Handmaid’s Tale, including June’s children, showing how Gilead has evolved throughout the years. While the arcs of the main characters are wrapped up in the series finale,The Handmaid’s Talestill leaves the story of Gilead open-ended, meaning thatThe Testamentscan continue to follow charactersin the oppressive country.
She Acts As A Mole For Mayday
One of the main characters inThe Testamentsis the former Gileadean villain, Aunt Lydia. Lydia went through a redemption arc in the final seasons ofThe Handmaid’s Tale, with her love for Janine and the Handmaids allowing her to recognize the wrongs of Gilead. Lydia is even sentenced to execution inThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6, episode 9, showing that her turn against Gilead has been completed. Despite this,Aunt Lydia remains in Gilead in the finale, with her helping Janine and her daughter escape to the United States.
Aunt Lydia’s presence in Gilead is essential toThe Testaments, as she stays there throughout the sequel story. In the book, Lydia is still an Aunt. However, she has secretly become an anti-Gilead advocate, with her writing a memoir that outlines her opposition to the Gileadean ideology. On top of that, Lydia operates as a mole from within the country, with her providing information about Gilead to the United States and Mayday. Lydia is key in Hannah and Nicole’sThe Testamentsstories, with her being one of the main characters in Hulu’s sequel series.
Until She Is Much Older
ThroughoutThe Handmaid’s Tale, rescuing Hannah is June’s main motivation, with her making several attempts across the show’s six seasons. Despite this,June and Hannah are not reunited inThe Handmaid’s Taleseries finale, with Hannah still going by the name Agnes and living with her Gileadean family. While some viewers may have found this lack of resolution disappointing, it is incredibly important, as Hannah had to remain in Gilead for the story ofThe Testamentsto work.
In the sequel, Hannah (still going by Agnes) has been living in Gilead for years. She has forgotten about her past life with June, with her preparing for an arranged marriage. to get out of this marriage, Agnes runs away to become an Aunt, changing her name again to Aunt Victoria. Then,she learns that she is the daughter of a Handmaid and the half-sister of the famous Baby Nicole. Agnes then learns that Nicole (who also goes by a pseudonym) is under her care, with the sisters teaming up with Aunt Lydia to smuggle information about Gilead out of the country.
Eventually, Although It Takes A While
Although it takes many years,The Testamentsreveals that Gilead eventually does fall. The information that Hannah and Nicole smuggle out of Gilead contains incriminating evidence involving Gilead’s elites. When this information leaks, it leads to a coup in Gilead, causing the government to fall. The United States takes this opportunity to attack, retaking Gilead’s territory and reestablishing the country. Thus, the story ofThe Handmaid’s Taleis finally completed, with the characters successfully destroying Gilead.
