It took all of us a while to recover from that Season 4 finale of The Handmaid's Tale last year.
Now, after months of catching our breath, attention has firmly been diverted to Season 5, especially as now we have a brand new trailer to obsess over.
We have SO many questions – perhaps even more now that we've seen a taster of what's to come.
As fans will know, a lot happened in season 4, including the arrival of new teen handmaid Esther Keyes played by McKenna Grace and the brutal killing of Commander Fred Waterford by OG June (Elisabeth Moss).
And as the show continues into season 5, it seems the narrative focus will shift over to Esther, who is set to be "the new June" following June's escape from Gilead.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Grace said: “I feel like there’s only one June. But there is the whole rebellion and there are all of these other girls. So, there’s one June, and I supposed there’s one Esther as well! We’ll see what she gets up to into the next season. I have no clue, but I have hopes."
She added: "I think she [Esther] definitely can be part of this rebellion and the new generation of Handmaids. She will cause quite a stir.”
That, we can believe! Here's what we can expect from season 5?
What have we learned from the trailer?
It's A LOT to unpack. We see June react to her murderous act at the end of the previous season, and Serena's furious, grief-driven reactions. There is 100% going to be a showdown between the two women, and we cannot wait.
When June talks about the fact that she killed Fred, we see her admit proudly: “I killed him, and I loved it so much".
It also looks like the gap between Gilead and the rest of the world may begin to close, and Aunt Lydia and Commander Lawrence could truly come to blows.
“It’s about the future of Gilead," showrunner Bruce Miller has told Vanity Fair. “They’re holding it in their hands and pushing against each other all season.”
When will the fifth season be released?
As previously confirmed, the show has announced it will return on September 14, with two new teaser pictures. “Season 5 arrives September 14. #HandmaidsTale,” the Instagram post was captioned, alongside a smouldering snap of June, and one of Serena in what appears to be a black funeral veil.
Instagram content
Who will be starring in season 5?
The first real shocker of season 5 is that Alexis Bledel will not be reprising her role as Emily.
Five years after earning herself an Emmy for the role of Dr. Emily Malek, a former university lecturer who manages to escape Gilead, Alexis announced her decision to “step away” from the series.
In a statement to Variety, Emily said: "After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid’s Tale at this time. I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support."
As far as the rest of the cast goes, Elisabeth, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley, Ann Dowd, Bradley Whitford, Madeline Brewer, Yvonne Strahovski, O. T. Fagbenle, Amanda Brugel and Sam Jaeger are all expected to return.
Despite his character Commander Fred Waterford having been killed in S4, Joseph Fiennes is set to make a return.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Bruce Miller said: "The character dying doesn’t mean Joe stops coming and being part of the cast. We do have quite a heavy flashback show.
"It’s terribly sad. But it would be much worse if we thought we were never going to see Joe again on set. There’s two different aspects to it: the heartbreak of the story and the heartbreak of real life. And at least the heartbreak of real life is neutered a little bit by knowing we’re going to be seeing him again.”
19 children killed in the 27th school shooting this year in the US. A country that could soon ban abortion in more than half its states.
What will happen in season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale?
Spoiler alert!
One thing we can feel sure about is that Elisabeth will continue to spearhead the show because without June, there is no Handmaid's Tale to tell.
Showrunner Miller previously told Vanity Fair: “This story only exists as long as June was alive to live it and write it down. So I think that June is our guide. When June dies, our guide dies, and our show dies.”
When it comes to S5 plot predictions, it is likely that the show will follow the aftermath of June's murder of Commander Waterford.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, actor Joseph who plays Waterford said: "I felt that it really delivered the finale that I felt, and I think my cast-mates felt, was needed and deserved for the fans."
His death is bound to have huge consequences for June and the Handmaids as well as Waterford’s pregnant wife Serena Joy (played by Yvonne Strahovski).
In fact, showrunner Bruce revealed that the new season will focus on "a June-Serena thing."
Serena will react with a “white-hot fever of revenge,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. "Even though Serena didn’t like Fred and they have a complicated relationship, it’s now a June-Serena thing.
"She will want to find a way to metaphorically or realistically get June for this. June hit her house and she wants to hit her back. There’s that absolute toe-to-toe, woman-to-woman venom, but also, what is the relationship between two women where one killed the other’s abuser? It’s complicated.”
Even though the first season of The Handmaid's Tale closely followed the storylines of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 classic novel, all subsequent seasons have been created by the show’s directors so it's clear how faithful the story will remain to the tales.
Have they started filming for season 5?
Speaking to Drew Barrymore in May 2022, Elisabeth explained they were "halfway through" filming the fifth season.
"It's going really well, we're halfway through. I will say that it's a very big season. We've been on location a lot. We've been in studio very little, which for us means that it's very big. And we're just constantly on the road, a lot of location," she gushed.
A wedding? A strip club? OnlyFans?
.jpg)
Will season 5 be the last?
Showrunner Miller has spoken of back and forth aspect of bringing The Handmaid's Tale to an end after season 5.
Speaking to THR in 2020, he said: "Lizzie and I have talked about it, and the writing staff and I have talked about it extensively about where we’re going precisely, but I do feel like after this year, it’s a good time to reassess.
"So I know where I am in the story, and I do feel like we’re kind of reaching kind of a pivot point, but whether that’s the end or not, I don’t know. It just feels like it’s a good time to reassess what you were thinking, just because the story world has opened up because the real world has changed so much."
However, his tune seemed to change last year, as he said, “I’m never looking to end it,” at the Deadline’s Contenders TV virtual event.
"I know what the end is and I’m not going to overstay my welcome, but I’m also not going to rush off if I don’t have to, because as long as I am writing for Elisabeth Moss, it really doesn’t get much better," he added.
One thing's for sure: the promise of the new season has given us something to look forward to.
.jpg)
