‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 Review: A Powerful Finale for One of TV’s Best Shows

The Handmaid’s Tale initially premiered mere months after Donald J. Trump‘s presidential inauguration. Now that the series is nearing its high-stakes finale, a few months into Trump’s improbable second term, with the U.S. spiraling into a far less safe and rational place than before, every aspect of the series hits a little differently. Yet The Handmaid’s Tale has always been about both suffocating social darkness and liberation in equal measure. Resistance may be tough, but never futile. Oppressors swarm and thwart plans, and their efforts are followed by swift retaliation.

Season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale sees rebels working to strike the final blows against a totalitarian regime in an exciting, complex fashion. Some beats and individual elements fall short, but the Hulu series’ final season doubles as a compelling conclusion thanks to strong plotting, incisive commentary, and never-better performances.

What Is ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 About?

Season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale is all about New Bethlehem. On the one hand, we get to see the growing efforts by some parties to build it up; on the other, we follow those of June (Elisabeth Moss) and co. to burn it to the ground. Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) finds herself involved in Commander Joseph Lawrence’s (Bradley Whitford) reformist plan to promote New Bethlehem’s more liberal version of Gilead.

That’s little comfort to the resistance, who reject partial servitude just as much as full servitude. Meanwhile, June’s efforts to destroy Gilead find both comfort and complications as relationships with both Commander Nick Blaine (Max Minghella) and her husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle) fluctuate, alongside shifting allegiances and new allies.

Minor Issues Aside, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Ends on a High Note

One of the strengths of The Handmaid’s Tale

 Season 6 is that its orientation around New Bethlehem doesn’t muddy or weaken its critical edge. Instead, the shift only sharpens the narrative, revealing that the “liberal” evils of New Bethlehem are different from those in Gilead but no less destructive; drinking watered-down poison is still drinking poison. There is no quarter in its thorough examination of collaborators. There are no “good” authoritarians, no rewards for those who sell tyranny with false promises, and the series’ writing has never been smarter about these topics in both theme and structure. Some of the dialogue becomes a bit leaden with exposition, but overall, this season’s writing is top-notch.

Moss is once again fantastic as June, who puts herself on the line again out of recognition that Gilead’s legacy has to fall for her and her family to live free. Season 6 provides some of Moss’s finest emotional work in the series, with many excellent scenes as well as emotional exchanges with Fagbenle, Minghella, and Strahovski. The latter also delivers a phenomenal arc in Season 6, with Serena gladly accepting face-value opportunities because she loves the promises that accompany them. Lydia Clements (Ann Dowd) is as wonderfully intolerable as ever, and Samira Wiley earns some of her most memorable moments this season as Moira Strand. It’s a stunner of a finale, with the main cast bringing home some of their best performances yet.

However, there are some instances this season where the plot seems to lag, with journeys taking too long or hitting repetitive beats. There are others where the writing is rather on-the-nose, such as the scene involving a set of characters overhearing too much from a powerful party… and by “too much,” I mean a loud villain monologue that overexplains the situation in an obvious manner. Certain moments also feel a tad easy or contrived in setup, too elegantly entered and too easily resolved and left behind.

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Has Never Been Sharper or More Poignant

With Season 6, The Handmaid’s Tale is a masterclass in how to end a sharp, politically imperative show in times of moral crisis. It pulls no punches, never hesitates, and has perfect clarity about where it’s going and why. These facets make for a strong finale, as do its thoughtful character development, great action, and gorgeous visuals. Moss and Strahovski deliver groundbreaking and at times heart-wrenching performances, supported by a great cast. The episodes are a little uneven, with some lag in the beginning as well as moments of needless exposition. Overall, the series still concludes with a well-written, incisive outing that reminds us why it has long been necessary in our era, and why it remains more necessary than ever.