Surprise: The Handmaid's Tale fifth season trailer is super dark
The Hulu series is as bleak as ever as June (Elisabeth Moss) prepares to return to Gilead
The more things change, the more things stay the same, huh? June (Elisabeth Moss) may have gotten her pound of flesh by eliminating Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes), but not much else is different in the trailer for the fifth season. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) is still traumatizing handmaids, June is still the queen of the thousand-yard stare, and the world of The Handmaid’s Tale is generally still a washed-out nightmare.
“I killed him… and I loved it so much,” June confesses to Luke (O.T. Fagbenle) in the trailer. This will come as a surprise to no one who’s seen June’s progression over the course of the series, but her methods for defeating Gilead may prove controversial. “If you’re not careful, she will pull you down with her,” Rita (Amanda Brugel) warns Moira (Samira Wiley).
While the Gilead survivors struggle over the right way to fight fascism (and how to keep its creeping influence out of Canada), those inside Gilead are engaged in a power struggle of their own. According to a synopsis from Hulu, Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) will work with Nick (Max Minghella) and Aunt Lydia to reform the country–but he may be thwarted by Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski), for whom being a pregnant widow has significantly raised her profile. She’s also determined to get justice for Fred’s death, which puts Lawrence and Nick in hot water. Though Nick points out Serena doesn’t know about their involvement, “It doesn’t matter what she knows… it matters what she believes,” Lawrence says.
What else is new? Not much: there’s the ongoing love triangle between Nick, June, and Luke; there’s the target on June’s back; and there’s the ongoing quest to liberate Hannah (Jordana Blake). It looks like, in order to rescue her daughter, June will be going back into Gilead, because of course she is. There is no Handmaid’s Tale without the endless trauma loop.
The good news is, if that’s what you were into the past four seasons, you can expect more of it here. The Handmaid’s Tale premieres on Hulu on September 14, 2022.