Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 and The Testaments!
The Handmaid’s Talehasn’t quite ended yet, but the existence ofThe Testamentsis easily the biggest problem that the show has to face in the lead up to its season 6 finale.The Handmaid’s Talehas been one of Hulu’s most critically acclaimed shows throughout its six seasons, and many fans are hoping that it sticks the landing in its upcoming series finale. Unfortunately, much of the show has already been spoiled thanks tothe existence ofThe Testaments, creating a difficult balancing act for the show’s final season.
Margaret Atwood’sThe Testamentsis the 2019 sequeltoThe Handmaid’s Tale, with the book taking place several years after the events of the original novel. The Hulu series has gone in a different direction with itsadaptation ofThe Handmaid’s Tale, as the show’s story has deviated from the book since the end of season 1. However, Hulu has already announced thatThe Testamentswill be getting adapted as a TV show, meaning thatThe Handmaid’s Taleuniverse won’t be over when the original series ends.
The Testaments Removes A Lot Of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6’s Biggest Stakes
Since We Already Know What Is Going To Happen
SinceThe Testamentstakes place after the events ofThe Handmaid’s Tale, several of the biggest stakes that are featured in season 6 have already been spoiled.The Testamentsfollows three main characters: Aunt Lydia, Hannah, and Nicole, the latter of whom go by Agnes and Daisy respectively. Lydia and Hannah live in Gilead, while Nicole lives in Canada. Throughout the book, it is revealed that Aunt Lydia is secretly working for Mayday and attempting to take Gilead down from the inside, while Hannah and Nicole unite and attempt to find June.
Due toThe Testaments, several things aboutThe Handmaid’s Taleare already known. Firstly, June and Luke can’t rescue Hannah, as she has to be in Gilead until she is an adult. Secondly, Nicole will have to be split up from June at some point. Thirdly, June can’t die inThe Handmaid’s Tale,as she is still alive inThe Testaments. Finally, Aunt Lydia will have to turn against Gilead at some point, meaning that she will probably be radicalized inThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6. This answers almost all of the biggest questions that the final season has left, hurting the original show.
The Testaments Means The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Has A Challenging Ending
It Is Hard To Make Satisfying
Thanks toThe Testaments,The Handmaid’s Tale’s endingis so much more challenging. The series has the seemingly impossible task of crafting a satisfying ending to June' character arc while also leaving the story open for the future. June’s main two goals have been to save Hannah and take down Gilead, neither of which can happen beforeThe Testaments. June is in hiding in the sequel book, meaning thatThe Handmaid’s Talewill have to end with June failing at all of her goals and going into hiding. After six seasons of build up, this will be an anticlimactic way to endThe Handmaid’s Tale.
Even ifThe Handmaid’s Taledoes this, it is expected, which is the worst sin a series finale can commit. Heading intoThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6 finale, everyone who is familiar withThe Testamentswill know exactly what they are getting. Unless something is seriously changed,there will be no element of surprise. It is hard to have stakes when the results are predetermined, as the viewer will know that all of June’s actions are in vain.
The Testaments Is Still Exciting, Despite Causing Problems
It Will Continue The Franchise’s Legacy
The Testamentsis hurting its original show, but the sequel series is still exciting. Aunt Lydia’s arc is one of the most interesting parts of the book, and it will be exciting forLydia to complete herThe Testamentstransformationand become a protagonist. Similarly, it will be nice to finally spend time with grown-up versions of Hannah and Nicole, who inThe Handmaid’s Taleare both children with very little screentime.
The Testamentsdoesn’t have a sequel, meaning that the ending of the sequel series is far less predictable. The show won’t have a status quo that it has to maintain in its finale, fixing the big problem withThe Handmaid’s Tale’s ending. While it is a shame that the original show will have to suffer, it is nice thatThe Testamentscan carry on the legacy ofThe Handmaid’s Talefor a little longer.
