'The Handmaid's Tale' on Hulu: Will Alexis Bledel's character Emily Malek appear in Season 5?
'The Handmaid's Tale' is one of the most watched series on Hulu ever since it first dropped in 2017. It revolves around the life in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was once the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. Everyone is very invested in the nation of Gilead and has been raving about the show's depressing plot, and the phenomenal acting in the series.
Regardless of how depressing the storyline is, 'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 1 won eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 13 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series. It is the first show produced by Hulu to win a major award as well as the first series on a streaming service to win an Emmy for Outstanding Series. Elisabeth Moss was also awarded the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Drama Series. While all is hunky dory about the series, actress Alexis Bledel who plays Emily Malek in the series had earlier announced she was quitting the show, but the season 5 storyline says otherwise.
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Malek played by Bledel is a major character in 'The Handmaid's Tale'. She was a Handmaid assigned to Commander Deeds as Ofglen, Commander Scott as Ofsteven, Commander Roy as Ofroy, and Commander Lawrence as Ofjoseph, and is friends with Offred. She is revealed to be a member of an underground resistance movement known as Mayday. However, later real her name in the television series is revealed to be Dr Emily Malek PhD.
Earlier this year, the actress spoke to Variety and revealed why she would not be returning to the series on season 5. She 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.@
However, Cinemablend revealed that the first two episodes of the soon-to-be-released season, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival displayed that Bledel's Malek had returned to Gilead. While the reasoning was not published, Malek presumably returned for more revenge after the bloody ending to season 4; but until there is a confirmation, things can only be assumed as of now.
The Handmaid's Tale was created by Bruce Miller and is based on Margaret Atwood's novel by the same name. The series features actors Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, and Samira Wiley, among others.
The fifth season of the series will kick off with a two-part episode on Wednesday, September 14 on Hulu.