'The Handmaid's Tale' season 4: Top 5 things to look forward to in the next installment of the Hulu show
'The Handmaid's Tale' season 3 came to an end August 14. It was satisfying to finally see a stand being taken in Gilead by the women who are victims of a regime that has tortured its female residents long enough.
Even if the initial episodes were problematic and at parts messy, the end was satisfying. This brings us to the next season of the show. Hulu confirmed July 26 that its most celebrated and talked-about show will return for a season 4.
So what will we see in the next season and where will it take the biggest players of the show - June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss), Fred (Joseph Fiennes) and Serena Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski), Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) - and the supporting characters, especially Moira (Samira Wiley), Rita (Amanda Brugel) and Emily (Alexis Bledel)? Following are the top five plot lines we want to see explored in the next season.
Who will be June's new commander?
At the beginning of season 3, after Serena Joy burned down her residence and left Fred Waterford in a fit of rage June was reassigned to Commander Lawrence. It was not a draw of luck; the Commander who helped Emily escape in season 2 along with June's daughter Nichole had asked for her to be assigned to his residence.
Now that the Commander's wife Eleanor is dead, she will be reassigned. In episode 13, the finale of season 3, Aunt Lydia had even made a passing reference to this while she told June to not develop habits that would be problematic for her future commander.
What will become of Serena and Fred Waterford in Canada?
One of the most satisfying things about the finale episode of season 3 was how Serena's character was dealt with. Sure, she was promised immunity for crimes she had committed due to duress from the regime of Gilead and her husband. However, she did not expect to face the consequences of forcing Nick Blaine (Max Minghella) to impregnate June.
Mark Tuello (Sam Jaeger), who was on Serena's side until then, changes his mind after Fred tells the truth about Serena and everything she did to get a baby. She is then placed under arrest for the same, Nichole is taken away from her and her worst nightmare begins to play out. She is separated from her daughter, possibly forever.
Fred did this to teach Serena a lesson for betraying him and moving forward it seems their relationship will take a hateful turn that may be satisfying for viewers who have come to hate Serena's guts so far. Similarly, Fred will be tried as a war criminal and the vacuum he has left back at Gilead will only help June.
Will June go back to square one, begin her search for Hanna?
June did not escape with the others to Canada. The reason is her daughter Hanna, who is now Agnes in Gilead and a daughter of the Mackenzie family. In season 3, after repeated attempts by June to meet her daughter, try to speak to her and get her out of Gilead, Commander Mackenzie and his family are relocated.
So, will June begin again with a search for her daughter or will she take an active part in the resistance and plan further attempts to thwart the plans of Gilead and its high commanders? This is something we will see in season 4.
What will be the aftermath of the big escape?
Now that 52 children and a number of Marthas have made it out of Gilead successfully because of June, how will Gilead's high commanders react? With both Fred and Commander George Winslow out of action, how will Gilead regain its political footing to respond to this escape plan?
The only witness (with the exception of Commander Lawrence who is firmly allied with June) who could speak against June was the guard who spotted her while she tried to distract him to allow the others to escape. She did shoot him dead. With him gone, will June continue to work against the system by being a part of it? Or will her plans be found out by the high commanders of Gilead?
June is alive. While she is hurt by a bullet, Janine and other handmaids take her away to be treated so the aftermath will be an important part of the upcoming season.
There is another side to this big escape. How the little girls are assimilated and the role Luke Bankole (O. T. Fagbenle), Moira and Emily will play in the show. The creators failed to flesh out an arc for these characters in season 3, but they may very well do so in season 4.
Where is Commander Lawrence headed now?
Commander Lawrence did not get on the escape plane. When June tried to convince him to leave, he said he is not too fond of flying and added that Eleanor would have wanted him to stay back and fix the mess he created.
He is referring to Gilead, something he had helped create. Does this mean he will continue to work with the resistors against Gilead as one of the most powerful commanders? Will the others not be suspicious of Commander Lawrence once the news of the escape comes to light? This would be fascinating to see.
