‘The Testaments’ has a surprise ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ cameo and we're sure you missed it
Since 'The Testaments' was announced, fans have been excited about the prospect of several stars from the original show returning to their screens. The Hulu show is a spin-off of the highly successful 'The Handmaid's Tale,' set four years after the series finale. Three episodes of the show were released all at once on Wednesday, with the remaining seven episodes set to drop every week. It is safe to say the fans weren't disappointed, as the showmakers quickly brought a familiar face back into the fold.
Elisabeth Moss' June appeared twice in the show. Moss also serves as the Executive Producer for the spin-off. The actress played June in the original series, where her character was last seen working with Mayday to destroy the Gilead regime. As of the series finale, June was stationed in the Waterford house, where she was recording her story. The spin-off focuses on teenagers Agnes and Daisy, admitted to Aunt Lydia's elite preparatory school for future wives. Considering where things ended with June in the series finale, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that she reappears in the show. The showmakers, though, kept her appearance under wraps till the episodes were released on Hulu.
June's first appearance is brief at the end of the first episode, when she looks at Daisy as Daisy skateboards into her parents' store. The next appearance is a more full-fledged one as she guides Daisy in her role as a spy in Gilead, by becoming her handler. Daisy is an undercover 'Pearl girl' who quickly befriends Agnes, who arrived at the school from Canada. It is also revealed that Agnes is actually Hannah, the daughter who was taken away from June in the original series, and also serves as one of the biggest motives for the character to continue participating in the rebellion. It is unclear whether June is aware of Agnes' true parentage and if her actions towards Daisy are motivated by this information.
Creator Bruce Miller shared with The Hollywood Reporter that it was necessary to keep the cameo under wraps because of how important Moss is to the entire narrative. “You really want those scenes to feel particularly epic,” he shared. “There’s an aspect of superhero to June that we wanted to have in this, because her shadow is over the whole show. She’s looming over the whole thing.” Miller confirmed that June will also appear in future episodes of the season. 'The Testaments' stars Lucy Halliday, Rowan Blanchard, Mattea Conforti, Eva Foote, Kira Guloien, Amy Seimetz, Brad Alexander, Birva Pandya, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Mabel Li, and Isolde Ardies in main roles.