In The Handmaid's Tale season 6 concludes Hulu's critically acclaimed show. With Fred Waterford out of the picture, June can set her sights on Serena Joy, Fred's wife, and June's mortal enemy and sometimes ally. The battle won't be easy and, as June adjusts to her life in Toronto, rising sympathy for Gilead will complicate things further.
Warren Littlefield is an executive producer on The Handmaid's Tale alongside series creator Bruce Miller. Shepherding Margaret Atwood's seminal novel to streaming has not been an easy journey - the series sured Atwood's text after season 1, opening the door for exploration of the world of Gilead beyond the confines and the novel and June herself.
Screen Rant sat down with Littlefield to discuss The Handmaid's Tale season 5, including June's journey in the episodes, setting the stage for The Testaments, and more.
Screen Rant: Handmaid's Tale season 4 crossed a huge bridge - June was out of Gilead, we see her take revenge on Waterford in the finale. What was the goal with June going into season 5?
Warren Littlefield: Well, we saw what June did to Fred, right? And so we start with the battle of June versus Offred. Trying to heal herself from the sin of what she did. Water plays into that very, very often, and I think very effectively. Can she cleanse herself? And then I think the other thematic that's powerful for us, is June versus Serena Joy. And it's a fascinating chess match [of] political opposites. There are times when they want to kill each other and they have the means to do so. And yet, with all of the hate, there's also respect. I think that that's kind of wonderful to put into the world.
And we just don't know who's going to come out on top, from scene to scene from episode to episode. It's a fascinating dynamic. We have two actresses that bring those words to life. We have them in an amazing and, I think, really compelling way. So a lot of powerful themes. We continue to be relevant, sadly. More relevant than we want to be, given the world we live in, but we embrace that.
That relevancy kind of continues this season with the popping up of ers of Gilead in Canada and the anti-refugee narrative that's kind of going on in the background of Serena and June's battle. Can you speak to that a bit and what it was like to have that play out in the writer's room while you have all this stuff going on in the real world?
Warren Littlefield: Well, we built Canada to be kind of a sacred place, and why not? Immigration is not a four-letter word here. There's health care for all. It's a right, not a privilege. There are a lot of good things about Canada, and we've really highlighted that.
However, the far right and the anti-immigration [movement] have, yes, invaded Canada in the real world. And we thought, even though our characters, they find sanctuary from Gilead, it's not Gilead, but they're not immune. There's nowhere that's immune to the rise of the far right and the influence of Gilead. And that suggested to us that it's not a quiet Toronto this year. That in fact, it boils up, and I think, I think that's appropriate to say. Don't get comfortable, don't get complacent. And no one's immune from what's going on in the world.
That kind of boiling up really lends to the feeling of Handmaid's Tale building to an ending with June's story and kind of laying the groundwork for what the future could be. So is that a palpable feeling behind the scenes as well? Are you guys building up to The Testaments as there's some groundwork being laid for fans of the novel?
Warren Littlefield: We are building a groundwork for Testaments and I think next season there will be even more of that. And yes, it's appropriate for us to think about, what is the closure to Handmaid's Tale and, appropriately, how do we open the door into Testaments?
The Handmaid's Tale Season 5 Synopsis
June faces consequences for killing Commander Waterford while struggling to redefine her identity and purpose. The widowed Serena attempts to raise her profile in Toronto as Gilead’s influence creeps into Canada. Commander Lawrence works with Nick and Aunt Lydia as he tries to reform Gilead and rise in power. June, Luke and Moira fight Gilead from a distance as they continue their mission to save and reunite with Hannah.
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The Handmaid's Tale airs new episodes every Wednesday on Hulu.