THE HANDMAID'S TALE Season 1-5 Recap | Must Watch Before Season 6 | Series Explained

0:00 the Handmaid's Tale takes place in a dystopian future following a second American civil war fertility rates have collapsed worldwide and the new totalitarian and theomic government of Gilead in the former United States brutally subjugates women women are not allowed to own property have careers handle money or learn to read june a woman on the run with her husband Luke and their young daughter Hannah is captured by Gilead and sent to Boston to be enslaved as a handmmaid the term used to describe fertile women which the Gilead elite forcefully impregnate in order to have children to raise with their wives the handmmaids are trained and kept in line by the cruel Aunt Lydia and when a new handmade named Janine disrespects Aunt Lydia she has her eye removed when June discovers that her old friend Moira has also been enslaved as a

0:46 handmmaid the two hatch an escape plan together but unfortunately only Moira makes it out of Gilead sometime later June becomes the handmmaid for Gilead commander Fred Waterford and his wife Serena when Fred can't get June pregnant he is presumed to be infertile serena then suggests that June enter into a romantic relationship with the Waterford's kindly driver Nick in the hopes of him impregnating her june is resistant at first but eventually she and Nick develop actual feelings for each other june also meets a handmmaid named Emily who is part of a secret rebel group known as Mayday that seeks to take down Gilead she warns June that the Waterford house contains an eye a spy for the Republic of Gilead when her crimes against Gilead are discovered Emily is forced into genital mutilation

1:32 surgery and banished to a work camp known as the Colonies june eventually discovers that Nick is a spy for the eyes but he explains he only joined to ensure his boss Commander Waterford committed no unlawful abuse against his servants and handmaids when Mexican trade delegates arrive to evaluate Gilead's methods June secretly asks the Mexican ambassador to help save her the ambassador declines but their assistant does inform June that her husband Luke is still alive and promises to deliver him a message on June's behalf that message eventually gets to Luke as he is living safely in Canada with a fellow refugee named Aaron luke is overcome with emotions upon learning that his wife is alive and is inspired by her message to find and save their daughter Hannah on a night out with Commander

2:18 Waterford to a brothel June discovers that Moira had been recaptured and was now forced to work as a Jezebel moira has lost all hope of freedom but June encourages her with the news that Luke has found safety in Canada inspired by June's words Moira kills one of her clients and steals his car escaping to Canada to reunite with Luke june then discovers that she is pregnant serena angry upon learning that her husband had visited the brothel tells Fred that Nick is the child's actual father serena then takes June to her captured daughter Hannah threatening Hannah's life if June did anything to endanger the life of her new baby when Janine gives birth to Commander Putnham's baby she attempts to take the child for herself and publicly accuses Putnham of promising to leave his wife for her june helps diffuse the

3:05 situation saving the baby and leading to Janine being taken into custody and Lydia then orders all of the handmmaids to stone Janine to death but they refuse for their disobedience and Lydia promises severe consequences as the season comes to a close guards come to take June to her punishment although Nick promises her safety and asks for her to trust him in season two of The Handmaid's Tale Nick helps June escape her captives and places her in the care of a man named Omar who will take her to a plane headed for Canada unfortunately the plane is intercepted Omar is killed and June is recaptured and sent back to live with the Waterfords to make matters even more hopeless June learns that Mayday has stopped helping handmmaids due to the increased danger when Nick

3:50 shows concern for June's depression the Waterfords arrange for him to marry a teenage girl named Eden in the hopes of diverting his attention from June although Nick professes his continued love for June in secret he is forced into an intimate relationship with his new wife so as not to arouse any suspicions when Eden begins an affair with a young guardian named Isaac they are discovered and executed by Gilead tired of the abuse and oppression one of the handmmaids detonates a bomb at a large gathering killing many handmmaids and commanders and seriously injuring Fred Waterford and so Serena steps up to lead her household while her husband recovers to replace the dead handmmaids Gilead is forced to bring in banished women from the colonies to fill their roles and so Emily and Janine return from their banishment having been forced

4:37 to work in a toxic waste site nick and the Waterfords then travel to Canada on a diplomatic mission while in Canada Serena is approached by a man named Mark who was a part of the last remnants of the US government he offers to help Serena escape the oppression of Gilead if she agrees to publicly denounce the regime but Serena refuses meanwhile Nick finds Luke and tells him that June is pregnant then gives him letters written by various handmmaids detailing their abuse when Luke shares the letters publicly the Canadian government decides to end their peace talks with Gilead upon the Waterford's return to Gilead June asks Fred if she can be moved closer to her daughter Hannah after giving birth when Fred refuses June confirms to him that her unborn child's father is actually Nick infuriated Fred

5:23 assaults June as Serena holds her down following the assault Fred arranges for Nick to take June to a secret meeting with Hannah out in a remote location June and Hannah are briefly reunited after Hannah is taken away a group of guardians arrive to investigate why Nick and June are there nick instructs June to hide while the guardians take him captive left alone in the middle of nowhere June is forced to give birth by herself she names her new daughter Holly after her mother and then fires a gun she had found in the hopes of drawing attention june is rescued and allowed by the Waterfords to nurse the baby which they renamed Nicole june is able to convince Serena to speak up about Gilead allowing girls to learn to read the Bible but when Serena brings this up publicly she has her finger removed as punishment meanwhile Emily is made the

6:09 handmmaid of Commander Lawrence although he refuses to perform the ceremony with her to get her pregnant when Aunt Lydia pays the handmmaid a visit Emily brutally stabs her in an attempted murder commander Waterford tries to convince June to have another baby with him this time one that's actually his and preferably a son in exchange she offers to allow June to see Hannah more regularly but June refuses when a fire randomly breaks out across the street to the Waterford housekeeper Rita a member of the rebellious Martha network urges June to take Nicole and flee while Nick holds Fred at gunpoint to allow June to escape when Serena catches June and Nicole escaping she allows them to leave wanting a better life for her wouldbe daughter eventually June is led by the Marthus to an extraction point just as

6:56 Commander Lawrence arrives with Emily june and Emily are both confused by the commander's assistance but don't have time to question his motives as Lawrence leaves a truck arrives to carry the women to safety june gives Nicole to Emily but instead of joining them to freedom she turns back to Gilead resolved to find and save her daughter Hannah in season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale Emily arrives in Canada and delivers Nicole safely into the care of Luke and Moira finally free Emily is able to reunite with her wife Sylvia and son Oliver back in Gilead Fred Waterford pins June's escape attempt and Nicole's kidnapping on Emily june is reassigned to serve as a handmmaid to Commander Lawrence who kindly refuses to partake in the conception ceremony as he is

7:41 secretly involved in the Mayday Rebel group in Lawrence's care June is able to work with the Martha's network to devise a plan to rescue children from Gilead and send them to safety and freedom in Canada unfortunately when June tries to see her own daughter Hannah she is caught and punished and Hannah's adoptive family is relocated to an unknown destination meanwhile tensions mount between Gilead and Canada as it becomes public knowledge that Luke is harboring the kidnapped Nicole june arranges for a meeting between Luke and Serena so that Serena can spend time with her wouldbe baby in Canada Mark joins the meeting and once again offers Serena a chance to escape the oppression of Gilead and gives her a satellite phone to secretly communicate with him serena gives Luke a message from June explaining that she had intended to name

8:27 Nicole Holly and that the baby's father is Nick following this June joins the Waterfords and Lydia on a trip to Washington DC where they meet with the high commander George Winslow even Aunt Lydia is horrified at the extreme rules imposed in Washington including the Handmaid's lips being pierced shut and forced to wear muzzles the Waterfords and High Commander Winslow meet with Swiss diplomats hoping to strike a peace deal between Gilead and Canada which would include extraditing Nicole back home high Commander Winslow accompanies the Waterfords back to Boston where he plans on implementing the same mouthpiercings and muzzles used on handmaids in Washington meanwhile Fred begins growing suspicious of Commander Lawrence and his refusal to perform the customary ceremony fred sends Winslow Serena and Aunt Lydia to watch Lawrence

9:13 perform the ceremony on June but June gives her consent to Lawrence in order to protect him and his household from Fred's wrath following the ceremony June convinces Lawrence to join her plan in smuggling Gilead children into Canada while at Jezebel's to meet with a potential accomplice June runs into Winslow who attempts to assault her june is forced to attack Winslow in self-defense ultimately killing him the Martha's help June escape and dispose of Winslow's body as her plan to save the Gilead children moves closer toward success June begins to worry about Lawrence's erratic wife Eleanor and the potential danger she poses when Eleanor overdoses on drugs June chooses to not save her and in turn lets her die meanwhile the Waterfords arrange to meet with Mark in the hopes of securing

9:58 Nicole's return but Mark leads them into a trap in Canada where Fred is arrested for war crimes serena is allowed to spend time with Nicole but when Fred realizes that Serena had been involved in Mark's plan he exposes Serena's own crimes committed in the name of Gilead ensuring she is arrested as well in Gilead Jun asks her a plan to smuggle children into Canada as she and a group of Martha distract the Guardians June's Martha friend Rita manages to smuggle the children onto an airplane departing to Canada when the plane arrives the children are welcomed by Luke Moira and Emily rita informs them that June was responsible for the plan to get the children to safety back in Gilead June has been shot by the Guardians and begins to bleed out though thankfully she is found by Janine and the other

10:44 handmaids who carry her to safety in season 4 of The Handmaid's Tale June is nursed back to health by her fellow handmmaids at a Mayday safe house the home belongs to Commander Keys whose new teenage wife Esther is drugging him to ensure he never discovers her involvement with the Mayday rebellion group as June recovers and feels emboldened by the growing resistance she decides that now is the time to fight for the liberation of the Handmaids and Jezebels unfortunately June is discovered and captured by Gilead guards led by Nick who is now a commander nick is still secretly working with the resistance and had even secured Lawrence's release after he was discovered to be a part of June's plan to smuggle Gilead children into Canada june is tortured by Gilead to reveal the location of the Handmmaid safe house but

11:30 June refuses until Lawrence warns her that Hannah could be in danger after betraying her other allies Esther is captured and made a handmade while June and many of her friends are sent to work in the colonies on the way the handmmaids stage an escape but only June and Janine successfully get away and flee to a wartorrn Chicago back in Boston Aunt Lydia recovers from her wounds inflicted by Emily's attack and wants to resume her position over the Handmaids but discovers that she's been replaced by Anne Ruth lydia then goes to blackmail Lawrence revealing that she was aware of his involvement in the cover up of High Commander Winslow's murder and the smuggling of Gilead children into Canada lawrence agrees to restore Aunt Lydia to her position of power and upon realizing she had just as much intel on the other Gilead

12:16 commanders offers an alliance with her to save the country during a council meeting Lawrence proposes a ceasefire of all attacks in Chicago in order to allow aid workers to help the injured which would in turn make Gilead look good to potential foreign allies the council agrees but not before ordering Nick to coordinate a bombing strike in Chicago before the ceasefire goes into effect nick is hesitant about the bombing as he had received word of two handmmaids being spotted in Chicago and fears for June's safety meanwhile June and Janine join a group of American resistance soldiers in Chicago right as Gilead decides to drop aerial bombs on the city Janine is recaptured and taken back to Boston but June is miraculously found amongst the rubble by her old friend Moira although June doesn't want to

13:02 leave without her daughter Moira convinces her to join the relief workers on their journey back to Canada moira's team smuggle June across the border leading to June finally being reunited with her husband Luke as the husband and wife then devise a plan to find their daughter Hannah June arranges for a meeting with Nick allowing him to meet his daughter Nicole in return Nick relays to June that Hannah and her adoptive family have relocated to Colorado also in Canada are the Waterfords who are currently imprisoned and awaiting trial for their various war crimes mark informs the imprisoned Serena that she is miraculously pregnant with a son serena tries to make amends with the newly freed June but June refuses to accept her apology june testifies against the Waterfords but feels betrayed when she discovers that

13:48 Mark is considering dismissing the charges against Fred in exchange for him revealing secrets of Gilead's inner workings with this deal Fred would be allowed to flee to Geneva to live in peace june convinces Mark to have a meeting with Lawrence who proposes trading Fred for 22 captured resistance women from Gilead as Fred says goodbye to Serena and prepares to leave for Geneva he's instead arrested by Mark and traded to Lawrence and Nick the 22 women are saved and Nick brings Fred to no man's land where June Emily and the other former handmaids are waiting giving chase to their oppressor before savagely beating him to death in the end Luke is shocked when Jun returns home covered in blood as is Serena when she is sent a letter containing Fred's wedding ring and ring finger in season

14:35 five of The Handmaid's Tale June begins suffering from PTSD after her killing of Fred Waterford other former Handmaids view June as a hero and seek her help in killing their own past oppressors but she refuses when June confesses her violent act to Luke and Moira they both grow concerned over June's callous quest for vengeance and fear for the infant Nicole's safety in her presence after learning of her husband's death at June's hands Serena demands to return to Gilead to bury Fred there fred's funeral becomes an internationally televised event which Serena uses to taunt June by forcing Hannah to attend the service despite wanting to stay in Gilead Serena's status as an unwed mother makes her an outcast amongst their misogynistic society and so Serena is tasked with returning to Toronto to

15:21 serve as a Gilead diplomat there Serena oversees the opening of a Gilead cultural center while her host family the Gilead devoted Wheelers take an interest in her unborn child although Serena desires to remain a widow the Wheelers insist that she remarry as her worth is in being a wife back in Gilead Esther is resentful over her new status as a handmmaid and poisons her and Janine's food as revenge and Lydia saves them both and nurses them back to health praying to God for their recovery in exchange for her own better treatment of the handmaids in the future as Janine recovers she tells Lydia of the contempt that all of the handmaids feel toward her inspiring Lydia to contemplate her own actions while serving the commanders when Esther becomes pregnant after being

16:06 assaulted by Commander Putnham a dismayed Lydia turns to commanders Lawrence and Nick for help in turn Nick executes Putnham for his crimes while Lawrence marries Putnham's widow Naomi janine is placed as the new handmade of Lawrence and Naomi who has been raising her child janine confronts Naomi over her hatred for the woman who stole her baby and is ultimately arrested back in Toronto Jun receives a call from Nick warning her that Hannah is now of age to be married to one of Gilead's commanders and will be sent to attend a school for prospective wives and so June and Luke venture into no man's land to meet with a guardian who has information on the school's location unfortunately the husband and wife are then captured by guards loyal to the Wheeler family who seek vigilante justice for Fred's death

16:52 luke is released to return to Canada while June is prepared for execution instead Serena shockingly kills June's captor and helps her escape right as she goes into labor june helps Serena deliver a baby boy whom she names Noah and then transports her back safely to Toronto to receive medical attention the Wheeler family then threatened to revoke Serena's sponsorship in Canada blackmailing her into serving as their handmmaid as they raise her son meanwhile Commander Lawrence continues to plot a better Gilead which he dubbs New Bethlehem when his ideas are shot down as too progressive by the other Gilead leaders Lawrence forms New Bethlehem on a remote island declaring that all Gilead refugees are welcome to live there peacefully and freely proving to the world that Gilead is not the oppressive nation that they have been

17:38 painted as lawrence tries to convince June to live in New Bethlehem promising to also move Hannah there after she is married as June considers this Mark uncovers the location of the Gilead's wives school and sends American forces on a raid to rescue her and the other girls unfortunately Gilead shoots down Mark's forces as they try to fly in lawrence apologizes to June for this action in self-defense but a bitter June reveals that she was responsible for the death of Lawrence's wife Eleanor mark then tasks June with asking Nick to act as a mole from within Gilead but Nick refuses declaring his intentions to reform Gilead from the inside alongside Lawrence though also professing his continued love for June despite now having a pregnant wife named Rose in

18:24 Toronto the memorial service for the deceased pilots is interrupted by anti-refugee protesters resulting in a violent riot and everyone blaming June for the turmoil later June is run over by a stranger loyal to Gilead prompting Luke to stand up for his wife and brutally beat the driver nick is distraught when he hears about the attempt on June's life publicly assaulting Lawrence for his inaction and secretly agreeing to serve as Mark's mole within Gilead nick's wife Rose confronts him over his continued love for June and chooses to leave him in Canada the driver who ran over June dies from the wounds inflicted by Luke and a warrant is issued for his arrest and so June and Luke plot to flee the country mark warns that the police will be waiting for them at the airport and instead helps them secure passage on a

19:10 train to Vancouver where they could then charter a boat to Hawaii but upon realizing that the police would inevitably catch them and threaten the safety of June and Nicole Luke ultimately allows himself to be arrested in the end June is forced to board the train with Nicole and leave her husband behind while aboard the train June is shocked to discover that Serena had escaped the Wheelers with her baby Noah meaning the two former enemies are now on common ground as women who have taken a stand against their oppressors [Music] [Music]