The Handmaid's Tale: Train

April 8, 2025 1:23 PM - Season 6, Episode 1

June and Serena's journey takes an unexpected turn. Moira makes a bold decision. Nick deals with a powerful visitor. First episode of the final season of The Handmaid's Tale.
posted by roolya_boolya (9 comments total)

Well that was 45 minutes of television that built me up and ripped me apart several times even before that most unexpected ending.
posted by roolya_boolya at 1:25 PM on April 8

Oh huh, I thought the show was actually over somehow? I didn't realize there was another season planned that got delayed by the strike, so thanks for making this post and letting me know!
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:44 PM on April 8

I really didn't understand June in that scene with the mob. I know she found some forgiveness last season during the birth of Noah, but Serena's absolute cluelessness would have had me punching her even before we got to the mob.
posted by kokaku at 6:08 PM on April 8

I really didn't understand June in that scene with the mob.

June had the experience of tearing Fred apart and it didn't bring her any succor.

Having said that I could barely understand my own reactions to that scene with competing feelings of satisfaction that Serena was getting it, exasperation at her clueless ranting and horrors about what the other passengers might do to her.

Poor June didn't even get to enjoy shoving her off the train, which in other circumstances might have been cathartic.
posted by roolya_boolya at 10:41 PM on April 8 [2 favorites]

The Holly reveal at the end so satisfying and nicely foreshadowed with the earlier line about mommies always coming back. I was whispering 'please don't be a dream, please don't be a dream' through tears watching them hug.
posted by roolya_boolya at 5:06 AM on April 9

Roolya_boolya, same for both of your comments! I was hoping so much it wasn't a dream, remembering so many heart-wrenching scenes from past seasons. I didn't notice the foreshadowing, great catch on your part.
posted by orange (sherbet) rabbit at 7:40 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]

I was also completely convinced that Mom Holly was some type of hallucination and was very relieved! Holly's hesitant answers about how she got out of the colonies make me think there's gonna be more about that. Or they may let both women keep their own secrets.

If babies are SO rare and it seems everyone knows June and Serena, the entire train trip was just a mess to me. No way that any babies, but especially those two, wouldn't be under some kind of guard no matter where in the world they live. Any country (looking at you, Canada) should want and encourage the fertile ladies to stay voluntarily.

I know this is just another in a very long line of implausible events in this show, and yes I absolutely will be watching it to the very end even as I yell at the TV sometimes. I also intend to give the spinoff series a reasonable try, at least until they go off book.
posted by lilywing13 at 9:16 PM on April 11

Hey lilywig, your first paragraph is actually from episode 2. I didn’t want to flag and get the whole comment removed but maybe you could get the mods to edit that out?
posted by LizBoBiz at 8:16 PM on April 23

That was Sigur Ros at the end of anyone was curious.

Serena deserves everything she gets. Her son not so much but honestly she started spouting that Gilead bullshit, what did she expect from those people? Ugh she is terrible!

I was really scared that once Canada wouldn’t let them get off, they were going to be routed to Gilead, really glad they made it to Alaska.
posted by LizBoBiz at 8:19 PM on April 23