How did Mrs. Esther Keyes (Mckenna Grace) become a Handmaid, and what's next for her on The Handmaid's Tale? Following June Osborne's successful mission to get 86 children out of Gilead during The Handmaid's Tale season 3 finale, she and her fellow Handmaids take refuge at the farm of 14-year-old Esther and her husband, Commander Keyes. During the Handmaids' time at the farm, the Mrs. Keyes Handmaids Tale character becomes enamored of June, who she hopes will rescue her from her current circumstances. June and The Handmaid's Tale Mrs. Keyes character forge a bond born out of their shared history of sexual abuse and violent impulses. June promises to bring the Esther Handmaid's Tale character with her during episode 3, "The Crossing," but when Guardians raid the farm, the girl is left to deal with the repercussions of helping June and her friends.
In episode 9, "Progress," Janine, who has been doing manual labor at the Red Center since Commander Lawrence gave her to Aunt Lydia, discovers the Mrs. Keyes Handmaid's Tale character is now a Handmaid. Women who break the law in Gilead are either executed, sent to the Colonies, physically mutilated, work as prostitutes, or become Handmaids (sometimes enduring multiple torments). Since the Handmaid's Tale Mrs. Keyes character is young and presumably fertile, it makes sense Gilead wouldn't waste a womb, especially since the country just lost 86 children. The series doesn't offer details regarding Esther's journey from a Commander's wife to Aunt Lydia's newest charge. Was she tortured for information? Did the Esther Handmaid's Tale character stand trial? Hopefully, these things will be addressed in season 6, but the answers to these questions, as well as insight into Esther's life before she meets June, would make for a rich backstory told through the flashbacks used to give more context to June and other central characters.
What Happened To Esther In Season 5?
The Esther Handmaid's Tale character appears in three episodes of season 5, and her journey only gets darker as time goes on. After the murder of Commander Waterford at the hands of June and the other Handmaids, Esther is charged with helping prepare for his wake. She goes to the Putnam's residence with Janine and Aunt Lydia, where she meets the formidable Naomi Putnam. Later, she is led to Warren Putnam's study where she is left alone with him. He toys with the young girl and hand-feeds her chocolates, making her teary-eyed and visibly uncomfortable. She goes back to the Red Center, where she expresses to Janine her displeasure of having to be posted, but Janine tries to tell her that pregnancy is a beautiful experience.
The Mrs. Keyes Handmaid's Tale character then reveals that she snuck away some chocolate from Putnam's study, and shares them with Janine. The scene soon turns ugly when Esther tells Janine that she's always hated her, and accuses her of using her to try and get to Angela. Not a moment later, Esther starts choking on the chocolates, causing Janine to realize that she had poisoned them. Aunt Lydia discovers the two coughing up blood, and Esther goes into a coma. She is visited by Aunt Lydia in the hospital, who slaps her unconscious body silly out of frustration, and then goes to the neighboring room to visit Janine. Aunt Lydia prays over Janine's body, swearing to God that she was only trying to protect the Handmaids.
Eventually Esther comes to. The Handmaid's Tale Mrs. Keyes character is scheduled to have a hysterectomy, only for the doctors to find out that she's three weeks pregnant. Aunt Lydia proceeds to fiercely question the Handmaid, when Esther finally admits that she's pregnant because she was raped by Warren Putnam. Aunt Lydia attempts to soothe her charge, but upon touching her, Esther becomes violent against her restraints and begins to scream bloody murder. Later, Warren Putnam is taken into custody by Nick and Commander Lawrence. When they question him about Esther's alleged rape in The Handmaid's Tale season 5, he admits to the crime, but doesn't consider it to be one since he believes Esther was "his." Lawrence tells Putnam that he's guilty because he took Esther before she was officially given to him, and Nick shoots Putnam in the head. There's no telling what further atrocities Esther will face in The Handmaid's Tale season 6, but like all the Handmaids, her ending probably won't be a happy one.