After four straight seasons of the Waterfords getting away with murder and abusing June Osborne (among many others), Fred finally got some biblical justice at the hands of June and her raging squad of handmaids. Fred's death left the audience with a lot of questions about what lies ahead for Serena, June, and the series as a whole.
The fourth season of The Handmaid's Tale might be the most exciting so far, as the bulk of the main cast has made it to Canada and it seems like the stasis that they've all survived in for years is finally changing. But what plot threads that developed in season 4 need to be resolved in season 5?
June Needs To Go To Therapy
Obviously, The Handmaid's Tale can't show everything the characters are doing in the span of their one-hour episodes, but since June has escaped Gilead there has been barely any mention of her actually getting any therapy or treatment for her trauma.
It might not make for the most fascinating story development, but the show should address June's horrific, violent experiences and how she's going to cope with them going forward. It's a little unrealistic that it wasn't a plot point in season 4.
Serena Needs To Lose Her Fan Club
Serena was evidently a pretty popular author, speaker, and conservative activist before the United States was destroyed and became Gilead, and there is always some nominal support for even the wildest and most dangerous ideas. So it shouldn't come as an enormous shock that Fred and Serena developed a bit of public support in Canada.
However, in the next season that support really needs to end. The world might see her as a devout woman of faith now, but the truth about what she's done needs to come out and she needs to become the social pariah she deserves to be.
The Show Needs To Explore The Women Who Were Traded For Fred
June and Tuello seem to have gotten a pretty great deal for Fred. Even if Fred was a Gilead Commander, trading Fred Waterford for 22 resistance fighters means that there are a lot more women in Canada who are ready and willing to do battle against Gilead.
It seems like the addition of these women was an intentional Chekhov's gun that the show added in the finale, and it would be very surprising if the writers don't intend for that gun to go off at some point during season 5.
June Needs To Build An Army
And with those 22 released rebels in mind, it seems like it's the ideal time for June to start actually trying to cultivate a community of Gilead refugees who don't just want to move on from their mistreatment but will actually fight back against the totalitarian state.
The season finale also demonstrated that June can be incredibly effective at getting what she wants, and she already knows many people who are ready to fight. Building a rebellion against Gilead outside of Gilead seems like a logical progression for the show.
Hannah's Storyline Needs To Change
Hannah is and will undoubtedly continue to be the main driving force behind June's character arc. However, the show has spent four seasons with this push and pull around Hannah that has resulted in a whole lot of nothing so far.
Hannah doesn't necessarily need to escape Gilead in season 5, as it's somewhat unrealistic that June would be able to rescue a girl who now has the eyes of the state on her at all times. But something needs to change, and Hannah needs to become more than just the Handmaid's Tale plot device that keeps June, Luke, and Nick in the grips of Gilead.
Esther Keyes Needs To Become The New June
It's obvious that Esther Keyes is going to become an important character in The Handmaid's Tale going forward, and given what a terrifying and rebellious girl she is, it's unfortunate that she got such little time to shine in season 4.
It looks like Janine is going to teach Esther the value of being a rebel when it can actually make a difference, and it would be fantastic to see someone like Esther become a driving force behind Mayday inside of Gilead.
June's Testimony Needs To Be Heard
It seems like Tuello only ever saw June's testimony as a form of leverage to force Fred to flip on Gilead and spill all of its secrets. But the decision to have June give her second statement in front of a camera instead of a judge seems like a telling choice.
That obviously means that there is recorded footage of June testifying out there somewhere, and the show has already demonstrated how the public would react to the stories of Gilead's abuses when the anonymous letters were released in season 2. Imagine how explosive things could get if video testimony of the heroine of Angels' Flight becomes public.
The Other Characters Need A Chance To Shine
While June Osborne will always be the main character of The Handmaid's Tale, sometimes the focus on her seems too intense. There are a lot of strong characters with fascinating stories to tell, and those arcs seem to be sidelined for the sake of June more often than not.
Having a clear point of view that drives the narrative makes sense for any TV series, but this dystopian drama has created its own unique world full of intriguing people to explore. They need to start actually exploring it.
Serena Needs To Give Birth
Given how far along Serena was when season 4 concluded, it seems obvious that she'll give birth to her son early on in season 5. But there's always the chance that the show could drag things out for drama, and that would be a serious mistake.
Childbearing is one of the main themes of the series, but dragging out a pregnancy would be retreading old ground for The Handmaid's Tale. There are also plenty of other much more interesting and narratively rich character arcs and storylines that the show can delve into.
Serena Needs To Lose Her Child
Clearly, the custody of Serena and Fred Waterford's child is going to be a huge plot point in the next season. But if it ends with anything other than Serena losing her child it's going to be too absurd to believe.
Realistically speaking, Serena is a war criminal in the eyes of the world, and in the wake of Fred's death, she's an unmarried traitor in the eyes of Gilead. There is no feasible situation where Serena could have a life with her son, and leaving an innocent baby in the clutches of a woman who abuses everyone in her orbit would be disappointing.