The third season of the The Handmaid’s Tale ended in spectacular fashion as (spoiler alert) June achieved her Mayday plan of getting dozens of children out of Gilead and into the safety of Canada.
But June was left for dead, lying in the grass next to the man she shot in cold blood (after he shot her) in a successful effort to distract his attention away from the children long enough so the plane could take off.
The ending left so many questions that viewers will be itching to find answers to in Season 4, which has been confirmed but has yet to get a release date.
Here are the 10 most pressing questions. Note: do not read on unless you’re all caught up!
Is June Okay?
At the end of the Season 3 finale, June was being taken away from the forest by her fellow handmaids, shot in the stomach and clearly having lost a lot of blood. She was still conscious, but things didn’t look good.
Is she okay? Will she be okay? Considering June is the main protagonist of the show, we’ll bet that she’ll be saved and in recovery by the time Season 4 begins. But what will become of her once she’s healed and the leaders of Gilead, not to mention Aunt Lydia, realize what she orchestrated? It won’t be pretty and we can’t imagine how she’ll be able to weasel her way out of this one.
Where is Hannah?
We saw more than the expected 52 children arrive at Commander Lawrence’s house and be escorted onto the plane to fly away safely to Canada. But Hannah wasn’t one of them, as we discovered when June did not see her, nor did a desperate Luke as he watched child after child come off the plane, one of whom was instantly reunited with her father tortuously right in front of him.
Hannah, as we know from previous episodes, was on the brink of becoming a teenager, so chances are that she was kept somewhere separately from these younger kids. Or maybe she was in a different area altogether from where the Marthas passed on their message of Mayday. Nonetheless, we want to know where she is and what she thinks when she hears about what happened.
Will Serena Turn on Gilead?
Serena already turned on her husband in a desperate attempt to get “her” baby. But Fred Waterford is not one to lie down, and he flipped the script and outed the fact that the baby was biologically not his either. He revealed, as we often wondered if he knew, that baby Nichole was conceived by June and his former driver Nick.
Of course they were ironically both consenting adults who were already in a secret relationship. But the fact that Serena ordered the intercourse for the purpose of making her a baby means she broke the law, and that broke her immunity agreement. It also means there’s no hope of her getting Nichole. Will this take Serena to her breaking point and see her turn on Gilead once and for all?
What is Going to Happen to Baby Nichole?
Now that it has been publicly revealed that baby Nichole was fathered by Nick and not Fred Waterford, what will happen to her? Will she be put into foster care? Will Luke gain custody since his wife is the biological mother? How will Canadian authorities deal with birthrights given the rules of Gilead combined with the manner of Nichole’s conception which was, in the eyes of the law, considered rape? Will they arrest Nick?
We’d hate to see Nichole go into foster care and ripped from everyone she knows. But she will likely be central to the custody plot in Season 4.
What Will They Do With Fred Waterford?
Fred Waterford might have forged a deal of his own by revealing the truth about Nichole’s parentage by Nick and June and selling out Serena. Nonetheless, he’s still being held on some serious charges. Is there any way for him out of the mess? Or will he be detained indefinitely?
He will have to stand trial at some point, but given his strong ties to Gilead and his beliefs in the system, will he turn on the society to save himself? We’ve already seen how ruthless he can be, so we wouldn’t be surprised by anything Fred decides to do.
Will Commander Lawrence Be Discovered and Punished?
Commander Lawrence is an enigma, credited with creating Gilead in the first place, yet struggling with his doubts about what the society has become, especially after seeing how they dealt with, or rather ignored, the seriousness of his wife’s mental condition and her obvious need for medication and psychiatric help.
He was integral to helping June’s Mayday plan move forward, even though he knew it would likely get back to him. It’s ridiculous to think that the higher-ups won’t figure out his involvement. How will he save himself? Might this be the last we see of him?
What Will Happen to the Remaining Handmaids and Marthas?
While a few Marthas traveled with the children on the plane, including the beloved Rita who had an emotional meeting with Luke (seriously, pass the tissues), many handmaids and Marthas remained back in Gilead. And they will have a lot to answer for.
Hangings and the Colonies will probably be in the future for many of these women. Or will they manage to escape too? Or will Gilead be forced to go easy on them with all eyes now on their practices? We need to know their fate.
Is Gilead Crumbling?
It seems that Gilead is slowly crumbling as its people turn against the methods and beliefs of the society, including not only those who were captured and forced to serve, but even those who once believed in its purpose, such as Commander Lawrence and even, to some degree, Serena.
There are still staunch supporters, like Aunt Lydia. But with Canada closing in, and other nations looking to discover more about what’s going on in the nation, as well as people like Lord Commander and Serena Waterford both captured and angered at their fate, Gilead could be in serious trouble.
How Will Aunt Lydia React to the News of the Lost Kids?
Aunt Lydia has always been one of Gilead’s strongest supporters, firmly believing that the handmaids are doing God’s work, and it is her duty to make sure they obey. Never mind that that sometimes requires torture and maiming.
Yet she treats the women like gold when they are pregnant, and as a former schoolteacher, absolutely adores children. What will she think when she discovers that these women helped dozens of children escape to a society she believes to be seriously flawed? We fully expect to see the wrath of Aunt Lydia in Season 4.
What Will June Do Next?
Expecting that June will survive her gunshot wound, she’ll probably once again cleverly find her way out of this mess and avoid the Wall. Seriously, she avoided it after trying to escape, trying to abduct her child, and killing an important Commander in cold blood in a brothel. So really, what can’t she do? It’s all about who you know when it comes to June. And she is definitely the leader of the handmaids, who will do just about anything to protect her.
June achieved one mission of getting children out. Her next mission will likely be reuniting with Hannah. Will she achieve this? After all, she stayed willingly, letting Ofglen/Emily escape in her place so she could find her daughter. So chances are, she won’t stop until she does.