After The Handmaid's Tale's most recent finale, June and Luke still haven't managed to get Hannah back - and here's why it's unlikely to happen in season 5, as well. Season 4 ended on a note that was rife with plot developments. The finale drastically shifted from June (Elisabeth Moss) wondering if the Waterfords would ever face justice for their crimes, to Fred being cathartically killed and June's fate being left purposely ambiguous at the episode's end.
But one thing that wasn't tied up by the time the credits rolled was whether or not June and Luke will be able to get Hannah (Jordana Blake) back from her new life in Gilead. It broke June's heart when she had to leave the country without her earlier in the season, but it was her only shot at getting making it through the border alive. Once The Handmaid's Tale's tenacious protagonist was in Canada, June and Luke did try to persuade Commander Lawrence to help smuggle Hannah out. But, like all of the other measures that have been attempted throughout the series, it didn't pan out.
Now, one of the many lingering questions for fans is whether or not June will actually get Hannah back, after all. Most would certainly hope so, as the show has always depicted the crushing weight of parents being torn from their children. And Hannah has been separated from her true family since the series' very beginning. This piece of the plot has driven a great deal of June's relentless will to persevere against the most harrowing odds. But, unfortunately, even with all that's happened, it's still pretty unlikely that June will ever get Hannah back. One of the many things the show gets right is its portrayal of trauma, adversity, and survival - and how, despite the ability to overcome certain obstacles, life doesn't usually have neat and tidy resolutions. No matter how The Handmaid's Tale eventually ends, the scenario won't be completely happy, by any means.
The series often refuses to give fans exactly what they want, when they want it. It took June four entire seasons to escape Gilead. And despite briefly reuniting at the safe house and the theory that the tail end of the season 4 finale implicitly had June choosing Nick over Luke, the Gilead power couple haven't truly gotten back together. Viewers did get plenty of catharses this past season, with Fred being killed, June testifying against the Waterfords in court, and June hitting Serena with her own "Do you understand me?!" line from early in the show. But, like in real life, there's always plenty of instances where things don't work out the way characters or viewers want them to. And, though frustrating, it adds to the show's rawness and overall effectiveness.
There just doesn't seem to be a plausible way to get the young girl out of the country. Gilead has its own rules, laws, and ways of living. And the nation certainly won't want to lose another child. Another glaring reason that June probably won't get Hannah back is the fact that, once law enforcement starts looking into Fred's death, she'll be the first person they'll look at. She's already testified against him and Serena and been an unyielding advocate for bringing them to justice and exposing their past behaviors. Luke's horrified shock as he registers what she's done at the end of the finale is warranted; trouble surely awaits for June in season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale. Unfortunately, this is yet another reason why it's seeming more and more unlikely that the Bankole-Osborne family will ever be completely reunited again.