It is going to take all of us some time to process everything that happened in The Handmaid’s Tale finale. June Osborne is finally in Canada and Commander Fred Waterford gets what he deserves.
But just because it is over (or is it?), does not mean it has not happened, right? I am talking about the years of abuse, physical and sexual violence and emotional torture that she has suffered over the years.
She was even separated from her daughters Nichole and Hannah. All this definitely took a huge toll on her.
In the season 4 finale, June was let down by international law, so she took matters in her own hands. Determined to serve justice, June along with other Gilead escapees beat up and hanged Commander Fred Waterford, who was responsible for their pain, to death.
June basically planned Fred’s punishment all by herself, and decided to give him what he deserves. Fred was beaten and hanged to death, while June stood bathed in his blood. So, is this the end?
What happens to June? Does she go to jail? Who is involved in Fred’s murder? Here’s everything you need to know about the Season 4 ending explained.
Goes without saying, major spoilers ahead.
1. What Happens To June In The Finale?
After June murders Fred, we see her drive back to her home where she wanted to meet baby Nichole. June reaches home and Luke finds her. Seeing all the blood smeared on her, Luke obviously understands what’s up.
June tells Luke she is sorry and that she would leave after having a few moments with her daughter Nichole. So, where exactly is she going?
There can be two options I can think of: going on the run or surrendering herself. June probably knows that Luke and Moira will never be able to come to terms with what she did, so naturally she would no longer be accepted or welcome in the home.
So, she has to leave. She could choose to escape and be on the run as the police look for her. Or, she could surrender. All June wanted was to punish Fred for the pain he had caused her, so she does not seem to have any other motive now that Fred is dead.
So it won’t be surprising if she decides to turn herself in.
Another important detail to note in this context is that Fred’s murder took place in No-Man’s land, meaning land which does not fall under to boundaries of any country. This is what Nick says in the episode.
So, that way, this detail can work in June’s favour as a loophole. If what June and company did does not fall under the jurisdiction of either Canada or Gilead, then the police or law will not be able to take a decision about it.
So, that is something the fifth season needs to clear out.
2. How Was Fred Killed And By Whom?
Commander Fred Waterford was the head of the household in which June was enslaved and held captive as the handmaid. In the Season 4 finale, Fred is murdered by June and others women who escaped Gilead. They included former Handmaids and Marthas.
These women could also have some sort of vengeance and personal motive behind helping June. Most likely, they are all direct victims of Fred’s tormenting. Or maybe they just liked the idea of revenge against the man behind their pains.
Emily, one of the captives of the Gilead was a part of the crowd, but Moira and Rita were not, as expected. All these women together beat up Fred in the middle of the woods. After beating him up, he is hanged to death.
The women also spray the phrase “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum”. If you remember, this was also mentioned in Season 1 Episode 4 of the series and provided the title to the episode. It translates roughly to “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
If you’ve read Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name on which the show is based, you will be able to relate even better as this is a recurring phrase in the novel.
It is like an inside joke. It was revealed in Season 1 that June discovered these lines scratched in the bedroom closet in Waterford Home when she began living there. So in the Season 4 finale, this is actually symbolic to the resistance of the women.
The significant phrase basically symbolizes their struggle and marks their victory, and hence the women sprayed the phrase on the wall underneath Fred’s hanging deadbody. The scene is so powerful and extremely well shot. One of my favourites.
Cherry on cake: the song “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore being played in the background while Fred was killed. It was a goosebumps inducing moment.
3. Who Does Commander Lawrence Support?
Joseph Lawrence is one of the most cunning, misogynistic characters in the series according to me. There are some instances in season 4 which might seem like he is sympathetic towards June.
Lawrence admires June’s strength and seems to be impressed by what she achieves. Very interestingly, he does not even try to fight when Nick and the Eyes take Fred away. Obviously a man as shrewd as him knew that Fred is only being pushed to his death.
Even if he is not on June’s side (which I do not believe is true), he surely has little to no sympathy for Commander Waterford. Fred literally forced Lawrence to enact The Ceremony with June at the end of Season 3. This led to Joseph’s wife Eleanor committing suicide.
So obviously Fred is not Lawrence’s most favourite person.
But I don’t think that is enough to consider Lawrence to be pro-June. Just because he seems to admire her achievements does not make him sympathetic to her. She is the biggest threat to the Gilead and he is one of the founding members.
So the theory that he is secretly sympathetic to June doesn’t seem convincing to me as of now. Currently, Lawrence seems to be trying to “make things right” and fix the Gilead, but what exactly he means by that is not clear.
For all we know, he is probably planning another cruel plan. So he might be hating Fred, but that does not make him pro June. Atleast not as of now.
Lawrence very systematically plays the victim card, to gain June’s trust. He convinces people that he himself is a victim to the system and he is doing it for the sake of it. I really don’t buy it. I feel his strangely sympathetic nature is just another scheme.
4. Will There Be A Season 5?
Yes, The Handmaid’s Tale was renewed for a Season 5 in December 2020, which will most likely be the final season of the series. A lot of questions remain unanswered in the Season 4 finale, so Season 5 is something fans are eagerly looking forward to.
Good news: Hulu is also planning a spin-off series which will be based on Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale.
5. About The Handmaid’s Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale is an American dystopian television series created by Bruce Miller for Hulu. It is based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name.
Set in the fictional dystopian state of Gilead, where fertile women are kept as “handmaids” and are subjected to child-bearing slavery, the series Offred (June Osbourne) and her fight for her freedom from Gilead, along with all the oppressed.
The series has covered four seasons worth of runtime, and the fifth season will premiere on Hulu on 14 September 2022.
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