Handmaid’s Tale Ending: Who Died, Broke Up & Came Back
The Handmaid’s Tale Ending Explained: Deaths, Breakups & Emily’s Return
The Handmaid’s Tale aired its final episode on May 27, 2025. The series finale delivered a mix of emotional reunions, shocking deaths, and powerful moments of closure. If you're looking to understand exactly what happened, who returned, and who didn’t survive, here’s everything you need to know about how the story ended.
Who Died?
The most shocking moment came in the penultimate episode when two major characters—Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) and Commander Nick Blaine (Max Minghella)—were killed in a powerful act of rebellion.
Both men died in a plane explosion orchestrated by Lawrence himself, who planted a bomb to wipe out Gilead’s highest-ranking male leaders. His self-sacrifice dealt a major blow to Gilead’s regime and opened the door for regions like Massachusetts to begin freeing themselves.
Also killed in the same attack was Commander Gabriel Wharton, who had only recently married and was seen as part of Gilead’s next generation of leadership.
Who Broke Up?
June and Luke: The finale confirms that June (Elisabeth Moss) and her husband Luke are no longer together. While their separation isn’t framed as final or angry, they are clearly on different paths. June continues her mission to dismantle Gilead and fight for her daughter Hannah, while Luke remains behind. Their goodbye is quiet but emotionally heavy.
June and Serena: One of the most complicated relationships in the show—between June and Serena Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski)—also finds resolution. Now living in a refugee camp and raising her infant alone, Serena apologizes to June for all the pain she caused. June, in an unexpected act of grace, forgives her. It’s not friendship, but it is closure.
Who Returned?
Emily (Alexis Bledel): In one of the most emotional scenes of the finale, Emily returns after being absent since Season 4. Her disappearance had been explained as a secret mission back into Gilead. But in the finale, we find her alive—and reunited with June. They meet near the water, in a quiet moment that mirrors their first scene in Season 1, but now surrounded by symbols of freedom, not oppression. Emily reveals she had been working undercover while staying in touch with her family.
What Didn’t Happen?
No reunion with Hannah: Despite being June’s biggest motivation throughout the series, she does not reunite with her daughter Hannah in the finale. That emotional closure is left for a possible future—perhaps in the upcoming spinoff series The Testaments.
The Final Scene
The show ends in a poetic full circle. June returns to the ruins of the Waterford home—the place where her nightmare began—and begins to tell her story. She starts recording her experiences, reclaiming her voice. The final image is of June standing in the ashes of her past, ready to move forward.
The message is clear: Gilead may be weakened, but the fight for freedom continues.
