TV Show Review Season Five: The Handmaid’s Tale (2022)

Posted on 11/10/2022 by Pisaries Creator

Before I begin with this review, I have to say there will be minor spoilers and the greatness of a writer in any kind of format is making the reader or viewer feel sympathy for a bad/evil character. Keep this is mind when you read this. By the end of the finale episode, I was excited to this setup of June and Serena and how it will unfold in season six. I was surprised how I felt concerning Serena when the final credits appeared.

The whole season felt more disjointed but in a good way because of alliances, motives, and policies changing. The first and second episodes begins with June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) dealing with what she did to Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and struggling in her new settings. June survived Gilead’s punishments and psychological tortures many times and is trying to find comfort in Luke Bankole (O-T Fagbenle) and Moira Strand (Samira Wiley). Now she is trying to balance herself between what she’s been through in a repressive society and the freedoms she acquired when she left Gilead.

The third and fourth episodes deal with major characters trying to justify their past actions including Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), and to a certain extent Serena Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski). The fifth and sixth episodes finds June and Luke in serious trouble. The seventh episode that is my favorite finds June and Serena having to make decisions about their present situation and possible futures.

The eighth and ninth episode goes back to a deeper look inside Gilead and how it is trying to change for the better (if that’s even possible). While many of the handmaid’s who survived the first four seasons, the only one that’s under the spotlight is Janine Lindo (Madeline Brewer). Since her return to Gilead and under the care of Aunt Lydia Clements (who has taken an extreme liking to her since her hospital stay and views herself as an angel swooping down that’s saved Janine). How far Aunt Lydia goes to save Janine in the next season will be interesting. There’s more of a glimpse of June’s daughter, Hannah Bankole (Jordana Blake) and how she has grown and changed over the years.

The final episode leads Luke and June to a similar predicament they encountered in the first season. The relationship between Commander Nick Blaine (Max Minghella) and Mark Tuello (Sam Jaeger) is starting their relationship on shaky ground. Naomi Putnam (Ever Carradine), Janine, Serena, and June are all adjusting to their new lives in this dystopia. There are ten episodes, running time between 41 and 65 minutes, and is rated TV-MA.

I rate Handmaid’s Tale Season Five FOUR FINGERS AND ONE THUMB at 100%.