WARNING: This article contains spoilers from The Handmaid’s Tale season 2
Will Serena Joy join the Mayday resistance?
Episode 13 of The Handmaid’s Tale is called The Word and will see things reaching a climax following last week’s explosive instalment.
Hulu’s description of the season two finale reads: “Serena (played by Yvonne Strahovski) and the other Wives strive to make change; Emily (Alexis Bledel) learns more about her new Commander (Bradley Whitford); Offred (Elisabeth Moss) faces a difficult decision.”
The Word will see things in Gilead finishing on a shocking conclusion and it looks like Serena Joy could be at the centre of it.
A trailer for next week’s instalment reveals Serena Joy getting dragged away by a group of men with the implication that she’s being punished for something.
On top of that, it’s suggested that her husband Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) is the one responsible for reporting his wife to the authorities – a reflection of the cannibal-like paranoia that consumes the highest levels of Gilead’s ruling class.
It’s not revealed why Serena is being led away but could she have been colluding with the underground resistance group known as Mayday? It seems likely that she could be conspiring with them to bring down Gilead.
However, her moment of revolution could be short-lived when her own husband hands her in. But what punishment could Serena receive?
As audiences saw last week, star-crossed lovers Eden (Sydney Sweeney) and her Guardian boyfriend Isaac (Rohan Mead) met a harrowing and cruel end at the hands of Gilead’s uncompromising justice system.
They refused to repent their love for one another and were consequently drowned in a swimming pool with an audience watching on in horror.
The brutal deaths of Eden and Isaac essentially turned them into martyrs and seemed to cause a shift in Serena, who was forced to watch the disgraceful spectacle.
After seeing the deaths of the two youngsters, who are might as well still be babes in arms, Serena allowed Offred/June to nurse baby Holly.
It’s clear that Serena has been shaken to the core by Gilead’s grim example and fears for the safety of the newborn girl, who is already on the back foot thanks to the regime’s inherent misogyny.
Serena’s change in stance is somewhat of a irony considering that she helped to establish the regime in the first place.
THE HANDMAID’S TALE SEASON 3 RELEASE DATE, CAST, TRAILER, PLOT
Will Serena Joy be killed in The Handmaid’s Tale?
Gilead is a highly dangerous place and takes extreme punitive measures against its citizens.
Audiences need to look no further than Eden’s death to see that they are eager to make examples of straying members of their flock.
Serena could easily be killed by the authorities for her as yet unknown act of rebellion.
However, given that she’s such a prominent character in the Hulu drama it seems unlike she would be killed off by the writers.
The character of Serena is complex and so necessary to understanding Gilead that it would be a shame to lose her.
Perhaps, Gilead will be meting out a less brutal form of punishment like being sent to the Colonies and branded an Unwoman for her indiscretions.
One thing that has to be taken into account is that Australian actress Strahovski is pregnant with her first child with a due date of September 2018.
Depending on the filming schedule for The Handmaid’s Tale season three, Strahvoski’s real-life pregnancy could potentially impact on how much fans will Serena in the new episodes.
Then again, from a narrative perspective, viewers have already seen the dynamic between Offred and the Waterfords, so it might be time for a change. In a bid to keep the show fresh, the third outing could see the Handmaid moved to a new home.
While this is all speculation, fans will have to wait until next week to find out what happens to Serena.
The Handmaid’s Tale season 2 airs on Channel 4 on Sundays at 9pm and will conclude on Hulu on July 11
