*This article contains spoilers.
If you're up to speed with season six of The Handmaid's Tale, then there's no doubt that theories of the season's ending will be whirring in your mind and group chats, especially after the events of Serena and Commander Wharton's wedding massacre played out in the most recent episode.
Led by none other than the Mayday resistance group, and headed by June (Elisabeth Moss), episode eight, titled Exodus, saw the Handmaids and their supporters devise a plan that aimed to dismantle a core pillar of Gilead's power: the Commanders.
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By the end of the episode, 37 Commanders were killed, with help from Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd who freed the Handmaids from the Red Centre.
But as we've seen before, Mayday have had to face life threatening consequences for their actions, and we're certain episode nine and ten will be no different, meaning every single theory we had about the supposed endings of the character leads and their arcs have completely changed.
Below, we detail our new theories on how we think The Handmaid's Tale will end.
The Consequences Of The Wedding Massacre
A lot of blood was shed during the wedding massacre, and naturally, the Gileadean regime will be on the hunt for those responsible. There's a good chance that characters who were involved in the killings and letting them happen will be sent to the gallows, including Janine (Madeline Brewer), Moira (Samira Wiley), Aunt Lydia, Aunt Phoebe (D'Arcy Carden) and Luke (O-T Fagbenle).
Aunt Lydia Switching Sides
While Aunt Lydia may have been one of the main perpatrators of violence and enabling it upon the Handmaids throughout the series, she's had a real change of heart this season far, especially in the last episode when she agreed to let them leave the Red Centre and partake in the killing of the Commanders.
Although Aunt Lydia is still very much a pious woman, she is beginning to see the cruelty in Gilead's way of life. An example of this occurred when Janine successfully pleads with her to be freed, 'He hurt me, Aunt Lydia. They hurt us. They raped us. You gave us to them.'
As a confirmed character who will feature in the series sequel, The Testaments, Aunt Lydia may keep her position but will become some sort of infiltrator, secretly working for Mayday, or working to enlighten other high-ranking women in Gilead.
A Weaker, Fragmented Gilead
Okay, so we won't get ahead of ourselves and even begin to think that the Mayday resistance group have done anywhere near enough to fully take down Gilead, especially since we know that The Testaments is set in the state, 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale.
However, the murder of 37 Commanders is no small feat, and will do some damage to the core structure of Gilead and its logistics. Whether this means that Mayday will be able to slip through the weakened cracks or the Commanders turning against themselves through internal conflict, time will soon tell.
June And Serena Facing One Another In One Last Confrontation
If it wasn't the drop of the knife during the ceremony, Aunt Lydia almost blowing June's cover or Rita Blue distracting Serena from attempting to uncover the Handmaids' wings, then June's visceral reaction during Serena's speech is surely what would have ruined the wedding day massacre.
June, who was barely able to conceal her emotions while the newlywed Mrs. Wharton spoke of her relationship with a 'former handmaid', who she 'could have been nicer to', but ultimately believed that she had earned the Handmaid's forgiveness.
A final confrontation between the two might see Serena's luck finally run out, largely due to the fact that June has already saved her once and will no longer emphasise with Serena, who is now effectively on the run with her baby.
Mayday Saving The Handmaids
If the Handmaids and their supporters are not killed by Gilead, then this means that they'll be saved by Mayday. We're thinking that both groups will meet at a designated safe house just outside of Gilead, and will then be transported to Alaska, hopefully in one piece.
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