The number of children Gilead has isn't a fixed number but refers to the children born within its oppressive society and those taken from parents, with major events like the escape of 86 children, including June's second daughter (Nichole), highlighting significant losses and a focus on reproduction amidst fertility crises, though many births were stolen or occurred before Gilead's rise, like Janine's son, Caleb.
The season ends with eighty-six children escaping Gilead.
When she was twenty-five, Offred gave birth to their child, a daughter. After her daughter was born, a delusional woman attempted to abduct her in a supermarket due to the fertility crisis.
When June was living in the Lawrence household, she had access to the handmaid's files and she found out that Janine's son had died in a car accident.
She is the wife of Luke Bankole and the mother of a daughter, Hannah. She is later the mother of a second daughter who she has with a driver at her second posting in Gilead. She is portrayed by Elisabeth Moss.
The actress in real life has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. While this is of course true, in the book Serena is an older woman who walks with a cane. I thought they were just incorporating this into another character until I read about the actress having EDS.
Unfortunately, the finale didn't reunite June with her daughter, and instead, her fight to save Hannah (Jordana Blake) from Gilead is still ongoing when the curtains close.
Serena Joy reveals Offred's pregnancy to her husband and tells him the baby isn't his because he is weak. Fred participates in Warren's trial chaired by Commander Pryce. Waterford is all for leniency, reminding that no one is free of mistakes and that Warren Putnam has a family, a wife and a new child.
Heartbreaking moment when June found out that Caleb, the son of Janine, died in a car accident 4 years ago. Later, Janine asked June if she found any information about her son, but June lied and told Janine that her son was moved to California. S03E10 “Witnesss.
That creates a weird bond—Lydia feels responsible for Janine's survival, almost like a mother to a damaged child she “rescued.” There's also guilt. Aunt Lydia has overseen brutal punishments, including Janine's mutilation. Her attachment could be her way of seeking redemption—twisted, but deeply personal.
It's symbolic and removable. The handmaid can remove the rings for eating or talking purposes. But it is symbolic to show her dedication to the cause. June couldn't talk / conspire / gossip to her because she was making it clear she will not speak.
He is the son of Serena Waterford and Fred Waterford.
If, after the third time, they are not able to produce a living, healthy baby, they will be sent off to the Colonies to face certain death. Handmaids that become infertile or reach a certain age without having ever conceived are also sent to the Colonies, as are women who refuse to become Handmaids.
The number that we've calculated is at least five years, give or take. Using title cards, information about the Handmaids' children, and other hints sprinkled throughout the show, here's how we crunched the numbers.
June tries to wake Eleanor and considers calling for help. However, she pauses and instead decides not to call for help, whether in an act of mercy or because she believed that Eleanor was a liability to her plan.
Esther and Eden are not far apart in age, just in maturity and demeanor. After the Guardians raided the farm and found that she had been harboring fugitive Handmaids and slowly dosing her husband, they arrested her. Being a fertile young woman, her punishment is to be a Handmaid.
Holly Osborne, temporarily named Nichole Waterford, and Nichole Holly Osborne, is the biological daughter of Nick Blaine and June Osborne. She was initially named Holly by her mother when giving birth (after her maternal grandmother) and renamed Nichole by the Waterfords.
Nick stayed in Gilead because that was his purpose — to help destroy it from within.
Introduced in Season 5 as the wife of Nick, Rose is an unusual character in Gilead due to her visible disability — congenital hip dysplasia. This mirrors Carey's real-life experience living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
She reports that Lawrence has sent Cora away since "he doesn't like liars”.
Over time, the Wheelers strip Serena of her autonomy; they deny her a phone, confine her to their home, and arrange in-house medical care to control her. They make it clear that their plan to keep both Serena and her child, replicating Gilead's treatment of Handmaids.
In the Latin dictionary the “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” was written in the cover. But it's implied that the former Offred wrote the phrase in a hard to see spot in the closet so it wouldn't be found.
The Handmaid's Tale: Why June Chose Nick Over Luke In The S4 Finale - IMDb. June's choice to kill Fred Waterford revealed her true self, a part that Luke doesn't fully understand but Nick does. This complicates her relationship with Luke and draws her closer to Nick.
However, having been separated from June for too long in Gilead's indoctrination system, Hannah no longer recognizes June and runs to the corner of the cage when she approaches. Seeing her daughter brainwashed into fearing her more than Gilead crushes June, and she reveals the location of her fellow Handmaids.
Serena did not want Nicole to face the the oppression of women in Gilead so she gave her to June out of love.