The Season 3 finale of The Handmaid’s Tale is less than a week away. Here’s what we know so far about spoilers and leaks for Episodes 13 of this riveting TV series, and theories about what these photos and trailers could mean. So yes, consider this your spoiler warning. There are MAJOR potential spoilers for the finale in the rest of this article, so only read on if you’re OK with spoilers.
Check out these AMAZING spoilers and theories about #TheHandmaidsTale Season 3 finale. #THT Share on XWe Might Get a Big Cliffhanger
The Season 3 finale is going to end with a huge cliffhanger, according to TV Guide. At a Television Critics Association summer press tour, Warren Littlefield (executive producer) said that fans will feel shocked by the finale and what happens with the main characters. “I think it’s quite a cliffhanger that we’ll leave you with.” He said that viewership will increase dramatically between Season 3 and 4, just like it did from Season 2 to Season 3.
Interesting.
The synopsis for Episode 13, according to Australian listings, reads: “With her plan in place, June reaches the point of no return on her bold strike against Gilead and must decide how far she’s willing to go. Serena Joy and Commander Waterford attempt to find their way forward in their new lives.”
I’m not sure how Commander Waterford has a new life, since he’s stuck in a super fancy “prison” cell. But maybe Serena gets a little more freedom in the finale.
Will Rita Get Out of Gilead?
On Reddit, u/mcbmusic said she watched an interview with the actress who plays Rita, and Rita talked about meeting up with Luke. If that’s accurate, then it means Rita will get out of Gilead. Maybe on June’s planned escape plane full of children?
Commander Waterford May Somehow Turn on Serena
In an interview during a screening of the finale, a reporter approached Joseph Fiennes, who plays Commander Waterford, and said: “Obviously you’re not in Gilead anymore and there’s this turn that we see in the last episode against your wife…” It’s not clear if she’s talking about Episode 12 when he found out Serena turned against him, or if she’s talking about something seen in the finale. Fiennes said: “I end up in sunny Canada, not a place that Fred would willingly go, greatly deceived by his wife… What I love this season is really the arc of Fred trying to win Serena back, but he kind of plays wanting to get Nicole back for her, but knowing Nicole is going to be his political caveat which he can ride on… And then being completely deceived was a great journey.”
Fiennes added: “He is not to be trusted because he is completely obsessed by power and corrupted by that as a lot of people are…”
You can watch the interview below.
The Israeli Trailer Reveals A Lot
Of course, the best place to find spoilers is from the trailers, especially the Israeli trailer:
[Spoilers S03E13] S03E13 Israeli Trailer from TheHandmaidsTale
There’s a crazy moment when June has a gun pulled on Lydia, and then turns around and almost shoots a girl in pink. What?! And it looks like Commander Waterford is going to get Serena in trouble somehow. “What Mrs. Waterford did is far beyond the laws of Gilead,” he’s telling someone. I’m guessing maybe he’s telling someone about the role she played in June’s extra rape that was outside of Gilead’s laws? Or it could be something about the role she played in creating Gilead. Maybe it’s about that other Handmaid that died by suicide who was with the Waterfords before June. Is there any way that Handmaid was actually killed by Serena?
Or the scene that looks like Serena’s being arrested could be a HUGE misdirection and they’re getting Serena’s help and input after the 52 children arrive from Gilead. (If they make it there.)
We also see that Lawrence is having doubts and wanting to pull out of the mission. That’s not a big surprise, since his motivation was getting Eleanor free and now she’s gone. That was a miscalculation on June’s part.
Here’s the Hulu Trailer
And here’s the Hulu trailer for comparison.
Let’s be honest… If the episode ends with the children getting on the plane and we have no idea if it works or not, that would be the WORST cliffhanger ending to a season ever. (Or at least right up there with that infamous ending on The Walking Dead with Negan.)
We See June with a Child in Pink
Adam Taylor, who is in charge of music for The Handmaid’s Tale, posted this photo from the finale. Alert readers shared it on r/coconutsandtreason, a great subreddit for people interested in freely discussing spoilers from The Handmaid’s Tale. The photo below was lightened by u/bussbeckman.
Here’s a zoomed-in version. Does this give you a better idea?
Here’s the original screenshot, shared here.
The Plane Scene Will Happen, But Could It Be a Trick?
The biggest spoiler (if true) for the finale involves photos we’ve seen of children getting on a plane in Gilead. The photo is below, and it was shared on CoconutsAndTreason subreddit here but it actually originated from a Facebook group with heavy spoilers.
Some think these pictures reveal that the children are going to be rescued from Gilead and brought to Canada. Others think it’s all a ruse, and those children are going to be diverted to new locations in Gilead, leaving the resistance thinking they succeeded but they didn’t.
Here Are More Photos from The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 Finale
Here are some Instagram posts from actors when they wrapped their filming:
There are more finale pics and videos that fans found, shared when the finale was filmed in Cambridge on May 6.
Out grabbing a coffee @MonigramCoffee @DTCambridgeBIA earlier today… and there are handmaids everywhere! Lots of excitement downtown #cbridge w @HandmaidsOnHulu filming. #ElisabethMoss #HandmaidsTale #thehandmaidstale #filming #wrawesome #hulu #galtlove pic.twitter.com/3jKcZni45X
— Shawn Falcao, MDEI (@s_falcao) May 6, 2019
In the tweet above, there’s one photo that looks like June may have a cut or bruise on her face. Some think June looks pregnant in the photo below, but I’m not so sure about that:
Here are more photos from the finale filming.
Yes, some scenes were filmed for the finale in front of City Hall.
#HandmaidsTale filming in front of @cityofcambridge City Hall this am! #ViewFromMyOffice #Filming #Good4Cambridge pic.twitter.com/HPzyH0zAEm
— Kathryn McGarry (@Kathryn_McGarry) May 6, 2019
One thing we can pretty much accurately predict for the Season 3 finale: It will end with a closeup of an angry expression on June’s face.
If you haven’t seen The Handmaid’s Tale, you can watch Season 1 here. Or check out the book the series is based on here. There’s also a movie from 1990. You can watch it on Amazon here.
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