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Fans Are SHOCKED By 'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 5 Teaser

Home / Stars / Fans Are SHOCKED By 'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 5 Teaser

By Kristin Myers on July 16, 2022 at 3:45 PM EDT

Earlier this week, Hulu dropped the teaser for season 5 of "The Handmaid's Tale."

The dystopian drama feels even more relevant since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month. Although season 5 won't hit the streaming service until September, fans have already gotten a first glimpse of what they can expect going forward in season 5.

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WATCH 'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 5 Teaser

In the teaser, Elisabeth Moss seems to be as fierce as ever after June killed Commander Fred Waterford in the season 4 finale. In the first teaser, June can be heard saying, "I want her to know it was me."

It seems June is referring to Fred's wife, Serena, played by Yvonne Strahovski. Much of the footage in the teaser is dedicated to Serena playing up the grieving widow bit, with her flash splashed across screens everywhere as June and Luke (O-T Fagbenle) look on in horror.

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It looks like Luke steps up to help June in whatever she has planned in season 5, as it looks like the two have a rough encounter with the police and potentially end up behind bars.

At one point, June even seems to consider pulling a gun on Serena in an ill-fated run-in, leaving many to wonder if she'll survive to return for a sixth season. Although it remains to be seen if June actually pulls a gun on Serena, she can be heard saying, "You want to fight? Let's fight."

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Very little footage of Gilead was shown in the trailer, although Entertainment Weekly previously teased that Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) will be working with Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) to try to reform Gilead now that Waterford is out of the picture. Moira (Samira Wiley) will also help fight Gilead from Canada, although it remains to be seen how safe it will be.

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Max Minghella, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, and Sam Jaeger will also be returning for season five. Unfortunately, Alexis Bledel, who played handmaid Emily Malek and safely escaped to Canada, will not return for a fifth season.

Alex Bledel Bows Out Of Season 5

Alexis Bledel as Ofglen
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Unfortunately, Bledel is stepping away from season 5 of "The Handmaid's Tale." She had been nominated for three Emmys for her role as Ofglen, Ofsteven, Ofroy, and Ofjoseph and won once for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

In a statement provided to Entertainment Weekly in May, Bledel said, "After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid's Tale at this time. I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast, and crew for their support."

No reason for her departure has been given, but fans hope that they will be able to see her again in season six.

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Madeline Brewer Says Season 5 Is Going To Be 'Wild'

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Madeline Brewer, who plays the handmaid Janine, also sat down with Entertainment Weekly to tease what fans can expect from season 5. Brewer admitted that Janine has been in plenty of life-or-death situations before, and things won't get any easier in season 5, now that she has been recaptured by Gilead.

Brewer described Janine as a “cat with nine lives” and said that she’s “used up several of them already.” She teased, “I'm going to just say this season is no exception to that.”

Madeline Brewer wearing a Valentino dress, Alexandre Birman shoes and Kallati earrings arrives at the Television Academy's Reception To Honor 73rd Emmy Award Nominees
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She also added that fans will get to see “a side of Janine this season that we haven't seen before.” When asked to describe the new season, Janine told EW that “the word wild is in my brain.”

“It’s wild,” she teased. “It’s a little wild.” She then added, “I truly don't know how to describe it... I mean, we're so much out of Gilead. And everyone is experiencing things that they have not yet experienced. Everyone's going through a transformative period.”

Madeline Brewer wearing a Valentino dress, Alexandre Birman shoes and Kallati earrings arrives at the Television Academy's Reception To Honor 73rd Emmy Award Nominees
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Showrunner Bruce Miller had previously told EW that the series will enter into a bit of a Sophie’s Choice in that “You're moving on with someone who's made these terrible choices. And unlike a movie version, we know what her choices were; we're in her pain and her trauma. So that's really interesting.”

He added, “The story moving forward is about the long fight, and how do you keep up energy, enthusiasm, sanity, all of those things, while you're trying to fight for something that you may never see the end of, or you may never see the good from it?”

"The Handmaid's Tale" will release two episodes on September 14. From there, new episodes will release every Wednesday.

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