The Handmaid’s Taleended on an important note for June, but one I noticed on rewatch had already happened in the show’s very first episode.The Handmaid’s Taleseason 6focused on June’s continued battle against Gilead, with her biggest focus being on saving her daughter, Hannah. As the show progressed, she managed to initiate the mass killings of Commanders alongside her fellow Handmaids. By theend ofThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6, she’d successfully liberated Boston, promising Luke that they’d continue the fight in Colorado to bring Hannah home.
While the final episode highlighted the lives of multiplecharacters inThe Handmaid’s Talefollowing Boston’s liberation, the real focus was on June. Her mother, Holly, convinces her she needs to write a book about her experiences as a Handmaid. June goes back to the Waterford home that burned down at the end of season 2, sitting in the same location she was at the end of the series premiere. Once there,she clicks on a tape recorder and begins chronicling her journey- something hinted at in the show’s first episode.
June Started Recording Her Story In The Handmaid’s Tale Season 1, Episode 1
The Pilot Episode Already Revealed Where Her Story Would End
Every season ofThe Handmaid’s Talefeatures what was believed to be June’s inner monologue, adding her inner thoughts to the events unfolding. This has been ongoing since the start of the show, when she first introduced herself to the audience. However, the recording she’s making for her book in the series finale starts with the same words as her monologue in the series premiere. The finale’s twist is that, throughout the entire show, her narration has actually been what she’s been speaking into a tape recorder after the end of the series.
What makes this more impressive is thatthe very first episode hinted June’s monologue was her recording her story. Just before she starts to speak in season 1, episode 1, there’s an audible click of a recorder.
DID YOU KNOW:The Handmaid’s Talebook by Margaret Atwood also ended by revealing June had recorded her story on a set of audio cassette tapes.
This was the first indication that everything the viewer has been listening to from June’s perspective was happening in the far future. It also means this ending was planned from the very start, with her being somewhere recording her experiences for the world to hear.
Why The Handmaid’s Tale Ended With June Recording Her Story
It Was Important For Her Experiences To Become Public Knowledge
June’s decision to record her story was partially motivated by Holly, who told her that everything she’s been through would be important for the world to hear. Given her legendary status in the world, from her bringing a group of children to Canada in season 3 to her liberation of Boston,it makes sense for her to be a voice for women suffering under Gilead.This extends to her current fight as well; June and Luke still want to rescue Hannah, even though there’s no way of knowing if they’ll succeed at saving their daughter.
By putting her story down as history, June is cementing the actions she took as truth, utilizing the honesty of her experiences to potentially inspire hope…
It also offers a neat bookends for the series, since June’s decision to write a book explains how everything the audience has seen through her eyes was a recollection of the past. Her narration is given a broader purpose beyond being an internal monologue, as her words can nowbecome a hopeful reflection for other women in and outside of Gilead. By putting her story down as history, June is cementing the actions she took as truth, utilizing the honesty of her experiences to potentially inspire hope in others despite the hopelessness of their world.
What Happens To June’s Recordings After The Handmaid’s Tale
The Source Material Offers Answers To Their Whereabouts
While it’s unclear what will happen to June’s recordings afterThe Handmaid’s TaleTV show,the book described them as being discovered and transcribed by historians in the far future.This includes some analysis about whether her testimony is authentic, seemingly because of a lack of historical records at the time. However, the TV show seems like it will be handling these differently, since the recordings have a genuine purpose as the early stages of June’s book.
All episodes ofThe Handmaid’s Taleare now streaming on Hulu.
This means theupcoming adaptation ofThe Testamentshas a chance to give her recordings a different context if they show up again. Instead of the truth behind them being debated generations later,The Handmaid’s Tale’s TV universe could utilize them as part of the larger narrative both shows are telling. What this means for June’s book is unclear, but it signals how, even after the recording clicks off, the impact of what she’s done will echo throughout the next chapter of the story.
