The streaming wars have been going strong for years, with each service buoyed by a few megahit original shows. Those with a Hulu subscription have been treated to years of the book to screen adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, and we're currently in the midst of the sixth and final season. And while Season 6 has been thrilling, I am desperately needing one final update from a fan favorite character.
Fans are figuring out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, and I'm looking forward to how the dystopian drama will end. The fans are invested in Gilead's stories, but my favorite character has been gone for over a season now. Yes, I'm talking about Alexis Bledel's Emily Malek.
The Gilmore Girls alum was an Emmy-winning scene stealer throughout The Handmaid's Tale's first few seasons. But Bledel left the show after Season 4, and Emily was promptly written off. While her returning in the final season might be a long shot, I'd at least like some exposition revealing the former Handmaid's fate.
Emily was the first Handmaid we saw violently resisting Gilead, and she was brutalized as a result of her actions. While Bledel's character was able to escape to Canada, she continued to struggle with violent rage towards her abusers. After Season 4's violent finale where she helped kill Fred Waterford, the actress left the show.
During exposition in the Season 5 premiere, Emily's wife (played by Clea Duvall) revealed that Emily went back to Gilead, in hopes of tracking down Aunt Lydia and getting revenge for her mutilation. She hasn't been mentioned, seen, or heard from since.
There's been no indication that Bledel was interested in returning to The Handmaid's Tale for its sixth and final season. And as such, I'm hoping the forthcoming series finale ends up offering some much needed closure.
Was Emily killed on her mission in Gilead? Did she somehow survive and manage to once again escape the tyrannical fictional country? I'd really like to know, especially considering the unceremonious way the fan favorite character was written off. And since Season 6 is going to be the final chapter, there's precious few episodes left for the show to provide answers.
If the final season of The Handmaid's Tale doesn't reveal that happened to Emily, there is the potential for closure somewhere else. A spinoff called The Testaments is in active development, and will adapt Margaret Atwood's sequel novel of the same name. If the show follows its source material, Ann Dowd's Aunt Lydia will be a major character. And as such, she could offer an update about Emily at some point during the spinoff's time on the air. I'm just spitballing, but I'm not the only fan passionate about this character.
The Handmaid's Tale airs new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu as part of the TV premiere list. We'll just have to wait and see the fate of all our favorite characters in these final episodes... including Emily.
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