Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale just dropped some Season 4 episodes right into our laps and while we got three right from the get-go, they will be weekly premieres from here on out. Which means cliffhangers for June and co. -- one of which has led eagle-eyed fans to call out a bit of a plot hole in the most recent episode from the new season, an episode that ended with some big deaths.
OK, obviously, we’re about to get into some spoilers here, so if you aren’t caught up on Season 4 at this point, what’s stopping you? Here’s the gist. At the very end of Episode 3 “The Crossing” the women on the run were on the way back to a colony and were being transported in a van with Aunt Lydia. Not content to remain in captivity, they found an opportune moment to push back and escaped, but it didn’t all end well.
What unfortunately ended up happening was that June and Janine made it back on the run, but ultimately Briana and Alma were hit by an oncoming train and didn't make it. This in and of itself isn’t an issue -- devastating, but not a plot mistake. However, some Redditors took notice of some choices made in the scene and felt like there were legitimate plot holes and/or storyline issues. The problems included complaints about why Lydia was in the back of the van with the girls to begin with:
At least they did restrain the hands, but Lydia is fine to ride in the back with six of the most rebellious Handmaids who have freed 86 kids? Looked like there was room in the front for her.
Lots of sentiments on the thread also mentioned the distaste they feel as The Handmaid’s Tale keeps making things easy on Aunt Lydia, noting that she yet again escaped without so much as one prod. Another Redditor noted that they should have at least kept the prod “for protection,” marking another point where the writing just seemingly did not make sense. The general sentiment?
Lowkey hate that they keep letting Lydia live. I was ready for June to lose it and smack the shit out of her with that prod, but she didn't even so much as zap her
There was praise for much of the episode and the train shock seemed to go over as a big surprise, with one commenter noting they screamed loudly when the moment played out on-screen. Alma, in particular, was well-liked as a character and Episode 3 was pretty early in the season to go out. Yet, there was a general attitude that this scene in particular could have been more neatly done. Meanwhile, we’ll have to wait and see how the show shifts into Episode 4 and whether it continues to have problems or plays out with fewer snafus. So, what do we know about Episode 4 so far?
What To Expect From Season 4, Episode 4 “Milk”
Well, there is a trailer that reveals that series lead and busy actress Elisabeth Moss is actually directing the June-centric episode and it’s because, as she noted, ‘as the woman who had played June from the beginning, I felt like it was a story that I could tell." And Hulu has graciously given us a logline from the new episode, which gives us some additional hints about what is to come:
June takes a harrowing journey with Janine, trying to escape Gilead, as Janine remembers a stressful experience in her past. In Toronto, Serena tries to manipulate Rita, who seeks advice from Moira.
New episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale hit Hulu on Wednesdays at midnight ET so we'll know more very soon. In even better news, the series has already been renewed for Season 5, so there's certainly more to come. For what else is coming to streaming take a look at our full Hulu schedule or just let us know what you thought of the scene below.
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