The previous episode established that the handmaids were out to kill, and June Osborne was finally about to free the oppressed in Gilead. In the penultimate episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, June and the handmaids waited for the US military to bomb the hotspots in Gilead and take over. But in a surprising turn of events, after the sedative wore off, the commanders were quick to react. The handmaids were apprehended before they could cross the border and be brought to safety. Since a Guardian had witnessed June’s conversation with Aunt Lydia, presumably he had informed his seniors that June was the one who’d planned the operation. June was locked up in a specialized cell, and she waited to be hanged on the wall.

Spoiler Alert

How Did June Survive?

While the handmaids had done some serious damage by murdering a few prominent commanders, it was not the...