‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Showrunner Says Serena Is the ‘Prison Guard Who Doesn’t Want to Go to Prison’
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 introduced an ironic twist of fate for Serena Joy. After years of running her household and wielding ultimate control over June, she finds herself in a very different position. Serena is essentially a handmaid to the Wheelers, who want to take her baby away. The irony is not lost on her or showrunner Bruce Miller.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Episode 8, “Motherland.”]
Serena is vulnerable without Fred in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5
After Serena and Fred were apprehended in Canada, the series slowly sowed the seeds of Serena’s inevitable fate. She was ecstatic to learn of her pregnancy after believing that she was infertile for so long. However, Fred’s death took away a big portion of Serena’s sense of security.
“The storyline developed as we developed the story of Serena being pregnant and as she pivots — because she’s such a narcissist — from caring only about herself to caring about this baby,” showrunner Bruce Miller told The Hollywood Reporter.
“And you start to say, ‘OK, what does that mean in terms of Serena?’ At the end of last season, what we took away was her sense of security. Fred, for all of his worthlessness, took a lot of the heat for her and tried to protect her and made her situation more stable.”
Bruce Miller discusses Serena’s ironic refusal to become a handmaid
To make matters worse, Serena refused to accept asylum in Canada, essentially putting her at the mercy of her new hosts, the Wheelers. After Serena shoots Ezra and attempts to escape, her only option is to go back to their home, where she can at least breastfeed her baby, Noah.
Before she makes this decision, Serena gets a visit from both Commander Lawrence and June at the detention center. She states her unwillingness to return to the Wheeler’s home, where she will essentially be a handmaid. The irony is not lost on Lawrence and June, nor is it lost on Serena herself.
“The best thing about the story is that Serena is not blind to what is happening, and she still doesn’t want it,” Miller told The Hollywood Reporter. “Ironic to the audience but not to her, she tells herself, ‘I will not be a handmaid.'”
“And that’s a combination of the way she sees herself and knowing what it’s like to be a handmaid because she was the handmaid overseer. She doesn’t want to have to be at the mercy of someone like her, which is a really interesting character thing to explore. She’s the prison guard who doesn’t want to go to prison.”
Will Serena and Noah escape the Wheelers?
It’s hard to say how things will turn out for Serena in the final episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5. Serena has very few rights after refusing Canada’s offer of asylum. Though June saved Serena and her baby’s life, she understandably doesn’t seem willing to help her any further.
At the detention center, June gives Serena a final piece of advice. “You’re gonna go back in there, and you are gonna act like a handmaid. But the entire time, you will be plotting against them and planning your revenge.”
Don’t miss new episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Wednesdays on Hulu.
