‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Everything You Need to Know About Season 4

A Different Style This Season

Based on appearances by the likes of Bradley Whitford’s Commander Joseph Lawrence and Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia this new season looks to have enough fire, anger, and revolution to be timely. As Aunt Lydia says, June is “beyond redemption” and it’ll be interesting to see whether she finds the character eventually finds some sort of peace.

Showrunner Bruce Miller told IndieWire told earlier this year it’s impossible to guess where the show goes: “Don’t try to guess what happens,” Miller said. “That’s a fool’s errand. You will not be able to know what happens. That’s the beauty of the show.”

Compared to previous seasons, which clocked in at 13 episodes, this new season will be returning to the 10-episode structure of Season 1. “Some storylines just seem to shake out as a 10-episode story, in my eyes,” said Miller. It was a decision both Hulu and MGM supported.

Elisabeth Moss Directs

The teaser trailer features June taking an active role in the rebellion, which serves as a departure for the character whose previous focus was decidedly insular, determined only to preserve her own safety as well as the safety of her children. But this is not a new and improved, entirely altruistic June. Still her rage fires her and her equivalent quests for both justice and revenge threaten not only to consume her, but also to destroy her connections to the people she holds most dear.

As if transforming June into a freedom fighter wasn’t enough, Moss is also stepping behind the camera for the first time in her career, directing three of the season’s 10 episodes. During Thursday’s Television Critics Association Winter 2021 Press Tour presentation, the star reflected on the one aspect of directing that left her a little spooked before diving into the new challenge.

“The thing I was most nervous about was directing the actors. I was just nervous I wouldn’t know what to say and I wouldn’t say it right,” Moss said, explaining that when performing, it’s a cardinal sin to try and give notes to other actors. “And then that ended up becoming my favorite part of the whole experience.”

The War Is Upon Us

June Osborne wants justice and it looks like the country of Gilead is prepping for an all-out war. Hulu released the first full trailer for the fourth season of the popular Emmy-winning series.

When audiences last left Gilead, June (Elisabeth Moss) embraced her inner freedom fighter after secreting 50 of the republic’s children into Canada. As the trailer shows, this information becoming known could lead to a large battle — though June and the other handmaids are seen bringing the fight to their doorstep.

June’s own attempts to bring Gilead down result in  her testifying to an unknown group about the justice she’s seeking. In addition, her ongoing relationship with Nick Blaine (Max Minghella) is featured, as he might be coming to the realization that “some women don’t want to be saved.” We’re also heading towards a showdown between June and Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski).

“The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 4 drops on Hulu April 28.