Also, I don’t think it would’ve worked for June to try to stage some kind of rescue mission from across the border. As we see in the first few episodes of Season 3, she’s now part of a network of resistance within Gilead that is only going to aid her in her quest. And part of the power of The Handmaid's Tale is having so much of it set in the totalitarian nightmare that America has become. The show’s impact would be lost by taking June out of that.
I do, however, have one issue with the series as it moves into its third season (which starts with a double episode on Thu., Jun. 6 at 8.30pm, SBS; with the first three episodes available that night on SBS On Demand) and even further away from the original novel by Margaret Atwood. After everything June has done, how is she still alive? Without giving too much away about what happens in the aftermath of her walking away from the vehicle intended to transport her to safety, it strikes me as a little odd that she hasn’t been executed and strung up as a warning to other anarchic Handmaids: don't do as Offred did.
June’s latest disappearing act from the Waterfords is explained away, but it seems to me that any Handmaid who had been involved in so many acts of rebellion as she has, no matter how fertile she clearly is, would have been written off as too much trouble by now. Gilead has killed people for a lot less than what June has been able to get away with. But I’m willing to put that concern aside to carry on enjoying what has been one of my favourite shows in recent years. Question is: will those viewers who hated the Season 2 finale be prepared to do the same with their criticisms and come back on board? •