Alexis Bledel Explains ‘The Handmaid’s Story’ Finale Return

[This story contains specific spoilers from The Handmaid’s Tale series finale, titled “The Handmaid’s Tale.”]

Whereas trying right into a window marked with the phrases, “Freedom,” June (Elisabeth Moss) and viewers of The Handmaid’s Story heard a well-recognized voice.

“Blessed be the fruit.”

The voice belonged to Alexis Bledel, who returned as Emily within the sequence finale of the Hulu sequence, which started streaming Tuesday.

Her arrival was as a lot of a shock to June (Elisabeth Moss) as it’s to the viewers who hasn’t seen the OG handmaid since Bledel left the sequence after season 4. Bledel, an authentic star who earned 4 nominations for her position on the Hulu dystopian sequence, departed with no particular clarification.

Whereas the fifth season was in manufacturing, Bledel had stated, “After a lot thought, I felt I needed to step away from The Handmaid’s Story presently. I’m eternally grateful to [showrunner] Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the forged and crew for his or her help.”

The sequence then defined her character Emily’s absence within the fifth season premiere, when June is instructed by Emily’s spouse, Sylvia (Clea DuVall), that Emily determined to return to Gilead to struggle and discover Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), and that she referred to as to say goodbye to her household, which included a younger son. When June pushes to go save Emily, Sylvia tells June to not go after her, satisfied they’ll by no means see Emily once more. “It’s what she wanted to do,” says Sylvia. “She’s gone.”

Bledel spoke to The Hollywood Reporter for a latest oral historical past on the sequence and about her return, which was an thought from sequence creator Bruce Miller, who wrote the ultimate episode, “The Handmaid’s Story,” which was directed by Moss.

“It was an instantaneous sure,” she says of coming again for the sequence ending cameo. “It felt proper to deliver closure to Emily’s journey and provide the viewers a way of completion. Bruce put collectively such a form and gifted group, and so most of the authentic crew had been nonetheless there in season six. The manufacturing runs like a well-oiled machine — everybody brings their greatest. I’m excited to see what they create in [sequel series] The Testaments.”

In Emily’s return, she and June continued the full-circle theme of the ultimate season by strolling — in two — by way of the streets of a freed Boston after an embrace that referred to as again their very first scene of the sequence (when, in voiceover, June referred to as Emily a “pious little shit”). Lengthy gone are their purple cloaks as their metropolis is now out from beneath Gilead’s rule after success from the guerrilla resistance Mayday motion to take down the (fictional) fascist regime.

Emily crammed within the misplaced time, telling June she was a Martha for a Commander who was a pal and that she saved in contact with Sylvia and her son. “So, you weren’t simply gone?” says June. “In fact not,” says Emily. “They’re the explanation I’m preventing.”

The chums stopped in entrance of the wall and Emily identified the miracle of them being alive, collectively, to learn the hopeful and galvanizing phrases earlier than them written by girls who are actually free from Gilead. Subsequent to the messages are two hanging guardians — as a substitute of the acquainted sight of two hanging handmaids, or Marthas, or “traitors.”

Emily urged June to regulate her definition of “unimaginable,” and Bledel’s cameo then ended with a dream sequence the place June imagined if there by no means was a Gilead. June, Emily, Moira (Samira Wiley), a two-eyed Janine (Madeline Brewer), Rita (Amanda Brugel) and killed handmaids Alma (Nina Kiri) and Brianna (Bahia Watson) are seen laughing, embracing and singing Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” in a karaoke bar.

“I hope viewers take away to maintain hope alive when issues appear unimaginable,” Bledel provides to THR of her cameo. “Even when it looks as if seeds you plant couldn’t presumably develop, plant seeds of hope anyway. You by no means know; they may discover a method.”

When chatting with THR in regards to the sequence finale, Moss stated that after Miller shared his early thought of bringing Bledel again for the ultimate episode she was seton making it occur. Seems, Bledel agreed. “I stated to him on the time, ‘You understand now that you simply’ve instructed me that, we have now to do it.’ It’s not the simplest factor on this planet to name an actor and be like, ‘Are you able to come again for this one episode?’ They’re busy. … And she or he wished to do it from the start. She didn’t want convincing in any respect. My first official scene on day one [on set] was with Alexis. So it meant rather a lot to get to work along with her once more,” stated Moss.

Miller added that her day again on set was a hug-fest. “She cried and hugged individuals each 4 toes,” he stated, including that “it was fantastic to see her and Lizzie get proper again into it in any case that point. It’s like watching the fucking Yankees bullpen every single day with these guys. They’re so good.”

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The Handmaid’s Story finale is now streaming on Hulu. Learn THR’s sequence oral historical past with the forged, creator and extra, and our full sequence finale explainer with Bruce Miller and Elisabeth Moss.