Blessed be the fruit, honey — because the final episode of The Handmaid’s Tale said, “Let’s give the fans EVERYTHING, and then some.” Surprise cameos? Emotional closure? Imaginary karaoke parties? YES MA’AM. The girls are girling one last time, and we’re screaming “praise be” from our couches (with snacks).
Let’s break it down like a dystopian drag brunch — because three original handmaids popped up in the finale, and baby, it was the nostalgic punch to the gut we didn’t know we needed.
✨ The Return of Our Eyeliner Queen: Alexis Bledel as Emily
Remember Emily? The high-key genius, low-key rebel queen who dipped out after season four? Sis came back — and not just for a dramatic walk-on moment. Nope. She slid into the finale like, “Hey girls, just casually survived the apocalypse, how y’all doing?”
Here’s the tea: Emily, who had peaced out of Gilead and was probably sipping fair-trade oat lattes in Canada, said “Nope, I’m not done wrecking dystopias” and marched right back into the chaos to keep fighting the power. Queen behavior. ✊
By the end, she’s living as a Martha (a rebel one — obviously) and keeps in touch with her wife Sylvia and their kid like some kind of underground resistance soccer mom. And THEN she shows up beside June after Boston becomes a free city, like she never missed a beat.
Alexis Bledel told IconicHipster.com, “Plant seeds of hope even when things seem impossible.” Girl, I plant seeds of DoorDash coupons when things get hard, but okay, same energy.
Also, Alexis said she said yes to the finale immediately. Of course she did. Who wouldn’t want to ride off into the feminist sunset in combat boots?
🎤 Nina Kiri as Alma – Back and Belting It
Alma — that loyal handmaid with just enough sass and sparkle — showed up in the most iconic way: inside June’s fantasy karaoke sequence. (Yes, that happened. And yes, it was everything.)
In this dream-world moment, June imagines a Boston where Gilead never happened. There’s no Commanders, no cloaks, just glitter, good vibes, and belting Lizzo at karaoke with the girlies. Alma’s there living her best life, probably doing “Since U Been Gone” like it’s 2005. We support it.
Nina Kiri, you are forever our disco-lit revolutionary.
🎤 Bahia Watson as Brianna – Also Singing, Also Slaying
And yes — BRIANNA IS BACK TOO. Honestly, what’s a karaoke fever dream without Brianna?
She was one of June’s OG besties, and she returned in this same glitter-bomb fantasy. Same vibes as Alma. Different verse, same chorus. She’s there, smiling, sipping something cute, and hitting all the high notes. Give her a mic and a revolution, she’s ready for both.
🎤 Three Handmaids, One Karaoke Bopfest
So, in case you missed the memo: Emily, Alma, and Brianna all came back. And they were all there for that deeply emotional, slightly campy, wildly effective kumbaya karaoke scene with June.
According to creator Bruce Miller, this scene wasn’t just a dream. It was a whole mood. He said it reflects June’s desire to write about her story — not just the horror, but the humanity. The joy. The hope. The girlhood. (Cue: someone lighting a candle and playing Phoebe Bridgers.)
Bruce added, “If you never went to Gilead, you’d never know Janine. Would you trade that?” We don’t know, Bruce. But we do know that if this show ends in a karaoke fantasy featuring all our faves, that’s the kind of healing energy we needed.
💅 The Verdict:
The Handmaid’s Tale finale came for our emotions, our tear ducts, and our inner pop divas. Seeing the OG trio return — even in dream form — gave us closure, catharsis, and a lowkey craving to go to karaoke night and scream “No Scrubs.”
Long live the resistance. Long live karaoke. And long live Emily, Alma, and Brianna.
🎤 Mic drop.
