Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for the first three episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Serena Joy Waterford is one ofthe most contentious characters on television. From the start ofThe Handmaid’s Tale,she was both architect and prisoner of Gilead — a regime built, in part, on her writings and rigid religious ideals. Her complicity has never been in doubt, butYvonne Strahovski’s layered performance has added a striking depth, infusing the character withsoulfulness and vulnerability despite her morally reprehensible choices.
After defying Gilead by reading scripture in Season 2 (and losing a finger for it), Serena became a pregnant widow following Commander Waterford’s (Joseph Fiennes) brutal death in Season 4. In Season 5, she was treated like a Handmaid, gave birth, and ultimately fled as a refugee — even seeking help from June to escape. And yet, even at her lowest,Serena never truly let go of the beliefs that shaped her.If anything, in the early episodes of Season 6, she’s simply foundnew ways to weaponize them. The old Serena was dangerous, but this version might be the most threatening yet.
Serena Joy Gets Her Power Back in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6
Now, in Season 6, Serena isn’t returningas a desperate refugee or grieving widow— she’s being positionedas the public face of New Bethlehem, an island settlement designed to appear more progressive and welcoming to Gilead refugees. Spearheaded by Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), New Bethlehem allows women to read, work, and even wear pants — a surreal shift in a regime built on oppression. It’s a calculated rebrand aimed at courting international support, andno one is more qualified to sell the illusion than Serena Joy, the woman whoonce helped shape Gilead’s ideology.
Serena’s greatest weapon has always been her ability to manipulate perception. She knows how to appear civil, how to bury dangerous ideas beneath elegant language and a disarming smile. Her motherhood and status as a widow aren’t just part of who she is – they are now strategic weapons. During an event with foreign dignitaries, Serena seesLawrence faltering with some of the women visitorsand immediately steps in with an “as a woman” perspective — a chilling example ofusing gender to uphold an anti-feminist, deeply abusive system. She even literally rolls out baby Noah as proof that Gileaddoeswork, physically presenting him as a symbol of fertility and success, which is something many of the women present, living in countries with declining birth rates, cannot claim.
What makes this version of Serena so terrifying is that it works. The dignitaries quite literally melt when they see Noah, asking to hold him, visibly swayed by Serena’s performance. In that moment, she knows Lawrence owes her, and she realizesshe may hold more influence nowthan she ever did before.Serena can no longer be silenced, and no one can touch her. And that might be the most dangerous version of Serena Joy we’ve ever seen.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5 Recap: What You Need To Remember Before the Final Season
The final season premieres April 8 on Hulu.
Yvonne Strahovski’s Performance Makes It Hard to Know How to Feel About Serena Joy
What makes Serena’s current arc so compelling — and at times deeply unsettling —is the ambiguity surrounding her intent. In the early episodes of Season 6, there are moments when she seems sincere, even sympathetic. When she offers to help June, it feels genuine. She knows June is alone, and she appears genuinely horrified that someone from Gileadtried to run her over with a truck— ironic, considering thehorrors Serena and Fred once inflicted on her. It’s almost frustrating to find yourself agreeing with Serena and catching glimpses of who she might have been without Gilead. Her tearful apology to June even feels real —and thanks to Yvonne Strahovski’s endlessly nuanced performance,you almost believe her. Butalmostis the key word.
Despite her softer tone and teary eyes, Serena’s core beliefs remain firmly intact — a fact she makes painfully clear whenshe recklessly endangers Noah on the train. Surrounded by refugees who want her dead the moment they recognize her, she clings to her ideology anyway, putting her son at risk to maintain her self-image as righteous. It’s a disturbing moment that slices through her performative remorse, revealing a woman still unwilling to let go of the worldview she helped build. If anything, she’s clinging even tighter —still wrapped in that old Messiah complex,still convinced she’s there to change the world.
That’s what makes her such a maddening and endlessly fascinating character. Serenaknows how to navigate systems of power, especially the ones she helped build. Even while hiding out in Canada as “Rachel,” she admits Gilead “went wrong,” and tells foreign dignitaries she asks for forgiveness every day. But can we really believe her? The question isn’t whether she’s changed,it’s whether she’s even capable of change.Is she trying to fix Gilead from the inside? Or is she simplydoing what she’s always done: adapting to survive, and protecting her place at any cost?
AsThe Handmaid’s Taleheads toward its series finale,Serena Joy is more dangerous than she’s ever been— not because she’s inflicting violence with her own hands,but because she no longer has to. The show’s signature close-up shots have long captured June’s fury, but it’s the quiet, chilling moments on Serena’s face that linger most. The subtle curl of her lips into a knowing smile, the ice in her eyes — those are the shots that reveal where the power really is. Strahovski plays every beat with unnerving precision, making even Serena’s silences feel sharp and intentional. Whatever her long game may be, it’s only a matter of timebefore it collides with June’s— and that confrontation could define the show’s final act.
All new episodes ofThe Handmaid’s TaleSeason 6 drop Tuesdays on Hulu.
The Handmaid’s Tale
