The Handmaid’s Tale ends with a decisive victory — but not a clean one. In the series finale (Season 6, Episode 10, aired May 27, 2025), the show makes it clear that Gilead is not fully destroyed. Instead, it suffers a major defeat in one key city, while the broader regime remains intact elsewhere.
Is Gilead destroyed in the series finale?
No. The finale’s answer is essentially: Gilead is wounded, not wiped out. Entertainment Weekly describes the ending as a world where the regime takes a serious blow, but continues to exist beyond Boston—meaning the conflict is far from over.
What changes, though, is the sense of momentum. The finale confirms that Boston is pushed out from under Gilead’s rule after a successful resistance operation and the collapse of leadership there, turning the city into proof that Gilead can be rolled back, not just survived.
What the finale actually shows happening
The show’s endgame is framed around liberation in Boston and the aftershocks. Recaps across EW, TVLine, and Vulture depict a city that is finally free of Gilead control, followed by celebrations that are equal parts relief and reckoning.
But the episode also stresses that this is only one front in a larger fight: other regions remain under Gilead, and the resistance is already looking toward what comes next.
For June, the finale is less about claiming a perfect ending than choosing her next direction. Variety notes that the closing moments return her to the Waterfords’ former home, where she begins recording her story—echoing the idea that testimony and documentation are part of the revolution, too.
EW similarly frames the final beat as June reclaiming authorship of her narrative, even as the broader war continues.
The finale also provides closure (or at least forward motion) for several major characters. People highlight Alexis Bledel’s return as Emily for the finale, positioned as a choice to give the character and audience a sense of completion.
And multiple wrap-ups note Serena’s uneasy new chapter after her final conversation with June, which lands as a rare moment of emotional resolution in a story built on long consequences.
Why does the ending stop short of “Gilead falls”
The finale’s restraint is partly structural: Hulu is also moving forward with The Testaments, a follow-up series based on Margaret Atwood’s sequel novel. EW explicitly connects the finale’s “victory, but not total victory” posture to the fact that the story world continues beyond June’s final scene.
So if you’re looking for a simple takeaway, it’s this: Boston is free, June is still fighting, and Gilead as a system still exists — meaning the finale closes June’s chapter without pretending the world is suddenly safe.
