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The Daily Insight

Who cut off Serenas finger in Handmaids Tale

Author

Lily Fisher

Published Mar 19, 2026

In the season 2 finale of The Handmaid’s Tale, Fred and his Commander buddies punish Serena for reading the Bible by cutting off her pinky finger. Fred, who was an abusive husband to begin with, justifies the punishment and shows very little remorse.

Why did Serena get her finger cut off in Handmaid's Tale?

As punishment for reading, Serena had one of her fingers cut off – a punishment, in part, enforced by Fred. … The finger, then, feels somewhat poetic in a similar way – and perhaps there’s part of Serena that would acknowledge that herself – while setting up another big story to come in The Handmaid’s Tale season 5.

Who did Serena sleep with in Handmaid's Tale?

Who is Serena Joy pregnant by? Serena had been desperate since season one to have a baby as she wasn’t able to conceive on her own. She has gone to great lengths to enable her handmaid June (Elizabeth Moss) to get pregnant on her behalf, even forcing her to have sex with Nick (Max Minghella).

Why did Fred turn on Serena?

In the final moments of episode 7, “Home,” Serena goes to Fred, telling him she needs him. Her motive is clear: she has no other allies, and Fred already promised to recant the charges he made against her for the sake of their child.

Why did Serena light her bed on fire?

For Serena, the bed represents where all her troubles began: in burning it, she signifies her unwillingness to return to the status quo. Serena Joy was always going to have a breakdown in Season 3 because the Season 2 finale saw her realize she would never have a child.

Does Serena Joy get Nichole back?

Serena helped get Nichole out of Gilead at the end of season 2. Through the help of June and Commander Bradley, Emily and Nichole were whisked off to Canada. … But Serena made a 180 flip in season 3, going back on her decision to get Nichole out of the country.

Did Serena cheat on Fred?

Waterford cheated on Fred. But it’s likely Fred is the father of Serena’s baby. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Bruce Miller explained why Fred and Serena were finally able to conceive.

Does Serena Joy get pregnant?

Still in governmental custody, Serena is pregnant, in a detention cell, and waiting to Zoom with her husband, who she thinks has flown to Geneva to stand trial for his crimes.

Does JUNE get Hannah back?

Sorry, y’all. But she grows up in Gilead and becomes an Aunt. And then, after a life-changing adventure including Nichole, Aunt Lydia, and new characters, Hannah and Nichole make it out of Gilead. They are reunited with June at the end.

Are the Waterfords free?

Not only could the Waterfords go free, but Gilead’s patriarchal hierarchy could begin to spread like the pandemic. No one else would be allowed to cross the border, refugees could be sent back, and a trade relationship could be established, setting a precedent for other countries to follow.

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Who is Serena's baby daddy Handmaid's?

But Fred is the father.” Fans of the show will have to wait until season five to see how the rest of Serena’s pregnancy will go, especially when she finds out that Fred has been killed.

Is Nick the father of June's baby?

For the first few episodes of the third season, Luke and Moira assume that Fred is the father of Nichole. In season 3 episode 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale, “Unknown Caller,” June gets a cassette tape to Luke with a message on it. With the message, June reveals that Nichole is actually a love child and Nick is her father.

Does JUNE get Hannah out of Gilead?

Finally, our heroine June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) has landed on Canadian soil. … “Not until she gets Hannah out of Gilead and home to her father,” said Moss, who directed three of the episodes this season, in a recent interview. “She will never be able to forget what she has seen or done.

What did the handmaid cut from her ear?

June mutilates her ear to get the tag off in season 2 of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ … Free from her captors, she sheds her red robes and proceeds to cut part of her ear to remove the signifying tag. June goes to extreme lengths to get rid of the cuff.

Does Serena give June the baby?

June’s Decision With freedom within her grasp, June makes a difficult and (for many fans) infuriating decision: she hands her baby to Emily, tells her to call the baby Nicole (the name that Serena gave to her), and chooses to stay behind in Gilead.

What happens to Emily for stabbing Aunt Lydia?

On season two, one of the handmaids, Emily (Alexis Bledel), rebelled against Aunt Lydia by stabbing her in the back. Lydia then fell over a banister midway down a flight of stairs. Instead of help her up, Emily continued to brutally kick Lydia until she was at the bottom of the stairs.

Does Fred know Serena is pregnant?

In a trailer released in March 2021, Fred Waterford is seen looking at a sonogram. This led fans to believe Serena would be pregnant in season 4. … “You’re pregnant,” Mark tells her. Indeed, season 4 episode 2 confirms Serena is pregnant.

Did Serena sleep with Mark Tuello?

Serena has not slept with Mark Tuello as of yet. I wouldn’t have done that out of respect for her character and the audience,” answers Miller. “If she had the audience would know. It’s definitely Fred’s baby and we see June’s anger at the impending birth.

Does Nicole get out of Gilead?

She knows that June is planning an escape with the help of the Marthas and Mayday and she gives June’s baby, Nicole, to her and tells her to get Nicole out of Gilead. … Once back, she attacks Aunt Lydia and escapes with the help of her Commander, one of the creators of Gilead named Commander Lawrence.

Does Mrs Waterford get Nicole back?

The plan is for her to escape via plane to Canada, but the plane is intercepted, and she ends up back in her prison with the Waterfords. She eventually gives birth to a baby girl, who is named Nichole.

Does June reunite with Luke?

Luke and June being reunited hasn’t been an easy homecoming. But in the scene on the boat, when the two of you lay eyes on each other (in episode six), the unspoken love was palpable.

What does May the Lord open mean?

“May the Lord open”: The classic response to “blessed be the fruit.” Again, it suggests that they’re praying for God to bring fertility to Handmaids. “Under His Eye”: Another Biblical reference, intended for saying hello or goodbye.

Why is Hannah afraid of June?

Handmaid’s Tale Season 4, Episode 3, is dark and frightful but physical abuse is done differently through torture. Gilead has used Hannah to torture June mentally to break her down to the extreme. The reunion of June and Hannah was expected to be fruitful and heartfelt but Hannah was scared of seeing June.

Does June end up with Nick?

A happy ending for June and Nick remains incredibly unlikely, even with The Handmaid’s Tale season 4, episode 9 showcasing them as the Hulu series’ main love story. Nick remains entrapped within Gilead, and it’s hard to see any chance of him getting out alive.

Does Offred have a miscarriage?

The simple answer is no. Episode 11 was called Holly and saw Offred/June (played by Elisabeth Moss) failing to escape from Gilead after her waters broke, forcing her to call for help.

What happens to Nick in Handmaid's Tale?

Now more than ever, the two seem to be endgame for each other. But season 4 episode 9, “Progress,” revealed Nick got remarried in Gilead, making life with June seem even farther out of reach. Margaret Atwood’s 2019 sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments, revealed much about June and her family’s future.

Is Commander Lawrence Good or bad?

Commander Lawrence isn’t an amoral character, nor is he a villain on The Handmaid’s Tale. In season four, both Nick and June explicitly tell him that he’s a good man, and relative to the other Commanders (the lowest of low bars), they’re right. On several occasions, Lawrence’s arrow has pointed to decency.

Is Gilead real?

The Handmaid’s Tale is NOT based on a true story. The drama is science fiction, set in a dystopian future where a totalitarian regime has overthrown the US government and created the Republic of Gilead.

Is Mr Waterford a good guy?

On the outside, he seems like a decent and well-meaning man. Though he almost comes across like a ‘victim’ of Gilead, he was actually involved in designing and establishing it. In the way he treats his wife and everyone else below him, his cruel side is revealed.

Is Nichole Freds baby?

Unbeknownst to the Waterfords, Nick and June had already been having an illegal fling, which they would’ve been murdered for if caught. This worked and June later gave birth to baby Nichole while in hiding after she tried to escape Gilead and protect her unborn baby.

What did June write on the wall?

Offred has been banished to her room by Serena Joy for “lying” about being pregnant. She goes into the closet where she finds the Latin phrase “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” scratched into the wall.