Editor’s note: The following content includes spoilers for the first three episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6.

It is undeniable that Serena Joy Waterford stands out as one of the most controversial characters on contemporary television. From her initial appearance in The Handmaid’s Tale, she embodies both the creator and the captive of Gilead — a regime that owes much of its foundation to her writings and stringent religious dogmas. While her complicity has always been evident, Yvonne Strahovski has delivered a multifaceted performance that brings a profound depth to the role, infusing Serena with a sense of soulfulness and vulnerability, even amid her morally reprehensible actions.

After a significant act of defiance against Gilead by reading scripture in Season 2 — an act that cost her a finger — Serena finds herself a pregnant widow following the violent demise of Commander Waterford, portrayed by Joseph Fiennes, in Season 4. By Season 5, she experienced a transformation; treated as a Handmaid herself, she gave birth and ultimately fled, assuming the role of a refugee while even seeking assistance from June to secure her escape. Yet, throughout her trials, Serena has clung to the beliefs that originally shaped her identity. In fact, the early episodes of Season 6 reveal that she has merely discovered new methods to wield those beliefs as weapons. The previous iteration of Serena was dangerous, but this new version may be the most formidable of all.

Serena Joy Reclaims Her Influence in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6

In the unfolding narrative of Season 6, Serena is not reemerging as a pitiable refugee or heartbroken widow; instead, she is being strategically positioned as the public representative of New Bethlehem, a settlement designed to project a more progressive image to Gilead refugees. Under the leadership of Commander Lawrence, played by Bradley Whitford, New Bethlehem offers women the ability to read, engage in work, and even wear pants — a surreal departure from a regime steeped in oppression. This calculated rebranding aims to attract international support, and Serena Joy is uniquely qualified to sell this illusion, given her pivotal role in shaping Gilead’s oppressive ideology.

Serena’s most potent weapon has consistently been her talent for manipulating public perception. She knows how to present herself as civil, cleverly concealing harmful ideas beneath polished language and an inviting smile. Her identity as a mother and her status as a widow have evolved from mere facets of her character into strategic advantages. During an event with foreign dignitaries, she observes Commander Lawrence struggling to connect with the women in attendance and immediately steps in with a perspective framed as “as a woman”—a chilling example of leveraging gender to reinforce an anti-feminist and deeply abusive system. She even showcases baby Noah, using him as a tangible testament that Gilead does work, physically presenting him as a symbol of fertility and success, which is something many women in attendance, living in countries with declining birth rates, cannot claim.

What renders this version of Serena so frightening is its effectiveness. The dignitaries visibly soften at the sight of Noah, eagerly requesting to hold him, clearly swayed by Serena’s calculated performance. In that moment, she recognizes that Lawrence is indebted to her, and she realizes that her influence may exceed what she ever possessed before. Serena can no longer be silenced, and her newfound power makes her untouchable. This very evolution may represent the most perilous iteration of Serena Joy we have ever encountered.

Striking Performance of Yvonne Strahovski: Ambiguity Surrounds Serena Joy

The complexity of Serena’s current storyline is both captivating and deeply unsettling, primarily due to the ambiguity surrounding her intentions. In the early episodes of Season 6, there are pivotal moments when she appears sincere and even sympathetic. Her offer to assist June seems genuine; she recognizes June’s isolation and appears truly horrified by the attempted vehicular attack on her by a Gilead member — an ironic twist given the atrocities Serena and Fred previously inflicted upon her. It is almost frustrating to agree with Serena at times and catch glimpses of who she might have become without the influence of Gilead. Her tearful apology to June feels authentic — and thanks to Yvonne Strahovski’s incredibly nuanced performance, you almost find yourself believing her. But almost is a key aspect of this dynamic.

Despite her softer demeanor and tear-filled eyes, Serena’s fundamental beliefs remain unyielding — a fact she starkly demonstrates when she recklessly places Noah in danger during a train incident. Surrounded by refugees who would kill her if they recognized her, she stubbornly clings to her ideology, endangering her son to preserve her self-image as virtuous. This moment is profoundly disturbing, cutting through her performative sorrow and exposing a woman still unwilling to abandon the worldview she helped create. If anything, she is holding on even more tightly — still entrenched in her Messiah complex, still convinced that she is destined to change the world.

This complexity is what makes her such a maddening and endlessly fascinating character. Serena possesses an acute understanding of how to maneuver within the power structures she helped establish. Even while in hiding in Canada under the alias “Rachel,” she acknowledges that Gilead “went wrong,” claiming to seek forgiveness daily from foreign dignitaries. But can we genuinely trust her words? The real question is not whether she has changed, but whether she is even capable of genuine change. Is she attempting to reform Gilead from within? Or is she merely engaging in her usual tactic: adapting to survive while safeguarding her position at any cost?

As The Handmaid’s Tale journeys towards its series finale, Serena Joy is more perilous than ever — not because she is inflicting violence directly, but because she no longer needs to. The show’s signature close-up shots have long captured June’s wrath, yet it is the quiet, chilling expressions on Serena’s face that resonate the most profoundly. The subtle curl of her lips into a knowing smile, the coldness in her eyes — these are the moments that reveal where the true power lies. Strahovski masterfully plays each nuance with unsettling precision, making even Serena’s silences feel sharp and deliberate. Whatever her broader strategy may be, it is only a matter of time before it intersects with June’s — and that meeting could ultimately define the show’s concluding act.

New episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 premiere every Tuesday on Hulu.

Source link

Share on Facebook

Post on X

Follow us

Save