Entertainment
Watching The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu can be such a tense experience that you may find yourself wishing for spoilers from time to time just so you can relax a little. There are no spoilers to be found here, but plenty of speculation about what might happen on the show. These 7 Handmaid's Tale Season 3 theories try to predict the course the current season will take. They might not be true, but they're pretty convincing.
The first five episodes of Season 3 set up a major conflict between Gilead and its neighbor to the north, Canada. In Season 2, June managed to get her infant daughter across the border to apparent safety, but now Fred and Serena Waterford know exactly where Nichole is. And they want her back. That could have ramifications across the board. Nichole has about five different parents trying to do what they think is the best thing for her, and a lot of those opinions conflict with each other. All of the characters are in increased danger because of this. It could even affect the tense relationship between Gilead and Canada.
There are many possibilities when it comes to the future of The Handmaid's Tale, and here are 7 of them.
A Question Of Paternity
Reddit user janiekelly pointed out that by the end of "Unknown Caller," Luke knows the truth of Nichole/Holly's paternity: Commander Waterford isn't her bio dad, Nick is. If a custody battle ensues between Luke and the Waterfords, he could try to counter their claim on Nichole by revealing the truth. Of course, that could create trouble for June, because a handmaid who had an affair is not going to escape punishment for it.
Emily Isn't Safe Yet
Emily finally made it to Canada, but Gilead could come back to haunt her in more ways than one. She's been accused of kidnapping Nichole, which led Redditor gerannamoe to worry that Gilead may try to hold her accountable for the alleged crime. Could Gilead extradite her to stand trial? Ugh, can someone just let Emily rest already?!
Rebel Rebel
Nick hasn't had much of a presence in Season 3 so far, but Reddit user Kspence92 is hoping that may change. Nick became a commander and was sent to the front, where it's possible he could be captured and/or defect to the remaining American forces. Nick hasn't been an especially proactive character so far, but if this theory is true, he could open the door to exploring what's left of America after Gilead.
Mrs. Lawrence
The Lawrence household is difficult to get a handle on. Commander Lawrence is a high-ranking official, but he's willing to work with handmaids. His wife, meanwhile, appears to have untreated mental illness that requires a lot of care. Sometimes she's disoriented, but not all the time. She also seems sympathetic to the other women in the house. Redditor epicpillowcase speculated that Mrs. Lawrence is actually being drugged by her husband, but she's figured it out and acts confused around him to throw off his suspicions. Perhaps there's more to her than there seems.
Revolution Is Brewing
Rebellion is on the rise in Gilead, but MrTwo-Face doesn't believe it will happen without casualties. In their Reddit post, they theorized that June would manage to get Hannah across the border, but she would be caught in the process. She would be executed and become a martyr. She would be a unifying figure who sparked revolution amongst the handmaids. It's hard to imagine the show without June, but it would certainly be a shocking turn of events.
Lawrence's Motives
Commander Lawrence is a tough nut to crack. He's a misogynist like all the other Gileadan officials, but he also got Emily to Canada and allows his Marthas to scheme freely. This Twitter user speculated that he was merely doing research. By letting the rebellion thrive under his roof, he was learning more about them so he could lock Gilead up even tighter.
An Impossible Situation
It looks like the Waterfords will stop at nothing to bring Nichole back to Gilead. Redditor Watts_JHughes came up with an especially painful deal they may strike to make that happen: it's possible they may exchange Nichole and Hannah. Hannah could rejoin Luke in Canada on the condition that Nichole goes back to the Waterfords. It's hard to imagine that Luke would betray June's express wishes like that, but he might stop at nothing to see his daughter again.
It's impossible to predict exactly what will happen next on The Handmaid's Tale Season 3, but usually things get worse before they get better on this show. The fight for freedom from Gilead won't be easy.
