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The Last Ceremony is the tenth episode of the second season of The Handmaid's Tale.

Synopsis[]

A frustrated Serena becomes desperate. The Commander tries to make amends with Offred. Nick pushes Eden farther away. Offred is faced with an unexpected reunion.

Plot[]

Emily, now Ofroy, is forced to have sex with Commander Roy in the Ceremony with his wife. He collapses afterwards. His wife rushes to his side and tries to order Emily to get help. Emily coldly replies that she needs to lay prone to increase the chances of conception. While his wife goes to get help, Emily kicks him and stomps on his crotch.


June is escorted home after getting contractions

At the grocery the next day, Alma and Brianna gossip about the incident; they are overheard by June who is shopping with Eden, escorted by Isaac. June tells Emily that Moira made it to Canada and assures her she's going to see her son again when she suddenly starts to have contractions. She is taken home by ambulance where Nick helps her into the house, where Eden sadly watches while he tenderly escorts June up the stairs. Serena comes out and greets June with a prayer of thanksgiving before she is taken to Serena and the Commander's room.

Aunt Lydia and other handmaids arrive. They begin to set up the room for the birth of the child. Downstairs, the Marthas are setting up the kitchen with snacks and delicacies. In a room with the other Commanders, Commander Fred is handing out cigars. Serena is in another room surrounded by wives as she pretends to have a baby, when Aunt Lydia interrupts and tells her that June was only having false contractions. They call a doctor to come examine her and they learn that she is not even close to giving birth. Serena is upset and tells June that after the birth she is to be transferred to another district.

June approaches Commander Fred about what Serena wants and asks for his help. She asks to be moved to her daughter's district. The Commander becomes upset and yells at her to get out. Before she leaves, June tells him that he'll never know what it's like to have a child of his own.

Commander Fred and Serena talk about the baby and possibly inducing labor, which their doctor and Aunt Lydia have already said is ill-advised this late in the pregnancy. Serena says that the best way for the baby to come is the most natural way.

Rita tells June that Serena wants to see her in their bedroom. As she leaves, Rita assures June that she'll tell the baby about her. Fred slips into the room, at first unnoticed by June. Serena forces June onto the bed as Fred rapes her with the intention of inducing labor. Fred's physical and emotional response to the act seems more intense than usual. Afterwards, Serena and Fred both leave the room as June cries alone.

Eden takes out the trash and runs into Isaac. They share a kiss as Nick watches from the balcony. Eden realizes Nick saw them and runs up to the house to apologize. He says not to worry about it and Eden asks why he doesn't care that he just caught her being unfaithful. He doesn't say anything and Eden realizes that he loves June. Nick tells her that he'd never get involved with a handmaid. She realizes that he just doesn't love her and starts to cry.

June is lying in bed when Fred comes into her room. He tells her that he's planned a surprise for her. He puts her in a car and instructs Nick to bring her back in three hours, giving him a written location, and telling him to avoid being noticed. On the drive, Nick asks her what happened but she doesn't respond. They arrive at an empty house where inside Hannah is waiting with a Martha. She rushes towards her daughter, but Hannah gets scared and hides behind the Martha. June asks if she remembers her and Hannah nods, while the Martha tells June that Hannah's name has been changed to Agnes. Hannah asks if it hurt when they hit her on the head and if she tried to find her. June says yes, she tried, but Hannah asks why she didn't try harder. Hannah tells her that it's okay because she has new parents now. Hannah notices that June is pregnant and tells her that she doesn't get to keep it. The guard says that it's time to go so June tells Hannah that she will always love her and that she should enjoy her life. June asks the Martha to protect and love Hannah, and the Martha says that she will. The guard separates them and they leave the house, but Hannah runs back to June. June tells her that she has to go and that she loves her. Hannah leaves leaving June kneeling in the snow as she cries.

Suddenly, Nick hears other cars approaching and orders June back into the house. He tells her to hide while he waits outside to see who it is. Two Guardians appear and ask Nick what he is doing there. He says that he is just checking that everything is okay with the house. The guards tell him that that he is lying and that no one is supposed to be there. They attack Nick, taking him hostage and leaving June alone in the middle of nowhere.

Cast[]

Additional Cast

Quotes[]

Gallery[]

Music[]

Notes[]

Hannah’s reaction to meeting June for the first time in years was made to be as realistic as possible, inspired, especially in the United States, with torn-apart families at the border. The children, typically, didn’t remember their parents for long periods of time, and it became extremely difficult for these families, in real life cases, to reconnect. This is true in Hannah’s case, who, while she remembered June, wondered why June didn’t look harder for her and told her she has new parents. == References ==

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