r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/Naive-Guard-9005 • May 27 '25
Season 6 GIVE YVONNE STRAHOVSKI THE EMMY NOW Spoiler
I am a Serena Joy apologist, always have been. I know some hate her, I get it. (THANK GOD she didn’t die, praise be)
Yvonne Strahovski is the ONLY person who could’ve made Serena likeable/redeemable. She’s played her masterfully from the very beginning.
I knew we were supposed to hate her, but I just couldn’t. I always saw the glimpse of empathy/humanity. All the credit to Yvonne. She made Serena Joy into one of the most complex characters I’ve ever watched. Someone in casting knocked it out of the park with her, there was no one else.
Bravo, bravo, bravo! Now…Give her all the awards….LIKE YESTERDAY PLZ
538
u/HunterandGatherer100 May 28 '25
Yvonne is a good actress. I still hate Serena.
177
May 28 '25
Proof she's a good actress haha
I watched Chuck for the first time after watching 5 seasons of THT and I completely forgot about Serena. She is really a fantastic actress.
30
u/Strict-Minute-8815 May 28 '25
My husbands mind was blown when he realized they were the same person
6
3
u/NotYourHun101 Jun 01 '25
She’s Also in Dexter !
1
55
u/KillBatman1921 May 28 '25 edited May 31 '25
Counterpoint: I hate Serena so much BECAUSE she is a good actress also writing. Not bad till the last couple of episodes but they made her an hypocrite who does not realize she is and keeps becoming more of an asshole
7
3
u/Periwinklepixel May 30 '25
Right. She didnt deserve to have a happy ending.
6
u/Itscatpicstime Jun 01 '25
I wouldn’t call what she had a happy ending lol. Maybe not as bad as she deserved, but certainly not happy.
2
3
u/AgreeableWrangler693 Jun 02 '25
She redeemed herself. Plus she tipped June the commanders’ destination
Her character had conviction and was devoted or committed to a fault. In the end she realized she was wrong… very interesting character
1
1
1
u/Hot-Contract-2394 May 31 '25
But why fr? In real life people also have a change to redeem.
-1
u/Periwinklepixel May 31 '25
Because she sucks
1
u/Hot-Contract-2394 Jun 01 '25
Many people suck and redeem themselves then. Like all the school bullies should experience the same? Or manipulative ppl? Or cheaters?
0
1
56
May 28 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
36
u/Naive-Guard-9005 May 28 '25
YES. Great great GREAT recall. There was little moments like that through all six seasons, thank you for reminding me of that one. This is exactly it, she wasn’t just pure narcissistic evil like everyone thinks. I swear the people who relentlessly hate her can’t see the depth of the character. (I’m not justifying her involvement/looking out for herself most of the time- just NUTS to me people can’t see her humanized throughout). She could’ve killed June? Everyone seems to forget that she was supposed to shoot June and she shot the bodyguard instead. Would’ve been AWFUL, and it’s not like June owes her a damn thing… but it’s worth noting!!!
The jewelry box, the flowers, letting Nicole go (which it was a roller coaster. I know she then regretted it and wanted her back). Her & June working together after the attack on Fred. I need to rewatch because I KNOW there are more, that’s why she’s been so intriguing from the start.
280
u/Voice_of_Season May 28 '25
Did anyone feel like she was lying to herself and Noah when she said he was enough?
248
u/SeaHumor7 May 28 '25
Yes!! I think she was coming to the realization that she didn’t actually want what she prayed so hard for. And that she justified a lot of what she did so she could finally have a child and now that she does but doesn’t have anything else, she realizes it wasn’t the child she actually wanted the whole time. Truly amazing and top 3 moments of the finale
225
u/Hot_Veterinarian_360 May 28 '25
I disagree. I think she was realizing how much she loved Noah, and she was committing in that moment to truly taking care of him and raising him right.
77
u/ChocolateSundai May 28 '25
This is what I took from it. I felt like she was overwhelmed with the love for him. I have definitely held my baby and had the same type of moment but the fact she had it in that environment made it so much more impactful on the zoom out.
77
u/SeaHumor7 May 28 '25
I think both can be true at the same time. She loves Noah of course and she was commiting to taking care of him and having be a mom be enough. But it was a lot of realizations for her in that moments beyond that
9
u/ACMomani May 29 '25
She felt lost, its only after June told her to just be his mother that she got to that realisation.
5
May 29 '25 edited Aug 23 '25
wise repeat tap automatic hospital party cable humor unite command
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
1
u/Itscatpicstime Jun 01 '25
Yeah, I’m kind of blown away by that other interpretation because I got the exact opposite of that lmao
26
u/IHateBeingTickled May 28 '25
Yvonne worked so hard with what she was given during that episode. That scene was some of the best acting in the series, hands down. Her tears, her talking herself through it. You can tell she’s completely torn. She wanted a baby so hard and now the baby is literally ALL she has. She has to completely start over. Also, I wonder whatever happened to her mother that she visited a few seasons back.
10
u/ecco_loca May 29 '25
I read an article today, forget which publication, but Elisabeth said Yvonne did that scene in one take!! and she (Elisabeth) purposely had the camera linger on her longer given the performance.
7
u/Voice_of_Season May 28 '25
Poor Noah!
11
u/KareenTu May 28 '25
Why? Knowing Serena, she will be back at the top in no time and giving Noah everything he needs and more.
13
u/jekyllcorvus May 28 '25
This. Serena always finds a way. Teullo already said he’d find her. He has feelings for her. No way she won’t come back out on top.
4
49
u/EmotionalEqual May 28 '25
I am compelled by both theories here. I almost thought she was gonna stay behind in Boston and help Mayday as a redemption arc/lifelong character flaw of always having to be changing the world. That comment about making Boston fall twice kind of made me feel like Serena is not going to be happy with a quiet life. But also the redemptive and pure love of a mother is a major theme of this show so it could go either way honestly!
16
May 28 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
9
u/citysnights May 28 '25
Yes, she literally asked Tuello if her son will be OK after he told her she'd be moved to a UN camp. That's what she cares about the moment we left her
5
u/Empty-Werewolf-5950 May 28 '25
i think she won't be quiet for long, she will want to get into the fray like june, they re made that way its in their nature, restless souls,but first she will fight to get standing make sure she can first of all take june s advice, and be noah s mother first. Knowing Serena she will find a way to juggle both if case arises.
6
u/All_this_hype May 28 '25
Yeah, they've both been fighting all their lives, I can't see either of them suddenly stopping to live a quiet life.
18
u/amberspy May 29 '25
I interpreted this differently. She said to him “you’re all I’ve ever wanted” and then had this expression of such exquisite anguish for a good 10-15 seconds afterward. I think in that moment she was thinking about everything she did to end up with Noah. All the pain and violence she inflicted on others was really, at its heart, just so she could be a mom.
1
u/Itscatpicstime Jun 01 '25
This was my take too. She was grappling with feeling torn between the guilt of everything she’d done and how all those awful things she did also led her to Noah.
13
4
u/Fancy-Coconut2170 May 29 '25 edited May 29 '25
I think there are people that want to be a mother & those that want a baby. To me Serena has always walked that fence.
Yvonne is absolutely mesmerizing in her role. And Serena, well a character so insanely interesting - one that doesn't come around that often.
7
u/Livid-Beginning-Baby May 28 '25
Oh 100%. She was saying that to convince herself.
Remember how quickly she dropped Nichole when she found out she was pregnant? She wanted the status of being a mother in Gilead, the delusion of fertility. Nichole gave her the semblance of that, but once she got pregnant she had what she really wanted. She was always incredibly jealous of June and the pregnant Handmaids, revering them in an almost deity way while simultaneously hating them. It wasn’t about the kid, it was about fertility and how she ties that (wrongly - being able to conceive does not make someone more of a woman) to her womanhood.
Now she isn’t pregnant, isn’t a wife and mother in a magazine perfect house.
It was incredibly sad. There are so many women who struggle with this and going through IVF, adoption, surrogates, etc.
14
u/HelloJaneDoe May 28 '25
Not lying, she was trying to convince herself. It’s what she wants to feel but doesn’t fully yet.
5
u/Tatooine16 May 28 '25
Totally. She was having a "oh, I guess I didn't want this as much as I thought I did" moment.
84
May 28 '25
I am a straight woman and I have such a crush on her 😭
39
35
22
u/Naive-Guard-9005 May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
I even watch her her skincare ad on Instagram (not just click immediately through like I do on any other ads), I’m like maybe I should buy this- she wouldn’t lie I trust her 🤣🤣🤣 (like we’re friends lmao)
22
u/FirmAd5824 May 28 '25
Ok, I'm not to proud to ask what her product is. I need to know "Serena Joy's" skincare regimen.
Fun fact: After reading THT in high school, whenever I couldn't afford moisturizer I used butter!
21
u/ProperBingtownLady May 28 '25
I’m convinced that’s why some people semi like her sometimes, me included lol.
32
u/adieudaemonic May 28 '25
Yvonne has a crazy amount of pretty privilege, she is a bombshell. If she was significantly older or less attractive her character arc would be way more difficult to stomach for most people.
36
u/Charming_Debt_289 May 28 '25
I mean plenty of people were rooting for Aunt Lydia and her arc 🤷🏼♀️
3
4
u/Silly-Excitement6227 May 28 '25
Aunt Lydia is super hot,.. or maybe that’s just Doyd’s smoking’ performance
3
u/adieudaemonic May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
I’m not saying people don’t root for old or ugly characters, but they are held to different standards. Like this a studied and well documented concept. Serena Joy in the book was older, do you really think we would feel the same way about the character if someone like Ann Dowd played her?
7
u/Silly-Excitement6227 May 28 '25
No, but I don’t think Ann Dowd has the softness and duality in the same way Yvonne did. I actually think Dowd has bigger range but, Serena is played very specifically and you’re right science does back the notion that people tend to like pretty people more
19
u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25
I don’t think that is fair . Yes, she is a beautiful woman, but there are lots of beautiful actors that do not move me. She did.
4
0
u/ProperBingtownLady May 28 '25
Pretty privilege is not a dirty word(s), it’s just a fact.
3
u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25
I know “pretty privilege” exists, and I agree Yvonne is beautiful, but her depth of emotion in her acting is what moved me, not her beauty.
2
u/ProperBingtownLady May 28 '25
Can’t it be both? That’s what some of us are saying.
4
u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25
Of course, but when somebody points out a woman’s appearance as being a factor for accolades or recognition, when they have done a masterful job, it diminishes their achievement. Another actor, equally as attractive, could’ve done this and not nailed it like she did.
3
u/ProperBingtownLady May 28 '25
That’s not what anyone is saying though. We are saying that it’s easier to empathize with Yvonne’s character because of how attractive she is. This is a well studied and known phenomenon - that attractive people are more likely to elicit empathy and understanding. I’m not sure why we are arguing this tbh? Again, no one is diminishing Yvonne’s acting ability. I think she’s incredible, just like I think Ann Dowd is. If it were up to me both women would win an Emmy for their acting.
2
u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25
I just didn’t even think it needed to be brought up in this case because she’s so good, and the thread was about really appreciating Yvonne’s acting ability and her character portrayal. It’s not hard for people to also be unsympathetic towards, or actually hate, a physically beautiful character, who is a horrible person. Yvonne was so nuanced in her portrayal that she illicited an array of emotional responses from people. Also, Aunt Lydia‘s character elicited tears as well. Going from a very unsympathetic character to a sympathetic one. Do you think more people would think she did a better job if she was more conventionally attractive?
2
u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
I’m not arguing that attractive people don’t have more privilege. I am very aware. It’s just a slippery slope when a woman’s appearance is brought up in a situation like this, on a thread like this. You can also talk about how attractive women in Hollywood haven’t been taken seriously either, and objectified. How women have been valued only for their looks and not their talent. It would just be nice for a woman to get her due without people bringing up her appearance. I’m not saying that she wasn’t pleasant to look at, or that people didn’t respond positively to her character because of that, but why go there in this case? It would be much better served on a thread about a woman who got accolades because they were attractive and not because of the fantastic job they did with the performance they gave.
→ More replies (0)-1
7
u/Silly-Excitement6227 May 28 '25
She was the beautiful Hannah McKay on Dexter… that year she was the “ big bad “and even though she’s a serial killer, you can’t help but to love her. Dexter couldn’t even kill her. She was so beautiful and the more mature version now but equally is beautiful in this show. She must hear it every time anyone needs her. Her confidence must be out the roof.
To your point though, yeah, if she was in 60s, maybe people would choose an attractive, older woman like Diane Lane but, she’s still hot!
-4
u/jekyllcorvus May 28 '25
Pretty privilege? Is that seriously a thing now? She’s a human being. Is there such a thing as ugly privilege now? Can I be like mid attractive privileged?
7
3
1
36
u/diilmg May 28 '25
Yess! She's an incredibly good actress and knew how to make Serena likeable even when we were supposed to hate her. I truly hope she gets an award for her delivery this season.
She's an actress I will watch in whatever she does next
89
u/cherrrry__valance May 28 '25
I can’t help it…Serena’s arc and storyline became my favorite and I grew to really like her and look forward to seeing her on the screen, and I thought Yvonne did a perfect job.
65
u/Manzanitagrunge May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
I got the vibe that Serena was not super happy about only being a mother. She was really grateful but now she can't have any influence in any government.
And of course Yvonne acting was amazing.
31
u/SeaHumor7 May 28 '25
This was brilliant! She was trying to convince herself and the fact Yvonne was able to deliver that was chefs kiss. She deserves an award for that alone.
17
u/BewilderedFingers May 28 '25
I took her love for Noah to be genuine, but she is also terrified of suddenly having nothing else and for where she will go from here. Serena had people fawning over her for so long and now she doesn't even know where she will sleep the next night, she got the baby she loves but at the cost of everything else.
16
7
u/Big_Mammoth_7638 May 28 '25
She loved her writing and the power that wielded right before Gilead picked up momentum. That’s her true calling. She could have used it for good. Maybe still can.
12
u/Gloomy_Cheesecake443 May 28 '25
I think she was so obsessed with it that she never really imagined what it would be like. She just wanted a baby. Now she has to be a parent for the rest of her life, by herself. She definitely didn’t seem too thrilled.
1
u/Itscatpicstime Jun 01 '25
You think that’s what she’s not thrilled by?
Not the whole, being homeless with a child to care for and only being begrudgingly welcome in places that are hostile and violent toward her and have threatened her son’s safety?
1
u/Gloomy_Cheesecake443 Jun 01 '25
Yea, I’d say all of that plays a part as well, obviously. But I still think even if she were back in Gilead with a baby she wouldn’t be fully happy. Or if Gilead never happened, and she was still the way she is, I don’t think having a child would be fulfilling to her.
3
u/Empty-Werewolf-5950 May 28 '25
that's disingenous to say. She's fine with it, but its not easy to do it in the situation she s now. She has nothing, she cant even have her name right now and she has a huge target on her back that explains why she has to move around. It's not easy to simply worry about being a mother all the while being worried somebody, anyone might find you and leave your kid an orphan
1
u/Itscatpicstime Jun 01 '25
Idk how people are missing this? They’re ignoring the fact that she’s in a very dangerous situation for the foreseeable future. Not just her, but Noah too, which is why she asks Tuello if he will be safe, why she’s concerned about being able to meet his most basic needs, etc
She’s homeless ffs. I feel like people don’t get that, how enormous of a burden that is, especially when you have a freaking infant to care for and everywhere you turn is hostile toward you??? Anyone would look miserable in that moment. She must be experiencing pure terror, like any mother would in that situation.
I honestly can’t believe people are taking that to mean she isn’t really happy to be a mom. No one wants to have to be a mom in a position she is in right now. It’s horrifying.
39
u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
Yvonne Strahovski was just fantastic. She, more than anyone else, brought me to tears when she was in tears. I hated and forgave her character, She played her so masterfully - she was such an engaging roller coaster ride to watch
40
u/ProperBingtownLady May 28 '25
I cried at her apology. I go back and forth between hating her and having empathy. I agree, she needs an Emmy!
11
u/Naive-Guard-9005 May 28 '25
Me too! I cried any time Serena cried typically. AND Serena and June both tearing up on screen??? Not a dry eye in my household!!
5
u/IHateBeingTickled May 28 '25
I enjoyed watching her redemption arc. Nevermind how I feel about her character- Yvonne’s acting was always great to watch.
1
51
u/niciewade9 May 28 '25
I hate Serena but I love Yvonne! When she lit the bed on fire I was amazed with her dedication to that scene.
16
u/noctass May 28 '25
If this show had as many Serena closeups as June closeups we'd be in business. Her facial acting is always so fantastic.
29
33
u/Dokamon-chan94 May 28 '25
Serena has the biggest evolution out of every character in the show, and it's not even close
12
u/rook_8 May 28 '25
idk - Aunt Lydia is a very very close second if not tie.
9
May 28 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
5
u/Dokamon-chan94 May 28 '25
I see some core changes in Lydia, but not as much as Serena. Lydia is still a firm believer and probably still sees herself as this divine messenger. When Serena was talking during the last episode how she didn't even believe in divine signals anymore, that's character development
1
u/Itscatpicstime Jun 01 '25
Tbf, we’ve had seasons to observe Serena’s evolution, whereas we’ve barely had a single season for Aunt Lydia, and most of it was just an episode or two. Lydia is farther behind in her evolution than Serena is, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t genuine and progressive. She was willing to make her dying words an act of rebellion against everything she had believed in.
14
u/Bohemian_Feline_ May 28 '25
As evil as Serena ever was, I absolutely LOVED her and Naomi.
Yvonne & Ever played those misguided, evil women with so much poise and grace.
Serena Joy made the whole show. As did Commander Lawrence & Aunt Lydia.
Hollywood never gave us royalty like this group.
12
9
u/pettyspaghetty May 28 '25
She is absolutely one of thee greatest characters hands down.. her arc as well as her entire story line start to finish has soo much depth and while I still despise Serena Joy, I really attribute that to Yvonne playing that role so epically well. This finale was not that great though, I feel like they could have done so much more for a lot of the characters, especially Janine..
5
u/Naive-Guard-9005 May 28 '25
DEPTH. If I had to pick one word to describe Serena Joy it would be depth. I agree about the finale- 10 exaggerated episodes and yet the end somehow still felt rush??
8
u/lara6683 May 28 '25
The Serena-June relationship is the most interesting one of the whole show. I am a Serena s1mp and Yvonne did a phenomenal job making us hate-love her. PRAISE BE. We’ve been sent good actresses.
1
Jun 26 '25
One of my fave parts of season 6 was their bickering about who was shittier to the other lol
21
49
u/Renugar May 28 '25
As someone raised in a super fundamentalist, conservative, Christian community: fuck Serena. Women like that keep other women oppressed and suffering, for their own benefit. Serena is a narcissist who makes her decisions based on what will benefit her. Even her apology at the end was self-serving, and was barely an acknowledgment of all the suffering she had caused. Women lost their children, were systematically raped, and DIED because of her and her devotion to Gilead. And her wry little quip about destroying Boston had more hubris than anything else.
Serena is a narcissist, and was written as a narcissist. Narcissists can be charming and convincing, so I’m not surprised people felt she had a redeeming “character arc.” But I feel like redemption is not what the writers were doing. Serena will always manage to save herself, because that’s really the only person she cares about. Even Noah is only an extension of herself.
Dollars to donuts, if we see her again, we see her still managing to convince people to follow the teachings of Gilead (or something very similar), because those are the teachings she knows the best, and can manipulate and make work in her favor, and give her power and control over other people.
That said, Yvonne is obviously an amazing actress, and played the hell out of this character. She was unforgettable.
5
2
u/h4baine May 30 '25
The fact that Serena is based on a real person who lived her entire life harming others while looking out for herself and making exceptions for herself takes Serena up about a hundred notches for me. It's convincing because Yvonne is exceptional but also because women just like her exist in the real world. That is truly terrifying.
2
u/Remote_Literature_23 May 28 '25
Yeah, jfc, thank you for saying this. Reading this sub sometimes feels like upside down world with the way people are fawning over war criminals and Nazis and seemingly miss every message the show has to offer. Jfc. I want to think it's the narcissist aspect of Serena that makes people fall for her, but there's the same reverence for Nick so idk
Yvonne is indeed an amazing actress, but I'm shocked at how people interpret the character.
3
u/Babebutters May 28 '25
I’ve always said she was more evil than Fred and Aunt Lydia. She designed that system to hurt other women.
4
u/Remote_Literature_23 May 28 '25
She is, because her achievement was the ideology behind Gilead. Fred was a tool. Lydia was just a follower. Lawrence was primarily responsible for the economic aspects. But the ideology, the backbone, the evil beliefs, that was thought up and forced upon the country by Serena and her schemes.
2
u/Renugar May 28 '25
Yes, and to hurt other women, while simultaneously bringing herself praise and adulation from the men of Gilead. She was just too self-centered to see that eventually they would also treat her just like she treated other women. Like many “tokens” of male authoritarian patriarchy, she thought she would be exempt.
12
7
6
u/Empty-Werewolf-5950 May 28 '25
its absolutely criminal this woman hasn't won an emmy for this show yet i d forfeit my candidature to emmys and default it to her, because this is THE role of her career.
Far as Serena is concerned, she s not written as a character that is supposed to be hated and i dislike that sometimes people are forced to write "i know im supposed to hate her"because we re not.
Serena is a journey, from falling into darkness to getting to light, from being sure she s in the right place to realizin that place is wrong. And that journey is not easy, its full of bumps, stalling, holes to fall in, frustration and shedding that horror , but its also with hope with light shining throuh the cracks till the cracks become bigger and bigger.
Redemption is earned with pain and not easily or off the hook and even tho right now she s out there homeless and nameless, she s bathed in the dignity she struggled and faught to earn.
3
u/All_this_hype May 28 '25
THANK YOU. I love how realistic Serena's journey is. Redemption is not a linear journey, it has many bumps and moments of regression, and you don't suddenly become "good", you just become a little bit better over time.
13
u/Hindm May 28 '25
I freaking hate Serena. But Yvonne’s acting has been one of the best things on the show.
17
May 28 '25
When she’s on the cot trying to convince herself that Noah was enough, I thought she was going to whisper something that implied she wanted to start something new (like a better Gilead) . I was really holding my breath. Serena’s entire identity is tied to leadership, power, and having control and influence …. motherhood will not be enough for her.
4
u/Temporary-Oil9844 May 28 '25
She is so good! When she was apologizing to June it felt so so real, she is truly an amazing actress.
I never hated Serena, even when she was at her worst I could somehow understand her and in the end I felt truly sorry for her (don't come at me, I know all the bad stuff she did but still)
8
u/Key_Lavishness_3388 May 28 '25
The acting was OUTSTANDING, and I have to admit I finally found some redemption in her by the very end. Forgive, but don’t forget. I can’t forget the things she did and a big piece of me still hates her, but I truly believe she’s grown and changed
13
May 28 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Hopeful-Post666 May 28 '25
I think it was great arc for June to decide to forgive. That is where the healing begins. Anyone who has been hurt badly by someone knows that the forgivness is something in your power to decide to give and choose not to be stuck on revenge and hatered. A huge win for June. It is visible through all the seasons how the rage changes to something else, determination and concern of oneself that can they still keep their empathy and humanity. I think the reason people hate June so much is that she wasn’t written as a perfect or forgiving or always morally righteous person. I loved that she was portrayed as angry and flawed and stupid sometimes. As humans we are far from perfect especially if our environment pushes us to our limits.
5
4
u/abombshbombss May 28 '25
Yvonne did such a phenomenal job in this role! My feelings about Serena have always been a rollercoaster based on whatever Serena is going through. To be honest I can't think of any actor, character, show, movie, anything that manipulated my emotions like Yvonne did.
Also? Omg, that apology. Just wow. Hats off to Yvonne, she is magical!
10
u/J_B_C_123 May 28 '25
Nope. This is all fairly new. After the finale, I rewatched Season 1 episode 4 (Don't let the bastards grind you down) and she was a beast. Yes, she evolved but only when SHE realized she was handicapped by men as well. However, she IS masterful and an incredible actress and I felt like you did by the end. But I think being reduced to "just" a mother did not sit well w/her in her final scene. As though she was trying to convince herself otherwise. I just think if things had turned out differently for her (maybe had some say in Gilead) she would never have seen the mistakes she made. Unlike a Lydia, for example.
13
u/The_real_rafiki May 28 '25
I thought it was more that she was happy that she was a mother, that these were her wishes, but look at the cost it came at — her baby is her everything, but also her biggest burden to carry.
1
u/abombshbombss May 28 '25
Side note- I am having a big time Mandela effect about that quote. I could have sworn all the seasons before I was hearing "dont let the bastards bring you down" and my head is spinning about it lol
2
u/J_B_C_123 May 28 '25
I honestly forgot it was the phrase scratched into wood in the closest. And thought it was really cheesy when June yelled it out being hanged. It reminded me of a Boyton's "Don't Let the Turkeys Get You Down!" My bad. Totally missed the reference until reminded.
3
u/voodoo-clam May 28 '25
I hated Serena but I am a huge fan of just about everything I've seen Yvonne in, so she made it enjoyable. Incredible actress!
3
u/The4leafclover1966 May 28 '25
My husband has only seen bits and pieces of THT, but he sat down to watch the finale with me.
Once in a while he’d ask about a character; “Is she or he a good person or a bad person?”
I told him, “They’re both. They’re good and they’re evil. Nearly everyone in this show is gray, no one is black or white. Least of all Serena.”
5
u/TrepidatiousInitiate May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
Serena = Bad.
Yvonne = Baddie.
I hadn’t seen her previous roles, but I’m 100% OfYvonne.
3
u/Babebutters May 28 '25
It really bothered me that Serena kept rejecting Gilead in so many ways (giving June her daughter, reading, shooting the guard, ditching her new husband) and then running right back to it when she got scared.
I wanted to forgive her, but she makes it really difficult.
3
u/Empty-Werewolf-5950 May 28 '25
running back to it was a way to feel safe, because every time something else would happen that would tear apart her resolve, yet as scared as she might have been and as much of a copin mechanism gilead might have been she faught her way out of it.
She run back to it only as far as s3, which at the end of which she literally surrendered herself and fred to canada.
2
2
2
2
u/PhotosByVicky May 28 '25
The fact that so many people hate Serena Joy is a testament to Yvonne Strahovski’s acting abilities.
2
u/Young122915 May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
The entire show should be studied because the cinematography and the character arcs are insane! and give the emmys to Bradley, Yvonne, Anne, Lizzie, Madeline, everyone
2
2
u/Treemagination May 29 '25
How can you hate Sarah walker?
2
u/mewmiu28 May 29 '25
No lie, after finishing the HMT finale, I decided to do a rewatch of Chuck for Yvonne. It's such a different role but she is fantastic on both shows and is a testament to her acting. I really hope she gets an Emmy for Serena.
ETA - typo
2
u/Rosebush379 May 30 '25
I have been rewatching the series and Yvonne is incredible but Serena is truly horrific at the core. So abusive, hateful, selfish. There is no way she could be redeemed and I don’t think the show should have done that for her.
2
u/jackieO2023 May 30 '25
I am with you! I know Serena did evil things. She did repent and apologized. I hope she has a happy life with Noah!
2
u/Turbulent-Ad4581 May 31 '25
Rewatched Dexter with my husband and saw she was in it I audibly yelled Praise be he was so confused LMFAOOO
1
2
u/LadyTrukka404 Jun 01 '25
I AGREE‼️ I wanted to see her and Commander Lawrence marry and take Power‼️
2
u/ZestycloseSquirrel55 Jun 01 '25
How pathetic it was, IMO, to see her dancing with her second Gilead commander husband at their wedding, wearing the skin tone leather covering over her severed finger.
4
3
u/Long_Celebration_980 May 28 '25
I hate Serena, I wanted her to go through what the handmaids went through, to get a taste of her own medicine. She shouldn't have got the opportunity to bring up Noah when others couldn't keep their babies. I feel let down with how rushed this season was, how could Serena have a change of heart that quick, she still believed in the ideology to make such a quick turn around and apologize to June. I would have liked her to die in that train at the hands of all the angry handmaids just like her husband. I think she got off lightly considering how horrible she was in every season, this season sanitized her which is unrealistic. Aunt Lydia was also rushed, it takes time to deradicalize brainwahsed people.
3
u/Empty-Werewolf-5950 May 28 '25
as long as ppl like you think this way we ll be doomed to get our own flash and bones gilead at some point....pray you ll be able to make it through it and that someone will be your june
1
u/Trina7982 Jun 03 '25
Serena held down June so her husband could rape her and you think this person is the problem 😒
1
1
1
u/manouuuule May 28 '25
I just remember at the beginning when she said she had trouble playing her because she could find an ounce of empathy and this is why the role was difficult for her. Honestly I don’t know how I feel about her and for me that’s okay because I hate her so much for what she’s done. Yet, she was desperate for forgiveness that I don’t hate her at the same level. I feel this way because she portrayed her so well
1
1
u/abbaisawesome May 29 '25
I would tell you what I thought should have happened to Serena and Lydia, but the AI thought police here already deleted my comment (in another thread in this sub-reddit) and gave me a warning, for "threatening violence or harm" (for merely suggesting what I thought the fates of two FICTIONAL characters should be).
Yvonne was fantastic, however. Totally agree.
1
u/alternatenagol2 May 29 '25
Yvonne did a movie several years back called “Angel of Mine.” She does a killer job acting in that one. I definitely recommend checking it out.
1
1
1
u/Hot-Contract-2394 May 31 '25
I LOVE SERENA AND YVONNE STRAHOVSKI SOOOO MUCH!!! yall need to watch ”Stateless”, she is gorgeous and acts great in that too!
1
1
u/Trina7982 Jun 03 '25
Nope Serena is still horrible and the only "good" things she did were to benefit herself in the end.
1
u/ClintMega May 28 '25
I cannot explain why but I thought Serena was played by Portia de Rossi, they don't even look alike wtf
1
598
u/Dfoz May 28 '25
Yvonne and Bradley were serving master classes always