How did The Handmaid’s Tale write out Emily Malick?
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We knew we wouldn’t see Emily in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 with Alexis Bledel leaving. How did the show write out the character?
When Alexis Bledel announced she was leaving The Handmaid’s Tale out of choice, we did wonder what that would mean for her character. How would the show handle her exit?
The answers came in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 premiere. June found out everything from Sylvia. At least the series got Clea Duvall back for an episode, something that wasn’t possible in Season 4 due to COVID restrictions and requirements.
What happened to Emily in The Handmaid’s Tale?
The fifth season saw June head to Emily and Sylvia’s place. At first, nobody answered, and June assumed that they weren’t in. In fact, it looked like the series was going to handle it that the family wasn’t around anymore. Then Syliva answered the door.
It turns out that Emily chose to go back to Gilead. That’s the assumption, anyway. Emily has gone back into the fight, and there was a mention to take down Aunt Lydia.
This shouldn’t be all that surprising. Emily was happy that Aunt Irene had killed herself—and she even hoped that she had something to do with that. Aunt Lydia was the one to share what had happened and why when Emily was mutilated. Of course, Lydia was going to be next on the list.
Having Emily go to Gilead like this keeps her story open. Should Alexis Bledel agree to return for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6, which will be the final season, there’s a chance to see if she was successful. Should she not return, we can be left with the hope that Emily is still alive somewhere—or maybe there will be a way to bring us some sort of closure.
MORE: Do Rhaenyra and Daemon marry in House of the Dragon?
What did you think of the way the series handled Emily’s exit? Did you expect Emily to head back to Gilead? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The Handmaid’s Tale* airs Wednesdays on Hulu.
