Exactly one year since The Handmaid’s Tale ended on Hulu, its sequel show, The Testaments, has released its Season 1 finale, with an ending that sets up a brighter future. The series, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s book of the same name, has taken a relatively patient approach to its storytelling, with the focus on developing the characters of Agnes McKenzie (Chase Infiniti) and Daisy (Lucy Halliday), while also fleshing out the world of Gilead and some of its core inhabitants, such as Aunt Lydia’s (Ann Dowd) backstory. Warning: SPOILERS ahead from this point on.
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That started to change in The Testaments Season 1, Episode 9, where things really escalated with Becka (Mattea Conforti) killing her abusive father, Dr. Grove (Randal Edwards), in bloody fashion. The finale, “Secateurs,” picks up in the aftermath of that death and explores the wide-ranging fallout from it. That includes Becka’s own imprisonment, the impact on Agnes’ future, and by the end, what feels like the beginning of the tide turning against Gilead.
Agnes’ Real Identity, Telling Aunt Lydia The Truth, & The New Rebellion Against Gilead
Yes, Agnes is actually Hannah Bankole, the daughter of Luke Bankole (O-T Fagbenle) and June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss), who was taken from them by Gilead. Viewers of The Handmaid’s Tale were already aware of her identity, but the reveal still lands for new audiences and, crucially, for Agnes herself. While she is initially shocked, with a rather comical exclamation of “The TERRORIST?!”, she comes to realize what it really means. That her mother was a survivor, a fighter, someone who was brave and would do what was necessary to protect the weak and those she cared about.
Agnes is all of those things, too. That was already clear to us, but there’s a greater clarity to her in what it means, and what she can be. The mention of her name being Hannah sparks something inside of her; in her box of secret possessions, she finds a drawing with her real name written on it, rather than Agnes. That comes from The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, Episode 9, in a small act of rebellion that told us at the time Hannah still remembered at least some of who she was, and now she’s remembering that same rebellious spirit once again.
That leads to her revealing the truth to Aunt Lydia, who says that she knew June, and she didn’t give up – and nor will they. On the surface, that’s simply about Agnes getting married, a difficult task now that she is a Green who has returned to being a Plum. But it’s also a tacit admission about the need to fight against Gilead, in whatever way they can.
It may not be open rebellion just yet, but it’s in things like Lydia and Vidala saving Becka by having her mother take the fall for Dr. Grove’s murder, and Agnes’ eyes being opened, at least a bit, to what Gilead is really like, which will continue to develop in the future. That final shot of Agnes, Shu (Rowan Blanchard), and Daisy walking together, pinkies interlocked, suggests that the flames of their rebellion will only burn brighter, hotter, and higher in the second season.
We Still Don’t Know Who Daisy’s Parents Are In The Testaments
While we get one major parentage reveal in The Testaments Season 1 finale, the question of who Daisy’s parents are continues to linger. In the book, she is actually Nichole, the daughter of June and Nick Blaine (Max Minghella). The timeline of the show, with her being the same age as Agnes/Hannah, makes that impossible in the adaptation (though June’s emotional speech to her did briefly make me wonder if they were going to say ‘to hell with it’ and do the reveal anyway).
There’s no easy answer for Daisy’s parentage, as she doesn’t fit neatly with being someone like Charlotte (the daughter of Janine), nor one of the Angel’s Flight kids. There may be nothing more to be revealed about who her parents were, and no deeper connection to the past of the show, though that would go against how these things typically work.
What it does make clear, though, is that while she may not be June’s daughter, she’s a lot like her. She’s now the one who is choosing to go back into Gilead, despite the dangers, because of being changed by the girls she’s met there, and because of believing she can save them, which is very much the kind of thing June can relate to.
Why Commander Weston Broke Off His Engagement To Agnes
Agnes bravely tells Commander Weston (Reed Diamond), her husband-to-be, that she was one of the girls sexually abused by Dr. Grove, which prompts him to do what he can to help Becka. However, it also prompts him to break off their engagement. This very much confuses Agnes’ father (and some viewers), since he blames it on her being too close to the Grove scandal.
The real reasons are likely much uglier: one, that Weston, despite being presented as caring about her, would consider her as having been “sullied,” and two, that he realizes Agnes is someone who will stand up for herself and tell others if something bad is done to her. Given he has a history of domestic violence, he no doubt wants a wife who will be quieter and easier to control.
Agnes & Becka’s Kiss In The Testaments Finale Explained
One of the things that separates The Testaments from The Handmaid’s Tale is the ages of its characters. By focusing on teenage girls, it allows for a different tone at times, even amid the bleakness of Gilead. There’s a sweetness and tenderness to it in certain moments, and that’s exactly what we get with Agnes and Becka’s kiss in the finale, which comes as the latter prepares for her wedding to Garth.
For Becka, we know there is a romantic intent to it, as she has feelings for Agnes. But it’s also about hope: Agnes being there gives her strength to keep going, and the kiss is a moment of light amid the pitch-black darkness her life has become. Her marriage to Garth (Brad Alexander) may be better than being a Handmaid but, as she’s locked in her room, it doesn’t seem like she’ll have a happy marriage.
For Agnes, there is no suggestion so far that she has romantic feelings for Becka (though it’s possible they could still go down that path), but it’s a moment to provide comfort to her friend, to be there for her in any way she can, and, perhaps, a sense of a goodbye as well.
The Testaments’ Finale Has A Margaret Atwood Cameo
One of the (many) highlights of The Testaments‘ Season 1 finale comes early on, with a cameo from none other than Margaret Atwood herself. The author plays one of the women working at the Gilead facility where Becka is being held, and can be seen in a scene with Aunt Lydia, telling her, “Don’t agitate her.” It’s a fitting choice since Atwood clearly finds Lydia to be among her most interesting characters, and comes with a sense of irony as well: for her to have survived so long in Gilead, she’s probably had to do some terrible things.
Is The Testaments Season 2 Happening?
The ending of Season 1 is very clearly not the end, and thankfully, The Testaments Season 2 has been confirmed by Hulu. The show has performed well on Hulu, with 45 million hours viewed through the first eight episodes, and viewership increased by 76% from Episode 1 to Episode 8, an encouraging sign for the show’s future. There’s plenty left to do with these characters, so it makes sense that Season 2 will happen, and it could feasibly run beyond that as well.
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Testaments book.
There is a fair bit of material from The Testaments novel that has not yet been covered by the TV show. This includes Agnes becoming a Supplicant (a prospective Aunt) in order to avoid marriage, and her coming into possession of documents that reveal Gilead’s corruption, including Paula having an affair with another Commander and them plotting to kill their spouses. Later, information is leaked from inside Gilead to the Canadian media, which is used to spark a revolt that brings Gilead down, and une is reunited with both of her children.
Not all of that can be adapted, due to the show condensing its timeline and changing Daisy’s identity. However, some of it, particularly the characters learning more of Gilead’s secrets and those being fed to Canada, and building to all of them working with Mayday in some way, seems a likely direction for Season 2.
All 10 episodes of The Testaments Season 1 are now streaming on Hulu.
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