'The Handmaid's Tale' Fans Are Still Asking This One Question About June's Family
June has a lot to worry about when The Handmaid's Tale returns for its second season: Where is that black van that Nick told her to get in taking her? What is she going to do about those letters from Jezebels? But most importantly, how is she going to save her daughter Hannah. In a departure from the Margaret Atwood novel its based on, the Hulu series revealed that June's daughter is still alive in the Season 1 finale, which adds a new challenge for June in her attempts to escape Gilead. So, where is Hannah on The Handmaid's Tale? Here is your refresher before you jump into Season 2.
Although much of the details in the TV adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale remained very true to the book, the major difference has been the presence of June's husband Luke and their daughter Hannah. In the 1985 novel, we never hear anything about Luke or June's daughter (she is unnamed in the book) after Gilead's rise to power, but the Hulu series shows us that Luke managed to escape to Canada and Hannah is still alive in Gilead. Obviously, June learning about her daughter's survival will have a huge impact on her storyline in Season 2.
It was not until the Season 1 finale that June got confirmation that her daughter was still alive... but it wasn't exactly a joyful reunion. After Serena Joy found out that her husband had been sneaking off with June to the brothel Jezebels, she decides to get back at her handmaid through some emotional blackmailing. Serena drives June out to a mysterious house, and locks June in the car so that she can only look out the window as Serena brings Hannah out of the house and then quickly returns her inside. Then Serena returns to the car and tells a devastated June that her daughter will remain safe as long as the baby June is carrying also remains safe.
The big question about Hannah now is... where exactly is she? Unfortunately, it seems like only Serena Joy knows Hannah's exact location — even though June was driven to the house, Serena Joy made sure to keep the car's windows blocked out by curtains so that she could not see where they were heading. If June is going to try to save Hannah, then she is going to need that intel from Serena, or possibly Fred or the driver.
It's also unclear what the nature of Hannah's living situation is right now. Is she just living with one of Gilead's wealthy families, being raised as the daughter they were unable to have? The building is so massive that it could also be some sort of boarding school; Gilead's education system is still very murky if it exists at all. Most frightening of all, the building could be a Red Center, where Aunts train fertile women like June to become handmaids. After all, we do see Hannah wearing a pink, hooded robe that looks very similar to the red handmaid robe that June wears. If June sees that her daughter is being put through the same torturous Red Center indoctrination that she had to go through, then she will definitely be incredibly motivated to find and save Hannah as quickly as possible.
Of course, before she can do anything, June first has to figure out where the van she got into at the end of Season 1 is taking her... and if she really can trust Nick or not. The second season of The Handmaid's Tale will premiere on Hulu on Wednesday, April 25.
