‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 4: Ann Dowd Hinted at Possible Punishment for Aunt Lydia

Ann Dowd plays Aunt Lydia on Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale.' In an interview regarding season 4 of the series, she gave a clue about how Aunt Lydia might get punished by Gilead following June Osborne's escape as a handmaid.

by Lauren Weiler

Published on March 15, 2021

3 min read

When does ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ season 4 premiere?

Fans are more excited than ever to see what happens to June during season 4. Judging from the trail e r, it’s clear she made it out of Gilead alive, and it looks like she’ll be working with the resistance to get more handmaids out.

The trailer begins with June on a street in a baseball cap — far different than her typical handmaid garb. Janine, June’s friend and ally, is also seen seemingly escaping Gilead. And other infamous members of The Handmaid’s Tale cast, like Nick and Commander Lawrence, make appearances in the teaser for season 4.

Moss has started talking about season 4, too. She’s officially directing the show, and we’re excited to see how this changes it up. “I will say that the first half of this season is definitely bigger than we’ve ever done,” she explained to Deadline. “It has been incredibly challenging. It has been, on a production level, really, really outside of our box, and it’s just bigger in every way.”

Ann Dowd gave hints about Aunt Lydia’s fate

Ann Dowd, a member of 'The Handmaid's Tale' cast, playing Aunt Lydia in season 3. Aunt Lydia is looking up as someone speaks to her.

Ann Dowd, a member of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ cast, playing Aunt Lydia in season 3 | Sophie Giraud/Hulu

The Handmaid’s Tale cast wouldn’t be the same without Dowd. Dowd plays the vicious Aunt Lydia, one of the members of Gilead’s society who appears to truly believe in what the government is doing to its people. At the end of season 3, fans see June defy Aunt Lydia and evade her as she escapes. And this may have serious consequences for Lydia going forward.

Dowd spoke to This Morning about Lydia’s fate, Digital Spy reports. And she noted Lydia may be in for a rude awakening following June’s escape.

“The Commanders cannot wait to place blame on anyone but themselves, and Lydia of course is front and center to receive that blame,” Dowd noted. “And I’m sure she blames herself. How could she have missed this? She had all the signs, ‘The girls were acting strangely, I knew that June was up to something, and yet I did not act’. So yes, I think she’s got a lot to prove.”

What happened to Aunt Lydia in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’?

Ann Dowd, Elisabeth Moss, and Alexis Bledel, members of 'The Handmaid's Tale' cast, accepting an award for 'The Handmaid's Tale'

Ann Dowd, Elisabeth Moss, and Alexis Bledel, members of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ cast, accepting an award for the show | Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Prior to living in Gilead, Aunt Lydia was a family court judge and teacher. And Margaret Atwood’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale novel, The Testaments, seems to go into more detail regarding Lydia’s backstory.

Vanity Fair reports Lydia was rounded up with her colleagues and put in horrible living conditions when the Gilead revolution first began. After a week, Lydia was taken and beaten for her lack of piousness after meeting with a Commander. She was then given a choice: cooperate with the system or experience more torture. Lydia’s choice is clear given her status, but it seems she does help bring Gilead down in the end. The Testaments describes how Lydia becomes instrumental in deconstructing Gilead.

We’re not sure what will happen to Lydia in the Hulu series, especially in season 4. But we’re sure having Dowd as part of The Handmaid’s Tale cast once again will certainly deliver another incredible performance.

The new season of The Handmaid’s Tale premieres Wednesday, April 28, 2021.