‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5: Exploring June’s Anger as a Reaction to Trauma
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 continues to explore June’s emotional state now that she is free in Canada. June went through an unbelievable amount of trauma in Gilead, and now she is consumed by rage and a desire for revenge. Though some fans don’t like the direction of June’s character, it seems that the series portrays the effects of trauma in a relatively accurate manner.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5.]
Killing Fred doesn’t make June feel better
Though June is free in Canada in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, she is still dealing with the trauma caused by years of abuse in Gilead. More than anything, June is angry and consumed by a desire for revenge against the people who hurt her. In the season 4 finale, she finally kills Commander Fred Waterford, but in the end, it doesn’t make her feel better.
“We were building toward this idea of Fred Waterford being the villain and being the one June had to vanquish. And what becomes very obvious at the top of our season is it didn’t fix anything for June. It was a momentary feeling of euphoria and relief, but it doesn’t fix the problem,” actor Elisabeth Moss told The Hollywood Reporter.
June then sets her sights on Serena Joy, her other tormenter from Gilead. In episode 4, she admits to her husband Luke that all she can think about is killing Serena, and she doesn’t know how to stop herself. So far, June has been able to keep herself from pulling the trigger, as Luke and Moira remind her that revenge is not worth losing her family.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5 explores June’s anger
The Handmaid’s Tale shows how trauma affects victims in many ways. Some try their best to return to some semblance of normalcy, while others seek to help survivors who went through a similar experience. Then there are those who, like June, are full of rage.
“Trauma victims react in different ways, and there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ method of handling traumatic experiences,” wrote Jamie Canon MS, LPC, in a Psychology Today article exploring whether The Handmaid’s Tale accurately portrays trauma.
“The series is careful to show equity with all reactions, an important honor to trauma victims across the globe — normalizing the individualized experiences of and reactions to trauma,” she continued.
June’s anger helped her survive in Gilead
Fans of The Handmaid’s Tale have watched June change throughout the series. Gilead hardened June, which in many ways was necessary for survival. According to the National Center for PTSD, anger is a common response to trauma.
“One way of thinking is that high levels of anger are related to a natural survival instinct. When faced with extreme threat, people often respond with anger,” the website says.
“Anger can help a person survive by shifting his or her focus. The person focuses all of his or her attention, thought, and action toward survival.” Though June’s anger is understandable, it could cause her to lose everything she has if she isn’t careful.
How to get help: To connect with mental health resources near you, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website.
Don’t miss new episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Wednesdays on Hulu.
