Warning: This article includes SPOILERS for The Handmaid's Tale season 6!

The Handmaid's Tale season 7 will not happen.

Although viewership has fluctuated over time, The Handmaid’s Tale has remained highly rated by both critics and fans. The story has been well-written. The world-building is impeccable, making Gilead feel real. Plus, The Handmaid's Tale’s cast is packed with great actors who know how to play nuanced and complex characters. This makes it all the more shocking that the series finale is the worst-rated episode in the show’s history on IMDb. However, the score is reflective of the frustrations of unhappy fans.

How The Handmaid's Tale Series Finale IMDb Rating Compares To Other Episodes

The Handmaid's Tale Has Maintained High Ratings On IMDb

The final episode of The Handmaid’s Tale has only 5.7 stars out of 10 based on 3.1 thousand ratings, which is the lowest IMDb score for any episode in the series. In the entire series, the finale is the only score below 6 stars. Only two other episodes rank below a 7 as well, showing just how highly the entire show has been rated.

The finale of The Handmaid’s Tale is shockingly low when compared to the other episodes in season 6. “Promotion” holds a 6.7 out of 10 based on 1.3 thousand ratings, which is the only other low-ish rating in the season. The fact that the episode right before the finale has 9.2 stars out of 10 with 3.5 thousand ratings makes the low score even more stark.

The 5.7-star rating is even more shocking because the finales of the past five seasons are some of the highest-rated episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale. The show’s past finales have 9 stars, 8.5 stars, 9.3 stars, 8.6 stars, and 8.3 stars, respectively. It can’t even be argued that the low score of The Handmaid’s Tale’s finale is simply due to a difference in the number of reviews. At this point, even if the series finale, by some miracle, were flooded with 10-star reviews, it wouldn’t reach the level of the others without thousands more reviews.

The Handmaid's Tale Finale Has Proved Divisive For Not Resolving June's Story

June's Entire Character Arc Centered On Reuniting With Hannah, But It Never Happens

The biggest complaint that comes from fans about The Handmaid’s Tale’s finale is the fact that it feels incomplete. The Handmaid’s Tale doesn’t actually resolve June’s story in any kind of satisfying way. It’s sweet to see the show come full circle by opening and closing with a book. However, June writing The Handmaid’s Tale isn’t what audiences spend multiple seasons waiting for. It might be faithful to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, in which the main character writes the book. However, it also feels forced, given that two characters tell her to do that back-to-back.

Plus, most of June’s character arc in The Handmaid’s Tale has focused on the fact that she wants her daughter back. June’s daughter is the driving force in most things she does. Unfortunately, June and Hannah’s reunification journey doesn’t come to an end in the finale. June doesn’t get her daughter back. Instead, she just writes the book for Hannah to read when she’s older. Hannah and June finding each other is left for The Testament, the sequel show based on Margaret Atwood’s second Handmaid book.

Unfortunately, the choice to leave the story unfinished in The Handmaid’s Tale’s ending is a huge gamble. The creative team is betting everything they have on fans being willing to watch The Testament. Based on the reactions on social media, many fans don’t even plan on watching the sequel show, so they won’t get the resolution they’re so desperately seeking.

The Handmaid's Tale Series Finale Was Slower-Paced & Very Focused On June

The Hulu Show Narrowed Its Focus Too Much On June In The Finale

Another problem with The Handmaid’s Tale’s series finale is the massive change of pace and focus. Season 9 had strong forward momentum moving it forward, and it seemed to be building up to a more impactful climax. They could have combined episode 9 – the highest rated of the season – and episode 10, editing down all the closeups and slow motion moments. Even if they didn’t plan to wrap up the Hannah and June storyline, they could have at least maintained the momentum until the very end.

However, the finale felt like the embodiment of the famous TS Eliot line, “He would end not with a bang but with a whimper.” The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, episode 10 provides the show with a slow and quiet ending that’s too reflective and introspective. There wasn’t a natural shift from one to the other, making it jarring.

Additionally, rather than looking at many characters who lead the cast of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, the narrative zooms in heavily on June. They sidelined characters like Moira, Luke, Lydia, and Janine. Even June and Luke's relationship, or lack thereof, felt like it didn’t receive proper closure. Because of this, many fans think the last episode didn’t live up to the expectations.

Ending The Handmaid's Tale Was Always Going To Be Difficult

Many Factors Made The Ending Of The Handmaid's Tale An Impossible Task

Ultimately, as much as The Handmaid’s Tale’s fans have a right to be upset, credit must be given where it’s due. The creative team had a nearly impossible job creating the perfect ending. Firstly, Margaret Atwood’s award-winning book only covers the first season of the Hulu show. Even if they managed to incorporate June recording her story for posterity, there was no way to use the book’s ending in the finale episode. After all, June doesn’t have a conclusive ending in the book version of The Handmaid’s Tale. Even The Testaments leaves her fate unknown.

The expectations going into the finale were impossibly high, and it would have taken a miracle for her to reach them.

On top of that, The Handmaid’s Tale has lasted for eight years and six shows, plus it has a ionate fanbase. The love for the show has only grown over time as it has become increasingly relevant to society. The expectations going into the finale were impossibly high, and it would have taken a miracle for her to reach them.

Finally, The Handmaid’s Tale needed to end one show while also opening the door for another. The Testaments is already confirmed, so The Handmaid’s Tale couldn’t step on its toes in of story. Yet, it needed to resolve the story at least partially. Ultimately, the fact that The Handmaid’s Tale’s finale is divisive, leaning slightly positive in the reviews instead of just being terrible, feels like a success in a way, even if it wasn’t as good as it could have been.