It’s been about two and a half years since The Handmaid’s Tale has been on our screens, and a lot has happened since then. We don’t even mean that the show’s star, Elisabeth Moss, has toplined two different series since Season 5 ended. No, we’re talking about the fact that a lot has happened IRL since the fall of 2022. Given all that’s going on, is the show still a must-watch?

Opening Shot: After a recap of Season 5, we see a train heading over a bridge in a wooded area. The camera pushes in on the rear window, where June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) is holding the infant son of Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski).

The Gist: We’re picking up where Season 5 left off, with June on a train heading west out of Toronto, having just discovered that Serena is among the group of Gilead refugees on that train. While Serena is still very much in “mistress” mode, citing God’s grace and still saying things like “Praise be,” she appeals to June that the two of them should stick together as they make their way to a refugee camp in Vancouver. June adamantly refuses Serena’s help and doesn’t really want to help her, except to make sure Serena’s son is safe.

Remember, this is a day after some Gilead thugs ran over June’s arm, breaking it, and after her husband, Luke Bankole (O-T Fagbenle), got himself arrested in order for June and her toddler daughter Nichole to get on the train. So, she’s in no mood to deal with Serena. After falling asleep, for instance, June briefly couldn’t find Nichole and chafed when she saw Serena watching her after she woke up from a nightmare.

When a doctor who is treating refugees reveal’s Serena’s real identity, the other people in the train car start to form a mob. To protect Serena’s son, June takes extreme measures to get her former mistress out of a situation that is quickly turning violent.

Back in Gilead, Nick Blaine (Max Minghella) is released back to the house he shares with his new wife Rose (Carey Cox). He’s greeted by High Commander Wharton (Josh Charles), who is also Rose’s dad. He promises to smooth things over with Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), but also thinks he should stick around to meet his new grandchild — and keep an eye on Nick.

Moira Strand (Samira Wiley), having survived being with the Jezebels and is now in Canada, finds out from U.S. operative Mark Tuello (Sam Jaeger) that Canada is going to start normalizing relations with Gilead, and cutting ties with what’s left of the United States. This leads Moira to the decision to smuggle herself back into Gilead to find out what’s going on there.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The best thing we can compare The Handmaid’s Tale to is “Living in the U.S. in 2025,” and boy are the vibes pretty close between the two.

Our Take: Taken on its own merits, there are definitely interesting story prospects for the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale. We know that June is not going to just settle for landing wherever she lands and starting a new life with Nichole, not with Luke in prison and their daughter Hannah (Jordana Blake) still somewhere in Gilead. She’s going to try to overthrow the Gliead government from her end, just as Moira will try to disrupt things in her own way. At some point, we would expect the two longtime friends to reconvene and combine their efforts.

It’s will also be intriguing to see just how Serena manages on her own in an environment that won’t tolerate her Gildean life view. Will she stick to her beliefs or slowly change as she finds out just what she can do in an environment that doesn’t oppress women like she experienced in Gilead?

It will also be intriguing to see in what direction Nick goes, especially with Wharton sticking around to keep an eye on him and perhaps even mentor him. Josh Charles is appropriately creepy as someone who is as dogmatic as anyone about the role of men and women in Gildean society, and we know that Nick’s loyalty wavers. Will Nick capitulate or try to overthrow the government from within?

Since its debut eight years ago, The Handmaid’s Tale has always been a tough watch because it predicted a reality that didn’t seem all that outlandish, given the politics of the era and who was running things. Now, though, the prospects of a Gilead-style existence feel more real than ever, and while it might be cathartic to watch June, Moira and others try to bring the government down, the show now might be too close to reality for our comfort.

Sex and Skin: None in the first episode.

Parting Shot: June finds a familiar face in a refugee camp.

Sleeper Star: We’ve always appreciated the raw anger Samira Wiley brings to Moira, and that rawness will come in handy with what she’ll be doing this season.

Most Pilot-y Line: None that we could find.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The Handmaid’s Tale starts its final season setting up what feels like an ultimate showdown between Gilead and the forces that want to bring it back to the way it was when it was still the United States. We won’t be watching, however, given how close this show is to real life right now.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.