The Handmaid’s Tale finally revealed who Josh Charles plays in the final season — but what is there to know about his mystery role?
During the first three episodes of season 6, which Hulu released on Tuesday, April 8, Charles, 53, was introduced as Nick’s (Max Minghella) father-in-law. After Nick returned home to wife Rose (Carey Cox) — who wasn’t happy that he hit Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) for harming June (Elisabeth Moss) — Commander Wharton was there to speak with him.
Charles’ high-profile character was also responsible for Serena’s (Yvonne Strahovski) return to Gilead (or New Bethlehem, to be exact). He questioned Serena’s absence and that set off a chain reaction that ended with her becoming the spokesperson of New Bethlehem.
Before season 6, Commander Lawrence was an unseen character mentioned periodically on screen. Commander MacKenzie (Jason Butler Harner) specifically was the only one to mention Rose’s father — who was an old friend of his — as he kept an eye on Nick’s surprising interactions with Mark (Sam Jaeger).
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The Handmaid’s Tale, which premiered in 2017, takes place in a dystopian future where low fertility rates have led women to be assigned to men for bearing children. Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, the hit Hulu series stars Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Minghella, Samira Wiley and Amanda Brugel.
While fans waited to see how the series ends, the cast teased what to expect. “It’s actually a pretty positive ending for the show and the season, which we don’t usually do. It’s a cliffhanger,” Moss, 42, told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2022 of the finale. “But there’s something positive about it. Of course, of all the people that would be on the train is this person who is her other half, the other half of this experience.”
At the time, Moss hinted what viewers are likely to witness going into the final chapter, telling Elle, “June is going to figure out who she is and who she’s going to be for the rest of her life.”
Executive producer Warren Littlefield, meanwhile, called The Handmaid’s Tale‘s finale “really satisfying.”
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“Living in the world of Gilead for our audience is sometimes a tough journey,” he teased to Us earlier this month. “But I think their patience will be rewarded because this final year is ordinary women doing extraordinary things. The revolution is here and they’re highly effective. There’s joy. Is there still a Gilead? Yeah. But we celebrate what they accomplish and I think it’ll be very satisfying for the audience.”
Not every question will be answered though.
“We are going to begin a journey right away with The Testaments. That is still a world that has Gilead. But it’s a completely different point of view,” Littlefield added. “We will satisfy and really deliver triumphantly for our audience who’s been with us through six seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale. They will want and be curious to see more and see where The Testaments goes.”
The Handmaid’s Tale airs Tuesdays and new episodes will be streaming on Hulu.
