The Handmaid's Tale Cast and Crew React to the Show's Own Red Wedding Episode

The Handmaids are done. That message was loud and clear in Episode 8 of The Handmaid's Tale's final season, "Exodus." And if the killer ending was any indication, things are about to get even messier heading into the final two episodes of the series. 

In "Exodus," June (Elisabeth Moss) and Moira (Samira Wiley) returned to Gilead to pull off the ultimate act of revenge: drugging and slaughtering the key commanders in attendance at the wedding between Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and Wharton (Josh Charles). It was a tense episode full of high stakes and potentially deadly consequences, and it contained the kind of action viewers have been itching for as this series comes to a close. 

Like everything else in this universe, the story was based on real-life events. According to co-showrunners Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang, "Exodus" was specifically inspired by Night of the Long Knives, a purge from Nazi Germany in 1934. At the time, Adolf Hitler was worried the paramilitary was too powerful, and so he ordered his guards to slaughter organization leaders and other enemies.

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"It's not exactly what we do [in the episode], but it was inspiration as to what might happen if the Handmaids took out all these oppressors at the same time," says Tuchman. 

"We've taken heart in real-life examples and real historical examples of revolutions and coups all season long," adds Chang.

For viewers, the more obvious and immediate comparison might be Game of Thrones and its iconic Season 3 episode "The Rains of Castamere," in which a slew of fan-favorite characters were shockingly killed off during the infamous "Red Wedding." The Handmaid's creatives knew about the episode, but they included key pacing differences that set the two apart. Several characters die in "The Rains of Castamere," for example, whereas only one person, Commander Bell (Timothy Simons), dies in "Exodus." Production saved those executions for the final two episodes, and the creators are warning everyone to brace themselves.

"We wanted our own reaction like people had to that Game of Thrones episode," Tuchman teases. "You are going to get to the next episodes and people are going to have their minds blown by what happens."

Bruce Miller, the original showrunner who stepped back this year to work on the Aunt Lydia-focused spinoff The Testaments, says that using Serena and her wedding as the backdrop to the rebellion was poetic. After all, she is the purveyor and OG lover of Gilead.

"It's perfect and completely believable," Miller says. "Who would have a bigger wedding than Serena? If you're looking for an event where they can all get together, that's exactly what she wants. Her need to be the center of attention brings down Gilead."

Of course, as viewers quickly saw, Serena's wedding wasn't all she thought it would be. By the time she and Wharton returned from the festivities, Wharton had already arranged for a Handmaid to service them in their home, proving that he wasn't as liberal as he pretended to be. With the truth revealed, Serena's only choice was to flee.

"We had that standoff in the doorway and I remember how terrifying it was not to know what he was going to do in that moment," Strahovski recalls. "It could have gone in so many different directions. That moment definitely influences her to realize and change and impacts her in such a strong way, whether it's conscious or unconscious."

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Bradley Whitford, who plays the architect of Gilead, Commander Lawrence, says that until "Exodus," his character held hope for reform from the inside. The episode, however, and his involvement in the revolt mark his complete transformation to anti-Gilead. 

"He wants to tear this s*** down," Whitford says. "One of the sad things the show gets correctly is the human phenomenon that until we feel the consequences ourselves, we don't care that much."

That real-world connection was important to Samira Wiley, who plays June's best friend Moira. This final season has been all about rebellion for her, and she hopes that viewers can take away some real-world inspiration as the story comes to a close.

"Rebellion is scary, especially when you're rebelling against something as big as Gilead," she says. "Or something as big as the America that is now, when people are being sent to prison for quiet protesting, when people have threats they have never had in their lifetimes before. I want to give some voice to all of that as well, and recognize that it takes a lot of courage."

The Handmaid's Tale returns for its final season Tuesday, April 8 on Hulu.