6.4/105,239 votesLoading...#1 - Heroic
Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 7/17/2019
Confined in a hospital, June’s sanity begins to fray. An encounter with Serena Joy forces June to reassess her recent actions.
Director: Daina Reid
Writer: Lynn Renee Maxcy
7.1/102,428 votesLoading...#2 - Morning
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 9/14/2022
June confronts the consequences of killing Fred. A scared Serena makes an unexpected decision.
Director: Elisabeth Moss
Writer: N/A
7.1/101,822 votesLoading...#3 - Dear Offred
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 9/28/2022
June fights her need for violent revenge as Serena settles into her new role in Toronto. Rattled by Janine, Aunt Lydia makes a surprising suggestion to Lawrence.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/103,487 votesLoading...#5 - Under His Eye
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 7/3/2019
June escalates her risky efforts to find Hannah. Emily must face her past crimes as the ongoing international diplomatic crisis becomes more complicated.
Director: Mike Barker
Writer: Nina Fiore, John Herrera
7.4/101,857 votesLoading...#6 - Border
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 9/21/2022
June and Moira join a rebel outpost. As a pregnant widow, Serena tries to restore her status. Aunt Lydia questions her strict methods of dealing with Handmaids.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/103,044 votesLoading...#7 - Vows
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 5/19/2021
After a shocking reunion with a dear friend, June contemplates the possibility of freedom, and confronts the unfulfilled promises she’s made to herself and to Luke.
Director: Richard Shepard
Writer: Dorothy Fortenberry
7.6/103,693 votesLoading...#8 - Unfit
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 7/10/2019
June and the rest of the Handmaids shun Ofmatthew, and both are pushed to their limit at the hands of Aunt Lydia. Aunt Lydia reflects on her life and relationships before the rise of Gilead.
Director: Mike Barker
Writer: Kira Snyder
7.6/101,589 votesLoading...#9 - Allegiance
Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 11/2/2022
June and Luke prepare for a rescue mission. Serena tries new tactics with her oppressive hosts. Lawrence makes a surprising proposal to elevate his status.
Director: Bradley Whitford
Writer: N/A
7.7/103,774 votesLoading...#10 - Mary and Martha
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 6/5/2019
June helps Marthas with a dangerous task while navigating a relationship with her pious and untrustworthy new walking partner. Emily and Luke struggle with their altered circumstances.
Director: Mike Barker
Writer: Kira Snyder
7.7/102,906 votesLoading...#11 - Milk
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 5/5/2021
June takes a harrowing journey with Janine, trying to escape Gilead, as Janine remembers a stressful experience in her past. In Toronto, Serena tries to manipulate Rita, who seeks advice from Moira.
Director: Christina Choe
Writer: Jacey Heldrich
7.8/103,330 votesLoading...#12 - Pigs
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 4/28/2021
On the run, June and the fugitive Handmaids seek refuge. In Gilead, Aunt Lydia reels from the loss of 86 children on Angels’ Flight. The combative Waterfords, in custody in Toronto, learn of June’s feat.
Director: Colin Watkinson
Writer: Bruce Miller
7.9/104,947 votesLoading...#13 - The Other Side
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 5/24/2017
Remembering her family’s treacherous escape attempt, a shocking revelation from life before Gilead provides a new perspective on Offred’s life.
Director: Floria Sigismondi
Writer: Margaret Atwood
7.9/104,224 votesLoading...#14 - Baggage
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 5/2/2018
Offred reflects on her relationship with her mother as she navigates her way through Gilead. In Little America, Moira tries to cope with the trauma she endured.
Director: Kari Skogland
Writer: N/A
7.9/103,897 votesLoading...#15 - Other Women
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 5/9/2018
A baby shower provokes a troubling shift in Offred’s relationship with Serena Joy. Offred reckons with the choice she made that led her to become a Handmaid.
Director: Kari Skogland
Writer: N/A
7.9/103,516 votesLoading...#16 - God Bless the Child
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 6/12/2019
June negotiates a truce in the Waterfords’ fractured relationship. Janine oversteps with the Putnam family, and a still-healing Aunt Lydia offers a brutal public punishment.
Director: Amma Asante
Writer: Eric Tuchman
7.9/102,918 votesLoading...#17 - Nightshade
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 4/28/2021
June plots revenge at the local Jezebels, before she and the Handmaids plan to leave the farm for the next safe house. In Toronto, Moira deals with the fallout of June’s choices, and Serena and Fred are bound together by a miracle.
Director: Colin Watkinson
Writer: Kira Snyder
7.9/102,933 votesLoading...#18 - Chicago
Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 5/12/2021
June seeks out more active rebels in the Chicago war zone, while Janine tries to help her fit in with their new group of survivors. Moira goes on her first field aid mission.
Director: Christina Choe
Writer: John Herrera, Nina Flore
8.0/104,629 votesLoading...#19 - Jezebels
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 5/31/2017
The Commander surprises Offred with a secret adventure in Gilead. Nick’s troubled past leads to his recruitment by the Sons of Jacob.
Director: Kate Dennis
Writer: Margaret Atwood
8.0/103,830 votesLoading...#20 - Seeds
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 5/16/2018
Offred spirals as a Gilead ceremony disrupts her relationship with Nick. Janine tries to adjust to life in the Colonies, jeopardizing her friendship with Emily.
Director: Mike Barker
Writer: N/A
8.0/103,825 votesLoading...#21 - Useful
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 6/5/2019
June navigates a meeting where she must face both Commander Waterford and Nick. Serena Joy attempts to recuperate at her mother’s home. Lawrence teaches June a hard lesson about the difficult decisions he makes as a Commander.
Director: Amma Asante
Writer: Yahlin Chang
8.0/102,521 votesLoading...#22 - Progress
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 6/9/2021
June and Luke work together to save Hannah, reaching out to Lawrence and Nick for help. Serena and Fred greet unexpected visitors from Gilead. Janine tries to assist Aunt Lydia when a Handmaid-in-training goes on a hunger strike at the Red Center.
Director: Elisabeth Moss
Writer: Eric Tuchman
8.0/101,759 votesLoading...#23 - Motherland
Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 10/26/2022
June considers a tempting but risky offer from a surprise visitor. Serena hits rock bottom and searches for allies.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/105,867 votesLoading...#24 - Birth Day
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/26/2017
Offred and her fellow Handmaids assist with the delivery of Janine’s baby, prompting Offred to recall her own daughter’s birth. Offred draws closer to Ofglen while dreading a secret meeting with the Commander.
Director: Reed Morano
Writer: Margaret Atwood
8.1/105,215 votesLoading...#25 - Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 5/3/2017
Punished by Serena Joy, Offred begins to unravel and reflects on her time with Moira at the Red Center. A complication during the Ceremony threatens Offred’s survival with the Commander and Serena Joy.
Director: Mike Barker
Writer: Margaret Atwood
The Worst Episodes of The Handmaid's Tale
Every episode of The Handmaid's Tale ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Handmaid's Tale!
Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship. A TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's...
Genres:DramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Network:Hulu
Worst Episodes Summary
"Heroic" is the worst rated episode of "The Handmaid's Tale". It scored 6.4/10 based on 5239 votes. Directed by Daina Reid and written by Lynn Renee Maxcy, it aired on 7/17/2019. This episode scored 0.7 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Morning".
