The Handmaid's Tale: 10 episodes that left viewers completely shattered

Watching The Handmaid's Tale isn't just entertainment. It's an emotional stamina test. From the very first episode, this series grips you by the soul and refuses to let go. It's bleak, raw, and sometimes outright traumatic. Set in the terrifyingly dystopian universe of Gilead, where women are deprived of every form of autonomy and thrust into abhorrent roles, the series really doesn't hold anything back. Each episode is a gut punch, and just when you think it can't possibly get any worse...it does.

But that’s exactly what makes it so compelling. You don’t watch The Handmaid’s Tale for comfort, you watch it to feel something - and boy, does it make you feel everything! Heartbreak, rage, fear, fleeting joy, and a deep, aching hope - The Handmaid's Tale holds up a mirror to real-world horrors and asks us to look - and really look.

So, let’s take a walk down trauma lane and revisit 10 The Handmaid's Tale episodes that left us completely shattered, shouting at our screens, and emotionally wrecked.

Note: This article reflects the author's personal opinions.

10 episodes from The Handmaid's Tale that left viewers completely shattered

1) Season 1, Episode 10 - “Night”

The first season finale of The Handmaid's Tale gave us everything: fear, hope, rebellion, and one heck of a cliffhanger. June finally refuses to stone Janine, an act of rebellion that causes shockwaves in Gilead. When the Handmaids stand with her, it’s a chilling moment of solidarity. Then, just as we’re catching our breath, June is taken away in a black van. Is she being punished? Rescued? We waited for months to know, and the suspense was real!

The sense of the emotional weight of the Handmaids defying Aunt Lydia was powerful but also chilling. You felt proud and then immediately scared for them.

2) Season 2, Episode 1 - “June”

Remember the heart-pounding opening scene in which the Handmaids are rounded up and seemingly being led to their deaths? That sequence alone was enough to trigger a full-blown panic attack. And just when you think it's over, you realize it was all a twisted lesson to keep them in line.

The psychological torment is next-level, as watching June try to escape Gilead and get caught again reminded us just how hopeless things can feel in The Handmaid's Tale universe.

3) Season 2, Episode 10 - “The Last Ceremony”

This one is often cited as one of the most disturbing episodes of the series, and for good reason. June is raped by Fred in front of Serena, who holds her down. It's a grotesque abuse of power that left viewers absolutely horrified.

There are episodes from The Handmaid's Tale that are difficult to watch, and then there’s this. It’s a brutal reminder of what Gilead really is. No metaphors, no sugarcoating - just cruelty.

4) Season 2, Episode 13 - “The Word”

The finale of Season 2 gave us one of the most controversial moments in The Handmaid's Tale's history: June choosing to stay behind in Gilead, handing off her newborn daughter to Emily. Fans were furious because why didn’t she just leave?! But deep down, we knew - it was never just about her.

We wanted so badly for her to escape, but her decision to stay and fight from the inside added even more layers to her character. Still, our hearts broke into a thousand pieces.

5) Season 3, Episode 6 - “Household”

This episode took us to Washington D.C., where Handmaids wear mouth rings, and everyone seems more terrifying than the last. The sheer scale of Gilead’s horror was suddenly multiplied, and we realized just how far this madness had spread.

We thought Gilead couldn’t get worse, but we were wrong...so wrong! The visual of June with her mouth gagged in public was haunting and unforgettable.

6) Season 3, Episode 13 - “Mayday”

June finally manages to smuggle over 80 children out of Gilead, and for once, something good happens. But it’s not without cost - June gets shot, and the whole escape plan is filled with tension, sacrifice, and pure adrenaline.

The joy of the children escaping is immediately followed by fear for June’s life. We were sobbing with happiness, then sobbing from stress. It was truly a full-body experience!

7) Season 4, Episode 3 - “The Crossing”

June is captured again, and this time, the torture is more psychological than physical. She’s forced to listen to the screams of her fellow Handmaids and watch one of them jump to her death. The moment she finally gives up, the location of the others is absolutely soul-crushing.

Watching June break - and really break- was painful. She’d always been defiant, but even the strongest can’t survive endless torment - especially in The Handmaid's Tale!

8) Season 4, Episode 10 - “The Wilderness”

Fred Waterford finally gets what’s coming to him. June, with the help of others, leads him into the woods and quite literally tears him apart. It’s a moment of cathartic justice, but it also leaves you feeling uneasy.

Yes, he deserved it, but seeing June become so consumed by vengeance was disturbing. It marked a turning point in her character - one that’s as satisfying as it is unsettling.

9) Season 5, Episode 2 - “Ballet”

This episode from The Handmaid's Tale flips the emotional scale again. June is struggling to return to any kind of normal life in Canada, while Serena begins planning Fred’s funeral with twisted theatrics. June’s grief, rage, and confusion are portrayed in such raw detail that you almost feel like you’re mourning too.

It’s the slow burn of trauma, where not every painful moment is loud - sometimes, it’s quiet, creeping, and suffocating.

10) Season 5, Episode 10 - “Safe”

The season 5 finale of The Handmaid's Tale once again delivers a gut punch. June and her daughter Nichole are on the run after yet another threat emerges. And, just when you think they’ve escaped, June gets hit by a car driven by Serena. It's shocking, it's brutal, and it leaves everything hanging by a thread.

Boy, is that an ending! The Serena-June dynamic reaches a whole new level, and we’re left screaming into the void...again.

The Handmaid’s Tale doesn’t just tell a story - it drags you through it, kicking and crying. These 10 episodes were some of the most devastating, unforgettable pieces of television we’ve ever seen. And yet, we keep watching - because somewhere beneath all the darkness, there’s the smallest flicker of hope.