What Happened to Emily in The Handmaid’s Tale? Her Character Arc, Explained

The sixth and final season of Hulu’s critically-acclaimed original series, “The Handmaid’s Tale” (2017-2025), has begun airing. This show is an adaptation from Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name, set in a chilling future where the U.S.A. no longer exists and has been replaced by the religious state of Gilead, which seeks to re-establish God’s favor through extreme measures. The narrative is primarily seen from June Osborne’s viewpoint, a handmaid compelled to bear children for high-ranking officials in this oppressive society.

For the initial four seasons, Emily Malek was a significant secondary character and a fellow handmaid whom June frequently encountered. Regrettably, Emily didn’t show up in Season 5, and actress Alexis Bledel announced that she wouldn’t return for Season 6. Despite being absent from the final two seasons, Emily plays a crucial role in grasping the true harshness of Gilead. Her friendship with June is also pivotal to June’s character progression.

Before Gilead, Emily was a College Professor

Before the Attack on Washington, D.C.

Initially from Missoula, Montana, Emily Malek pursued her academic journey at Harvard University, focusing on biology. Later, she obtained a Ph.D., leading her to a professorship. The narrative arcs exploring Emily’s past reveal her as a lesbian. She found love with a woman named Sylvia and tied the knot with her. Their family expanded to include a son named Oliver, who was born to Emily. This event ultimately keeps Emily trapped in Gilead.

After the Attack on Washington, D.C.

At work, Emily faced disagreement about her personal life due to her decision not to conceal her family from her colleagues. Consequently, she lost teaching assignments. A colleague named Dan informed her that the school was no longer assigning her classes because they were worried she wasn’t creating a “suitable learning atmosphere.” In truth, it stemmed from Emily having Sylvia and Oliver as her phone background images. Interestingly, Dan himself is homosexual and shared with Emily that he had erased all traces of his partner from his work area.

Although Dan acknowledges the terrible situation, he points out the tense atmosphere following the “terrorist attack” in Washington, D.C., which has left everyone on edge, even the staff and students at their school. Later, Emily spots a derogatory term against homosexuality spray-painted on the campus courtyard. Shockingly, she discovers Dan suspended from the rafters of a bridge above the slur, indicating that he was murdered and his body displayed for public viewing.

Recognizing the rapid deterioration of the nation into chaos and bigotry, Emily, along with Sylvia and Oliver, decides to depart the country. They aim for Canada as Sylvia and Oliver are Canadian citizens. At the congested airport, security halts Emily, but lets Sylvia and Oliver proceed. Emily learns that her marriage to Sylvia is invalid due to a freshly passed law by Gilead (the group seizing control of the country) that outlaws same-sex unions. Upon discovering that Emily is the mother of Oliver, airport security shows increased interest in keeping her within Gilead’s grasp. While Sylvia and Oliver manage to reach Canada, Emily gets detained shortly after their departure.

Season 1 – After the Formation of Gilead, Emily Becomes a Handmaid

She is First Introduced as June’s Shopping Partner

The Red Center

From June’s point of view, the spectators witness the journey of women who have been captured post-event, to a location known as the Red Center. Here, these women are trained to become competent handmaids. Fundamentally, a handmaid is a fertile woman destined for assignment to a commander’s residence. Once a month, they participate in “the Ceremony,” where the commander’s wife positions the handmaid between her legs while the commander engages in sexual intercourse with the handmaid. This act is intended to lead to a pregnancy.

In this story, when a handmaid becomes pregnant, she is required to deliver and breastfeed the child, then give up the baby to live with the commanders and their wives. After recovering from childbirth, she will be relocated to another household. If a handmaid fails to conceive within a specific timeframe, she is replaced by another handmaid or returned to the Red Center. The narrative emphasizes that any infertility issues are always attributed to the women and never the men.

Ofglen & Offred Become Shopping Partners

In the series, we don’t witness Emily’s previous life at the Red Center; instead, she is initially presented as Ofglen, the handmaid of Commander Glen Deeds. As a handmaid, they adopt their commanders’ first names, hence Emily becomes “Ofglen,” signifying her connection to Glen. When a handmaid gets a new commander, her name changes and they are prohibited from using their pre-assignment names. Notably, Commander Deeds resides near Commander Fred Waterford, who is June’s commander.

In the world of Gilead, June (previously known as Offred) and Ofglen establish a mutual surveillance arrangement, which they refer to as shopping partners. This system ensures handmaids are never left unsupervised. June keeps an eye on Emily while Emily does the same for June. It’s like a self-regulating system designed to control the behavior of handmaids. At first, their relationship is strained, with Offred viewing Ofglen as overly devoted to Gilead’s regime. However, as time passes, they discover aspects of each other that challenge this initial perception, revealing they are not fully loyal to Gilead. Ofglen alerts Offred about the presence of an Eye in her household, urging caution.

Emily’s bond with June provides insights into the inner workings of Gilead. Emily discloses that due to her non-heterosexual identity, she should have been executed or exiled as a “Gender Traitor.” However, since she was fertile and had previously given birth, Gilead repurposed her role by making her a handmaid.

In a similar fashion, June found herself serving as a handmaid due to the circumstances surrounding her union with Luke, which originated from an act of infidelity. June was actually the third party who played a role in dissolving Luke’s marriage. Given Gilead’s strict moral code, they chose to take away her child and assign her the role of handmaid instead of permitting her to stay with her husband. Emily later disclosed that she is part of an underground resistance movement called Mayday, but she remains tight-lipped about any specifics regarding the group.

Emily’s Affair with a Martha

In Commander Glen’s residence, Emily was clandestinely involved with Martha – a woman who couldn’t bear children and served primarily as a caretaker, handling household chores and managing the needs of the commander and his wife. However, someone discovered Emily’s hidden relationship. Both Emily and her partner were arrested. In the oppressive regime of Gilead, Emily was made to witness as her lover was executed for being a Gender Traitor, a harsh punishment for Emily’s transgressions.

In the rigid society of Gilead, where fertile women like Emily are highly valued, they choose to keep her alive due to her potential as a viable handmaid. However, following her lover’s execution, Emily is subjected to a harsh procedure at the Red Center, which involves removal of her clitoris. Aunt Lydia justifies this as a means to eliminate her sexual desires, though it’s evidently an excessive form of punishment for rule-breaking. Meanwhile, another handmaid named Janine loses an eye at the Red Center for committing a different offense.

Following her capture and undergoing such a brutal ordeal, Emily is expelled from Commander Glen’s residence. She subsequently finds herself in the home of Commander Steven Scott, known now as Ofsteven. Mayday decides to sever ties with her due to concerns that she may no longer be safe to contact, given Gilead’s heightened surveillance over her. Commander Scott’s wife exhibits an unexpected kindness towards Emily, but Emily ultimately reaches a breaking point after all she has been through. During a shopping outing, Emily resorts to stealing a vehicle and running down a Guardian in the process.

Season 2 – Emily is Sent to the Colonies

In retribution for slaying a Guardian, Emily is banished to the Colonies, a collective name for detention centers that resemble concentration camps and are notorious for radioactive pollution. These Colonies serve as penal colonies where individuals work to clear hazardous waste. Many view the Colonies as a de facto death sentence due to the toxicity of the environment, which is likely to claim the lives of its workers prematurely. Approximately 75% of the labor force in these Colonies consist of “Unwomen,” females who were incarcerated for severe crimes and are serving out their remaining days in these harsh conditions.

In a different phrasing: Emily is depicted as being extremely caring towards her fellow workers, frequently attending to their injuries and illnesses when necessary. However, she secretly poisoned a commander’s wife who was exiled to the Colonies for having an affair. Her motivation was to seek justice for all women who suffered at the hands of this woman’s husband. Later on, Emily reconnected with Janine, another handmaid who had been sent to the Colonies for putting her newborn child in danger and attempting suicide.

Emily Becomes a Handmaid Again

Following the Red Center Bombing, Emily, Janine, and other ex-handmaids are rescued from the Colonies. The bombing claimed many handmaid lives, depleting the Red Center of its handmaid population. To address this shortage, they brought back exiled handmaids who were still fit for service, among them Emily. However, Emily’s tenure as Ofroy was brief, lasting only until one Ceremony. Tragically, her commander suffered a fatal heart attack after the Ceremony.

Following Commander Roy’s demise, Emily is transferred to Commander Joseph Lawrence. This new Commander is an unusual figure with a rather vocal team, a collection of forbidden books, and various items dating back from earlier times. Notably, he never conducts the Ceremony and openly discusses the era prior to Gilead. When Commander Lawrence declines their first Ceremony, Aunt Lydia visits the next day to claim that the ceremony was carried out as planned, according to Lawrence’s report.

Escaping Gilead

As Aunt Lydia converses with Emily, she derides the alterations made to Emily and likens her to a dog that has lost its bark. In a burst of anger, Emily assaults Lydia, inflicting multiple wounds upon her. Remarkably, Commander Lawrence doesn’t retaliate against Emily for this act. Instead, he escorts Emily to a prearranged location where June and her baby are hidden. Unaware to Emily, a plan has been concocted to extricate June from Gilead, and Lawrence elects to dispatch Emily with them, revealing that he’s covertly collaborating with the resistance in some fashion. At the eleventh hour, June opts to remain behind. She’s unwilling to depart Gilead without her eldest daughter, Hannah. She hands her daughter over to Emily, who is then transported to Canada.

Emily Tries to Return to Her Old Life in Canada

Season 3 & Season 4

In Season 3, much of Emily’s screen time revolves around her efforts to adjust to everyday life in Canada and reconcile with her family. When Emily initially arrived in Canada, she found herself walking with baby Nicole in tow. After managing to evade Gilead Guardians, she encounters two Canadian police officers who offer her the opportunity for asylum in Canada. Accepting their offer, Emily is then taken to a hospital where she receives genuine medical care that she hadn’t experienced in years.

A few days later, Emily locates Luke and Moira, who have been cohabiting since Moira fled from Gilead. Later on, Luke, Moira, and Nichole invite Emily for dinner at their residence in Little America. Initially, Emily hesitates to contact her spouse as she fears their reunion might not run smoothly. Given the profound changes Emily has experienced after escaping Gilead, she questions whether her wife and son would still embrace and love her without reservation.

Eventually, Emily manages to rekindle her relationship with Sylvia. They tread carefully at first, but the joy they feel upon seeing each other is palpable. To Emily’s delight, Sylvia has preserved their bond through memory. Since Oliver was very young when Emily was imprisoned in Gilead, she had worried that he wouldn’t remember her. Thankfully, his room is adorned with numerous drawings of their family.

The Swiss Embassy & Protests

Emily and Sylvia encounter a neutral third party, Lena, who is a Swiss diplomat, summoned by Gilead to scrutinize Emily’s situation. Despite knowing about the wrongdoings Emily allegedly committed in Gilead, Sylvia advocates for Emily’s actions as necessary survival measures under such harsh circumstances. Post their meeting with Lena, Sylvia reaffirms her support for Emily, asserting that she’ll overlook whatever Emily did in Gilead.

In addition, Emily participates in a demonstration where Moira and fellow protesters challenge the Canadian Immigration Minister regarding the safety of American refugees, particularly those who are vulnerable, such as Nichole. During this event, it is confirmed that June, Nichole’s biological mother, retained her parental rights for the child, wishing to ensure her safety in Canada. The situation at the protest escalates, resulting in temporary detention for both Moira and Emily. While incarcerated, they admit to past murders committed in Gilead, but since then, they have remained law-abiding citizens. This allows them to reassure each other that they continue to be decent individuals.

Mayday & Angel’s Flight

June arranged for Angel’s Flight, a flight carrying children, handmaids, and Marthas who fled from Gilead to Canada. Remarkably, the plane managed to enter Canadian airspace due to good fortune, assistance, and perseverance. Upon landing, Emily, Luke, and Moira all came to aid the refugees. The three of them have been assisting children without family or struggling to adapt to life beyond Gilead. Since many of these children were born in Gilead or can’t remember a time before it, they find it challenging to assimilate. They continue their efforts to help these individuals settle and adjust as smoothly as possible.

Emily’s Support Group

As a film enthusiast immersed in the world of “The Handmaid’s Tale”, I find myself deeply engrossed in Emily and Moira’s role as facilitators for a sanctuary dedicated to Gilead refugees in Season 4. This safe space serves as a platform for survivors to recount their harrowing experiences, heal, and rediscover the path towards a semblance of normalcy. It stands as a beacon of comfort and unity, providing solace that both Emily and Moira yearn for.

Upon her arrival in Canada, June inevitably becomes an integral part of this community. However, still raw from her Gilead ordeal, June struggles to break free from the fight-or-flight response that has become her constant companion.

In a different phrasing:

Iris, formerly known as Aunt Irene and a refugee, persistently reaches out to Emily. During Emily’s early posting, Iris was one of the strictest figures Emily encountered, earning her the title of one of the crueler individuals in Emily’s life. Iris feels remorse for her past actions and wants to apologize to Emily because she cannot bear the guilt any longer. Iris had reported Emily for having an affair with Martha, leading directly to Martha’s death. June essentially coerces Emily into facing Iris at one of their support group meetings. Iris humbly asks for forgiveness, but Emily states that there is no way to undo the past or make things right.

Consequentially, Iris took her own life, overwhelmed by the remorse of her actions. Emily admits to the gathering that she’s glad Iris is no longer alive. This remark ignites a flame of rage not just in Emily, but also in many members of the group. They yearn for justice regarding what they experienced, and none of them had an opportunity to receive it.

Emily Helps June Kill Fred Waterford

In the final episode of Season 4, June, Emily, Moira, and several other ex-handmaids devise a plan to ensnare Fred Waterford within No Man’s Land. Alone and confronted by vindictive refugees, Fred meets a gruesome end at the hands of this band of women seeking retribution. They dismember him mostly with their bare hands, and subsequently hoist his body onto a makeshift scaffold. For these women, slaying Fred signifies a new chapter in their lives. Living under the constant fear of Gilead’s rule in Canada is no longer an option for them.

Emily, much like others, bears deep scars from not only Fred’s murder, but also her encounter with Aunt Irene. She recognizes that finding peace in Canada is impossible while Gilead continues to mistreat and oppress women, just as it had done to her. In a final, determined move, Emily chooses to go back to Gilead to carry on her struggle against them where they reside. Fans are left with this decision as Emily’s last appearance in the series, leaving her story potentially unresolved. Unfortunately, since Alexis Bledel has decided not to return, the show may choose to leave Emily’s fate undetermined. However, we can only hope for a fitting conclusion to her journey.

2025-04-24 01:47