The WORST episodes of The Handmaid's Tale

Every episode of The Handmaid's Tale ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Handmaid's Tale!

In a dystopian near-future, the totalitarian and Christian-fundamentalist government of Gilead rules the former United States amidst an ongoing civil war and subjugates women, who are not allowed to work, control money, or even read. Widespread infertility due to environmental contamination has resulted in the conscription of young fertile women—called Handmaids, according to biblical precedent—who are assigned to the homes of the elite, where they must have ritualized sex with the men in order to become pregnant and bear children for those men and their wives.

Last Updated: 3/25/2024Network: HuluStatus: Continuing
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Heroic
star
7.27
2497 votes

#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.

Directors: Daina Reid
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Morning
star
7.47
1323 votes

#2 - Morning

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/14/2022

June confronts the consequences of killing Fred. A scared Serena makes an unexpected decision.

Directors: Elisabeth Moss
Writer: Bruce Miller
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Fairytale
star
7.48
1170 votes

#3 - Fairytale

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/5/2022

June and Luke embark on a dangerous quest. Serena gets to know her new hosts.

Directors: Eva Vives
Writer: J. Holtham
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Dear Offred
star
7.53
1197 votes

#4 - 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.

Directors: Dana Gonzales
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Allegiance
star
7.57
1130 votes

#5 - 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.

Directors: Bradley Whitford
Writer: Eric Tuchman
Watch Now:Apple TV
Offred
star
7.58
7007 votes

#6 - Offred

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/26/2017

Offred, one the few fertile women known as Handmaids in the oppressive Republic of Gilead, struggles to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a powerful Commander and his resentful wife.

Directors: Reed Morano
Writer: Bruce Miller
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Milk
star
7.60
1633 votes

#7 - 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.

Directors: Christina Choe
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Border
star
7.61
1199 votes

#8 - 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.

Directors: Dana Gonzales
Writer: Aly Monroe
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Pigs
star
7.66
1705 votes

#9 - Pigs

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/27/2021

On the run, an injured June and the fugitive Handmaids find refuge at a farm, where the 14-year-old Wife nurses June back to health. June restores her role as the women’s leader. In Gilead, an imprisoned Lawrence tries to avoid a death sentence, and Aunt Lydia reels from the loss of 86 children on Angels’ Flight. The combative Waterfords, in custody in Toronto, learn of June’s feat.

Directors: Colin Watkinson
Writer: Bruce Miller
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Vows
star
7.66
1635 votes

#10 - 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.

Directors: Richard Shepard
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Under His Eye
star
7.66
2510 votes

#11 - 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. Serena and Fred contemplate their future in Washington.

Directors: Mike Barker
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Other Women
star
7.66
3673 votes

#12 - 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.

Directors: Kari Skogland
Writer: Bruce Miller
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Mary and Martha
star
7.66
2755 votes

#13 - 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.

Directors: Mike Barker
Writer: Kira Snyder
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Faithful
star
7.67
5122 votes

#14 - Faithful

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/10/2017

Serena Joy makes Offred a surprising proposition. Offred remembers the unconventional beginnings of her relationship with her husband.

Directors: Mike Barker
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Birth Day
star
7.68
5776 votes

#15 - 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.

Directors: Reed Morano
Writer: Bruce Miller
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Jezebels
star
7.70
4982 votes

#16 - 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.

Directors: Kate Dennis
Writer: Kira Snyder
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum
star
7.70
5218 votes

#17 - 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.

Directors: Mike Barker
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Useful
star
7.71
2664 votes

#18 - 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.

Directors: Amma Asante
Writer: Yahlin Chang
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Chicago
star
7.72
1625 votes

#19 - 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.

Directors: Christina Choe
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Motherland
star
7.73
1142 votes

#20 - 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.

Directors: Natalia Leite
Writer: Yahlin Chang
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Unwomen
star
7.73
4022 votes

#21 - Unwomen

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/25/2018

Offred adjusts to a new way of life. The arrival of an unexpected person disrupts the Colonies. A family is torn apart by the rise of Gilead.

Directors: Mike Barker
Writer: Bruce Miller
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Nightshade
star
7.74
1674 votes

#22 - Nightshade

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/27/2021

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.

Directors: Colin Watkinson
Writer: Kira Snyder
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Seeds
star
7.75
3613 votes

#23 - 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.

Directors: Mike Barker
Writer: Bruce Miller
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
God Bless the Child
star
7.75
2684 votes

#24 - 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.

Directors: Amma Asante
Writer: Eric Tuchman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Late
star
7.75
5572 votes

#25 - Late

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/26/2017

Offred visits Janine’s baby with Serena Joy and remembers the early days of the revolution before Gilead. Ofglen faces a difficult challenge.

Directors: Reed Morano
Writer: Bruce Miller
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV