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.
#1 - Promotion
Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/15/2025
June makes a shocking move that threatens to derail the rebellion's careful planning. Meanwhile, Commander Lawrence's influence grows as he climbs higher within Gilead's power structure.
#2 - 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.
#4 - Devotion
Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/8/2025
June races against time to protect her loved ones. Lawrence makes strategic moves, while Lydia's search for Janine reveals unexpected consequences.
#5 - Morning
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/14/2022
June confronts the consequences of killing Fred. A scared Serena makes an unexpected decision.
#6 - Fairytale
Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/5/2022
June and Luke embark on a dangerous quest. Serena gets to know her new hosts.
#7 - Exile
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/8/2025
June embarks on a challenging journey as she attempts to forge a new life in an unfamiliar community, while Serena seeks a sanctuary.
#8 - 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.
#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.
#10 - Train
Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/8/2025
June and Serena find themselves thrown together on a dangerous journey as refugees fleeing an increasingly hostile Toronto. Moira faces a life-changing choice that could alter the resistance forever.
#11 - 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.
#12 - 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.
#13 - 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.
#14 - Janine
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/22/2025
June and Moira go undercover. Serena and Nick make consequential choices.
#16 - 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.
#17 - 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.
#18 - 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.
#19 - 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.
#20 - 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.
#21 - 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.
#22 - 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.
#23 - 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.
#24 - 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.
#25 - 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.