'The Handmaid’s Tale's' Season 5 Finale Sets Things Up for the End (SPOILERS)

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu.

The Season 5 finale of The Handmaid's Tale proves that there is still one place June hasn't gone yet — west. What that means for her future and her reunion with Hannah remains to be seen. But right now, fans need the Handmaid's Tale Season 5 ending explained to make sense of everything that happens.

To be fair, there isn't a ton of action in the finale episode. Instead, it sets things up for almost every character in the final season. And while that means dire circumstances for some (ahem, Nick), it means a hopeful future for others (we're looking at you, Serena). But there's definitely a lot to unpack.

It's clear from the start of the Season 5 finale that The Handmaid's Tale's penultimate season is setting things up for a big final season of the series. The episode begins with June recovering from almost getting shot at the memorial at the end of the previous episode. Not long after, we see her run down outside of her home in Toronto.

Luke saves her at the last minute and beats the driver of the car to death. As a result, he's in trouble. And they have no choice but to have Luke turn himself in or run as far away from Toronto as they can get. The idea of June going to New Bethlehem is out the door since she officially cut ties with Lawrence, so they're limited on options.

Elsewhere, Nick is reeling from June's near-death experience himself. He physically assaults Lawrence in a room full of commanders and he's arrested. Or, it looks like he is when he's shown in handcuffs in a room by himself.

Rose visits him to tell him their marriage is over, despite Gilead law prohibiting divorce, and she leaves him there.

Nick's story doesn't likely end here, but it's unclear what this means for his future in Season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale. The finale ends with Luke turning himself in, against June's wishes. But this enables her and baby Nichole to run.

They get on a train full of refugees who are all headed out of Canada for fear of being targeted by Canadian protesters.

Although June tells Luke she doesn't want to continue alone, she takes Nichole on the train and she gets away. Surprisingly, though, she's not the only mother traveling alone with her baby. At the end of the episode, June comes face-to-face with Serena, who apparently has the same idea of getting out of dodge when it comes to cruel Toronto residents.

It's hard to say if this means Serena and June are going to be allies in Season 6. And we can't really picture them sharing an apartment and co-parenting their two children together, a la some twisted sitcom.

But it certainly seems like they have a different kind of understanding than they once did. And since they're both headed the same way, with Gilead behind them, this could be the start of the dynamic duo we've always needed.

When June boards the train at the end of the Season 5 finale, she tells Nichole that they're going to Hawaii. But in truth, all we know is that the train is headed west. From maps shown in The Handmaid's Tale, we know that rebels occupy almost the entire area on the border of the U.S. and Canada, so in theory, June could end up in the northern part of a state like Montana or Washington.

June mentions Hawaii, which we know is free from Gilead right now. But that would be the furthest place from Hannah. And June still wants her daughter back. The Handmaid's Tale Season 5 ending sets things up for the final season, so wherever June is going, chances are, she has a plan.

You can watch The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu.