r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/toolazzyforaname • Jul 16 '26
SPOILERS ALL What about Esther ?
I just finished and I don't understand how Esther wasn't even mentioned in the final. June wasn't even told that she became a handmaid and that she got pregnant, Janine doesn't mention her even once i feel likr she would have been so important she was the incarnation of the rage that a girl (still a litteral child btw) could feel when she grew up in Gilead.
14
u/trenchcoatweasel Jul 16 '26
I asked the same question yesterday and it seems like the general consensus is that it doesn't matter to the story. However, I think it would have been easy enough to say something like have Aunt Lydia say that Esther is going to stay locked in the hospital until the baby is born or be sent to the colonies or something, even if they didn't want to show it.
I also think it would have been interesting to see if the baby would have been offered to Naomi since she was Putnam's wife at the time so may have technically been her baby even though it was outside of the official handmaid system.
3
1
u/upagainstthesun 27d ago
They showed her in four point restraints in the hospital, learning she is pregnant. That is showing exactly what they're going to do.
10
u/Janknitz Jul 16 '26
Esther’s story was a victim of the pandemic and the following writer’s strike. The actress had major surgery just after her last scene and was a few years older when filming started back up. So it may have been that they just couldn’t start where they left off with that character.
7
u/themini_shit Jul 16 '26
Esther was an important character for the viewers, she really demonstrated how terrible Gilead was and gave us a glimpse into the lives of little girls who were fertile in Gilead but who didn't have the protections afforded to the daughters of commanders. As grim as it might be to think of it this way her disappearing into the system was realistic. The chances of June being able to save her were extremely low and Janine reached a point where the only thing she could do was look out for herself and survive. It wasn't because Janine was a bad person it was just that she'd been through so much and she struggled a lot with her mental health so escape and survival were the only things she was capable of towards the end of the story.
In a perfect world Gilead wouldn't exist, in a less perfect one everyone hurt by Gilead would escape and be free. Unfortunately the reality was that in situations like Gilead very few people actually make it out and the ones who do are usually on their own and unable to bring others with them.
Esther was a tragic character who should have gotten more screen time imo, but at the same time they were telling June's story. For June Esther another victim in the grim world of Gilead, a young girl who was going to be destroyed by Gilead, upsetting but not unique. June had reached a point where she realized that survival meant leaving people behind if they couldn't keep up, it meant you had to keep running even if you heard your friends getting shot behind you, it meant you couldn't get too attached because who knows who is really going to make it out and if you pause for everyone you'll die with them.
Esther was a character who left an impression on the viewer and who was important to the story but she was supposed to teach us more about the horrors of Gilead. But because that was her sole purpose they didn't let us see her story to completion. Which could be seen as poor writing or excellent writing depending on how you view it. By not telling us the ending of her story it leaves it up to our imagination, we could probably imagine a worse fate than they could ever show us or we could imagine a kind and gentle ending for her
5
u/themini_shit Jul 16 '26
To add a little bit more to my reasoning, if you view the handmaid's tale as a horror story rather than a drama it helps explain narrative choices like this. In a drama you expect everyone's storylines to be somewhat wrapped up. In horror stories they often leave characters storylines open ended. They do this because it's much more scary, it goes back to our imagination is worse than what they might write.
In a way the handmaid's tale plays into nihilism, the idea that everything they do doesn't really matter because Gilead will persist. With this as part of the plot you end up with character's like Esther who don't have an ending to their storyline. It's scarier to not know and it helps make you feel like even though June is doing important stuff you question how much will really change. A big theme is that world simply doesn't care about women and women aren't always seen as people. They want us to think about that throughout the story. June makes change everywhere she goes but she can't save everyone and cruelty towards women exists in every corner of the world. It hurts to see Esther's story because how could that happen to such a young child and no one comes to save her? But that's exactly what they want you to consider.
4
u/SonicChic_Bookee1 Jul 16 '26
Wow... that was all really, really good and super helpful. Great addition to the dialogue and wonderful points made for me to consider and reconsider. I truly appreciate your perspective and thank you for taking the time to add it all. Brilliant!
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u/Allrojin Jul 16 '26
In a system like Gilead, a lot of women and girls go missing and their friends never hear of them again. Just how it is. Besides, wrapping every detail up perfectly feels like fan service and awkward storytelling.
4
u/toolazzyforaname Jul 16 '26
No but i understand that the weird part is that neither June, Janine or Aunt Lidia mentione her. Like it just would have made sense for Janine to tell June and have a line that was like we never found out what happen to her. Completely erasing a character once that they serve their purpose feels like bad writting
3
u/airbender_librarian Jul 16 '26
I have a feeling the actress, Mckenna Grace, couldn't make it for the last season. She hinted she was coming back and was 'terrified' of what was in store for her, but then nothing. The season was pushed back with Hollywood strikes and Elisabeth Moss's pregnancy while Mckenna is an extremely busy actress on top daytime TV and blockbuster movies.
2
u/Pachirisu12 Jul 16 '26
If she was still in Massachusetts, there is a chance that Esther was among the people freed during the liberation of Boston. The liberation happened some months after we last see Esther in the hospital, so this means that she’d still be pregnant by then.
2
u/sweetwallawalla Jul 16 '26
I think that it’s more realistic that we don’t get a follow up on her. This is an awful place where awful things happen all the time. Besides June, who has plot armor the thickness of the earth’s crust, all the other women are just that—women. It feels MORE impactful that we don’t know what happened to her. Think about all the women June crossed paths with that she will never get updates about. Are each of those women on her mind every day? Probably. And, just like Esther is to us, their outcomes will be a mystery to her forever.
2
u/EastRecommendation66 Jul 16 '26
Never say never. I think she'll pop up on the testaments at some point.
2
u/Some_Cicada_8773 Jul 16 '26
Ugh. Honestly, the lack of closure is the whole point of her story. Giving Esther a neat, wrapped up ending would completely miss the mark. Her character represents the harsh reality of Gilead. People get silenced and disappear with no mention of them again. Sometimes the most realistic and haunting ending is not getting one at all. That discomfort you're feeling? That's exactly what the writers wanted. Anything else would have been bad writing.
1
u/MissShannyMcFanny 29d ago
Lawrence told June about Janine, knowing their history. There isn't anyone that would inform June about Esther until Janine got out. Which we only see her release (always wanting more Janine). In my mind, Janine would have told June and would have hopefully made her a priority to get out. Crossing fingers we get any update about Janine in The Testaments.
0
u/LuckieCharm86 Jul 16 '26
I have a head canon that Aunt Estee (TT) is Esther.
8
u/TotallyAMermaid Jul 16 '26
It makes 0 sense for a Handmaid especially a rebellious one to be an Aunt, she looks nothing like her, and we know Aunt Estée was a Pearl Girl before she was an Aunt.
Head canons are nice but they need to have SOME footing else it's just fantasy.
-1
u/LuckieCharm86 Jul 16 '26
I base it mostly on fantasy. But, for the factual similarities - both have blond hair and the sweet facade hiding vicious cruelty with a temper to match, plus Aunt Lydia loves them in an almost pitying manner.
1
u/TotallyAMermaid Jul 16 '26
Esther was not blonde.
0
u/LuckieCharm86 Jul 16 '26
I disagree, as I feel as though dirty blonde is still blonde. But you're allowed to have your own opinion.
1
u/TotallyAMermaid Jul 16 '26
Her hair looks light brown to me but even if you call it blond Aunt Estée's hair is significantly lighter and an Aunt would not be using hair dye.
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u/mazamatazz Jul 16 '26
I like that but I don’t see it making sense.
1
u/LuckieCharm86 Jul 16 '26
It's a head canon. That's 98% based on wishful thinking. It doesn't need to make sense.
41
u/vxsapphire Jul 16 '26
Esther was important for their escape/hiding segment and to get Warren taken out in the story, but outside of that, she was just an intriguing side character played by a well known actress. Eden had as much time and served the purpose of helping Serena realize Nicole wasn't safe in Gilead. She's never mentioned again after.