Viewers of The Handmaid’s Tale have been analyzing the character of Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski) since its debut in 2017 on Hulu. One of the most prominent characters next to June (Elisabeth Moss), she has served as both a primary antagonist and a person whom viewers wish to grasp fully. There’s a lot not to love about her: she has subjected other women to sexual violence, is a manipulator, and is a hypocrite.

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In time with season 5’s release, Serena’s transgressions are presumed to become the show’s focal point in the showdown between her and June. Yet, there are a few points of sympathy for the character: Serena is a woman who has been forced into oppression, she too is a victim of manipulation, and is highly lonely as she struggles to coincide in a dynamic she originally envisioned. The duality of The Handmaid’s Tale’s deuteragonist makes for a complex understanding of how viewers should feel towards Serena.

The following article contains spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale. Content warning: the following article contains references to sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.

Serena is Intelligent and Manipulative

Serena holding a smoke, deep in thought

“Never mistake a woman’s meekness for weakness” is a line from Serena’s book on domestic feminism, titled A Woman’s Place, promoting her theocratic beliefs before the establishment of Gilead. And what a quote that is—manipulating what is to be a life of subservience to sound more like a mindset adjustment rather than a demise of freedom.

A significant part of Serena’s intimidating persona is her intelligence and, as an extension, her manipulative tactics to get what she wants. From blackmail, mind games, violence, demands, and toying with relationships, Serena waltzes to exploitation the second someone crosses her.

There Are Moments When We Feel For Her

Serena in a Gala room

Although Serena can be a powerful leader, her status as a Wife in Gilead has ultimately made her a prisoner. Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale, there have been standout moments where Serena holds no position of power: from young Eden’s (Sydney Sweeney) execution, Fred (Joseph Fiennes) beating her, her finger being amputated for reading, and the small moments of closeness she shares with June.

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The injustices, despite her enacting her own, force viewers to see Serena as a woman under the patriarchy rather than a woman of high status. These moments remind viewers that her bitterness is not without cause, for the Gilead she originally envisioned and the Gilead she lives in are two separate entities.

She is Both the Oppressed and the Oppressor

Serena and June standing in front of a statue of white wings

One of the most nuanced parts of Serena is that she acts as both the oppressed and the oppressor in Gilead. Being a woman in Gilead automatically grants some oppression where they will never have more power, or luxuries, than a man. As a Wife, Serena is afforded more security against major tribulations in Gilead than other women but is demanded to stay within the walls of her home. Typical domestic duties are stripped of her, where Serena is expected to spend her day knitting, gardening, and arranging for the house to stay in order. Serena cannot read, write, or be involved in political talks and must imply wait for a child to be born into her arms to have any role.

But Serena’s power is subdued but ever-present, using mind games and her higher status compared to June and Rita (Amanda Brugel) to regain a sense of control. Asides from Fred, Serena is June’s other tormentor: the woman who allowed monthly rapes, dangled Hannah (Jordana Blake) in June’s face and constantly reminded June that she is lower ranking. Whether Serena is a product of her environment or a control freak is disputable.

Serena is Blinded By Her Goal of Motherhood

Serena cradling her pregnant stomach

One of Serena’s biggest demons has always been her (supposed) infertility, which drove her in a downward spiral once it was revealed that June was pregnant. Even going so far as arranging for Nick (Max Minghella) to impregnate June and pretend it's Fred’s child, Serena’s desire for a child trumps everything—even the strict rules of Gilead that could see her end up on the wall.

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Her treatment of June can be seen as an extension of her jealousy, with her bitterness leading her to her most violent self. Now, in season 5, her surprise pregnancy has proved to be another reason to seek justice. In fear of June after she murdered Fred, Serena uses her power in Gilead to send a message: "mess with my son, and I’ll mess with Hannah."

She is Lonely

Serena sitting at a table, knitting

With her life skimming on the edge of servitude and a type of freedom in Gilead, Serena ultimately has no one to rely on, rather just those to exchange pleasantries with or those in her household dynamic (who don’t care for her much). Her intimidating presence has altered her ability to be likable or relatable.

Serena seems so out of touch with the hardship of those under her, and in scenes such as when she invites fellow handmaids for tea, she struggles to create conversations that mean anything. Serena’s loneliness is a product of her actions and another reason to manipulate any and all of those around her—even her husband.

Serena Helped Create Gilead

Serena, Fred and Offred

Although her agency was eventually stripped away, Serena played a fundamental role in the creation of Gilead. Pre-Gilead, she worked as a vessel for God’s word, where her far-right activism ended up being the blueprint Fred took credit for. It is important to note that Serena did not come up with the handmaid system itself or any other of Gilead’s social stratifications, merely the idea that if women shifted their priority to making a home rather than working, as a solution to the declining birth rates in America.

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As a writer and activist, Serena didn’t condone rules such as the ban on reading and writing; instead, she envisioned a world where religion and childbearing were at the forefront, without sacrifices to everyday freedoms.

Her Revenge Comes From Fear, Not All Bitterness

Serena in her funeral attire

Deep inside, Serena is a vulnerable woman who has been trying to reclaim her autonomy. Once the voice that Fred listened to, Serena’s opinion went on the back burner as her husband rose in the ranks, and her safety slowly diminished too. Between Fred subjecting her to punishments like beatings and a finger amputation and June constantly "behaving recklessly," Serena’s life became unstable.

Losing her influence in Gilead in season 5 after Fred’s death, Serena now realizes how no one is in her corner—and decides to coerce support as a means to compensate. When she finds out that June murdered Fred, Serena’s stakes are high, fearful of what June could do to her and her unborn son. Using Hannah as a threat has always been the only upper-hand Serena can turn to as a defense mechanism.

Her Marriage is Questionable

Fred and Serena looking opposite ways

Fred and Serena have had a tumultuous relationship, presumably since the establishment of Gilead (and, in particular, the enforcement of bringing a handmaid into their home). Fred’s loyalty is not bound to Serena, where he frequented the underground brothel and has engaged in sexual relations with both of their handmaids, resulting in dire situations for the two Offred's.

Forced into silence under her loyalty to Gilead, and perhaps to avoid loneliness, Serena withdrew her affliction by viewing Fred as her business partner over her husband. What was born out of love ultimately died out of betrayal—where they stayed together for the sake of Gilead, even though that’s the very thing that broke them.

Serena Has Moments of Redemption

Serena holding Nicole

Serena has committed multiple transgressions across five seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale. But, along the way, she has also had two pivotal moments that led viewers to believe she was on the road to some kind of redemption. In season 2, Serena decided to allow baby Nichole to escape Gilead, despite her yearning for a child, because she realized the pitfalls of Gilead society. However, after, her mental health declined, and she began to spin the story by leading a national campaign to bring back her "stolen" child.

In season 4, Serena turned her back on Fred during their trial to defend herself, claiming she was just as oppressed as June. Ultimately, she had to face charges of her own after coming together with Fred for the sake of their unborn child. Whether she is a redeemable character or not is nuanced, but viewers wish for at least some type of accountability, especially after her redeeming moments were reversed.

Serena is Not Entirely a Villain

Serena standing in her greenhouse

Typically, a villain commits evil for the sake of evil, or at least as retribution for some traumatic experience that changed their life. Serena’s original intentions were pure enough—to present a solution to the infertility crisis by promoting a domestic life. It was only when this idea became a forced reality influenced by men in power that Serena became a product of something she originally wanted part of because she didn’t realize what a male-dominated Gilead truly meant.

While Serena’s actions only manifest due to her desires, not the needs of others, she is trying to survive the patriarchy: albeit in an authoritarian, manipulative way. Her survival through trepidation masked as malevolence is a product of her situation, not necessarily ill-intent. Has Serena become a villain, or was she always a villain? And, in terms of her impending freedom, should she be granted absolution if she leaves June alone?

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