The rebellion ramps up, but not without struggle, sacrifice, and Serena's help.

Key Points

June, Moira, Janine, and the handmaids are captured before they can cross the Canadian border.
The prisoners, as well as Aunt Lydia, are nearly executed before being rescued by Mayday, led by Luke.
Lawrence sacrifices himself, as well as Nick and Wharton, by sneaking a bomb onto the commanders' D.C.-bound plane.

The final season of The Handmaid's Tale has been filled with promises of Mayday striking back against Gilead, but it wasn't until last week's episode that the rebellion got real. After spiking Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and Gabriel's (Josh Charles) wedding cake with sedatives, the blade-bearing handmaids began systematically murdering their commanders.

But as satisfying as it was seeing June (Elisabeth Moss) plunge a switchblade into one of scumbag Bell's (Timothy Simons) eyeballs, we were still left wondering what Mayday's next move would be. Where were Luke's (O-T Fagbenle) bombs we've heard so much about? And what about the remaining U.S. military — when is Agent Tuello's (Sam Jaeger) cavalry coming?

Thankfully, the season's ninth — and series' penultimate — episode, aptly titled "Execution," wastes no time answering those questions and many more, like how many commanders suffered the same fate as Bell.

Picking up right where we left off, June, Moira (Samira Wiley), Janine (Madeline Brewer), and faux-Aunt Phoebe (D'Arcy Carden) are leading the handmaids from the Red Center, fresh off Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) freeing them. They're soon met by Mayday trucks…as well as pursuing guardian vehicles. Thankfully, a series of small explosions trigger, allowing them to load into the getaway ride and lose the tail.

Inside the truck, we learn that the handmaids are being driven across the border to safety. But first, June and Moira are being dropped off to finish what they started. Janine also insists on staying behind, as she wants to find her daughter.

Serena's on the run, too. Having just stormed from her new husband's house, she and baby Noah are seeking a safe place to hide out. While sneaking under the cover of night, she spies a handmaid savagely stabbing a commander's wife on the front lawn of their lovely Gilead home.

Serena seeks refuge at Lawrence's (Bradley Whitford) house, where Naomi (Ever Carradine) has just been awoken from her cake-induced slumber by the sound of exploding bombs. But she's more shocked to hear Serena has left her husband on their wedding night. At the Blaine residence, Nick (Max Minghella) is also passed out following his laced dessert. Rose rouses him though, with concerns of their baby arriving prematurely.

Meanwhile, Mayday's rescue vehicles are intercepted by a guardian roadblock, where the girls are quickly rounded up. The gunmen call June's name, demanding she come forward. She complies when the guardians threaten to execute a handmaid, leading to her immediate apprehension and separation from the other women.

The next morning returns us to the Lawrence residence, where we learn 37 commanders were killed by their handmaids the night before. Serena begins to defend the women's actions, but Naomi swiftly dismisses her "liberal nonsense." She's also taken the liberty of inviting Wharton over in hopes of patching things up between the bickering newlyweds.

The High Commander asks for his wife's forgiveness, suggesting they try to have a baby without the help of a handmaid. He almost has her… until he reveals he's having her transported out of Boston to a safer area. She refuses to leave. Wharton, on the other hand, is on his way out the door to D.C.

But first, he needs to deal with the "ungodly women" led by "heretic" June Osborne. Serena is shocked to hear that her frenemy is not only back in Gilead, but was behind the rebellion's recent attack. Still, she seems upset when Wharton tells her he's about to unleash "God's justice" on June.

He next arrives at the jail, where June's locked in a fancy cell fit for Hannibal Lecter. Wharton releases her and offers her a seat, to which June responds by sarcastically apologizing for ruining his wedding. He's not amused and begins getting pretty self-righteous about his purpose, God's plan, and Gilead's pious path. She tells him the regime and its rulers are all about power, not piety. Before he leaves, she pleads with him to be the man Serena believes he can be.

Back at Lawrence's, the commander is seeing off Naomi and Angela/ Janine's daughter Charlotte. Based on the strict, specific instructions he gives his wife about caring for the little girl, he's clearly grown quite fond of her.

With Naomi and Angela off to a safehouse, Serena approaches Lawrence with concerns about June's safety. While their relationship is complicated, to say the least, Serena doesn't want to see June executed. As she and the commander begin praying aloud for her, we see June being escorted to an elaborate gallows set up in the city.

Before the lower rungs of Gilead society, Wharton presents June and begins preaching about "punishing the wicked." Surrounding June are several nooses, including one already occupied by Aunt Phoebe. The other captured handmaids, as well as Moira and Janine, are escorted from nearby trucks and also readied for execution.

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Wharton then trots out Aunt Lydia, before blaming her for turning the handmaids into murderers. He gives her a chance to atone, to which she begins calling out the "wicked, godless men" of Gilead. She, too, is swiftly outfitted with a noose. June then earns her rope, but is also given an opportunity to speak. As she similarly condemns Gilead's evildoers, the noose tightens around her neck.

As a crane begins to lift her off the ground, she manages a final, "Don't let the bastards get you down!" Just as her plea reaches the cheap seats, we spy Luke and Rita (Amanda Brugel) wading through the crowd. Blending in with the throngs, they make it up to the front, along with Ellen (Athena Karkanis) and other Mayday soldiers. As June is raised higher into the air, Luke and Ellen toss grenades into the two trucks that delivered the handmaid.

Unsurprisingly, all hell breaks loose. Mayday charges forward, rebel snipers posted on nearby rooftops begin firing, and Wharton is hastily shepherded away. As the guardians are overrun, June is lowered to safety and the other prisoners are freed. Among the chaos, we get brief glimpses of Luke, Rita, and Phoebe kicking all kinds of ass from behind blades and gun barrels.

The rescue is epically punctuated by four American fighter jets firing missiles into Boston, resulting in explosions that rattle a chandelier over Serena's head in Lawrence's living room. The house shakes again, this time as Tuello – flanked by several armed soldiers – barges through the front door. He's looking for Lawrence, who's disappeared, but settles for taking Serena and Noah to safety.

Following that series of pulse-pounding scenes, we take a breather to check in on Nick and Rose. They're in the hospital, where we learn their baby is going to be just fine. Still, it seems the sedatives in the wedding cake may have brought about Rose's complications. She wants her husband to end the rebellion… and June. Nick nods, but does not respond as she insists he prove his allegiance to Gilead, God, and his family.

Following the rescue at the gallows, June convenes with Tuello at a makeshift Mayday/U.S. headquarters. She also reconnects with Phoebe, who we learn is a former CIA agent. They've gained a small foothold in the war against Gilead, but many of the more extreme commanders still need to be dealt with. If they're able to mobilize, they may bomb Boston, cut their losses, and start their totalitarian regime anew somewhere else.

They agree the elusive evildoers will be out for blood, and the still-missing Lawrence is their best bet in finding them. But they do have a plan B. Serena is across the street in protective custody. June enters a church, where Serena's being guarded by two armed soldiers. She's relieved to see June is still alive, despite her ruining her wedding.

Serena claims she doesn't know where Wharton and the other commanders are, but June can sense she's holding something back. Serena's reluctant to put a target on her husband's head, so June happily reminds her that Gabriel's a tyrant not fit to raise Noah. With tears welling in her eyes, Serena reveals where the commanders' flight to D.C. is departing from.

Just as June returns to Tuello with the intel, Lawrence is escorted in by soldiers who'd been waiting for him at his home. Leveraging the flight details provided by Serena, the three decide to plant a bomb on the commanders' plane. Tuello wants Lawrence to do the honors, but the high commander insists he's not cut out for such James Bond shenanigans. Still, he reluctantly agrees to deliver the goods when June says she'll come along as his getaway driver.

Armed with an explosives-packed briefcase, the pair arrive at the private plane ahead of its 7 p.m. takeoff. Unfortunately, it seems Gilead's elite are anxious to strike back at the rebellion, as they arrive much earlier than expected. While Lawrence had intended to hide the bomb before the commanders' arrival, then make a quick getaway, he's now faced with a difficult decision.

June watches from cover as Lawrence speaks to Wharton and the other men. Most of them poke fun at the "liberal" Lawrence, but Wharton is happy he's decided to join them and be part of their united front in D.C. After the others step onto the plane, Lawrence pauses a moment, then decides to seal his fate by boarding with the bomb. Before he does, though, he puts a hand over his heart and gives June one last, wistful look.

As June flashes a sad smile back, another vehicle pulls up to the plane. It's Nick, who's decided to heed his wife's advice and do his part to squash the rebellion. A sick look comes over June's face when she spots her former love boarding the aircraft. Inside the plane, the commanders banter and joke, unaware of what's in Lawrence's briefcase.

After Wharton proudly praises his son-in-law and coming grandson as the future of Gilead, Nick eyes the seat next to Lawrence. The latter moves his case, welcoming Nick to the unoccupied spot. Nick glances at him and teases, "Guess you decided to join the winners." Lawrence replies, "You know how it is, you do what you need to survive."

While Lawrence settles in — looking nervous, but making peace with his decision to sacrifice himself — Nick leans over with a question. "She alright?" he asks, clearly not over June. "Can't keep a good woman down", Lawrence responds.

Nick then reveals that she told him many times to give up his Gilead life, to which the high commander, knowing they're both about to die, says behind a half-smile, "You should have listened to her."

As the plane's engine begins to roar, we return to June. With the camera to her back, she — and the audience — watch the doomed aircraft travel down the runway. We then see her up close, mouth slightly agape and eyes moist with fresh tears. We hear a faint explosion in the distance, then see its reflection illuminate June's face.

The clouds over the runway glow a soft orange before raining flaming debris down below. With her close ally and Nicole's father gone, June stares unbelievably into the night sky.

Key Points

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