What happened to June's mum in The Handmaid's Tale season 6? Explained

The episode 1 ending of The Handmaid's Tale season 6 brought back a popular character from the show, who was believed to have been dead earlier.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.

This character is Holly Maddow (Cherry Jones), June Osborne's mother, whom June (Elisabeth Moss) thought had died when Gilead took over most of the US. She was led to believe this because Holly was a women's rights advocate, which directly contradicted the ideals that Gilead aimed to uphold during its establishment.

Additionally, she was nowhere to be found after the army representing Gilead separated June from her family at the beginning of the show.

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Under what circumstances does June meet her mother in The Handmaid's Tale season 6?

After a six-season separation, June finally meets her mother, Holly, in episode 1 of The Handmaid's Tale season 6. In season 5 of the show, after June takes the train to Toronto, she finds that Serena is also on the same train with her newly born child, Noah.

Through a turn of events, Serena is forced to jump after former Gilead prisoners identify and confront her for the pain she has aided in causing them by supporting and being a part of the state machinery. The incident forced her to jump from the train mid-path, leaving June and her child, Nicole, alone.

Through another set of a turn of events, the train June is on heads reaches Alaska when she wakes up from her sleep, instead of Toronto. While skeptical at first due to the sudden change, June is soon surprised after seeing a familiar face.

While in line to get her documents checked by the personnel at the refugee camp in Alaska, a person appears with a sheet with June's name written on it. She quickly calls out her name and addresses her as "sweetheart".

When her face is shown to the audience, they get to see that the individual is none other than Holly Maddox, June's mother. The two are almost shocked to have found each other, resulting in a short moment of disbelief followed by relief. The two then embrace each other in a hug.

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How did June's mother survive in The Handmaid's Tale season 6?

After June finds her mother in episode 1 of The Handmaid's Tale season 6, she learns what happened to her after Gilead took over the US. Holly revealed that initially, she was tried in a kangaroo court where she was dealt with unfairly.

Then, she was sent to the Colonies where she lived a life filled with fear and distress. She recounted regularly seeing people around her getting killed, including her friends. She also remembered feeling hopeless as she was eventually left alone, but she believed that June was alive and held on to hope.

Holly also spoke about her eventual journey to Alaska when the Colonies she was stationed at were freed. She spoke about her medical skills coming in handy at the Alaskan refugee camp and how it allowed her to have a place where she could wait for June's return. She also spoke about living with the belief that June would return, as she thought that she was resilient enough to make her way out of Gilead and to her.

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The first 3 episodes of The Handmaid's Tale season 6 are currently streaming on Hulu.