Everything we know about 'Handmaid's Tale' season 5

When we last left off season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale, June (Elisabeth Moss) and her followers exacted their revenge on Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) by beating him to death in No Man’s Land’s woods between Gilead and Canada. But as we all know, just because you’re in Canada, doesn’t mean you are immune to the long arm of the United States, ahem, er, we mean, Gilead.

The trailer for season 5 of the show just dropped (set to a haunting cover of Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter”), and from it, we get a glimpse into what June is going to be battling against this time around. (Catch up on seasons 1-4 on Crave now)

Blessed be! It’s going to be a lot.

When does s5 drop?

September 14 on is the date that June, Aunt Lydia, and Serena return for a two-part premiere episode. As Aunt Lydia proclaims, Blessed be this day. Canadians can watch on CTV Drama Channel and Crave.

What’s going on this time?

Hulu describes the new season as such: “In season 5, June faces consequences for killing Commander Waterford while struggling to redefine her identity and purpose. The widowed Serena attempts to raise her profile in Toronto as Gilead’s influence creeps into Canada. Commander Lawrence works with Aunt Lydia as he tries to reform Gilead and rise in power. June, Luke, and Moira fight Gilead from a distance as they continue their mission to save and reunite with Hannah."

The trailer seems to suggest that an epic showdown is about to occur between June and Serena. For years, we all thought Fred Waterford was the Final Boss to defeat, but maybe, just maybe, it was his wife all along!

Yup, you read that right. Gilead is coming to Canada.

It wouldn’t be a Margaret Atwood story if Canada wasn’t somehow involved, and while we don’t know exactly how the Gilead powers that be will infect Canadian society in the show, the trailer is loaded with Toronto filming locations.

Eagle-eyed locals will notice they even filmed one scene in the heart of Dundas Square, with the many jumbotrons from it used in the scene. Also, earlier this year, Brantford Ontario was one rumoured filming location when the city released this announcement about a production called “Ruby Road.” It’s not a big leap to see how Ruby Road could be a production sobriquet for The Handmaid’s Tale . . . ruby cloaks . . . get it?

Which characters are returning?

It seems that almost all of the regulars are returning, including Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne, Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford, Madeline Brewer as Janine, Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, O-T Fagbenle as Luke, Max Minghella as Nick, Samira Wiley as Moira, Bradley Whitford as Commander Lawrence, and Amanda Brugel as Rita.

A new addition to the cast is Christine Ko who will play Lily, described as “a gritty, resourceful Gilead refugee who is now a leader in the resistance movement.

Of course, it’s safe to say that Joseph Fiennes (a.k.a. the late Cmd. Waterford) won’t be returning as as a regular cast member, but that doesn’t rule him out of appearing in flashbacks or visions. Also exiting is Alexis Bleidel, as she opted to leave the show before S5 began shooting, per Variety.

Elisabeth Moss takes the helm again Just like last season, Moss will be in front and behind the camera. She announced on her official Instagram that she directed the first two episodes of season 5. She is also executive producer.