The Testaments Season 1 Finale Completely Changes the Book Storyline — And I’m Invested!

Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

4.5

The Testaments made it clear from the start that not everything would follow Margaret Atwood’s book storyline.

Daisy isn’t Baby Nichole, as she is in the book, and Shunnamite is far more of a friend than she was ever written as in the story.

So, it’s not that surprising to find out that The Testaments Season 1 Finale would end in a way that changes everything, setting up for a world of unknown, and I’m just so grateful we went into this episode knowing Season 2 would happen.

Becka Becomes the Janine of The Testaments

I said it during the review for The Testaments Season 1 Episode 9, and I’m going to say it again. It’s hard not to feel for Becka.

She finds herself completely alone and at risk of execution.

While she killed a man who was likely to, at the very least, lose a hand under Gilead law, she still committed a serious crime.

There is no protection for women in Gilead, and that’s made clear. Even the women — with Margaret Atwood making her cameo as one of the female Eyes — aren’t going to support each other.

However, Becka seems to be the Janine of the series, as Aunt Lydia looks for any way she can to protect her.

Aunt Lydia knows that Becka acted out of fear, anger, and simply just breaking under the realization that her father isn’t a good man.

There is so much to unpack, and in a world that is outside of Gilead, a good defense lawyer would be able to push “temporary insanity.”

That’s nothing going to fly in Gilead, and all Becka has is Aunt Lydia.

I love that Agnes, Shunnamite, Hulda, and the others want to find a way to help Becka, as well.

As much as Gilead has tried to prevent women from forming tight friendships, the regime has failed with this group.

There’s little that they can do, but at least they want to. Agnes is June to Becka’s Janine, and it’s a beautiful mirror of The Handmaid’s Tale.

One of my favorite parts of the whole of The Testaments Season 1 is seeing Aunt Vidala getting knocked down a peg, as she’s reminded that she created Becka’s fight for justice.

We could see a change come for Aunt Vidala during Season 2, and not just because of this. There’s a sweet scene between her and Lydia as they finally talk about the past and Lydia’s actions.

It’s probably time for the women to start working together, because playing by the men’s rules isn’t working.

Speaking of women working together, sometimes it means a bittersweet sacrifice.

Throughout The Testaments Season 1, we’ve seen how much Becka’s mom loves her, culminating in a final sacrifice.

Of all these “mothers” in Gilead, Mrs. Grove has actually acted like one, and this is something so many mothers would do if it meant protecting their children.

She’s the one who takes the blame for Dr. Grove’s murder, and I, once again, feel for Becka.

Not only does she have to live with being a murderer, but now she has to live with the fact that her mom has been executed for her own crimes.

We get a brief look at what that’s going to do to her in the second season, as she is medicated to go through with the wedding to Garth.

Weston Becomes One of the Most Confusing Characters Ever

One option is to turn to Weston for help.

The Testaments Season 1 Finale leaves me more confused about Weston than ever before.

This is a man who seems to try to help without expecting anything in return. In fact, he calls off the engagement to Agnes, and this likely has nothing to do with the Grove scandal.

If Weston was going to call off the engagement because of the Grove scandal, surely that would have happened during the previous episode.

I have wondered about Weston since one of the Pearl Girls was taken.

There was almost a sense that Weston knew Daisy was a member of Mayday, but he wasn’t going to allow her to be captured.

Then, when it came to Agnes making choices for the wedding, he encouraged her to voice her opinion and have a say in the day.

The way he looked at Agnes even looked genuine.

I know we’ve seen Commanders switch into their icky and misogynistic selves after the wedding, but part of me has always wondered if Weston is more like Lawrence than any of the others.

This decision almost seems like it.

Is it possible that he knew Agnes was June’s daughter and thought that was a good advantage to him as a secret Mayday operative?

Could Agnes turning to him for help in saving Becka prove that maybe Agnes doesn’t have what he thinks it takes to be an operative?

He likely needs a wife whom he can trust.

That is, if he’s a Mayday operative. I can’t wait for Season 2 of The Testaments to see how his story plays out.

Daisy Almost Gets Out of Gilead

When Garth said he didn’t know June, many people questioned whether that meant he was a double operative.

Was it possible that he wasn’t a real part of Mayday?

Well, I always said that he likely wouldn’t have known people by their real names.

What I didn’t suspect was that he was just lying.

He does know June, as it’s she who messages over the radio to pull out the “loose canon” after Daisy threatens to burn Mayday to the ground.

And just as Daisy has a chance to get out of Gilead, she changes her mind. 

She’s more like June than she probably should be, considering she’s not June’s daughter! 

After all, June had chances to escape and then went back in before. Remember The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2?

So, it wasn’t surprising to see Daisy change her mind. She’s become friends with this group of girls, and she wants to help them get out as well.

Daisy is a girl’s girl, and she wants to bring Gilead to the ground for them. She’d better learn how to play by the resistance’s rules.

Something that surprised me was finding out that June had no idea that Daisy had gone to the part of Gilead that held Hannah.

As soon as she hears the name Agnes, she knows who Daisy is speaking about. This is finally her chance to get her other daughter out, and you can see that shock and relief in her face.

Elisabeth Moss continues to command the screen whenever she’s on it.

I’m glad the process of Daisy changing her mind didn’t take too long, though. There couldn’t really be a second season without Daisy and Agnes together.

The Testaments Sets Up the Second Season

Like any good last episode of a season, The Testaments Season 1 Finale sets up storylines for the now-confirmed second season.

There are a few arcs that I’m not convinced by, such as the Agnes/Garth relationship.

I can understand why Agnes is so smitten with Garth. She’s a 16-year-old girl and full of hormones.

I don’t feel anything from Garth for Agnes. The only thing I think works is if Garth knows who Agnes is to June, but if June didn’t know, then why would Garth?

It may not matter as Garth ended up marrying Becka, but what’s with locking her in the room?

You would think that since he is part of Mayday, he wouldn’t treat Becka like a prisoner.

Who is he really taking orders from, and what are his plans now that he has a potential loose cannon as a wife?

On top of that, we have Agnes going to Lydia to reveal that she knows June is her biological mother.

Despite all the hassle June caused Lydia, the Aunt has only good things to say. 

I would love to get inside Lydia’s brain, because I still can’t work out whether she is going to dismantle Gilead from the inside or not.

I feel like this is a start for the two of them potentially working together.

They may want to get Daisy on their side, though, as she’s ready to create an army of teenage girls, and without the right leadership, that could turn out to be far more dangerous than just an army of Handmaids acting out of anger.

In the end, The Testaments Season 1 has ended on a high note despite its slow start, and now I’m ready to see what the fallout is during Season 2.

I just know I have no idea where it’s going with how much has changed from the book.

Now we turn to you for your thoughts and comments.
Independent journalism only works when we all work together, and that means getting involved in the conversation. I’ve loved hearing your thoughts and theories about The Testaments, and I’m excited to see what you have to say about the finale. Drop a note below!