'The Handmaid's Tale' zeroes in on June and Serena as its end comes into view

"The Handmaid's Tale" would appear to be returning at an auspicious time, as the overturning of Roe v. Wade has thrust Margaret Atwood's dystopian vision into the spotlight. But the arc of this fifth season is ill-suited to the moment, more narrowly focused on the bond of hatred between June and Serena, at the expense of almost everything else.

The brutal, cathartic fate of Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes), as orchestrated by June (Elisabeth Moss) at the close of the fourth season, left its mark on Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), his widow and partner in the crimes of Gilead.

Yet even in a patriarchal society, Serena is not without the political skills of a survivor. And while she escaped Gilead, June remains unable to let go of her simmering anger (nobody does stares of intense rage like Moss), drawing her back again and again.