If you watch The Handmaid’s Tale (season three now streaming on Hulu), then you know about Hannah Bankole. Though her role may be minor, it is nevertheless incredibly important to the series. Hannah is the daughter of June Osborne and Luke Bankole, and she is vital to their lives. Keep reading for our Hannah Handmaids Tale Top Ten!
The Top Ten Hannah Handmaids Tale Facts Every Fan Should Know
If you want to understand June, the protagonist, then you need to understand her daughter. For all of the information you need on Hannah to watch the latest season, keep reading! But be warned, there may be some spoilers ahead.
10. Hannah is played by Jordana Blake.
Because Jordana Blake is a child actress, her biography is not as public as the other actors in The Handmaid’s Tale. However, it is the series for which she is best known. Blake has also been in Star Trek: Discovery and Riot Girls, which came out in 2019. Another popular role she played is on Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, as Allison at age four. She is currently filming a new television series, See, and will be playing Haniwa at age seven.
9. She’s not quite the same in the television series and the book.
In the source novel by Margaret Atwood, Hannah is described as Caucasian and blonde. In the series, however, she is mixed race; June is Caucasian and Luke is African American. It is important to remember that Atwood included a racial element in the original story; African Americans were considered “Children of Ham” and were gathered and sent to live in a designated settlement. The showrunners grappled with balancing a show about race and a racist show, ultimately deciding to represent minorities in Gilead.
8. She was born before Gilead.
Hannah is not June’s child from her time as a Handmaid. Luke and June had Hannah together when Gilead was just the United States of America and infertility was first becoming an issue. They consider themselves incredibly lucky to have a healthy baby, while other women are envious; one goes so far as to try and kidnap Hannah. The increasingly hostile government begins to question June’s fitness as a parent when she lets Hannah go to school with a fever.
7. June, Luke, and Hannah were separated at the same time.
The family almost escaped to Canada, but were discovered attempting to cross the border. There was a huge chase, with Guardians pursuing the trio. Luke ran in the opposite direction to try to buy Hannah and June time, but it ultimately did not work. June and her daughter were discovered hiding behind a rock. Hannah was seized and June was knocked unconscious, then sent to the Red Center to be trained as a Handmaid.
6. Hannah has a new family now.
While June was becoming Offred in the Waterford household, Hannah was also being sent to live with a new family. She was renamed Agnes and moved into the Mackenzie house. She blends in with all the other Gilead girls, wearing their trademark pink dresses and hats. Theoretically, Agnes is being raised to become a wife to a Commander. She goes to school, where she is not allowed to read but instead learns things like knitting and sewing.
5. Serena Waterford used Hannah to torture June.
If you want a reason to hate Serena Joy—other than her systematic encouragement of Fred raping June and her frequent physical and emotional abuse of the Handmaid—look no further. Serena takes June on a trip, all the way to the place where Hannah is staying. Then, she forces June to sit in the car and watch while she talks to “Agnes.” In an Emmy-worthy performance by Elisabeth Moss, June says Serena is an evil monster. Serena says that Hannah will only be safe if “her” baby, Nichole, is safe.
4. Fred Waterford is more generous, at least a little bit.
June is devastated by Serena’s visit with Hannah and begs Commander Waterford to protect Agnes. He thinks Offred will be happier if he gives her little chances with her daughter. He gives June a polaroid of Hannah, which she manages to send to Luke in Canada, and she is given the opportunity to speak with her for ten minutes at an abandoned house. Hannah is scared of June at first, but does remember her. She tells June that she should’ve tried harder to find her when they were separated.
3. June tries to get to Hannah again.
June is given the chance to escape Gilead with baby Nichole. Instead, she hands her and Nick’s daughter off to Emily, who is running away because she stabbed Aunt Lydia. Then, June insists that Commander Lawrence takes her to the Mackenzie household. He does, and she goes into the house to see Hannah, but she is caught immediately after and sent to the Red Center.There, she waits for a new Commander; in the end, it is Joseph Lawrence who takes her in even though she might be trouble.
2. They are almost able to reunite at Hannah’s school.
June talks to the Martha working in Hannah’s household to see if she can find Hannah again. Then, Serena gives her a bit of information that helps a lot: the school Hannah goes to. June and Eleanor, Commander Lawrence’s wife, go together to the school. Eleanor is almost able to get in, but is sent away after begging to see the children. Ofmatthew, June’s shopping partner, realizes why June talks to the Martha so frequently and tells Aunt Lydia, who has the Martha publicly executed by the Handmaids.
1. Hannah’s fate is unknown.
If the Martha has been hanged, then what happens to the rest of the household? All we know is that the Mackenzie’s see June as a serious threat. They move to another district, one that is completely unknown to June. She is back where she started in Gilead, with no clue how to find her daughter. However, June is adamant that she won’t leave without Hannah. The epic season three finale is proof of that: June is able to help fifty-two children escape by plane with some Marthas, including Rita, and while she makes it clear that June made the escape possible, she isn’t on the flight.
Nerds and Scoundrels
And that concludes our Hannah Handmaids Tale Top Ten. Let us know if we missed anything major! And if you liked our Hannah Handmaids Tale list, check out the rest of our content from the show!
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