Madeline Brewer Will Miss Janine

Madeline Brewer has a lot of strong feelings about how things ended for her beloved character, Janine Lindo, on the series finale of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. She spent six seasons in the hell that is Gilead as a former Handmaid-turned-Jezebel-favorite, and saying goodbye to this character isn’t easy.

In a recent interview tied to the series finale of Netflix’s You, Brewer hinted about Janine’s fate without giving anything away, saying, “I’m immensely proud to have seen Janine through to the end, and I think that she gets the only ending that she deserved…anything else I don’t think would have been just.”

Naomi (Ever Carradine), the high-ranking wife of a Commander, who was raising Janine’s daughter Charlotte (renaming her Angela), begrudgingly releases Janine by throwing her to the ground like a pile of trash. Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia is also there, but the look on her face isn’t one of anger, but rather love. Janine is released to her friend, Elisabeth Moss’ June Osborne, and she’s also reunited with her daughter in that highly anticipated moment that fans have waited years to see.

This was a very emotional scene for fans of the show who have followed Janine’s horrifying journey for six seasons. Janine was not only a fan favorite but a career highlight for Brewer. In an interview post-finale, she discussed how hard it will be to let this character go.

“Janine went through some of the most horrific things of any of the characters. Losing an eye was just one of many things she endured. Because of the world that they exist in, all of the characters have unique tragedies, but I think Janine’s are the most literal because they’re the most physical. She wears those tragedies on her face and in her personality. She’s been literally and psychologically beaten down.”

Brewer credits the writers with allowing Janine to grow and change. “They didn’t try to keep the crazy redhead from season one. They allowed her to evolve. Her point of view changes, and her ability to function under these oppressions changes. Her friendships, especially with June, change. In the final moments of Janine’s time on the show, she’s still fighting for these women.”

As for her final moments on screen, Brewer says that even though she’s finally free, how she’s dumped on the ground embodies how women were seen and treated in Gilead.

“It’s like she’s disposed of, and it shows how they’re still willing to treat a Handmaid. The way they’re willing to drop her in a heap on the ground feels like a final f**k you from those Guardians.”

Though Janine suffered years of abuse from Aunt Lydia, in the end, their relationship had evolved. Brewer describes Janine’s complicated relationship with Aunt Lydia similarly to how Moss described June and Serena’s relationship. Both relationships bring Stockholm Syndrome to mind.

“Janine and Lydia loved each other,” explained Brewer. “It’s hard to even put words to it. Janine was Lydia’s favorite of all the Handmaids and prisoners. It’s like winning a horrible contest. It would’ve been easier for the writers to create two characters, one in a position of power and the other in a position of subservience, and to have them dislike each other. That dynamic isn’t as interesting as having them also have love for one another. That was challenging to navigate, especially in the final season. Janine’s final plea to Aunt Lydia is the nail in the coffin for Lydia, who realizes she has to let these girls go.”

Brewer adds that Janine was the only one who could’ve gotten through to her. “Lydia needed to be right there with Naomi, giving Janine her life and daughter back.”

Brewer said it won’t be easy to say goodbye to Janine. “I’ve spent nine years with Janine holding half of my heart. I’m ready for something new, but she’s irrevocably part of who I am. I can’t even begin to describe the gratitude I have for having had this opportunity as an actor. I’m also grateful for the experience as a woman, a daughter, and a future mother. It’s indescribable. It truly is.”