HuluThe Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 is fast approaching, and with the sixth chapter also being the last, I’m hoping for some answers about Season 5’s most mysterious antagonists: Alanis and Ryan Wheeler.
The dystopian Hulu series is nearing its end after eight years of rage-inducing telly, and there’s a lot of questions that need answers. What happened to Emily? Will Nick finally face consequences? And will June ever get Hannah back?
Okay, so the Emily issue might never be solved (Alexis Bledel departed the show and was never seen again). But there will still be plenty of resolutions, not to mention a revolution, as was teased in the Season 6 trailer.
As for Serena, the Season 5 finale suggests she’ll be living an entirely new life with Noah, but is she safe? Not if the Wheelers have anything to do with it. There’s no denying the power they hold, but we need answers on who helped them get there.
How did the Wheelers gain so much power?
HuluThe Wheelers didn’t join The Handmaid’s Tale until Season 5, and while it’s clear they have significant influence in both Gilead and Canada, we don’t yet know how they rose to such a privileged position or which specific figures in Gilead they’re aligned with.
The mystery deepens with Mrs. Wheeler’s claim that her husband doesn’t answer to the Commanders, suggesting they may be operating on an entirely different level, one that places them above both Gilead(ian?) and Canadian law.
They’re certainly in a unique situation. Alanis and Ryan Wheeler are a married Canadian couple who adhere to Gilead’s strict ideology, with the latter controlling No Man’s Land – the still-disputed area on the Canadian-Gilead border.
They’re first introduced in Season 5 Episode 5, after Serena is set free from US custody but unable to return to her home country.
Instead, she’s made a Gilead representative in Canada, but with June turning up to her residence, Serena – who’s heavily pregnant at the time – is sent to the Wheelers for protection.
Little did she realize that she’d essentially be treated as their very own handmaid. She tries to continue her operations, but she’s met with resistance from the couple, especially Alanis.
HuluAfter Serena escapes and shoots their driver/bodyguard Ezra, she gives birth to Noah before being arrested by Canadian forces. Her son is taken away from her… and eventually handed to the Wheelers.
This proves once again that they get the best of both worlds. As Canadian citizens, they have more freedom than they would in Gilead. But they are also linked to the totalitarian regime and live by its ideals, while Ryan has major control over No Man’s Land.
Not only do I hope they return in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 but I also hope to learn how they gained such a foothold in the opposing states – and whether they’ll be coming for Serena and Noah.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 premieres on Hulu on April 8, 2025. Until then, check out the shows to get excited about in 2025, the new series streaming this month, and the best shows of 2025 so far.
