The Handmaid’s Tale season 4 has officially begun and here’s everything that happened to Amanda Brugel’s character (Rita) and what Brugel has teased about Rita’s journey, moving forward.
What happened to Rita so far?
For the first three seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale, Rita was the Waterfords’ Martha. She finally escaped from Gilead to Canada along with 86 children. Rita was seen exploring her new life and freedom at the beginning of The Handmaid’s Tale, season 4. However, there had been certain moments where the audience encounters the character still adjusting and coming to terms with her dark past. The second episode, “Nightshade,” showed Moira (Samira Wiley) reminding Rita that she could say “no” to Luke’s (O. T. Fagbenle) requests if she wanted to, something she is not used to. Moira says, “Free means you’re free to say no.”
It was also implied that Rita is currently all alone, in Episode 4 of Season 4, “Milk.” Moira told Rita in this episode that there is no record of her family in any refugee camp database. In the past few episodes, we also saw Rita reunite with Fred (Joseph Fiennes) and Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski), separately. Serena revealed that she was pregnant with a baby boy but it was a secret kept from Fred.
On Rita showing some joy, Serena assumed Rita would be willing to defend her against Fred in court. Instead, Rita visited Fred and told him about the pregnancy, clearly telling the Waterfords she did not want to be involved in their life, “You deal with your family, it’s not my job anymore, and I thank god for that every day. I’ll pray for your son.”
What Amanda Brugel has to say about her character’s development in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4
While speaking to Entertainment Tonight Canada Brugel opened up about what is in store for her character in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4. The actor promised the audience will get to see more of Rita in the new season she said, “From Rita, we see a softer side of her underbelly. She’s usually quite stoic and very quiet, you get to hear her voice a lot more this season, which I love.”
She further revealed that Rita will struggles in Season 4 as she adjusts to her new life in Canada. Brugel further explained, “She’s struggling with the idea that she’s free and is supposed to be happy. But at the same time, she’s lost purpose, in Gilead, she had structure, she had a home. Now, she’s alone in Canada. Free, but void of any of the familiarities that she had, void of her job. So there’s a struggle this season with her.”
Amanda Brugel teases what fans can expect next
The Handmaid’s Tale fans believe Rita’s character will grow more than struggle gave her newfound ability to say no to Fred and Serena. The fans will have to watch how Rita moves forward in The Handmaid’s Tale season 4.
While talking about the pace of the show, the storyline, and what fans can expect, Brugel further told Entertainment Tonight Canada, “They can expect a faster, higher, more aggressive pace this season, it moves. She moves, and she moves quickly. I think that fans can finally expect a payoff for some of the people in Gilead to face punishment or to face what they’ve done to all these women.”
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 is available to stream on Hulu.
