There is a moral ambiguity to a lot of the characters. Would you say that many of them  “good” or “bad” are ultimately just in it for themselves and their own interests?

Eric: The show really is a survival story, and it is that way for June. But when I think about it, many of the characters behave and make decisions out of self-preservation. Without giving too much away, that really comes through in this season. Serena often has to act out of self-preservation for herself, and now for her child. And then there’s a character like Commander Wharton (Josh Charles), who we introduced this season, who seems like a genuine true believer. He really thinks he’s on God’s mission to create God’s Kingdom here on earth and in Gilead. That makes him particularly dangerous and formidable. So, because it’s such an oppressive, life-or-death, high stakes world that they live in, a lot of the characters do behave in a way to save their own necks.

Yahlin: I think you see that way more on the Gilead side than anywhere else. June, Luke and Moira all live their ideals and are heroic. And Lawrence also sticks his neck out a lot – he has done great, heroic things while at the same time making decisions for his own survival. I think that’s what makes those choices realistic – most human beings do make decisions based on what’s good for them, but also balance that with what’s good for the world. That’s why our very heroic characters are probably a little more heroic than your average, everyday person. The people who are in Gilead have to contend with the fact that they could be put on The Wall at any moment. They have less freedom to live their ideals, so it’s actually quite heroic when they try to do what’s right.

Describe June’s character arc from Season 1 to Season 6.

Eric: June is really an every woman, and she’s someone you can relate to. She’s like your friend, your sister, your wife, your daughter… she represents all of us. She’s kind of been sleepwalking in her life and hasn’t paid attention as things started to spiral and Gilead took over. In the beginning of the show, especially when she’s offered to be a handmaid in the Waterford household, she has to hide her true feelings. We cleverly get to hear those feelings in her voice-over, so we know what she’s really thinking.

Luke (O-T Fagbenle) & June (Elisabeth Moss) Photo by (Disney/ Steve Wilkie)

But she is a constricted person of limited power. She has virtually no power in the beginning and over the course of the series, because she’s driven by the will to survive and save her daughter. She starts to grow as a rebel and a defiant figure. She ultimately becomes a genuine leader and an extraordinary heroine. She’s done amazing things that seemed impossible, like getting a planeload of children to safety. In this season in particular, she emerges as the real rebel leader who’s going to fight Gilead and take down whoever she can. So it’s a tremendous journey for her because she goes from ordinary to extraordinary.

What is the role June’s daughter Hannah plays. She has been this focal point throughout the series that we do not always see. Is June’s motivation purely to rescue her from the Gilead future she’s destined to have or is part of it to absolve herself of the guilt that she feels for failing to protect her when they’re captured at the start ?

Yahlin: I think it is entirely to rescue her from this fate. She also does feel guilty; that’s a huge part of it, but overwhelmingly, she has to save her. I’m a mom and I would absolutely make sure that my child was safe, even if that meant that I never got to see her again. It’s a terrible choice, but I’ll quote Bradley (Whitford) who says it’s like June is living Sophie’s Choice every minute of the series.

But we also see her motivations expand – over time, she becomes obsessed with saving all the children of Gilead and realizes that she has to fight. In this season, she and her husband Luke work to bring down the Gilead regime, which gets them one step closer to saving Hannah.

You mentioned the use of voice-overs as a way to understand June’s thoughts and feelings. Music is also used extensively and powerfully throughout the series. Can you speak to that?

Eric: I’m so glad you brought that up. Adam Taylor is a brilliant composer and I can’t imagine the show without his score. It has enhanced so many scenes. I remember particularly Season 1, when everything was new, I heard sounds in his music that I’ve never heard before. He created things that were so haunting and ominous and moving, using these rich, dark, spooky tones that never felt like they weren’t melodic.

Adam would sit and watch every episode cold. He didn’t want to read the scripts or outlines and didn’t know what was going to happen next. He was just a clean slate, and one of our first audiences. So his responses were always so delightful for us because he would take what was already hopefully a good dramatic scene and add this music that just lifted it. It never telegraphed how you’re supposed to feel, it just enhanced what you should be feeling.

Yahlin: So many times, when you’re editing an episode, you think, “God, I hope this scene really has the impact I want it to have”. Whenever there was any doubt, Adam would come in and do the score, and it would be like, “Oh, there it is”. He just hit the nail on the head.

There are also the needle drops, which are the pop songs we used. They reflect that June and our characters lived in the modern world before Gilead, so those are the songs that are in their heads. It’s the juxtaposition of songs that reflect the freedom that the characters used to have versus now, and also helps to sell the story that Gilead took over in America. It was our America.

Tell me about your approach to the episode titles. They often have a layered meaning and give a much bigger picture of what they refer to once you’ve watched the episode.

Eric: That’s such an interesting question. I think sometimes the title came after we’d broken the episode and realized what it’s truly about. They’re what can sum up all the themes and storylines in that episode in one or a few words.

There were also times when we started with the title. That happened more rarely, but when we knew what we were going to do in that episode.

Moira (Samira Wiley) Photo by Disney/ Steve Wilkie

Yahlin: We tried to use one-word episode titles in homage to Margaret Atwood’s chapter headings, which were one impactful word, like “Night”. What springs to mind is one of my episodes, titled “Liars.” After breaking the episode, I realized that what was linking all of the stories was that there was lying happening in every one of them, and so that informed the title.

What are some of the most important themes that you’ve addressed over the course of this series? Is there a takeaway message that you want to leave your viewers with?

Eric: I think the takeaway for the show is that, even though it’s been a dark, bleak experience at times, it really is a story about hope, courage and resilience, embodied especially by June, the central figure of the show. Despite all the trauma, harshness, and brutality that she’s had to endure, she’s always managed to pick herself up, never give up, keep fighting, and stay hopeful. Those are the takeaways that I think resonate most with the audience and why they keep coming back to the show, even though it’s been a difficult watch at times.

Yahlin: Motherhood is also a big theme, and family. And how fragile freedom is, how important it is to fight for it, and how human beings do want it.

Without revealing any spoilers, what can you tell us about the final episode? Is it a natural, satisfying conclusion and is there an audience payoff for sticking with this often tough-to-watch story?

Eric: I think the audience will definitely be rewarded. It’s a beautiful, emotional, surprising conclusion, but also inevitable. The best endings are surprising but inevitable. But I think it’s a really honest conclusion to the story. Not everything is wrapped up neatly in a bow, but for the, people who have been on this journey with June and the other characters from the beginning, I think they’ll be really satisfied by what happens.

Is there room for more story to tell beyond the series finale?

Eric: There are so many aspects of life in Gilead and the resistance that’s emerging both in Gilead and outside of it. Lydia’s character (Ann Dowd), as you know, continues in The Testaments, after her evolution in The Handmaid’s Tale. There is a whole new creation for the next series. She’s coming to that show with her eyes wide open about what Gilead really is at its core. So yes, there’s plenty to explore.