The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 spoilers: Ann Dowd on Lydia’s path

There are a few different things we can say about The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 right now, and a lot of them are tied to Aunt Lydia. We’ve known for a long time that Ann Dowd is an extraordinary actress, and this season, we’re starting to see her character see the light more than ever before. She’s still in Gilead, but she is showing defiance from the Commanders and care towards some of the Handmaids. There is an evolution here, and it is something that will continue for quite some time.

After all, there is one big thing to remember here above all else: Lydia has a huge role to play in The Testaments, the follow-up book from Margaret Atwood that has a Hulu series of its own in development. We tend to believe the show won’t deviate from Lydia’s involvement there, and we are building something bigger over the next season-plus.

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Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Dowd spoke in general terms about Lydia’s journey, making it clear that the growth you’ve seen so far is absolutely something that will continue:

…I know nothing about how it will proceed, except that it will. I have done the audiobook of The Testaments. So I am familiar with it. It’s brilliantly written, as is everything Margaret Atwood does — it’s quite extraordinary. To speak broadly, she’s moving into far more awareness of her own complicitness, if that is a word, and actually what’s going on underneath all of the pretend stuff at Gilead. Pretend meaning, what commanders say is going on, what the values of Gilead are supposed to be, but aren’t. The blinders are coming down, the walls are coming down. She’s a very smart woman, she knows men have the power at the moment. And so what she needs to do is be alert, aware, keep track, and keep it hidden. And just to make her moves slowly. She has tremendous patience. It’s just a wonderful progression into herself, and also into what she wants to now do with what she knows. And I find her very inspiring as time goes on.

The baby steps will continue for Lydia through the rest of the season; be prepared for that, but also to have your heart smashed because that’s what the show does.

Related – Check out more news when it comes to The Handmaid’s Tale, including a tease for what lies ahead

What do you most want to see from Aunt Lydia through the rest of The Handmaid’s Tale season 5?

Share now in the comments! Once you do just that, keep coming back for some additional updates. (Photo: Hulu.)