Spoiler alert for the penultimate episode of The Handmaid's Tale "Execution".
The Handmaid's Tale is one of the most successful book to screen adaptations in TV history, and there is just one episode left before the Emmy-winning series ends its tenure on the air. Episode 9 featured a Taylor Swift song, and also ended with the deaths of both Lawrence and Nick. And Rose actress Carey Cox recently responded to hate she's gotten online after that episode aired.
While some folks figure out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, the hardcore fan is still recovering from its wild penultimate episode. After being hospitalized thanks to the drugs that were slipped into Serena's wedding cake, Nick's wife Rose told him to finally take a stand and chose Gilead over June. This resulted in him joining the rest of the High Commanders on the plane that Lawrence ultimately bombed. Over on Carey Cox's Instagram, she addressed the hate she's gotten as a result of her character's actions. As she put it:
Is Rose the biggest villain of the series for her words? Some people think so... in a series filled with r*pists and murderers. Does that track? Or are we being harder on her because she's a woman, and more than that, the OTHER WOMAN!! lol
Points were made. The hate thrown at Rose seems out of place, given how many actual villainous characters there are in The Handmaid's Tale. I mean, we've watched for years as characters (primarily the men) murdered, mutilated and sexually assaulted people. So claiming Nick's wife is a true villain seems a bit out of pocket.
Rose isn't cruel or violent, but she is a Gilead Wife who seems to believe in the fictional country's values. But her appeal to Nick wasn't to hurt June, but to finally put their family first. Unfortunately that resulted in his death.
Rose and Nick had a strained relationship last season, but seemed to be in a better place for Season 6. But now that Max Minghella's character perished, Cox is seemingly receiving a ton of hate. In her same post, she clapped back about comments made on her looks online. As she put it:
When you don't like a male character, how often do you call them ugly and degrade their looks? I know it happens, but women get the most of it. Luckily, at this point in life, I am far more disappointed if someone dislikes my acting rather than my face! Lol 😘
Talk about a strong sense of self. No one wants to hear negative comments about their appearance, but being a public figure can subject you to the darker sides of the internet. And Cox is putting a spotlight on the way women in particular are treated online.
In her IG post, the actress also mentions that she's been the subject of misinformed and ableist comments following Nick's death on The Handmaid's Tale. She once again stood up for herself, with the caption reading:
There's been a lot of talk about how Rose would be poor, unemployed, unloved, and unmarried in America because of her disability. People were also convinced Rose would have a problematic pregnancy and a disabled baby. Yes, it can be very hard for disabled people here--capitalism is unkind to us to say the least. But hi! I'm a real life disabled woman, and I've had a variety of jobs, a successful career, had a great education, have been very fortunate to support myself, have had a very 'normal' love life, am now married to an amazing man, had a healthy pregnancy, and I have a fantastic thriving baby, whether he might be disabled or not.
Online hate can be truly oppressive, but it's comforting to see that Carey Cox isn't letting the ignorant comments from fans bother her. And I have to say that I think The Handmaid's Tale protagonist June would be on her side, and encourage her to not "let the bastards grind you down."
As previously mentioned, there is just one more episode of The Handmaid's Tale left, and it should be fascinating to see the fallout of the High Commanders being wiped out. I'm also hoping to get another scene with Rose, especially after she lost both her husband and her father in one fell swoop.
All will be revealed when The Handmaid's Tale airs its series finale on Tuesday, May 27th as part of the 2025 TV release list. We'll have to see how the story ends, and how it sets up the spinoff The Testaments.
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