The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Episode 1 Moment That Had Fans Cracking Up

At one point in “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 5, Episode 1, June decides to confess her involvement in Fred’s murder to the Canadian government. As it turns out, because Fred died outside of Canada, they determine that the murder isn’t under their jurisdiction. They do, however, fine June for mailing one of Fred’s fingers to his wife Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), which amounts to $88, payable online.

In a Reddit discussion thread about the episode, user piscesmushie quoted the scene where June receives her fine and added two laughing emojis. This netted around 600 upvotes, making it the most popular comment in the thread. Furthermore, the majority of replies to the post simply consist of users recounting just how much they laughed when they found out about June’s meager punishment. User full07britney even wrote, “I was trying to figure out if that’s the first time I have ever laughed at THT.”

On Twitter, meanwhile, user @thithucdiem shared an account of this scene emphasizing its comedic tone, and received more than 2,500 likes and around 400 retweets. User @John463987741 replied with an image of a smiling Elizabeth Moss holding an $88 check, and received a number of comments from users who found this post funny as well.

By these and other “Handmaid’s Tale” fans’ estimation, then, the anticlimax of June’s fine seems to mark both a rare moment of levity and an overall highlight of its Season 5 premiere.