What Happens to Putnam's Wife in 'The Handmaid's Tale'?Home > Television > Stream & Chill > Netflix > The Handmaid's TaleSource: Hulu Commander Putnam' s Wife May Want To Get Out of Gilead in ' The Handmaid' s Tale' By Chrissy BobicOct. 12 2022, Updated 12:07 p.m. ET Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault and rape. Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers for Season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale. Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is no place for unwed mothers. Just ask Serena, who tried to worm her way back in as a pregnant widow, only to be turned away and sent back to Canada on a Gilead mission that was really just meant to keep her out of commanders' affairs.Article continues below advertisement Now, Commander Putnam's wife, Naomi, may soon find herself in a similar position. Because, after his sudden death, fans want to know what happens to Putnam's wife in The Handmaid's Tale. Lawrence and Nick accuse Putnam of apostasy, which is apparently one of the worst atrocities that a commander can face in Gilead.Source: Hulu Ever Carradine and Yvonne Strahovski as Naomi and Serena in 'The Handmaid's Tale.'Article continues below advertisement They're OK with using young women as unwilling handmaids, but to do so in a way that results in an unplanned pregnancy, a la Esther, is apparently crossing the line. But with Putnam gone, we now have his wife as yet another Gilead widow. Commander Putnam is executed for raping Esther It's revealed in the Oct. 12 episode of The Handmaid's Tale that Esther is pregnant after Putnam apparently raped her in a scene that wasn't shown. And Putnam doesn't deny the allegation. Instead, he insists that Esther was as good as assigned to him at the time and that, as his Gilead-assigned property, he can do with her as he pleases.Article continues below advertisementSource: Hulu Stephen Kunken as Putnam in 'The Handmaid's Tale.' Unfortunately for him, Esther wasn't officially posted at the Putnam house when Putnam forced himself on the young teen. And, because of his atrocity, Nick shoots and kills him in front of his wife and a slew of other commanders and their wives. Now, Naomi is in a similar situation as Serena at the start of Season 5.Article continues below advertisement What happens to Putnam' s wife in ' The Handmaid' s Tale' After Putnam is executed, the scene ends. So right now, it's hard to say what becomes of his wife. The actress who plays Naomi, Ever Carradine, is in three more episodes, including the Season 5 finale, according to IMDb. So unless all of those appearances are also flashbacks to hers and Serena's Gilead heyday, as was the case in Season 5, Episode 6, we can expect to see what happens to Putnam's wife. #TheHandmaidsTale #HandmaidsTale 5x03Aunt Lydia is awful but she seems to care so much about Janine The actress' performance was incredible. Also Naomi redemption arc? That scene at the hospital where she comes visit Janine with her daughter made me tear up ;_;— GoatBebe Jongyoung stan acc (@wonhosgoat) September 22, 2022 Article continues below advertisement Besides Serena, there are just a couple of other cases of widows in The Handmaid's Tale. Serena's mother is an unwed widow and, we see early in the series, she is allowed to live in her family home and she isn't reduced to a Martha or an Aunt. In Season 2, Commander Roy, who lives in a home where Emily is posted, dies of a heart attack. We don't learn what happens to his wife, but it doesn't look like there are specific laws in place to demote wives, so to speak, if their commander husbands die. And honestly, we'd be lying if we said we wouldn't love to see Naomi Putnam rise above Gilead customs and go against the regime. Stranger things have happened on this show. Watch The Handmaid's Tale on Wednesdays on Hulu.AdvertisementMore from Distractify Why Is Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale' Ending After Such Fruitful Success? Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Wheeler Are the New Fred and Serena on 'The Handmaid's Tale' Praise Be, 'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 5 Has Finally Arrived! Here's Your Official Episode Guide Latest The Handmaid's Tale News and UpdatesAdvertisementABOUT DistractifyAbout UsPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDMCASitemapCONNECT with DistractifyLink to Facebook Link to TwitterLink to InstagramContact us by Email Copyright 2022 Distractify. Distractify is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.