Serena Joy Waterford is a pivotal character in both The Handmaid's Tale book and TV series, but her depictions have differed slightly.
The Handmaid's Tale (which recently returned for its sixth season) is based on Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name, first published in 1985.
The Hulu series has brought Atwood's classic dystopian tale to life over multiple seasons and has made some changes while adapting its story for screen.
Serena Joy Waterford In The Handmaid's Tale Book vs Show
Serena's Age in the Show Is Different From the Book
In The Handmaid's Tale, Serena is introduced as Commander Fred Waterford's wife and one of their handmaid's oppressors. The book does not explicitly reveal Serena's age, but it suggests she is past child-bearing age.
Meanwhile, Serena in the series is played by a younger actress, Yvonne Strahovski (who was 34 when the show premiered, now 42).
This was an intentional change, according to showrunner Bruce Miller, who told TIME that they did as Serena was a bigger part of the show than the books, and her being of child-bearing age complicated her rivalry with June:
"Serena feels something she should rightfully be doing right now is being done by someone else."
Serena's Backstory Is More Complex in the The Handmaid's Tale Show
As the TV show spends more time fleshing out the ensemble of characters, this means some changes were made to Serena's backstory in the series.
In Atwood's novel, Serena is known as a religious TV personality who Offred recognizes from the Christian TV programs she used to appear on before the takeover.
In the series, much time is dedicated to exploring Serena's life before Gilead. Rather than a TV star, Serena is established as a cultural activist and author in The Handmaid's Tale. She wrote and promoted a book titled A Woman's Place, and she and Fred were revealed to be vital to the formation of Gilead.
However, Serena found that the beliefs she supported suddenly also imprisoned her, and she was shut out from any leadership roles in Gilead after its establishment.
Serena's Role in Season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale
In its six seasons, The Handmaid's Tale has gone far beyond Atwood's novel's plot, which has meant the stories of many characters have changed, including Serena Joy's.
Over the seasons, Serena has endured imprisonment, relocation, the death of her husband, and a surprise pregnancy. Season 6 finds her living in New Bethlehem (an island sanctuary for Gilead refugees) with her baby, Noah.
It remains to be seen how Serena's story will end in the final season of The Handmaid's Tale, but recent episodes have hinted at a new relationship between her and Commander Wharton.
Meanwhile, things ended very differently for Serena in the books. The plot of Atwood's novel never goes beyond Offred's escape from Gilead, which leaves Fred and Serena to ponder their actions.
However, the story alluded to the fact that Commander Waterford was killed during a particicution and that Serena was never heard from again.
This allows the series a large degree of freedom when it comes to Serena's ending and it may end up being quite different to what audiences expect of her character from the book.
