The Handmaid’s Tale: Who Are The Wheeler’s?

Season 5 of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ brought fresh twists to the dystopian drama we’ve been hooked on since 2017. With June Osborne finally out of Gilead and Serena Joy Waterford facing new challenges in Canada, the show keeps finding ways to keep us on edge.

This time, it’s not just the usual suspects causing trouble—there’s a new couple in town, and they’re stirring the pot in ways we didn’t see coming. Their arrival adds a layer of tension that makes this season feel different from what we’re used to.

The story picks up after some big changes. Fred Waterford is dead, killed by handmaids in a brutal payback, and Serena is left pregnant and alone. She heads to Canada, hoping to hold onto her influence as a Gilead ambassador of sorts.

But things don’t go smoothly—protests shut down the Gilead Cultural Center, and she’s forced to find a new place to stay. That’s when this mysterious pair steps in, offering her a roof over her head. At first, it seems like a lucky break for Serena, but it doesn’t take long for us to realize there’s more going on.

So who are these new players? They’re Alanis and Ryan Wheeler, a wealthy Canadian couple with a deep admiration for Gilead’s ways. Played by Genevieve Angelson and Lucas Neff, they live near the border and don’t just support the regime—they live by its rules, even in a free country.

Alanis is the fire behind their mission, a woman obsessed with Gilead’s promise of babies in a world where fertility is rare. Ryan, her calmer husband, backs her up with his money and quiet control. Together, they take Serena in after the center closes, but their kindness comes with strings attached.

The Wheelers don’t waste time showing their true colors. Alanis greets Serena by kneeling before her pregnant belly, treating her like some holy figure. It’s creepy, and it sets the tone for what’s ahead. Soon, they’re calling the shots—Serena can’t leave their house, they take her phone, and they even bring medical gear in so she doesn’t step outside. It’s clear they see her baby as theirs to claim, turning her into something close to a handmaid under their roof. For Serena, who helped build Gilead’s cruel system, it’s a bitter taste of her own medicine.

What makes the Wheelers stand out is how they blur the lines between Canada and Gilead. They’re not commanders or official leaders, but they’ve got power—enough to control a stretch of land called No Man’s Land near the border. Alanis once brags that Ryan doesn’t answer to Gilead’s commanders, hinting they’re tied to something bigger. Maybe it’s money, maybe it’s connections, but whatever it is, they’ve got enough pull to keep Serena trapped and later take custody of her son, Noah, after she gives birth and gets arrested. It’s a wild setup that leaves us wondering how far their reach goes.

The actors behind the Wheelers bring them to life in a way that’s hard to shake. Genevieve Angelson, who’s been in shows like ‘New Amsterdam’ and ‘Good Girls Revolt’, plays Alanis with a mix of devotion and menace. Lucas Neff, known from ‘Raising Hope’, keeps Ryan smooth and steady, making his soft-spoken orders feel extra chilling. They’re not in Gilead, but they’ve built their own little version of it in Canada, and Serena’s stuck in the middle. I can’t help but think they’re a dark mirror of what she and Fred used to be—powerful, pious, and ruthless.

By the end of Season 5, the Wheelers leave a mark. Serena escapes their grip, but not before shooting their bodyguard and losing Noah to their care. It’s a messy break, and I’m betting we haven’t seen the last of them. Will they chase Serena down? How did they get so much sway in the first place? The show’s final chapter has a lot to wrap up, and this couple might just be the key to unraveling some of its biggest mysteries. One thing’s for sure—they’ve made ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ even harder to look away from.

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