Swifties are freaking out after the full rerecording dropped during a critical scene in the dystopian series’ episode 9.
Fans of “The Handmaid’s Tale“ were hit with a surprise treat when Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version)“ officially made its full-length debut in episode nine of the Hulu drama. The haunting track, from her yet-to-be-released “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” album, kicks off a pivotal scene as the handmaids silently march toward rebellion, led by Elisabeth Moss’s character, June Osborne.
A long-awaited cinematic moment, as fans get desperately close to the show’s finale.
“I’ve been wanting to use a Taylor song for many years on the show, and we finally found the perfect spot,“ Moss, who also serves as executive producer, told Billboard. “There could not be a more perfect song for a more perfect moment.”
The episode opens with June leading a group of handmaids walking in eerie unison. As the icy beats of ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ swell, fans can sense that the quiet war these women have been waging is about to erupt.
Editor Wendy Hallam Martin, who helped select the track, said the song “landed perfectly thematically, rhythmically, and magically hit all the edit points.“
“In trying many songs for this specific moment in our series and knowing how much Lizzie wanted a strong female voice and message, Taylor was really the artist that delivered both lyrically and tonally,” Martin shares via Billboard. “Our badass main character, June, in this scene, really was saying ‘look what you made me do,’ and the song couldn’t have been more on point. A perfect pairing. When I laid the song up against the scene, it just landed perfectly thematically, rhythmically, and magically hit all the edit points, which sometimes happens if it’s meant to be. I shared it with Lizzie, and we both knew immediately that this was the one!”
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It’s a massive payoff for fans who’ve been tracking Easter eggs and hints about “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” for months. Although snippets of the song previously appeared in shows like “The Dynasty: New England Patriots” and Amazon’s “Wilderness,” this episode marks the first time the rerecording has been played in full.
Swift’s methodical reclaiming of her masters has already gifted fans updated versions of “Fearless, Red, Speak Now”, and “1989.” Now, with “Reputation” back in the conversation, Swifties are bracing for a major announcement—possibly as soon as the American Music Awards on May 26.
Meanwhile, “The Handmaid’s Tale” is racing toward its finale. After six seasons of dystopia, trauma, and simmering resistance, the show is preparing to take its final bow.