Taylor Swift’s re-recorded hit (Look What You Made Me Do) makes powerful debut in The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale released its penultimate episode, 'Execution,' on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. As the show's finale draws closer, the resistance from the Handmaids gets more intense.

The previous episode showcased Mayday, dressed in long red robes, attacking Serena Joy and Commander Wharton's wedding. This latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale features a song from Reputation (Taylor's version) titled Look What You Made Me Do. The song plays in the background at the opening of the episode, during the uprising led by June Osborne.

The song marks the first taste of Taylor Swift's re-recorded take on her 2017 album Reputation. So far, Swift has released newly recorded versions of her other albums, 1989, Red, Speak Now, and Fearless.

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Look What You Made Me Do debuts in the penultimate episode of The Handmaid's Tale

In episode 9 of The Handmaid's Tale, Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor's Version) plays as June Osborn and the other Handmaids walk towards trucks while explosions set off behind them. The explosions target the Commander's vehicles, which seem to be following them. The song perfectly ties together the show's themes of betrayal and vengeance.

In an exclusive interview with Billboard published on May 20, 2025, Elisabeth Moss opened up about the musical moment in the show, which, according to her, has been a long time coming. For context, Moss portrays June Osborn while also serving as the executive producer for The Handmaid's Tale:

“I’ve been wanting to use a Taylor song for many years on the show and we finally found the perfect spot for a track from her, and I’m so glad we waited because there could not be a more perfect song for a more perfect moment," she stated.

She also added that Taylor Swift has always been an inspiration to her, and that the entire cast was honored to be able to use her music in the final episodes of the show. The show's Emmy Award-winning editor, Wendy Hallam Martin, also agreed that the music in the song was just "meant to be." According to her, Swift delivered both lyrically and tonally for the specific moment.

“Our bada*s 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!” she added.

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What happens in episode 9 of The Handmaid's Tale?

In Season 6, Episode 9 of The Handmaid's Tale, June, Moira, and others are publicly hanged, but a Mayday-led revolt dramatically interrupts the proceedings. June's defiant words incite rebellion among the onlookers, which results in their rescue.

Commander Lawrence and Nick, in the meantime, board an airplane carrying leaders from Gilead and plant a bomb in the course of a suicide mission to bring down the regime. Serena goes all in on the resistance, while Janine's refusal to obey a new Commander signals her increasing resistance.

The episode ends with the plane’s explosion, dealing a critical blow to Gilead’s leadership and setting the stage for the series finale.

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The Handmaid's Tale is available to stream on Hulu and Prime Video.