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In the penultimate episode of “The Handmaid’s Tale”, a new version of Taylor Swift’s song “Look What You Made Me Do” celebrated – as part of a central scene. The episode belongs to the sixth season of the series, which is also the last. It started on April 8 and ends with the tenth episode on May 27, 2025.
In the said episode, the main character June Osborne (played by Elisabeth Moss) is the focus of an uprising against the authoritarian commanders. This moment is accompanied by Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s version)”, a new recording of your song from 2017, originally published on the album Reputation. The dark, combative atmosphere of the track is intended to underline the tense situation.
Swift’s mission: control over your own work
SWIFT has all its first six albums new since 2020. The background is a public dispute with her former record company Big Machine Records and its owner at the time Scooter Braun, who had acquired the rights to her original recordings. With the so-called “Taylor’s version” releases, Swift wants to regain control of her own music.
The album Reputation is the last of the six works that she published under the old label – and are now particularly excited for whose new version fans. The use of the newly recorded song in a globally known series is likely to be considered a strategic foretaste of the upcoming “Taylor’s version” album.
Elisabeth Moss: “We waited for the perfect moment”
Elisabeth Moss, leading actress and at the same time executive producer of “The Handmaid’s Tale” was positive about the selection of songs. In an interview with “Billboard”, she explained: “I wanted to use a Taylor song in the series for years. Now we have finally found the perfect moment for it – and it couldn’t have fit better.”
Moss, who refers to self -confessing Swiftie, said in the interview: “Taylor is a great inspiration for me. I probably also speak for my colleague Yvonne Strahovski and all the cast – we all love her music. It is an honor to have you in these key scenes.”
A personal decision with great effect
The idea of using a Swift song for the final season came personally from Moss. Together with the cutter, she searched for an emotionally suitable track, according to “NME”.
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According to Moss, the goal was to use Swift’s music in a moment that is both dramaturgically and thematically powerful. The scene in which June rises against the regime reflects the central message of the song – self -assertion, resistance and a new inner strength.