Alexis Bledel definitely isn't sweet Rory Gilmore anymore. In The Handmaid's Tale, she plays June's ostensibly pious shopping partner, Emily, or Ofglen. We later learn that before Gilead, she worked as a professor and had a wife and son. Authorities soon find out that she's been having a sexual affair with a Martha, or an infertile servant in Gilead. Since Emily is still capable of having children, they punish her with a cliterodectomy, which takes away her enjoyment of sex.
After her procedure, she works for a commander named Steven. She encourages June to join the resistance organization Mayday. She manages to steal a car and run over a guard. But other guards catch her and take her into a black van. We don't know the details of what happens to her, but Alexis Bledel is returning to the show as a series regular next season. From the looks of promotional pictures, she's headed to the notorious Colonies.