diff --git a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
index 01b137f858..efbb8342ba 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
@@ -1023,7 +1023,18 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
                 )
                 .await
             }
-            None => self.handle_pagerequests_serial(pgb_reader).await,
+            None => {
+                self.handle_pagerequests_serial(
+                    pgb,
+                    pgb_reader,
+                    tenant_id,
+                    timeline_id,
+                    timeline_handles,
+                    request_span,
+                    &ctx,
+                )
+                .await
+            }
         }?;
 
         debug!("pagestream subprotocol shut down cleanly");
@@ -1039,12 +1050,38 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
 
     async fn handle_pagerequests_serial<IO>(
         &mut self,
-        pgb_reader: PostgresBackendReader<IO>,
+        pgb_writer: &mut PostgresBackend<IO>,
+        mut pgb_reader: PostgresBackendReader<IO>,
+        tenant_id: TenantId,
+        timeline_id: TimelineId,
+        mut timeline_handles: TimelineHandles,
+        request_span: Span,
+        ctx: &RequestContext,
     ) -> Result<(PostgresBackendReader<IO>, TimelineHandles), QueryError>
     where
         IO: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Send + Sync + Unpin + 'static,
     {
-        todo!()
+        loop {
+            let msg = Self::pagestream_read_message(
+                &mut pgb_reader,
+                tenant_id,
+                timeline_id,
+                &mut timeline_handles,
+                &self.cancel,
+                &ctx,
+                request_span.clone(),
+            )
+            .await?;
+            let msg = match msg {
+                Some(msg) => msg,
+                None => {
+                    debug!("pagestream subprotocol end observed");
+                    return Ok((pgb_reader, timeline_handles));
+                }
+            };
+            self.pagesteam_handle_batched_message(pgb_writer, *msg, &ctx)
+                .await?;
+        }
     }
 
     async fn handle_pagerequests_pipelined<IO>(