Sumith Prasad
The tenth episode of Hulu’s dystopian series ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ season 5, titled ‘Safe,’ follows the aftermath of the firing that happens at the American soldiers’ memorial. Mark Tuello finds the shooter and warns June Osborne about the growing hostility against her. Her life gets threatened again, forcing Lucas “Luke” Bankole to step up to protect his wife regardless of the law of the land. Janine Lindo’s life changes when Aunt Lydia gets forced to post her in Commander Joseph Lawrence’s household.
An appealing wedding happens in Gilead but the celebrations get interrupted by a furious commander. The final episode of the season ends with a major development that potentially changes June’s life significantly. If you are up for a magnified look at the same, let us be your ally! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Episode 10 Recap
‘Safe’ begins with Mark Tuello informing June and Luke about the shooter at the memorial. After their conversation, Mark leaves and a man tries to kill June by hitting her with a truck. Before he could kill her, Luke intervenes and attacks him to save June. Luke and Moira Strand take her to the hospital. Canadian Police take Luke to the station for questioning for attacking a Canadian man. Commander Nick Blaine strikes a deal with Tuello to become the informant of the United States in the Gilead territory. He visits June at the hospital and returns to the totalitarian regime.
Nick confronts Lawrence concerning the attack against June. Aunt Lydia gets forced to post Janine at Lawrence’s household, under the care of Naomi, who prepares to marry Lawrence after the death of Commander Warren Putnam. Noami expresses her happiness of having Janine at the house, only for the latter to make it clear that she is not the former’s “friend.” Janine adds to Naomi that she hates the latter severely. Lawrence and Naomi’s wedding happens in the presence of all the commanders and their wives. Nick barges into the occasion and hits Lawrence, believing that the latter is behind the attempted murder of the mother of his daughter.
Lawrence instructs the Eyes to capture Janine for disrespecting a commander’s wife. The officers of the secret services take Janine from Aunt Lydia’s care to an unknown location. Luke gets out of police custody and returns to June, who starts her recovery at their house. Rita Blue learns from one of her friends in the police department that the department is planning to arrest Luke since June’s attacker is dead. They make reservations to leave for the United States.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Ending: Does June and Luke Escape from Canada?
When June and Luke realize that the Canadian police are after Luke, they try to leave for the United States. The moment they leave for the airport to catch a flight to Honolulu, Tuello arrives at their house and informs them that Luke’s reservation is flagged at the airport with the police expecting him to make an arrest. Tuello gives them passes to board a train that will help them escape to the United States, only for them to encounter officers looking for Luke. To make sure that June and Nichole are safe, Luke asks them to board the leaving train and then he turns himself in.
Luke knows that the safety of June and Nichole will be jeopardized if he tries to accompany them to leave Canada. In the wake of protests against American refugees, the Canadian government cannot let a refugee escape after killing a Canadian. Any attempts from Luke’s side to be with his family may lead the officers to arrest June as his accomplice, leading Nichole to child security. Thus, he sacrifices his safety and liberty for the sake of protecting his family. Due to Luke’s actions, the officers get distracted and June manages to get into the train with Nichole.
June is expected to complete the journey without any harm on the way. Once June arrives in Hawaii, she may receive Tuello’s assistance to build a new life in the country. Luke’s fate depends upon how much Tuello can pressurize the Canadian government to free him or offer him legal assistance if he is presented before a court. The government may try to keep Luke in custody until the protests against the refugees pacify, which may happen sooner than later since a large group of Americans has already left on the train arranged by the American government. If Tuello or any of Luke’s contacts help him avoid a death sentence, he is expected to leave Canada in due time to join June in the United States.
Do Nick and Rose Break Up? Will Nick Get Out of the Prison?
After hitting Lawrence, Nick gets arrested and imprisoned. Rose, who comes to know that her husband got arrested for hitting Lawrence in the name of June, confronts him about his undying feelings for the mother of his daughter Nichole. Rose wants to know whether he still has feelings for June and Nick fails to convince her that June is not part of his life. He must have known that there is no point in lying when his heart and the world know how much he loves and cares for June. Rose realizes that she cannot replace June in her husband’s life, leading her to separate from him.
Although Nick’s child is growing inside Rose’s womb, the latter’s self-respect may not allow her to share her life with Nick anymore. As far as Nick is concerned, he is seemingly tired of lying to himself that June is not a part of his life. Thus, it will not be a surprise to see him and Rose parting ways. Their child may become an official bridge between them but they may not share their lives with each other. Rose’s decision to separate from Nick may also keep him in prison for longer. High Commander Wharton, one of the most powerful individuals in the totalitarian regime and Rose’s father, may want to see Nick suffering in the prison for hurting his daughter.
Having said that, Lawrence may help Nick to get out of jail despite the latter’s attack. Lawrence may consider the same as Nick’s unintentional outrage of seeing June almost dead. Since Lawrence is trying to reform Gilead from within, he needs a trustworthy commander at his side and Nick is the only one that fits the requirement.
Is Serena Escaping to the United States? Will the Wheelers Find Her?
After June has boarded the train arranged by the United States with Nichole, she meets Serena Waterford with her son Noah, who somehow manages to escape from the Wheelers to seek refuge in the United States. Serena is expected to arrive and set up a new chapter of her life in the United States safely. Although Ryan Wheeler and his wife Alanis Wheeler are powerful, they are not powerful enough to harm Serena on American soil. The maximum they can do is try to abduct Noah from Serena but Tuello is expected to safeguard the mother and son the moment Serena and Noah step into the United States.
Tuello has always tried to protect Serena, only for the latter to dismiss his offers for protection each time. However, considering that Noah’s life is in danger, Serena may not say no to Tuello again. In addition, June has promised to look after the mother and son while she helps Serena to give birth to Noah at the barn. She may fulfill her promise by protecting Serena in the United States. Until Luke returns to his wife from Canada, we can expect June and Serena to look after each other.
Read More: Why Does Emily Go Back to Gilead? Did Alexis Bledel Leave The Handmaid’s Tale?
