Diksha Sundriyal
Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ constantly raises the stakes by putting its protagonist, June, in situations that seem impossible to get out of. The fifth episode has her infiltrate Gilead, as she returns to Jezebel’s with Moira. After a quick meeting with Janine, the women get trapped after they are forced to kill a Guardian. However, June’s good luck prevails as Commander Joseph Lawrence shows up right in time to get them out of the place. However, it is still Gilead, where everyone works to serve their own ends. By the end of the episode, June learns a heartbreaking lesson about trusting the people who betray her at the worst possible time. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Lawrence and June Find a Common Ground
The last time June talked to Commander Lawrence, she told him about how she knew his wife, Eleanor, was going to die, and she didn’t do anything about it. Now that she and Moira are trapped in the trunk of his car, they have no idea what he will do with them. Luckily, some time before they crossed paths with Lawrence, he discovered that the Commanders were using New Bethlehem as a trap, and when they had what they wanted, they would put Lawrence to the Wall. When he tells June about this, she realises they may have the inside man they were looking for all this time.
Since Eleanor’s death, Lawrence has been trying to reform Gilead in his ways, but the Commanders who enjoy the order set up to benefit them are not happy with these reforms. June reveals that all these people standing in Lawrence’s way will soon be taken care of by Mayday. For him, the choice is easy. Either he helps Mayday kill all those bad Commanders, or he can sit back and let the Commanders kill him. He chooses the former and brings Moira and June to his house, where he hides them, right before his wife walks in on them. Lawrence has a way of getting both of them out, but there’s the problem with the map and the letters they left behind in the safe of Jezebel’s room, where the Guardian attacked them. When June mentions going back there, Lawrence clarifies that the place has been closed down, and he has no authority there.
Once again, the only person that June can turn to in this situation is Nick. When she tells him the whole deal, he doesn’t blink an eye before jumping to the task. He immediately goes to Jezebel’s and gets the stuff, but while leaving, he crosses paths with Commander Bell and Janine. She asks him about June’s well-being in a cryptic manner, and he tells her that her friend is safe. On the other hand, Bell is surprised to see Nick there, mainly because he thinks Wharton and his son-in-law have never indulged in what the brothel has to offer. From there, Nick goes to Lawrence’s place, where he meets June again. He asks her to stay the night with him while Lawrence transports Moira safely. Sensing the conflict in his mind, June decides to stay. She asks him what’s wrong, but there is no particular answer to this question.
Nick is Cornered by Commander Wharton
Over the six seasons of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ Nick has done a lot to keep June safe. Despite being in danger himself, he has done all sorts of things to ensure she gets out of the place safely. He did the same thing a few episodes back when she came back to rescue Luke and Moira, who were stuck in no man’s land during their recon mission. He had to shoot two Guardians to get them out safely. While one of those men died on the spot, the other survived, whom Nick had to kill in the hospital. The fact that the second man died shortly after Nick visited him raises a lot of suspicion around him. Commander Wharton doubts Nick, but he has kept them to himself because Nick is his son-in-law. But then, on his way to DC, he gets a call about Nick being seen at Jezebel’s, forcing him to confront the man.
When Nick reaches home with June in the backseat, he is shocked to see that his father-in-law is in the house. He tells June to wait five minutes and go to Serena’s if he doesn’t return in five minutes. Even before he steps into the house, he knows something is wrong. His deception is starting to fall apart, and Wharton’s line of questioning makes it clear that he must come up with a story or an excuse that completely removes those doubts. If that doesn’t happen, all his best-kept secrets will come to the fore and he will be put to the Wall. Meanwhile, June takes heed of Nick’s words and goes to Serena’s when she realises he has been with Wharton for quite a while. If it had been a different time, June couldn’t have trusted Serena, but a lot has changed between them.
When June knocks on Serena’s door, the latter is surprised, but it doesn’t mean she will oust her. She lets June in and gives her shelter for the night. She tries to be as civil as possible, but too much damage has been inflicted for June to forgive her for all her trespasses. This leads the duo into an argument, especially after June discovers that Serena will marry Commander Wharton. The night ends with the women bidding each other goodnight. By the next morning, things cool down considerably. When June arrives for breakfast, she finds Rita. She is happy to see her friend again, and even happier to know that Rita has found her sister and is staying in New Bethlehem because she is trying to get them out of there.
June Faces One of the Worst Betrayals So Far
Even though Gilead is a tricky place with power-hungry and mostly misogynistic people, June finds the ones that she can trust. These are the people she grows to love and care for, despite everything, and most important of them all is Nick. She is bonded with him through their daughter, and he has come through for her so many times that she blindly trusts him enough to tell him precisely what Mayday is planning. The latter part is also encouraged because he has been secretly working with the exiled American government. However, even as a spy, he has to look out for himself. He has to keep himself alive, and survival demands hard choices. He makes one such choice when Wharton confronts him. When asked what he was doing in Jezebel’s, Nick tries to dodge the question, but eventually, he has to give Wharton something substantial. So, he tells the Commander about Mayday’s plan to attack the place.
The next morning, when Nick arrives at Serena’s, he offers June to run away with him to Paris, referring to their conversation when she was still a Handmaid for the Waterfords. She is pleasantly surprised to hear about it, and for a minute, she even starts considering the plan, but then Wharton comes knocking, and Nick and June are forced to hide. Serena tries to get Wharton out of the house, and their conversation quickly veers to the point where he tells her about shutting down Jezebel’s and how Nick played an essential part in that. He speaks of his doubts about Nick and how all questions about his loyalty have been clarified now that he has exposed Mayday’s plans.
Though this is excellent news for Gilead, it is a shock for June, not only because Jezebel’s closing down adversely affects Mayday’s plans, but because it was Nick who revealed all of this. Now, of course, June must go back as quickly as possible and inform Mayday about it. At the same time, one can’t help but think about what happens to Janine and all the other women who had hoped to be freed within the week. Most importantly, however, it raises a massive question for June. What must she do about Nick? How can she trust him anymore with anything, even with her own safety? And above all, what does his betrayal spell for their relationship? How will June cope with such a betrayal, and how will it affect her standing in Mayday?
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