There is only one way for June to get Luke and Moira out of No Man’s Land in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, episode 3. She needs Nick.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, episode 3.
There is always something that draws Nick and June back together, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough for Nick to choose the right side when The Handmaid's Tale comes to an end. He makes his motivations extremely clear throughout this episode, and I’m sure it’s a sign of things to come.
Meanwhile, Aunt Lydia learns something surprising about her “Girls,” and it leads to a mission to save them. The problem is, Aunt Lydia doesn’t have as much power and sway as she thinks she does. This certainly sets up a storyline for The Testaments.
Nick helps June get Moira and Luke out in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, episode 3.
When Mark tells June that Nick has agreed to meet, she questions why this time is different. Mark makes one thing clear that we all know. When Nick knows that June is the one asking or that June is going to be there, he will act. Everything he does is for June, and that’s the way it is always going to be. The fact that Mark ever thought otherwise is crazy.
I guess Mark hoped like the rest of us did that Nick wanted to correct a wrong from the past. However, Nick was an Eye before he was June’s lover and Nichole’s father. He has fought for Gilead, and I don’t think he even believes that Gilead is wrong.
One thing is clear, though, Mark does have friends in other places. Herr Strauss comes in as the German representative to New Bethlehem, managing to get a message to Nick to meet with June. I did roll my eyes at the idea of Germany supporting something like Gilead, and maybe they do, but not all Germans are on what is set to be the wrong side of history again, if the book is anything to judge.
Of course, when June meets with Nick and tells him the problem, she isn’t leaving Luke and Moira’s fates in anyone else’s hands. There’s a part of her that clearly doesn’t trust Nick, and she should speak to that when talking with Mark, Luke, and Moira. Nick makes it clear that he jumps when June calls him to action, and that’s the only reason he is doing all of this.
Nick is a jealous man, though. He still loves June, but she chose Luke and not him. While June points out that Luke waited for her, can we talk for a second about how Nick had no choice in the matter? If he waited for June, he was sure to be ostracized and killed. He had to continue to rise up through the ranks of Gilead if he wanted to survive. He didn’t get out in the way that June did, so that comment about waiting for her was unfair.
In the end, Nick and June are able to save Luke and Moira. I did forget up to this point that it was the first time Luke and Moira would have met Nick. They’ve heard about him, and they know June has gone to see him, but the two have never met him in person. Moira’s “That’s not Mark” line made me chuckle as she brought a bit of humor to an otherwise tense situation.
And while Nick only acted because of June, he did go a step further to protect them all by shooting the two Guardians who were circling the waterpark. That was just out of self-preservation, though. We can’t look at that action in any other way.
Naomi tries hard to make herself important
Commander Lawrence continues to set up New Bethlehem. Now that Serena is there, it’s time to push for how great this is going to be. It’s a new world of Gilead being created, getting rid of the reasons for the women (and even some of the men) of Gilead to run.
It’s clear that Naomi wants to hold a position of authority and power, and she’s jealous of Serena. She always has been jealous. As Putnam rose up ahead of Waterford in previous seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale, Naomi was the go-to Wife rather than Serena. She has continued to hold some of that power among the women by marrying Lawrence. However, her influence is going to start fading again.
Commander Warton has taken a liking to Serena, and I’m sure this is going to go somewhere. After all, both of them are widows, and women can’t remain unmarried for long in Gilead, even in New Bethlehem, unless they’re Aunts or Handmaids. Serena is neither, and she is the most powerful and influential woman in the whole of Gilead. The two of them could be dangerous for the rest of the world, but they would make an outstanding team for Gilead itself.
Serena was able to sell New Bethlehem well. Lawrence was right to bring her back — and Warton was right to insist that she was needed. Serena has always been confident in speaking to the people, and she has a way with words and to influence the minds of others.
I often wonder how much of what Serena says she believes, though. She talks about how Gilead was oppressive and how this New Bethlehem is going to be a better nation. There’s no denying the facts, such as the higher birth rates and the clean air, but does she really believe that she tore into other women because of her own fear of losing who she was and what she wanted to achieve?
I don’t think Gilead was what she wanted in the first place. She definitely didn’t want a place where she wouldn’t be allowed to continue writing her books, so part of me does think that believes some of her words. There’s still a lot of manipulation going on.
I had to cringe at how Naomi kept trying to be part of the conversation going on back at Serena’s house, though. It’s hard to feel bad for her, though, because she is also beyond redemption. Just look at the way she has always treated Janine because of her jealousy of her Handmaid for being able to get pregnant. She knows that Lawrence doesn’t actually want her, and that is sure to become more evident in the coming episodes, so she is latching onto a sense of power that she just doesn’t deserve.
Aunt Lydia finds out what happened to Janine and others in The Handmaid’s Tale
Lydia has always been told that when her girls give the Commanders the babies that they want, her girls will be rewarded. Well, that’s not happened at all. When she’s called to Jezebels, she gets a look at exactly what is going on. Aunt Miriam calls for Aunt Lydia to come in to see that Janine is there.
Janine isn’t the only one. There are three others who Lydia used to look after, and there have probably been many before. Remember that Moira was one of her “girls” as well. Lydia is shocked to find out that this is where they’ve been sent to after the gift they have given Gilead.
As much as Lydia promises to fix it, Janine points out that this just usually leads to more issues. Lydia doesn’t have the power, and she doesn’t have the influence with the Commanders and the Eyes anymore. She turns to Lawrence to help, suggesting that Janine and others could become Ecnowomen in their retirement.
Well, Janine lost that right when she mouthed off at Naomi. It was either the Colonies or Jezebels. That’s not what Aunt Lydia wanted to hear, and if you know of her storyline in The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and what the show is likely to include, then you’ll know that this is likely the biggest turning point for Aunt Lydia. She is now seeing what Gilead really is. I think Lydia has wondered for a while if Gilead was the right thing to fight for, and she’s likely realized that she’s been on the wrong side.
Mark threatens Nick if he goes dark again
The ending of the episode gives Mark a chance to show some power, but it fails. He threatens to expose Nick if Nick goes dark on him again. However, Nick knows that it’s an empty threat. Mark doesn’t have anyone else on the inside.
I’d say for now. Herr Strauss was clearly willing to pass on a message for May Day. There are sure to be other men in Gilead who are willing to work with May Day, and there could be a Commander out there.
But again, we’re reminded that the only reason Nick got back in touch is because of June. As long as June asks, Nick will try to help. For now.
At least, this time, it’s a “see you later” and not a “goodbye.” Nick and June know that their lives are forever intertwined and they will cross paths again.
The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 airs Tuesdays on Hulu.