In episode 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, June joined Mayday to come up with a plan to rescue Luke and Moira from No Man’s Land. She wondered why volunteers were sent instead of the military for the job. Mark mentioned that the duo had volunteered to help the cause and that the job was easy. They had to pick up a bag and wait for a car to return, but patrols showed up unexpectedly and messed up their plan. Mark believed June could help them establish contact with Nick. Even though he’d supported the resistance in secrecy, he’d been unavailable lately. He was afraid of risking his life, especially after he was given another chance to prove his loyalty to Gilead. Nick had traced Serena and helped Lawrence bring her to New Bethlehem, and he was also handed the responsibility of hosting foreign dignitaries. June was their only hope, and they strongly believed Nick would not give up on an opportunity to be with her.
Spoiler Alert
Did June convince Nick to help her?
Commander Lawrence described Nick as something akin to a mayor of New Bethlehem, and he introduced him to Commander Blaine, the supervisor of his experimental community. He’d been sent by the German government to look into the claims, but as soon as Lawrence left, Blaine told Nick that he had a message for him, and he told him where he could find June. As was expected, Nick went out of his way to meet June. Even though they had parted ways due to their circumstances, they deeply cared about one another. June informed him that their child, Nicole, was well and was living with her mother in Alaska. And Nick was surprised to learn that Holly was alive. Without wasting any time, June told Nick how Luke and Moira were stuck in No Man’s Land and only he could help them. There was an event in New Bethlehem, and June hoped that Nick could clear the path for them. Nick thought it was impossible; there was no way he could reroute the patrols. Nick wanted to help, but he thought June’s plan was extremely dangerous. June responded, stating that there was no other option. They could not send the military because it would risk confrontation, and Mayday could not get in because of Gilead Patrol; she believed she was the only one who could do the job, and she expected Nick to understand her situation. Nick ultimately decided to help June bring back Luke and Moira.
Did Serena find her purpose?
Serena didn’t hesitate to express her doubts about Commander Lawrence. While she was convinced that God chose her to serve His purpose, she was not sure if Lawrence was meant to be a part of their journey. He lacked devotion, and without belief, she didn’t think they could achieve anything. Lawrence explained that maybe whatever he was planning was indeed God’s way of working through him, or perhaps it was driven by his love for his late wife or his guilt over failing to realize the nation he had envisioned that motivated him to create New Bethlehem. He believed that both he and Serena had failed in delivering what they’d promised, and this was their chance to get it right. Serena could not function without her privilege, and the status of a global ambassador suited her well. She was no longer expected to take a husband and could work on what she truly believed in. But perhaps there was a catch that she was yet to figure out. Lawrence promised the foreign dignitaries that he had created the ‘Dubai of the West,’ and he would ensure that there was no violation of human rights. He wanted them to send back the refugees, and New Bethlehem was the only way he could convince them to do so. When the dignitaries expressed their concern about women’s safety, Serena stepped in, stating that she too shared such concerns. She explained how she had lost her identity in Gilead, and how she’d ended up doing terrible things because she felt powerless. She was ready to dedicate the rest of her life to fixing the mistakes she had previously made. Serena believed that she was sent by God to New Bethlehem to ensure that the past mistakes were not repeated. She promised that women at New Bethlehem would be allowed to read and write. She also added that Gilead was not a complete failure because they’d successfully cleaned the water and the air, because of which infertility was also on the decline and their birth rate had doubled. They had done what the other nations could not, and they were unafraid of admitting the wrongs they’d committed and were dedicated to ensuring that New Bethlehem would be well-balanced.
The dignitaries were impressed seeing the children and pregnant women; the claims were not false. One of the dignitaries, Louise, stated that if Gilead could promise the safety of the refugees, they would suggest voluntary repatriation of the refugees post international monitoring by the U.N. Lawrence celebrated the win after all the diplomats agreed to consider sending the refugees home. He thanked Serena and baby Noah for making their case more convincing. Serena believed that they would have to expand, since more and more families would show up and want to live in New Bethlehem. Lawrence was ready to turn more empty lands into New Bethlehems as long as the refugees contributed to the economy. High Commander Wharton expressed his hesitation because more New Bethlehems would essentially hurt their core principles. Serena accepted the challenge of convincing Wharton of her plans.
What happened to Luke and Moira?
Nick and June arrived at the water park where Luke and Moira were supposedly hiding. During their conversation, June was pleasantly surprised to learn that Nick had been to the hospital in Canada where she was admitted after the truck incident. She wondered if Nick had agreed to help the Americans because Gilead had attempted to kill her on foreign soil. He simply stated that he had to see her after he received the news. Seeing how unsafe the water park was, Nick decided that June must return. But she protested, stating that they were very close to the gift shop where Luke and Moira were hiding. Nick reminded her that there was a high chance that they were no longer there, and searching all the buildings in the park was an almost impossible task and an extremely risky one. He was only there because it was June who’d asked for his help. June realized that she’d put Nick in danger, and it was unfair considering his pregnant wife was waiting for him at home and he had a life beyond what they shared. Nick was still in love with June, and he always wondered why June chose to return to Luke. June explained that Luke had waited for her all these years while she had Nick to support her and love her. She still had feelings for Nick, but she knew that Luke needed her. She couldn’t afford to lose Luke and Moira because they’d always been a part of her life, and Nick added that that was exactly how he felt about June. He was afraid of losing her, yet they parted ways over and over again. June promised that she would always be there for him, but she knew that, without her help, Luke and Moira would not survive. Nick agreed to help June find them.
Luke and Moira were waiting for help at the gift shop, and all Luke could think of was that June would think of him as a failure. Moira reminded him that he was the best man she knew, and it was not their fault how things had turned out. All of a sudden they heard a loud noise, and they immediately hid behind covers. They held their guns, thinking that the worst was about to happen. Unexpectedly, they heard June’s voice calling their names, and they were relieved to see her there.
Did June safely make it out of No Man’s Land?
Luke was a little disturbed to see June with Nick, but he didn’t have the time to address his discomfort. As they stepped out of the gift shop, Guardians showed up and instructed them to stop. Nick asked them to get in the car while he dealt with the Guardians. Nick hoped that he could convince the Guardians to ignore what they had witnessed, but they were hellbent on reporting it.
Towards the end of The Handmaid’s Tale episode 3, Nick shot the two Guardians; he didn’t have much of a choice. They successfully made it to the border, and Mark came by to bring them home. They thanked Nick for going above and beyond to help them. Mark requested Nick to be responsive because he knew that the only reason Nick showed up was because it was a matter pertaining to June. Nick explained that his father-in-law, High Commander Wharton, was living with him and his wife, and it was impossible for him to do what he pleased. Mark requested him to honor their agreement before he walked away. It was time for Nick and June to bid goodbye once again. But this time, June refused to say goodbye, because by now they both had realized that it was impossible for them to never see each other again. She suggested that instead of goodbye, they must say ‘see you later,’ because that was more fitting. The two parted ways again, and as always, they felt an aching pain in their hearts.
