Now that Luke and Moira are back at the Mayday base camp thanks to June, in episode 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, they zealously plan their next course of action, determined to fulfill their mission and ensure that they did their part in freeing Gilead. June couldn’t figure out how she felt about Luke and Moira choosing to put their lives at risk for the greater good. She could relate to their desperation to do something tangible, but the fear of losing them in the process kept her on edge.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Moira volunteer to go to Jezebel?
With Canadians becoming more and more intolerant towards Gilead refugees, Moira and Luke felt the compulsive need to volunteer and work towards freeing Gilead. They had made it out of Gilead sooner than June, but even after leaving that place, they were constantly reminded that they were far from free, and the happiness that they were searching for was distant. Volunteering at Mayday gave them a purpose, and they wanted to hold on to it dearly. Mayday planned on targeting Jezebel since a lot of commanders frequented that establishment, and they were extremely vulnerable there. They intended on sending their sharpshooters there to kill the commanders before their bombs went off, and their final goal was to create an opening for the military to invade Gilead. June was dismissive of the plan. She didn’t think there was any way they could make it past the first step. She thought it would be more clever if they tried poisoning the commanders, but she was told that everything was test-tasted in Gilead now. June thought it would not be fair for the women working at Jezebel since they might end up getting trapped in the crossfire. More volunteers agreed with June; they believed they needed to have a very clear idea of what the penthouse looked like, and they must also know about the Guardian shift schedule so that they could plan their attack better. The leader, Ellen, confirmed that they would do a dry run first, and most importantly, they had information on when the penthouse would be empty thanks to intel Luke and Moira had gathered. She was confident that they could get someone on the inside to help them scope out the place and also inform the other women working there about the possible attack. June didn’t think that would be enough; she wanted to ensure that Ellen had a plan in place to get the women working there safely out of the penthouse. Ellen explained that in an ideal world that would have been the case, but unfortunately they didn’t have the framework to plan both an attack and a rescue mission at the same time. Moira volunteered to scope the place and find a way to help the women working at Jezebel safely make it out of the penthouse on time. She was a former Jezebel, and the mission was extremely personal for her. She also believed she knew the place very well and could provide them valuable intel.
Is Serena falling in love?
High Commander Wharton was in awe of Serena’s conviction when it came to her plans pertaining to New Bethlehem. He was glad to see how dedicated she was towards building a slightly progressive space for Gilead refugees. She was determined to bring back those who were too afraid of the oppressive authorities, but at the same time, couldn’t settle in another country because they had their family members in Gilead. New Bethlehem had become her passion project, and she sincerely wanted to implement the changes she had in mind. Even though Wharton was a traditional man, he appreciated Serena’s dedication and believed that if her late husband, Commander Waterford, had been more receptive of her ideas, then they would have made more progress. He didn’t miss the opportunity to spend time with her when she arrived at Rose and Nick’s place. When she heard that Rose was craving some sweets, she brought her a pie, but since Rose was asleep, Wharton decided to keep her company. The High Commander had lost his wife to illness before Gilead was formed. He had focused most of his life on raising his daughter and dedicating himself to reconstructing the nation. There was something about Serena that made him feel romantically drawn towards her. Even when he’d seen her with her husband, he thought that Waterford didn’t deserve her, and he secretly wished to be by her side. Serena too felt attracted towards him, and she felt deeply appreciated by him. Is Wharton the perfect balance of traditional with a hint of progressiveness that Serena was searching for? Perhaps they will complement one another and build a life together. But can she truly trust him? Because you never know the beasts men become behind closed doors. Towards the end of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, episode 4, when Commander Wharton and Serena were blissfully dancing in the streets of New Bethlehem, Aunt Lydia greeted them. Maybe Aunt Lydia will use this piece of information (their possible affair) to convince them to help her get Janine out of Jezebel.
Will June head back to Gilead again?
June was visibly enraged and disappointed when Moira announced that she would like to do the dry run at Jezebel. She later told Moira to back out and send someone else to do the job. Moira was surprised by June’s extreme reaction. June explained that she strongly believed Moira’s plan would not be successful, and she was afraid of losing her best friend. But Moira refused to back down. Settling in Alaska was not Moira’s dream, and she thought she would rather fight than do nothing about the situation. One by one, Moira received pictures of the girls currently living at Jezebel, and she and June were surprised when they saw Janine’s picture. June thought it was her responsibility to save Janine at any cost, so she decided to speak to Ellen to convince her to let her go to Jezebel instead of Moira.
June reasoned that even if she got into trouble, she knew a commander who would go above and beyond to help her, but Moira didn’t have any useful contacts in Gilead, and if she got stuck, she would be forced to live in the labor camps or might even be killed. Ellen couldn’t refute June’s perspective; she was right, but at the same time, she knew it would hurt Moira. June promised to discuss the change of plan with Moira directly. But before she could explain herself, Moira had already found out. She refused to forgive June for going behind her back just because she wanted to prove a point. June stated that she wanted to protect them, and she knew the risks involved in the plan, which was why she believed it would be better for her to go than Moira. Luke and Moira were surprised by June’s sudden change of heart. All morning she’d been requesting them to travel with her to Alaska, and out of nowhere she was planning to head back to Gilead. Luke thought it was ridiculous that she wanted them to move to Alaska while she volunteered for a Mayday mission. Luke and Moira could sense that June didn’t think they had what it took to execute their plan, and it was humiliating for them. Moira refused to listen to June; she made it clear that she would go to Jezebel with or without June. Luke thought that June’s sudden change of plan had more to do with what she wanted instead of how it would benefit Luke and Moira. It was obvious that June wanted to continue fighting, but Luke refused to let her do it at the cost of taking over the plan they’d been putting together for days. He was determined to head back to Gilead and deliver the bombs to the locations he’d picked. It was his way of trying to help Hannah, and he was not ready to back out at the very last minute.
At the very end of The Handmaid’s Tale episode 4, June and Luke had a heart-to-heart conversation where June clarified why she was so afraid of Luke and Moira going back to Gilead. She had been fighting to bring back Hannah for the longest time, and she had seen operations fail over and over again, and she knew how frustrating it could get. She didn’t wish for Luke and Moira to experience the same helplessness that she did every time she felt a little close to rescuing Hannah yet failing to bring her to a safe space. Luke added that while June’s intentions were pure, she couldn’t protect others from feeling pain and anxiety. She had to allow Luke and Moira to go through the whole process and experience grief up close. June agreed that she was holding on to the idea of building a life in Alaska, but she’d been ignoring the reality while doing so. It was obvious that things could never go back to the way they were until Gilead was free. So, the fight had to go on, and she had to stop with her wishful thinking. In the next episode, we can expect June, Luke, and Moira to enter Gilead, and hopefully their plan will be a success.
