June and Moira successfully made it to Jezebel in the previous episode of The Handmaid’s Tale for a dry run before executing the Mayday plan. They told Janine about it and asked her to warn the other girls to be prepared to leave. But things took a turn when a Guardian found Moira and June hiding in a room at Jezebel. As they grappled with eliminating him, a Guardian’s suspicion compelled Luke to leave without them. Seeing no other option, June ended up begging High Commander Lawrence to help her escape. While he didn’t owe June any favors, he couldn’t care less about what June was planning after finding out that his colleagues despised him and wanted to eliminate him. When June explained the Mayday plan, Lawrence saw a ray of hope and decided to help June and Moira. So, did they actually make it out of Gilead? Let’s find out.
Spoiler Alert
Why did June part ways with Moira?
Lawrence was relieved to find out that Mayday was planning on bombing Jezebel. The commanders who’d been secretly conspiring against him would die, and he would get to be the most powerful figure in Gilead. He could then execute his reformation plans, though the threat of liberation would continue to linger. Even though June and Lawrence’s vision for the future of Gilead differed, at present, they needed each other’s help. He sheltered June and Moira in his basement and agreed to drive them to the border. But before leaving, June and Moira wanted to head back to Jezebel to collect the letters (written by the women at Jezebel for their loved ones) Janine had handed them. Considering their time constraints, a detour was not feasible. So, June contacted Nick, hoping that he could help her out. Nick readily agreed to it. He headed to Jezebel, got the letters from the locker, and was about to leave when all of a sudden Commander Bell spotted him. He was with Janine, and since she knew about June’s plan, she tried her best to cover for Nick. She lied about Nick frequenting Jezebel and that he had a favorite girl there. Nick played along with her lies, and he managed to get away with it. Nick met June at Lawrence’s. Her plan was to get the letters and make it to the border in Nick’s car, but he wanted her to stay. He felt guilty for killing the Guardian who’d seen him with June, and he was in search of comfort. Since his father-in-law, High Commander Wharton, had left for DC, he thought he could spend the night with June and drop her at the border at dawn. June could sense that Nick was looking for emotional support, and she agreed to his plan. Moira had already left in Lawrence’s car, and presumably, she had safely crossed the border.
Why did June end up at Serena’s doorstep?
Nick did not expect to see his father-in-law at his home. He asked June to wait in his car while he figured out what was going on, and he asked her to go to Serena’s if he didn’t return in five minutes. Nick got caught up explaining himself to Wharton, and since he didn’t make it back in five minutes, June headed out. Serena was surprised to see June at her doorstep. She was soaking wet from the rain, and Serena couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing in New Bethlehem. June lied to her, stating that she had returned to find Nick and propose that he move to Alaska with her so that they could raise Holly together, but that Nick had turned her down, and she had no place to go. After helping her escape the train mob, June believed Serena owed it to her. While Serena was thankful for her help, she still believed, just like June, she too had been a victim of her circumstances. Serena wanted to hold on to the idea that she’d always been a caring woman, and even though she had done some unforgivable things, she strongly believed she’d always had good intentions at heart. But she couldn’t completely absolve herself of her past mistakes because the person she’d tortured the most during that time refused to forgive her. Even that night, Serena demanded June make amends with her. June explained that she’d moved on, and even though she wanted to forgive Serena, she just couldn’t. All she needed was a bed to spend the night, and she didn’t wish to dive into the past. Serena left without any protest. The next morning, when June woke up, Serena had her breakfast ready, and she’d also planned a surprise. June hadn’t expected to cross paths with Rita in New Bethlehem. She was happy to be reunited with her.
Serena tried to establish that her plans for New Bethlehem were rooted in goodness and fairness. She was actively trying to reunite broken families, and she’d helped Rita find her sister. Clearly, Serena wanted June to see her in a different light. June had expressed her doubts when Serena discussed building an ideal society in New Bethlehem. She believed that just because women were allowed to read didn’t mean that the men in power would not try to limit them once again. But Serena believed that they could not achieve success all at once, and these little victories would one day lead them to complete freedom, of course with good Christian values. Serena had hoped June would be happy for her when she broke the news of her engagement, but June was not entirely convinced that Wharton was a progressive man. She was afraid that Serena was once again subjugating herself to a powerful man, but Serena didn’t agree with her opinion. She was disillusioned by the idea that she was rebuilding Gilead, and Wharton would support her endeavors.
What will June do next?
The next morning, Nick stopped by at Serena’s and met June. He seemed a little agitated and begged June to move to Paris with him. June had expressed a wish to visit the Monet museum in Paris after the first time they made love, and Nick had promised that one day, they would. Nick desperately wanted to hold on to the idea that there would be a happy ending to their love story. His life in Gilead had been mostly dictated by others, and for once he wanted to be in complete control of his future. June was taken by surprise when Nick begged her to come along to Paris with him and start their life afresh, together. It was a whimsical ask, but for a brief moment June considered leaving with him. She too wanted a comforting life for herself, but deep down she knew that as long as her daughter was trapped in Gilead, she wouldn’t have respite. Their conversation was interrupted by High Commander Wharton. Serena asked the lovers to hide in a room while she tried to distract Wharton and convince him to go on a walk with her. As it turned out, Wharton had some important information to share with Serena.
The Handmaid’s Tale episode 6’s ending revealed that Nick had told High Commander Wharton about Mayday’s plan. He was in a fix when Wharton interrogated him about his quick visit to Jezebel. He also suspected Nick of killing the wounded Guardian since he was the last person to visit the young man at the hospital. Wharton sensed that Nick was working against Gilead, and he demanded clarification. Nick lacked the courage to look into Wharton’s eyes and tell him how he’d been helping June execute her plans for Mayday. He wanted to protect himself and his future, so he weaved a lie to make himself appear to be one of the most reliable commanders in Gilead. Wharton was impressed when Nick told him that he was investigating a Mayday plan and he had a hunch that there would be a bombing in Jezebel. He also had the letters and the map to prove his claims. In the end, Wharton told Serena that he’d shut down Jezebel, fearing a possible attack. This essentially means that everything that June, Moira, Luke, and the entire Mayday team had been working towards was destroyed. Presumably, the lives of the girls at Jezebel would only get worse. They might be sent back to the camps. Nick jeopardized everything to save himself, and June will likely never forgive him for it. She always thought that there was this one person in Gilead who would support her always, but clearly, she was wrong. Nick prioritized himself over the greater good. While you cannot judge someone for doing so (he was just trying to stay alive), for June, who’d put her life on the line for the cause, it might be a difficult truth to digest. She will cut ties with him and this will be the end of their friendship. June will likely face a lot of backlash from Mayday for trusting a commander. Serena will possibly connect the dots and figure out the real reason June had reentered Gilead. Since she is going to be the wife of a high commander and was a core member of the state authority, will she allow June to leave or punish her for attempting to ruin Gilead? Will June manage to cross the border, or will she be trapped in Gilead once again?
