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The Handmaid’s Tale

Everybody breaks

Episode 103 Late

It's gonna end the same no matter what you do, so there's no point trying to be tough or brave. Brave isn't part of any of this. Everybody breaks. Everybody.

I have always wondered what did Nick mean when he said this to June. He also says at the end of their conversation “I couldn’t stop them, I’m sorry.” So he knew they were coming and he tried to do something about it. But it’s the everybody breaks that always makes me think, how did they break him? Seems to come from personal experience. What happened to him or what did they use to break him? Why does he also say even before he met June it’s best not to form attachments? We know from the scripts that this was meant to mean his brother.

There’s also “You can't change anything about this. It's gonna end the same no matter what you do, so there's no point in trying to be tough or brave. Brave isn't part of any of this.” We don’t really know what has he done pre Gilead or even in Gilead for or against the regime. It clearly seems he isn’t for the regime but for some just being there means that he agrees with it. Nick decided to become an Eye to spy on the commanders that weren’t following Gilead rules and we also saw that he had good connections with Mayday, but like BM said he tries to stay out of trouble. For me Nick was going through the motions as best as he could. All of that changed with June because I think she gave him purpose and inspired him. Even though he has seen her broken, she always fought back. I hope that what happened to June is season 5 is what breaks him once again and pushes him to do more against the system. Nick has to understand that June and Holly won’t be safe until Gilead is no more just like June has to realize she won’t be able to reunite with Hannah and keep Holly safe until Gilead falls.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #the handmaids tale season 5 #nick blaine #osblaine #nick x june

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The Handmaid’s Tale

Episode 203 Baggage

June, you are so young. You really want to take all that energy and passion and give it to a man?

Episode 303 Useful

You know there's no place in this world for you without Fred.

I love June’s mothers role in her story. I think that June’s fire comes from her mother and it’s kind of sad June came to the realization of how right her mother was after she was in Gilead. Pre Gilead June wanted the family life she didn’t have with her mom. A family with a husband and a father. She centered on Luke and as both Moira and Holly told her it wasn’t a good idea she wanted to make it happen. She is after all impulsive. I also believe that the way their relationship started marked those feelings of insecurity in June towards how she feels Luke would only love her and stay if she was able to be a mother.

After seeing the episode with Serena’s mom I realized also in part why Serena is Serena. There’s nothing for you without Fred. Basically you’re nothing without a man. I mean it’s the world she helped create. She gave away her voice and her independence and after building Fred she gave him the power over her thinking he would never act the way he acted. In a way Serena’s mom is right, it’s hurtful and it makes for a mother that doesn’t seem to support her daughter’s feelings; but in Gilead Serena can’t be anything without Fred. She won’t have the limited power she has as a wife and she also doesn’t have a child. She’s nothing. The only way to keep that status is putting up with Fred and sacrificing her dignity and self worth. Just like June had to do in order to survive the world Serena created.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #the handmaids tale season 5 #serena waterford

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The Handmaid’s Tale

Episode 401 Pigs

Pain makes your world very small. My world has been this room. Today I venture forth. My world can’t be small, not now, because the others need me to protect them. Gilead is out there. Gilead isn't afraid. It does not hurt or sleep. It keeps coming. It keeps searching for us, and they will keep coming forever and ever and ever. No more time for me to stay in bed.

June’s voiceover in episode 401 made me think of how much I miss the fire in her this season where she’s trying to find herself now that she is “free” in Canada. She’s trying to control that rage, trying to control her desperation of getting Hannah, trying to live with her guilt and trying be who Moira and Luke expect her to be. It just didn’t seem to work. June carries a lot of guilt not only for the things she has done, but for who she became. The fact that she left Hannah (and that she still has people she loves in Gilead) is a constant reminder of her feelings of failure as a mother. She was able to fulfill her promise to Holly, but not to Hannah. So this season (besides her want for revenge towards Serena) she battled with making the choice of staying or leaving, and no matter what she chose she would end up losing. She spent this season trying to rebuild the life she lost but she’s clearly not the same woman and without Hannah, June won’t be able to move on. June lost everything in season 3. Her only purpose became Angel’s Flight and she didn’t think she was making it alive after sacrificing herself for it. Once she realized she did it, the only thing moving forward was to keep fighting. That became her purpose. She never intended to leave Gilead even when she believed she had lost Hannah. She just wanted to do whatever she could to hurt Gilead and to protect her friends and I think she knew that eventually she would get caught. At that point she didn’t care. Once the circumstances brought her to Gilead she began another journey. She was alive, she really had left Hannah, she had to face who she was now and Fred and Serena were there too. They couldn’t hurt her anymore but she wasn’t going to get justice for what they did to her. That shaped her journey in season 4 and the aftermath of that was her journey in season 5; realizing that revenge didn’t really give her back what she lost. So while we saw her trying to fit into this new life in Canada we also saw that even when she tried she couldn’t do it and like she said in that voiceover Gilead kept coming for her.

This season was supposed to be about June versus Offred and about letting Offred go. I personally think that’s impossible. June and Offred are one and they can’t exist without the other. The issue is learning how to coexist with both and accepting who she is now. I think she needs to realize (and I hope that’s what we see in season 6)that it’s not about getting Hannah anymore, she has to unfortunately let her go and understand that the only way to get her back is if Gilead falls. I know that in The Testaments she has to let go of Holly and that would leave her losing everything once again. I have hope that the conversation between her and Tuello about her using her voice and her saying that she wasn’t able to do that right now was a foreshadow. As hard as it will be to see June having to give up Holly I think it’s the only way she would find a purpose Maybe then we will see the fighter June that stayed behind in Gilead.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #the handmaids tale season 5

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The Handmaids Tale

A good man

Episode 402 Nightshade

Maybe there are no good men in Gilead.

I think there are good men everywhere. Even here. It's just complicated, you know? Gilead makes it really hard to be good.

Episode 409 Progress

Yeah, you've got a good man in Gilead who can help you now.

That's true.

Episode 510 Safe

If it was up to me, I'd take you at your word.

Not sure how much my word is worth right now.

I'd call you an honorable man.

Episode 510 Safe

You're a liar. You say that because you want to feel like you're a good man.

It’s interesting to me how by the end of the season, at first glance Rose doesn’t think Nick is a good man simply because he’s in love with somebody else. But by Gilead standards though he is a good man. He is a comander that appears to be up and rising and he has a pregnant wife, upholding those good ol’ Gilead values where love isn’t a priority.

Why did you pretend that you loved me? I do love you. (Just not the way Nick loves June which is pretty much the same situation June is in in terms of how she now feels about Luke-but that’s a topic for another post). The thing is Rose knew about June. She didn’t seem to mind him helping June, as long as her privileged position in Gilead wasn’t threatened. Maybe she assumed that after Fred, Nick would be done with June and because she knew he is a good man he would then focus on moving forward with life he had to make in Gilead in order to survive - just like June had to do in Canada (Hey june try to be happy. You too). This means that she was ok with Nick committing treason by helping June and by setting up a founding father (like her father) to be killed. That tells me that she was ok with being with a man she knew didn’t love her and that she was content with a Gilead marriage. Why? I think it was simply because it gave her what she wanted. Power and privilege acquired on her own and not because of who her father is. The moment Nick threatened that status for her, he stopped being a good man, and that began when he killed Putnam. Rose had a problem with Nick killing Putnam but she didn’t seem to have a problem with the fact that Putnam raped a young girl. Again that tells me that as long as she could keep the status that being a wife with child gave her she really didn’t mind Gilead and she believed she could acquire that with Nick. She had to make the appeal to her father to marry Nick and I always assumed that statement meant she had to plead with her father to be able to marry Nick since she’s the daughter of a high commander and Nick wasn’t in the same level as her. She wasn’t forced to marry him, she chose to marry him and if she chose him, it was because she believed he was a good man. For Rose, Nick was a good man as long as he could give her what she wanted. Once that fell apart he stopped being a good man for her.

Now in contrast June has never really doubted Nick. At first he was all she had. Even now with her being in Canada you can tell he’s the only person she fully trusts. During the first seasons she could’ve easily had him put on the wall, but instead by the end of Season 1 she chose to trust him and get in the van. Just like in season 4 she trusted him and she let herself be captured. Even after not seeing him and even after finding out he was part of the take over, for June he has always been a good man. Even with the constant ambiguity that surrounds his characters given to us by the show, if we put the pieces together we can easily see that Nick is a good man that has had to make questionable choices.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #the handmaids tale season 5 #nick blaine #osblaine

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I just want to tell you how much I look forward to your content. You put so much thought into everything you post. Thank you for providing amazing insight into the show and into the Nick and June relationship.

Thank you for this message anon, it is very much appreciated. 🥰

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The Handmaid’s Tale

Episode 501 Morning

The first time I saw this episode I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. I couldn’t really pinpoint what was it that didn’t click. I love deranged June (no more than fighter June) but it’s not a healthy way for her to exist in Canada. After rewatching it, it’s one of my favorite episodes of the season because it’s basically all about June’s emotional journey after killing Fred and I think it’s the perfect set up to the storyline we got (wether we liked it or not that is another topic). Aside from that, the symbolisms in this episode are really interesting.

One of my favorite symbolisms in the episode is the blood. I think it parallels to her state of mind throughout the episode. Blood symbolizes life/death, rebirth, guilt, uncleanliness, redemption, sacrifice, sin. I think we see all of that in June. When she’s in that bathroom she’s supposed to wash the blood off her hands (wash away her sins) but she doesn’t do it. She’s savoring the moment and she even seems at peace. She got justice and revenge in what I think was the most satisfying way. The blood is a testament to that, and she’s not ready to let that go. It isn’t until she sees the blood on Nichole’s bath towel that she gets a reality check. She’s not in Gilead, there should be consequences for killing someone. Those consequences mean she will probably lose Nichole. Ironically it’s because of Fred that she lost Hannah and know because of her decision over Fred she could lose Nichole. June is not ready to face that. She also knows Moira and Luke probably won’t understand her and they will judge her and keep seeing her like a damaged victim.

“By her fucking hand” is one of my favorite lines this season. It’s extremely powerful. When she says it to Moira, she realizes exactly what June did. June used Gilead justice. Fred died at the hands of his Handmaid. He got salvaged by the same woman he raped, abused and tortured for years. It’s pretty fucking poetic. Sure it’s not the right thing to do but remember June tried to get justice the correct way and that same system decided that her justice wasn’t more valuable than ending Gilead. I think she leaves because she’s not ready to explain herself, to move on from this moment, to be judged by the people she cares about in Canada and to face the consequences of her actions. She goes back to the people that understood what she did and that helped her do it.

The feast is another interesting symbolism. It reminded me of the feasts medieval kings used to have whenever they won battles and they celebrated the spoils of war with large feasts. We see women partaking in a similar sort of celebration after having gotten their revenge. I think it’s a bit shocking because they are women, unapologetically enjoying themselves without a single fuck given over the crime they just committed. The others also still have traces of Fred’s blood sharing a bond with June that isn’t just the trauma they experienced in Gilead. When June sees the blood stain on the glass she’s facing once again the reality of what she did, the violence she was capable of but once again she’s not ready to move on from that. She also realizes the effect her decision had on the others: her violence has awaken more violence. Fred was her monster…there are still other monsters out there. Fred was just one man. Gilead is still happening with or without Fred.

IHer conversation with Sylvia was basically what made her realize what she could loose. It sets up her internal conflict this season. Luke told her in season 4 that she should count her blessings. Meaning that she should be grateful that she was in Canada free with Nichole (and him). I know it’s a normal thing to say but it’s a bit condescending if you think about it. How is she supposed to let go of Hannah and everyone she left behind? Why would she feel lucky or blessed when there are still people suffering in Gilead? When she knows she’s made questionable choices that have cost others, why her and not Janine for example? The whole season she battles with that choice. There’s also the guilt she feels of having opened that door for Emily and having pushed her into going back to Gilead. Emily left her family behind to go fight or to go get revenge and June knows that’s the choice she might have to make eventually.

After the conversation with Sylvia she wants to desperately wash the blood off, she wants to distance herself from what she did. She goes to the lake completely consumed by guilt and with the reality that killing Fred didn’t really fix anything. She still doesn’t have Hannah. She says in season one that Hannah comes to her in the water. Water symbolizes change, cleanliness, purity, rebirth, it’s a way to wash away your sins. But blood never goes away. June’s hands will always have blood on them.

This isn’t the first time June has killed, but in Gilead she had to do it wether it was ordered or for survival. She knows she has to face the consequences of her actions so she goes to turn herself in as a way to atone for her sin. She tells Luke (and probably remembers what Lawrence said to her you love fucks people up) that she’s ruining his and Nichole’s life. I think that to make matters worse for her mentally, there are no consequences. Another one of my favorite lines is when the police officer says that’s between you and your deity of choice. Society isn’t going to judge her for what she did, because it happened in No Man’s Land and because that’s a way to let us know that this was justice. There’s nothing to judge because this was the right thing to do. Again, poetic. Fred’s life was worth $88. She had to pay simply for mailing his finger to Serena. That was the crime.

The final scene with Holly is a testament to Junes motherhood. No matter what she has gone through June is a mother first and foremost and her priority will always be her daughters. The moments she’s had this season with Holly are what’s given her peace and what has kept her centered. They are moments filled with love and extreme longing. They show the impossibility of enjoying her time with one daughter while she aches to get back the one she lost. When she tells Holly she doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to do, it’s a way of telling us who she would want her daughter to be and in what kind of world she wants her daughter to grow up with. There’s a cross that sits above them on the window. Crosses symbolize sacrifice. It reminded me of the scene in season 2 when June promises her she would get her out and that she wouldn’t grow up on Gilead. They won’t own what you will become and June sacrificed a lot to fulfill that promise. It also makes me think of what’s supposed to come if I go by TT. She’s supposed to give Holly away to keep her safe which is obviously a huge sacrifice.

Moira’s reaction show how different their healing process is. Moira has been able to put her monsters to sleep especially when she was able to bring June back. She knows what June went through but she also knows this isn’t right. She’s worried about her friend, but it did pain me to see the distance between them. She tells her I’m scared of you and June agreed because they’re both scared of who June is. They’re not in the same path and Moira’s not being comfortable with June being around Holly could be a foreshadow to how in TT June has to send Holly away to keep her safe. It could also be a way of Moira telling June that if she stays in this path she will also lose Holly and even though I don’t agree with the way Moira was written this season I appreciate the friendship aspect of telling June things so she can understand how different things are in Canada.

Luke is in complete denial. He has waited to get June back as a way to absolve himself of his guilt. He doesn’t care what she’s done as long as she stays with him. Having June there is a victory for him. It’s a way for him to heal. He accepts it even though he knows this is something that clearly tells him June isn’t who she was before. He doesn’t understand the extent of her trauma or of her rage. It’s easier to accept it than to face the reality of who June is now and what that means for their relationship.

Tuello and June’s interaction was the first time I saw June at peace with what she had done. The fact that he acknowledges and admires what she’s done is telling. People question June’s actions constantly, judging her mistakes more than admiring her good intentions or the things she’s had to do to survive. The people close to her see her like she’s damaged and broken. They don’t see the other side, her strength, her fire, her will to fight. That line I know what that costs is important. Crossing that line could’ve cost her her freedom in Canada and her ability to be with Nichole. But it still cost her mentally and emotionally, deeply. Throughout the first half of the season we see her struggling to control her rage, to find who she is now and how can she find balance.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #the handmaids tale season 5 #serena waterford #fred waterford

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The Handmaid’s Tale

Episode 203 Baggage

You didn’t wake me up.

Well cause if I wake you then you’d leave. So how is that a win for me?

Episode 510 Safe

It's probably better if... she doesn't know I was here.

In episode 203 that exchange between them was cute and flirtatious but it’s also a way of June letting Nick know that she wants him there, that she wants to spend time with him, that he’s important to her. It’s my head canon that he went at least once a week (even though that wasn’t part of the plan, he clearly says it in 202 that it was hard to find out where she was) and this exchange ends with their embrace after he tells her they had made contact and that she was leaving soon. I always wondered if he knew that was the last time he was supposed to see her.

In 510 not wanting to wake her or have her know that he was there is just a Nick way of not wanting to mess with her life or create unnecessary issues. Maybe he thinks she doesn’t really care if he’s there but I believe it’s because he doesn’t want to create problems between her and Luke - because (even if they both try to deny it) he knows what they feel for each other.

So in a certain way, neither of them want to wake up because they know the realities they have to face if they do. Nick doesn’t wake up June because in the end (because of their obligations and situations) they would both have to leave. He’d have to leave (like she says to him in 203) back to his life in Gilead and she would have to leave and continue with her old life pre Gilead.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #the handmaids tale season 5 #nick blaine #osblaine #nick x june

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The Handmaid’s Tale

Episode 107 The Other Side

Uh, yeah, a little. I know how to load it. Look, we need to be ready, all right, June? It's just in case.

Then show me how to load it.

Episode 202 Unwomen

Give me the keys. Give 'em to me!

Fine. Wait, June.

Episode 311 Liars

They’re coming for us

Episode 510 Safe

Are you comfortable having a gun around Nichole?

Interesting how June, even though she reacted a little late after the take over (She did want to leave as soon as she lost her job but let’s remember she had no access to money by then) seemed to always be ready to do whatever was necessary to protect herself. In episode 107 she’s not scared of the gun Luke had, she wanted to learn how to use it. In episode 202 when Nick hands her the gun she’s shocked, not because of the gun, but because he didn’t kept arguing with her over her irrational decision. He understood and respected that it was her decision. Nick wanted her to at least have a chance to protect herself, even if it was at a risk to his own safety. If she would’ve been caught she had his gun and his car. By season 3 she’s more than prepared to handle herself with a gun but in the season 5 finale it’s a complete change from the June we have seen so far. She’s skeptical and uneasy. She has just survived an assassination attempt but the June from before wouldn’t have hesitated to protect herself. I think it shows how she doesn’t seem to fit in this life she’s supposed to have in Canada. In season 1 she gave Luke the lead in order to protect her and Hannah, and in this scene she does the same. He made the decision, not her and she doesn’t seem comfortable with it. She’s basically going through the same situation and she will realize this when her options become extremely limited after her attack and Luke’s imminent arrest. Like she said in 204 “I waited before. I thought things might be different. I swore I’d never do that again.”

Throughout the season June is trying to find herself, to figure out who she is now. She’s trying to let go of Offred but I think it’s impossible for her to let go of that part of herself. Like she tells Fred in episode 410 she misses her sometimes, her strength; but June and Offred are the same. One can’t exist without the other. June needs to figure out where is the balance between those two sides of her and understand they’re both just as important. Trying to go back to a life that was lost, to comply with what others want her to be without accepting who she is now, going through the bureaucratic processes to get Hannah and letting go of the people she left behind in Gilead is impossible. Like Aunt Lydia says Gilead is within you. I hope her talk with Tuello about not being ready right now is a foreshadow to finally seeing June choosing to fight against Gilead like we know she does in The Testaments. Like her mom told her it isn’t time to play house.

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The Handmaid’s Tale

The deal

Episode 306 Household

Gilead has been a black box for years. We don't know how decisions are made, where the power lies. The more we know, the more we can do.

What if I brought you someone who would talk? A Commander. An Eye.

It seems unlikely that kind of person would... be cooperative.

I'll persuade him.

We won't be able to do business with Mr. Blaine.

You made a deal!

I don't think you know who Mr. Blaine is. Or who he was. Our research indicates he is not to be trusted.

No, there's been... There's some kind of mistake. I will talk to him.

He's left for Chicago. Some people are not to be dealt with.

What did Nick do? Before he was a driver?

He served Gilead.

How did he serve Gilead? Tell me.

He was a soldier in the crusade. We wouldn't be here without him. All this time you spent together and he never mentioned anything.

Episode 310 Bear Witness

Have you ever thought about leaving Gilead?

You mean go somewhere where I could get mood stabilizers instead of herbal tea?

Joseph would help you. You could leave together. He wants you to be... safe. He loves you so much.

Joseph is a war criminal. He can't cross the border. He would be... jailed for the rest of his life. Or... killed.

Episode 502 Ballet

You've risen fast, while somehow managing to help June. That takes talent. To fly under the radar like that.

Just trying to stay out of trouble.

Wouldn't you like to see your daughter in person rather than asking about her?

That's a pipe dream.

I know you got a complicated past. But America can be a very forgiving place. If you make amends, gain us some visibility, play your part for a while. I'd like to help you and your daughter. If you'll let me. We could help each other.

I'll remember that.

Episode 509 Allegiance

What about Nick Blaine?

What about him?

I offered to help him when I was in Gilead, if he'd help us, but he turned me down.

What, to be your inside man in Gilead or something?

At first, but then, eventually, to be our man here. With immunity.

He said no?

Yes, but he can still have that. Maybe you could persuade him. Nick was an Eye. He's a Commander now. Someone like that defecting from Gilead... Big impact.

Episode 510 Safe

Now that we've fulfilled our end of the bargain, I have some papers for you to sign. They outline our agreement.

Contract?

If it was up to me, I'd take you at your word.

Not sure how much my word is worth right now.

I'd call you an honorable man. I look forward to working together. You have the gratitude of the United States government.

I'll keep my end of the deal. You just keep her safe.

I will do everything I can.

That's not good enough.

I believe the idea of Nick leaving Gilead never occurred to June or to Nick until season 5 with Tuello’s offer. After the Waterford house burned down and especially after June gets to Canada, they both live in whatever stolen moments they get, and after that there’s just the continuation of their separate lives. Nick believed June would go back to her life and that his daughter would grow up safe away from Gilead (and him), that he has no choice but to stay in Gilead and that he has nothing to offer June. He probably knows that because his involvement with the SOJ if he were to leave Gilead he would be tried as a war criminal. When he talks to the Swiss they aren’t willing to deal with him, but Tuello is and offers him a deal despite his complicated past. I’ve always wondered why were the Swiss unwilling to deal with him then but now it’s seems it’s fine. Could it be that then he was just promoted to commander and his information wasn’t important? He still would’ve had access to military actions and that info could’ve helped the resistance in Chicago. Tuello does mention that Nick has risen through the ranks so maybe that is why they’re willing to work with him now or maybe they just don’t have access to anyone that high up. Interesting though that since the conversation with the Swiss and where we are now, I think maybe a year has gone by. June also didn’t think Nick being out was a possibility and we see that in her reaction when Tuello tells her about Nick not taking the deal. It would be in her best interest if Nick stayed in Gilead (Hannah) yet we see that what mattered to her was that he had said no. She wants him out and close to her. She even tells him to bring Rose because she doesn’t care how it happens, she just wants it to happen. I think this is important to know exactly how June feels about Nick. It’s subtle but it’s there.

Every time I think about the scenes in episode 306 I try to make sense of what is being said and what we have been given. We know Nick joined the SOJ so therefor he had to have been in some way involved with the take over - we just don’t know to what extent. I keep thinking that if he was so instrumental he wouldn’t have been a driver for years. Bruce recently said in an interview Nick chose to be a driver. I don’t think he had many choices. I assumed it was be a driver or a patrolling guardian/military police. After all Nick wasn’t a founding father and he was working class when he joined the SOJ, it made sense for him to be kept as working class once Gilead settled. If he would’ve excelled in the military Gilead would’ve left him in the military, he wouldn’t have had a choice. What Serena says to June makes sense but not how she’s framing it. Without soldiers Gilead would’ve not become, just like it wouldn’t have become without her ideas and without men like Fred and Lawrence. Gilead would’ve become if Nick joined or didn’t join. Whether he called the FBI (if he knew about the take over) or not (the FBI was already keeping tabs on the group). He could’ve made it out or he would’ve gotten caught and forced to comply. In episode 310 we find out Lawrence and pretty much the Commanders couldn’t really leave Gilead and that would’ve included Nick, especially since June had already found out about Nick in episode 306. I know the episode doesn’t really give us a hint as if June related that info with Nick but I can assume at some point she must’ve thought about that. After this she doesn’t see Nick again until season 4, her only chance to ask him to leave would’ve been in 409. We don’t see them talk about it (I keep believing they live in the moment and they both think they have no possibility of a life together). She didn’t know Fred had made a deal, until after she gets back from seeing Nick and what happened with Tuello for me was a clear call back to what Nick tells her in episode 303 they’re politicians they have their own agenda, they don’t care about us. After that there’s the phone call jn 503 and their meeting in 509, where the possibility of him leaving was now a reality, but his obligations had changed making that possibility once again complicated/impossible.

In 502 when Tuello offers Nick the deal he doesn’t even think that would’ve ever been a possibility and while some people think he said no, he clearly says I’ll remember that. It’s definitely not a no. Nick doesn’t trust politicians, he has new obligations, knows how dangerous it is, probably think Lawrence’s plan to fix Gilead will work and like he tells Tuello in 510 June doesn’t need him, she has people to care for her. Aside from that in 503 all possibility of helping June with Hannah (also not explored in the season but I find it extremely odd they would add a Rose/MacKenzie connection and not use it) became an impossibility and probably taking the deal vanished when MacKenzie sees him talking to Tuello. That’s also why he can’t really move when June asks him to in the phone call and why she begins to understand that Nick made a life in Gilead (just like she’s trying in Canada) even though neither of them are happy. I see this as a breaking him away from his line in 409 and I’m here to do what I can.

As calculating and strategic as we have seen Nick throughout all seasons, knowing he could’ve lost June and that he couldn’t protect her was what it took for him to take the deal we all wanted him to finally take. He didn’t take it because he wanted to end Gilead - even though we know he wants to better it because he doesn’t agree with the atrocities it commits. It was all about her safety. He pretty much sacrificed his own safety (nothing he hasn’t done before) for hers. I wonder how they will push him in season 6. Was this enough for him to understand that Gilead can’t get better and it has to end? Because it’s something that in a way June also has to understand. She can’t get to Hannah unless Gilead falls. She has to let Hannah go in order to fight for her and this kind of aligns them in a similar path like we saw them in season 5.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #nick blaine #osblaine #the handmaids tale season 5 #commander lawrence #commander blaine

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The Handmaid’s Tale

June and Moira

Episode 104 Nolite Te Bastardum Carborundorun

Episode 108 Jezebels

I'm so sorry I left you at the train!

That's okay, it's okay.

I didn't... I didn't know what else...

I know, I know, I know. I know. It's okay.

Episode 109 The Bridge

Just, just stop! Okay, stop! Just go home and just do what they say.

Moira, I thought you were dead. I thought they killed you. I thought they strung you up somewhere. To rot. It tore me apart. But I didn't give up like a coward.

You think what you want.

I think you're a liar. 'Cause you said we would find Hannah.

You will find her.

No. We will. That's what you said. When all of this was over, you... You promised. You fսcking pinky swore. Or don't you remember? Moira, do not... Do not let them grind you down. You keep your fսck¡ng shit together. You fight!

I was doing all right until I saw you again

Episode 406 Vows

No, no, no, no. Why are you here?

No, hey, hey, hey. Shh. I came back.

What are you doing here? Why?

I came back for you.

It's not safe.

I came back to help you, and I fucking found you.

It's not safe, Moira. You shouldn't be here.

I fսcking found you.

What are you say... I fսcking found you.

You're so crazy. You shouldn't be here.

Episode 501 Morning

I did it.

You did what?

I killed him.

You ki... you what? What?

I killed Fred.

June. You salvaged him.

By her hand.

Okay. Come inside.

By her fսcking hand.

Episode 501 Morning

June, I don't feel comfortable with you taking care of Nichole right now. It scares me.

Kay. Me, too.

You scare me.

Me, too. I thought I'd be in jail.

But you're not.

No. I'm not.

Bath.

I love you.

I love you, too.

Episode 504 Dear Offred

Look, I will dance on her grave with you, soon as the dirt's in. But she's not worth losing your family over.

What if this is who I am now?

I don't worry about you being with her. Not anymore. And that's not nothing.

Yeah.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #the handmaids tale season 5 #moira strand

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Episode 212 Postpartum

The Handmaid’s Tale

June worrying about Nick

Episode 204 Other Women

This is when June returns to the Waterford house after her failed escape. When she goes up to her room she sits by the window and looks to Nick’s apartment. He clearly isn’t there and the entrance looks desolate. I like to believe she was worried about him, wondering if he also got caught. Then when she sees him in the kitchen and you can see that she’s happy and relived. He seems surprised and worried about her.

Episode 206 First Blood

Yes, you can. Because I can't lose you. Do you hear me?

Episode 207 After

Cushing, he's... He wants to know who helped me. When I ran. He's not gonna give up, Nick. He's not gonna give up.

No. No, he's not. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Okay.

Okay.

What about you?

Episode 303 Useful

I'm getting deployed. To the front. Chicago.

You'll get killed.

Episode 407 Home

I also want you to know that your daddy and I love you so much. Your first daddy.

Episode 409 Progress

I'm sure you're curious what this is about. I don't wanna put you in any danger.

Episode 509 Allegiance

You can be close to Nick too.

What do you mean?

Nick will be there. You could be neighbors. You could borrow cups of sugar from each other, whatever the kids are calling it these days.

Do you think that you can just dangle Nick in front of me and I'll just do whatever the fսck you want?

Episode 509 Allegiance

What about Nick Blaine?

What about him?

I offered to help him when I was in Gilead, if he'd help us, but he turned me down.

What, to be your inside man in Gilead or something?

At first, but then, eventually, to be our man here. With immunity.

He said no?

Episode 509 Allegiance

I don't want to make trouble for you

Episode 510 Safe

Can you get a message to Nick? Just tell him that I'm safe. Tell him that Nichole is safe, okay? Just tell him that we're okay.

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The Handmaid’s Tale

June worrying about Nick

Episode 204 Other Women

This is when June returns to the Waterford house after her failed escape. When she goes up to her room she sits by the window and looks to Nick’s apartment. He clearly isn’t there and the entrance looks desolate. I like to believe she was worried about him, wondering if he also got caught. Then when she sees him in the kitchen and you can see that she’s happy and relived. He seems surprised and worried about her.

Episode 206 First Blood

Yes, you can. Because I can't lose you. Do you hear me?

Episode 207 After

Cushing, he's... He wants to know who helped me. When I ran. He's not gonna give up, Nick. He's not gonna give up.

No. No, he's not. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Okay.

Okay.

What about you?

Episode 303 Useful

I'm getting deployed. To the front. Chicago.

You'll get killed.

Episode 407 Home

I also want you to know that your daddy and I love you so much. Your first daddy.

Episode 409 Progress

I'm sure you're curious what this is about. I don't wanna put you in any danger.

Episode 509 Allegiance

You can be close to Nick too.

What do you mean?

Nick will be there. You could be neighbors. You could borrow cups of sugar from each other, whatever the kids are calling it these days.

Do you think that you can just dangle Nick in front of me and I'll just do whatever the fսck you want?

Episode 509 Allegiance

What about Nick Blaine?

What about him?

I offered to help him when I was in Gilead, if he'd help us, but he turned me down.

What, to be your inside man in Gilead or something?

At first, but then, eventually, to be our man here. With immunity.

He said no?

Episode 509 Allegiance

I don't want to make trouble for you

Episode 510 Safe

Can you get a message to Nick? Just tell him that I'm safe. Tell him that Nichole is safe, okay? Just tell him that we're okay.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #nick blaine #the handmaids tale season 5 #osblaine #nick x june

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The Handmaid’s Tale

Episode 204 Other Women

It’s June. You know my fucking name

Episode 506 Together

June Osborne.

No, your ear tag. Tell me who you're Of?

Nobody.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #the handmaids tale season 5

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The Handmaid’s Tale

Episode 306 Household

They're politicians.

I know.

They have their own agenda.

So do I.

You get in bed with a government, and it's not so easy to get out.

Episode 409 Progress

So, my testimony spooked him. And you knew that. And then you used that to flip him?

Sometimes, you have to let one fish go to catch a lot of other bigger fish.

Episode 502 Ballet

Wouldn't you like to see your daughter in person rather than asking about her?

That's a pipe dream.

I know you got a complicated past. But America can be a very forgiving place. If you make amends, gain us some visibility, play your part for a while. I'd like to help you and your daughter. If you'll let me. We could help each other.

Episode 509 Allegiance

Nick was an Eye. He's a Commander now. Someone like that defecting from Gilead... Big impact. You can make one too. You could. You know that. After Angels' Flight, after your testimony against Waterford, you should step up. Put your power to use.

Episode 510 Safe

I'll keep my end of the deal. You just keep her safe.

I will do everything I can.

That's not good enough.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #nick blaine #the handmaids tale season 5 #mark tuello

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The Handmaid’s Tale

Janine and Aunt Lydia

Episode 101 Offred

Welcome to the Rachel and Leah Center.

Fսck you.

Blessed are the meek, dear.

Episode 510 Safe

Aunt Lydia, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'm fine.

#the handmaid's tale #gilead #the handmaids tale season 5 #janine lindo #aunt lydia

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The Handmaid’s Tale

Nick Blaine

Episode 501 Morning

In episode 501 Nick arrives home the morning after he delivers Fred to June. He knew (maybe even saw) what Fred’s demise was at the hands of June. We know just how violent Fred’s salvaging was. Nick knows the extent of June’s rage and it doesn’t really affect him or make him see her different. I think it contrasts to Luke’s reactions to June in season 5 (like when June tells him about Fred’s finger). This is one of the many reasons Nick is so important for June. He loves, accepts and understands all of her and this is why she can be herself. He doesn’t expect anything so she doesn’t have to pretend.

We find out Rose has some kind of knowledge on his relationship with June but not to what extent. She seems ok with whatever she thinks June is/was in Nick’s life but there’s a sort of closure in that conversation:

“Did you see her? Yeah. And what she needed to do was done? Yes. Praise be his mercy. Maybe June can find some peace now.”

Maybe Rose believed that this was supposed to be the last thing Nick did for June. He was supposed to let her go so they could both carry on with their lives. Rose hopes this gives her closure, peace, a way to start moving on with her life and in the same way, Nick can also move on with his life with her. Nick seems worried, like he knows this won’t give June peace and he wonders if she will be able to find some sort of happiness. After all what he wants is for her to be safe and happy, even if she’s not with him. Maybe it’s a reflection on his own decisions, will he be able to happy? Will he be able to move on?

Episode 510 Safe

By the end of season 5 Nick realizes he not only wasn’t able to let June go, but he’s unable to keep her safe. Her safety has been his only purpose. It’s stronger than his longing to be close to her and his daughter. No matter what he does to help change Gilead he cannot guarantee her safety. Throughout the season we get glimpses of Nick maneuvering Gilead, aligning himself with Lawrence and trying to move on. Still June and Holly are always present. As he appeared to move along he seemed more trapped in a life he clearly doesn’t and didn’t want. He’s once again stuck and as the possibilities of being close to his family appear the more Gilead seems to be pulling him in, pushing him into someone he doesn’t want to be. June has always been his driving force and as much as he tries to distance himself from that, he can’t. All of that stops the second he finds out she’s not safe. He basically gives himself up for her safety.

His reaction to seeing June in the hospital, mirrors his reaction in 501. He is lost in thought as he touches his lips maybe thinking about his decisions or what he said or didn’t say to her. In 501 he might have been thinking about that kiss they shared in 410 while in 510 he might be thinking/regretting that he didn’t kiss her when he clearly was dying to do so. He’s clearly devastated and he probably feels guilty. There’s also regret. Nick told her her he wished he would’ve ran away with her and in 509 June wished the world would just stop. They both wish they could be with each other without their obligations and without pretending to be something they are not. Just like in 501 we see that he is clearly worried. How can he keep her safe? The only thing he has to trade for her safety is his own.

He also touches his tie, maybe it’s just a way to ground himself so he doesn’t lose it. Perhaps it’s like a symbolic noose around his neck that represents Gilead and the decisions he has made that have gotten him to where he is. A tie can symbolize power but it can also symbolize submission and slavery. When Nick was a driver/guardian we saw him wear a tie on occasions as part of his uniform. As a driver he was working class and low status. Now as a commander the tie symbolizes power but he’s still trapped and a slave to a system he doesn’t align himself with. The more power he gets the more he feels that noose around his neck tighten. He has to do things he doesn’t want to do, he’s married and he has a child on the way. Gilead has a hold on him and June and Holly become more of a pipe a dream.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #nick blaine #the handmaids tale season 5 #osblaine #nick x june

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