Anna Green
The following recap contains spoilers for The Handmaid’s Tale S6E5, “Janine” (written by Ubah Mohamed and directed by Natalia Leite)
This episode is titled “Janine,” so it is only fair for us to talk about her. Out of all the places she could have ended up, she seems to be doing reasonably well. After numerous brushes with death over the past six seasons, Janine is now living at Jezebels and has some control over her situation. We see intense sadness cross her face in moments when she is with men and she feels exactly how little power she really has. But, as it is Gilead, this is the best future she could have hoped for, short of escaping.
Every time I see Janine, I feel the same affection that Lydia does. There has been so much pain that feels specifically heartbreaking for her because she has never seemed to fully comprehend her situation. I wonder if this is all a defense mechanism because she has never been able to truly face Gilead. I wonder if that will change as this season progresses.
In one scene we see her cross paths with Joseph, and she tells him what we are all thinking, “you’re not a good guy. Just, compared to them you are.” As we discussed last week, there are many aspects of Joseph that put him outside the bracket of the other Commanders, but this scene with Janine puts him sharply back into focus. We cannot put him on a pedestal for not being “as bad.” He built this system that the people of Gilead are stuck within. He is at fault, but perhaps some of his future actions may bring him some redemption. Time will tell.
June and Moira have been driven into Gilead by Luke, and are scoping out the Jezebels location for an attack against the Commanders that visit there. They manage to speak with Janine, tell her of their plan, and advise her to speak with the other women about their plans. In return, Janine gives them a bunch of letters the women have written to their families, and tells them they must make it out with them. Unfortunately this doesn’t happen, but June does attempt to convince Janine to leave with them, much to Moira’s dismay.
We see again here a pattern that has been present throughout what we’ve seen of June and Moira’s relationship since the implementation of the Gilead regime… Moira giving a considered, measured response to a situation, and June kicking up a heartfelt, impulsive, emotional reaction. You can’t help but feel for June, and feel her feelings through the screen, but we know Moira is a voice of reason. Together, they make a very driven, sensible team. It’s great to see this continue to play out in this final series. Every time this pair are on my screen I root for them deeply.
Unfortunately, they don’t make it out without drama. After clashing with a Commander in one of the rooms after he tries to rape them, June and Moira kill him, putting them in an incredibly dangerous situation once more. But would it be these two if something didn’t throw a spanner in the works?
This is where Joseph gets his moment, again. The end of the episode sees June and Moira trapped in Jezebels after it goes into lockdown and Luke is asked to leave. As Joseph leaves, June flags down his car, and the pair end up getting into Joseph’s boot. When Joseph first sees June, he tells himself, “oh hell no,” but I think, deep down, he is pleased to see her. I feel fairly sure he will take care of them, but nobody is safe in Gilead.
