Anna Green
The following recap contains spoilers for The Handmaid’s Tale S6E6, “Surprise” (written by Aly Monroe and directed by Natalia Leite)
Season 6 Episode 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale brings with it a series of interesting developments, some expected and some less so.
I would like to begin where we left off: with Joseph. In this episode, Joseph confronts June about Eleanor, something that has been unspoken for a long time. After helping June and Moira, he turns cold and lashes out at June. After reminding her that she could have saved his wife’s life but chose not to, he becomes quieter. He is upset, but he does not blame her, saying, “I built this hellscape and I trapped her in it”. His restraint shows again his character—lacking in the dignity or discipline to make attempts to change what he has done, but still knowing when to accept his own defeat, instead of pushing it onto others. His acknowledgement of his actions has shown and continues to show great depth, but he is stuck in inertia and does not feel he can change. Essentially, he has given up and has resorted to defiance and irony to see himself through to the end of this situation—whatever that might be—with as little effort as possible.
In equally predictable news, Nick continues to protect June from Gilead, but also from the consequences of her actions. After learning that the guard injured near the border may recover, he decides to finish what he started and murder him. Whilst of course this protects him from facing punishment for injuring the man in the first place (and killing another!), this prevents the guard from telling the story of what had happened to him, thus protecting June.
It is interesting that Nick still chooses to protect June. He loves her very deeply, she is the mother of his only child, and he goes out of his way to help her and keep her safe, despite the very serious consequences that may face him as a result. This is truly admirable, and perhaps also truly stupid—he is playing with fire throughout this episode, and I wonder if at some point he will have to make an ultimate choice between protecting June and protecting himself…
Near the end of the episode, his attitude has changed. He helped June but ultimately betrays her. He bombards her in the morning, tells her he wants to spend the night with her, to take her away to Paris, to escape and be with her; he tells her that he loves her and that he knows she loves him too and that she is the only good thing in his life. She is swept away in all of this. It is very clear that, although her love for Luke does not waver, she also holds a lot of love for Nick. She is confused and emotional and sees both men for the good they have done for her. She is in an incredibly difficult position, and Nick is the man she survived Gilead with. We watch her face light up as he encourages her until it looks like she will say yes.
However, the dream crumbles and the choice is taken away from her she learns the motive behind his sudden will to run.
Devastatingly, Nick has given Mayday away and the episode ends with this revelation. I wonder if there will be a chance of redemption for Nick, but I suspect not at this point. While June and Moira, and perhaps even Luke, are sacrificial to the point of perhaps even giving their lives in the fight against Gilead, Nick does not have the defiance nor the true will to defeat them anymore; his instinct toward self-preservation wins out.
What Nick did is understandable, but, to June, it is not acceptable. He saved himself at the expense of many others, something she would not have done. June sees, I believe for the first time, clearly, that there is no future for them. This is a disappointing end for the episode, but one that gives the story some sense back, a more linear flow for June as her choice to remain with her husband is both validated and cemented.
I think this is the right outcome, but not necessarily the one that she would have dreamed of. It will be interesting to see how this will develop as the story continues, how Luke and Moira will take the news, and what will happen to Jezebels and the women that live there.
“He saved himself at the expense of many others, something she would not have done.”
Someone besides June has selective memory. Many times June has saved herself at the expense of others. There are no good choices in Gilead. June knows this better than most. It would be hypocritical of her to blame Nick for doing what she has done, multiple times.