June is formally a free girl.
After three and a half seasons of a unending loop, going from imprisoned handmaid to a fugitive on the run, time and again, June has managed to flee Gilead.
By the top of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 Episode 6, she is secure from the evil clutches of Gilead — for now — and reunited along with her finest good friend and husband. Not dangerous for a day’s work.
In fact, simply because June is free doesn’t suggest all of her issues are magically solved.
Being in Canada does not erase the limitless torture and trauma she’s been carrying for the reason that starting, together with the crippling guilt she have to be feeling over leaving Hannah behind.
Moira: What occurred with Hannah? You mentioned they took her. What occurred? I’m not gonna pressure you to remain. I simply wish to know.
June: They confirmed her to me. I noticed her. There was nothing I may do for her. There was nothing I may do to assist her. She didn’t acknowledge me. She didn’t know who I used to be. She was terrified of me.
Moira: Oh god.
June: All the things that has occurred to her is due to me.
Moira: No, that’s not true.
June: How can I am going again with out her? How can I present up with out her?
Moira: June, nobody expects you to have her. They’re ready for an individual, not a superhero, even in the event you did get all these youngsters out.
June: However not her, not my Hannah. I didn’t have her. I attempted, I actually did. I did every thing I may, however it wasn’t sufficient. I used to be supposed to save lots of her as a result of I’m her mom. I’m her mom, and it’s my job to guard her. And I failed. How can I face him? How can I inform him every thing that’s occurred to her is due to me?
Moira: No, that’s not true. That’s Gilead speaking. You understand that’s not true.
June: No, he’s by no means going to forgive me. He’s by no means gonna forgive me.
Moira: All these years, he has waited for you, and he has by no means given up on you. It’s essential to have just a little religion now too.
June: I do know him. I do know him. I do know what he can take.
Moira: How about you discover out?
Hannah has at all times been June’s motivator for staying in Gilead, to the purpose the place others, myself included, puzzled if there have been different the reason why she refused to go away a rustic that is finished nothing however trigger her ache when repeatedly given an opportunity.
Nevertheless, we did get just a little extra perception into why June has fought so laborious to save lots of her daughter.
Her willingness to endure limitless struggling on the slim chance of saving her daughter goes farther than motherly love.
Sure, her love for Hannah is a vital cause why June has continued to seek for her eldest baby, and she or he seems like a failure over not having the ability to save Hannah.
And but, she additionally seems like she will’t depart Gilead empty-handed, believing if she arrives in Canada with out Hannah, Luke will by some means by no means forgive her.
Given every thing June has pulled off, getting her daughter out of Gilead should not be some herculean job prefer it is likely to be for different dad and mom.
She’s June freaking Osborne, the fugitive handmaid who obtained 86 kids and 9 Marthas out of Gilead. From her standpoint, getting yet another baby out ought to be as simple as one-two-three.
June holds herself to the next customary than these round her and believes reuniting with Luke with out Hannah is unforgivable.
June: What if we will’t get pregnant?
Luke: What?
June: You and Annie had a tough time having youngsters. What if that occurs to us?
Luke: You aren’t Annie, OK, and I’m a really totally different individual that I used to be again then.
June: However you don’t know what’s going to occur. What if I find yourself disappointing you.
Luke: Come on. I don’t know if we’ll have the ability to have youngsters, however both manner, we’re gonna be OK.
June: You actually need youngsters, although.
Luke: Yeah, I actually need you. You’re not gonna disappoint me.
June: You don’t know that. Everybody has a line, one thing’s that unforgivable. What if I’m not who you suppose I’m?
Luke: Then I’ll simply love whoever you change into.
She assumes she’s already crossed sure traces of their marriage, comparable to having a second daughter with one other man and arriving with out her first daughter would add insult to damage.
Like she cared sufficient or was succesful sufficient to get Nichole out however not Hannah.
It isn’t a good comparability, however as June sails into Canadian waters, all she will take into consideration is how she deserted Hannah.
What sort of mom, she thinks, would willingly depart her daughter behind in such a corrupt and horrific nation in order that she may escape to freedom?
For June, it’s totally black and white, however for individuals who love her, it is loads of shades of grey.
Luke would love nothing greater than to have June and Hannah again, however that does not imply he desires to see his spouse face sure loss of life to take action.
Getting June again is sufficient for now, and collectively, they’ll proceed the seek for Hannah from Canada.
Gilead has already taken away years of their lives, and Luke does not wish to lose any extra time.
June: I’m sorry I don’t have her, OK. I’m sorry. I’m sorry it’s simply me. I’m sorry it’s simply me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.
Luke: You’re OK.
The adjustment to life in Canada is sure to be difficult, however hopefully, June will make it via with the help of her family members.
Moira, Emily, and even Rita have all been via this, so let’s hope June decides to lean on them for energy quite than have interaction in self-destructive behaviors.
For therefore lengthy, her driving pressure has been to rescue her daughter and for them to get out of Gilead.
Nevertheless, now that she’s “failed,” the place does she go from right here?
June is not the sort to sit down again and let others combat the nice combat; no, she’d wish to be on the entrance traces, doing no matter doable to tear Gilead right down to the bottom.
It would not even be that shocking if June, as soon as settled, makes the rash resolution to sneak again into Gilead, probably disguised as a Martha or an aunt, to attempt to rescue Hannah.
I am not essentially a fan of that plan, however not less than it is a method to proceed the Gilead-centric plotlines.
With all the primary characters besides Nick, Aunt Lydia, and Commander Lawrence in Gilead, there’s not a lot of an incentive to spend time within the former United States.
Moira: Do you actually suppose this can be a good thought?
June: Which half?
Moira: All of it. All of the elements.
June: Wait, so that you suppose marrying Luke is a nasty thought?
Moira: Look, I simply suppose it could be rather a lot simpler to finish an engagement than a wedding.
June: And you recognize this how? Due to all of the marriages you’ve ended.
Moira: By no means thoughts.
June: No, no, no, no. I’m curious. Inform me why you suppose I shouldn’t marry a sort, sensible, loving man who has job and good shoulders.
Moira: As a result of he cheats on his wives, and he leaves them once they can’t reproduce.
June: Spouse, one prior spouse, and I’m not Annie.
Moira: Not but.
June: Our marriage shouldn’t be going to be like that marriage. They fought on a regular basis about all types of stuff. We by no means combat.
That is to not say the writers will not attempt to entice us with storylines set in Gilead, however there’s little cause to care what is going on on south of the US-Canada border when all the most effective characters are within the Nice White North.
From June’s re-entrance right into a non-Gilead society and her reunion with Luke to the Waterfords’ upcoming trial, there may be greater than sufficient materials to maintain us Canada-bound for the remainder of the season.
Sadly, we’ll seemingly divide our time between Gilead and Canada, which is not precisely dangerous, however it’s not nice both.
With June in Canada, there ought to be a shift within the focus, however it might find yourself being a 50/50 break up.
Nick’s complete subplot for the previous few seasons has been guaranteeing that June is secure, so together with his child mama out of Gilead, there’s not a lot for him to do.
The alliance between Commander Lawrence and Aunt Lydia has potential, but when that storyline does not discover a manner to connect with a extra common overarching plot, then it is unclear what the purpose of that’s both.
The present must comply with the place the characters and storylines want, not the opposite manner round, so let’s hope the writers do as a result of now that June is in Canada, there are such a lot of prospects.
How does she regulate to a considerably regular life? What does that transition seem like?
June: You may’t make me depart with out Hannah.
Moira: Hannah?
June: You may’t make me depart with out her, Moira.
Moira: The place is she?
June: You may’t make me depart with out her. I don’t know.
Moira: Hannah.
June: I don’t know. I’ve to get again to her.
Moira: You don’t know. What do you imply you don’t know? How are you going to get to her, huh? Take a look at you, you piece of shit. You don’t even know the place she is. How are you going to search out her?
June: They took her due to me. She was so scared. She was so scared.
Moira: She’s safer with out you. They’re gonna search for you. They’re gonna hunt you down, and so they’re gonna kill you. They usually’ll kill you in entrance of her. You wish to assist her? You permit her the hell behind, and also you include me. You wish to combat them? You combat them from Canada. We’ll allow you to. The Canadians will allow you to. The American authorities, no matter’s fucking left of it, is in Canada. They’ll allow you to. I’ll be there. Luke, Emily, Rita, everybody who loves you is there. Nichole, Nichole is there.
June: Is she OK?
Moira: Sure, she wants you. She’s rising up, and she or he’s wonderful, however she wants you since you’re her mom. You’re her mom, OK. Come on, June. Come on.
What does her marriage with Luke seem like now? Are they nonetheless collectively? And the way does her previous with Nick influence them as a pair?
How does June react to the Waterfords’ upcoming trial and Serena’s being pregnant? Extra importantly, what’s going to occur on the trial?
There are such a lot of thrilling locations the story can go from right here, and I can not anticipate the ultimate 4 episodes of the season.
This installment wasn’t nearly June, as Moira performed a fairly vital function in getting her finest good friend out of Gilead.
It is comprehensible why Moira broke the foundations and smuggled June out.
All of us have individuals we might threat something and every thing for, and in Moira’s footwear, most of us would do the identical factor.
Nevertheless, on a bigger scale, it wasn’t essentially the proper name.
Moira’s actions put the NGO’s future in jeopardy, and her stunt may imply no extra meals, drugs, or assist of any sort to the war-torn People.
As Oona rightfully identified, one individual’s life, even somebody as outstanding as June Osborne, is not well worth the lives of everybody else.
Oona: After we get again we will work on making an attempt to get her out.
Moira: No, no, fuck that.
Oona: I don’t have time for this.
Moira: Oona, she’s damage. She’s not gonna final every week right here.
Oona: Look, I get that that is laborious.
Moira: No, not laborious. It’s life or loss of life.
Oona: For everybody, not simply you and never simply her.
Moira: She’s my finest good friend, Oona.
Oona: Gilead finds out we took her, no extra missions, no extra meals, no extra drugs, nothing for any of those individuals. You suppose June is extra essential than each one among them? I’m sorry.
In principle, Moira understands this, however when she got here face-to-face along with her finest good friend, she wasn’t occupied with everybody else; she was occupied with how she could not depart June behind, not once more.
Her finest good friend was standing proper in entrance of her in determined want of assist, and there was no manner Moira was going to go away Gilead as soon as once more with out June.
Moira had already finished that after earlier than, and it almost broke her.
She couldn’t undergo that once more, so she snuck June onto the boat and compelled her former girlfriend to hide June.
Once more, it was one thing most of us would have finished for a liked one, so it is laborious to fault Moira.
There wasn’t a clear-cut answer to this downside, however Moira did what was finest for her and June.
It might have dire penalties for the individuals in Chicago and past, however that did not even register when Moira made her resolution.
And if it had, it in all probability would not have made a distinction.
Moira: You’re the one who determined to save lots of her.
Oona: Since you put me able the place I needed to both save her or kill her.
Moira: You couldn’t have anticipated me to go away her behind.
Oona: You don’t suppose I’ve ever needed to depart anybody behind. Each mission, you don’t suppose I’ve needed to make laborious decisions, decisions that preserve me up at evening, that I remorse each single day.
Moira: I’m sorry. I want it didn’t should be about us.
Oona: Let’s not make this last more than it has to.
Moira: We are able to nonetheless speak on the workplace.
Oona: There’s not gonna be an workplace after this.
One life will not be price tons of or hundreds or thousands and thousands, however at that second, none of that registers.
The potential influence of smuggling June out of Gilead is unsure and off sooner or later, whereas June would in all probability die or be killed if Moira left her behind.
It is too late for Moira and the others to play what-if now, and so they’ll should be taught to reside with the implications.
What which means for the NGO’s future is unclear, however Moira and Oona’s relationship is over.
Moira put Oona in a horrible place, even when it was for the proper causes.
She put her personal desires and needs earlier than her girlfriend’s, understanding may price Oona every thing she’s spent years working towards.
It was the proper resolution for Moira however the unsuitable one for her relationship, so we will not blame Oona for ending issues. Perhaps in time, they will reconcile, however for now, Moira and Oona are finished.
Some stray ideas:
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Since June is a fugitive handmaid and answerable for rescuing all these kids, are we alleged to consider the port authority inspectors had no thought what Gilead’s most needed regarded like? Escaping on an assist employee boat to Canada could also be just a little farfetched, however would not officers have circulated her picture?
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What occurred to Janine? Is she alive? Lifeless? Badly injured? We by no means came upon, and inquiring minds
needhave to know.
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Would not the arrival of June Osborne on Canadian soil draw a crowd of some type? Whether or not you like or hate her, the media would have a subject day along with her arrival. I can see the headline now: Angel Flight Chief Arrives in Canada.
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It was heartbreaking to look at these People banging exterior the obstacles, begging the help staff to save lots of them. I do not suppose I may reside with the guilt of leaving all these poor helpless individuals behind.
So what did you suppose Handmaid’s Story Fanatics?
What are your ideas on June making it to Canada?
What do you wish to see occur subsequent?
Did Moira do the proper factor?
Do not forget to hit the feedback beneath to let me know your ideas. In the event you missed the most recent episode, keep in mind you may watch The Handmaid’s Tale online at TV Fanatic.
Jessica Lerner is a employees author for TV Fanatic. Observe her on Twitter.