June has been through hell, but thanks to the love of two men, she’s moving away from the boiling point and leaving her heart behind again.
In the last scene, we saw that June wouldn’t travel alone. Instead, Serena will join her to find a safe place.
For those who have always known that June was the only one who could save Serena, the ending of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Episode 10 was a pleasant surprise. Just getting to that point was a long journey.
After the gunfire at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Episode 9 and the growing danger from Gilead, June felt like every step she took could be her last.
Even though the windows in our homes are made of glass, we still feel safe. Every shot of June sitting comfortably in front of a window reminded me how vulnerable we are in the places we call home.
Inside, June’s safety wasn’t at risk, though. She was hit in the street when she left the safety of her home. After everything she’s been through in The Handmaid’s Tale, it was shocking how violent the attack was.
We can see June fighting against Gilead’s oppression, and while her struggles affect us, we don’t feel the need to act right away. It could happen, but we’re safe for now.
But that big truck, whose engine was revving, and the nasty man inside hit home. As tensions rise worldwide and disagreement and debate are stifled, people are becoming less tolerant of other points of view, and the threat of violence looms as large as the truck rolling over June and coming back for more.
In line with this unsettling feeling, Luke becomes the target for getting rid of the threat when he saves his wife in a heroic way. For some, the driver spoke for them when he said they didn’t want to watch as tensions against the refugees grew.
It’s a horrible way to end their time in Canada, but it sounds more accurate than the idea that a diverse group would be welcomed with open arms and no questions asked.
When their lives are in danger, it’s too easy for people to turn a blind eye to the problems of others.
I’ve always wondered what the Americans have been doing while their people have been forced to live in Gilead, a violent and oppressive place. It never seems like much.
Don’t Look Back is the tenth episode of Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Mark is the only American representative in Canada. This shows that they’re already doing too much to make a difference, and their recent loss in a rescue attempt inside Gilead’s borders didn’t give them much hope.
During “Safe,” what happened inside Gilead drove that point home.
Commander Lawrence, who used to be nice, has stopped being friendly to Joseph. Instead, he has taken a stricter stance and is once again considered one of the guys who are part of the Gilead system.
Commander Lawrence said he had nothing to do with the attack on June’s life, but it was a stark reminder to Nick that the men he works with are nothing but power-hungry animals who will put anyone in danger to keep their power and authority.
Mark is the only American representative in Canada. This shows that they’re already doing too much to make a difference, and their recent loss in a rescue attempt inside Gilead’s borders didn’t give them much hope.
During “Safe,” what happened inside Gilead drove that point home.
Commander Lawrence, who used to be nice, has stopped being friendly to Joseph. Instead, he has taken a stricter stance and is once again considered one of the guys who is part of the Gilead system.
Commander Lawrence said he had nothing to do with the attack on June’s life, but it was a stark reminder to Nick that the men he works with are nothing but power-hungry animals who will put anyone in danger to keep their power and authority.
June’s harsh words hurt Joseph, and he seemed determined to eliminate any part of the person he had become since his wife died. That doesn’t look good for Mrs. Lawrence, who is already in office.
Naomi seemed to know that she shouldn’t marry the man who killed her husband in front of her, but as their wedding day went on, she changed her mind.
Still, it was surprising that Naomi almost welcomed Janine with open arms when she was sent back after Aunt Lydia realized she had been caught coddling the girl.
Naomi has always done what Serena does. It’s been hard to figure out what makes her go. Even though Janine caused trouble for Naomi’s family in many ways (and I know how strange this sounds to people who don’t live in Gilead), Naomi never turned her back on the woman who had given her a child.
Even though Serena and Naomi couldn’t give birth themselves, it’s hard to believe that they could think that other women who could give birth but weren’t part of the Gilead system were unfit.
I’ve heard that the desire to be a mother is robust and that the idea that you can’t have children can be unfortunate. In Gilead, women had to wear blinders so that children could get through the system. How else could they say taking kids away from their mothers was okay?
When Janine’s love for Angela saved her life, Naomi opened the door a little and gave her limited access to her loved daughter to keep Angela safe, healthy, and happy.
That showed that until a woman is in the same situation as Serena, she won’t fully understand the maternal instinct or be able to show kindness like a mother’s love. Without that, she doesn’t have much to offer.
Nick no longer believes in Gilead because of how these things have turned out. When he made a deal with Mark to give information to the Americans, he probably didn’t even know how much he was getting out of it.
The biggest mistake the commanders of Gilead have made is underestimating June Osborne’s power over those left behind. Nick’s world has been shaken by the attempt to break her apart, and the supporting players on which the commander system depends have also come to life.
The same men who told June’s story didn’t see how going after her would make things worse for them. All around them, things are going wrong. They might feel in charge for a while, but as cracks grow in their system, they will lose the power they value.
For now, Janine is muzzled and thrown in the back of a van, which we haven’t seen in a while. Nick is in prison because he hit Joseph. Luke is in Canadian custody because he was brave enough to stop a man from killing his wife.
The scene at that train station brought back many painful memories from the past, and the truth is that we don’t know what will happen next. Like June’s head in a window, it doesn’t feel safe to be on that train. It feels dangerous and worries me.
As things get worse, can Gilead let so many Americans leave Canada on one train without doing anything to stop them? We can’t think that June and Serena are better off than their other friends just because they aren’t muzzled and locked up.
But we can be sure that the two mothers on the run will stand together against the world when they are finally together.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5’s ending is the most powerful one yet, because two women who have fought against and sometimes for each other for years are now, against all odds, on the same path.
The set-up was done very well. Serena was not in the finale, and all we knew was that she had gotten away from the Wheelers and was still in the wind. Then June started cooing to Nichole that there was another baby on board, and the focus shifted from her painful departure to a small glimmer of hope.
She’s not alone. She and Serena know each other better than most people do now. People say that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Even so, there is still a chance they could be friends with enemies again.
