Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale Season 5.
In the penultimate episode of The Handmaid's Tale Season 5, titled "Allegiance," Mark Tuello (Sam Jaeger) asks June (Elisabeth Moss) if she's done with Laurence, to which she gives a barely committal response. When he inquires about the current status of her relationship with Nick Blaine (Max Minghella), however, June's response is a curt, "What about him?" But it does bring up a good question: Are Nick and June still allies?
Episode 9 is all about alliances, both breaking them and making them. Serena has escaped the Wheelers, June and Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) are done, while June is now working with her former nemesis. However, Joseph is working with everyone, including his erstwhile victim, Mrs. Putnam (Ever Carradine). Nick is, at least, still keeping up appearances that he is allied toward the good of Gilead. The one alliance in The Handmaid's Tale that is still unclear is the one between estranged co-parents.
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June and Nick Are Currently at an Impasse
We fade in on June looking around for Nick, almost angrily, before finding him smoking on the stoop. He had been issued an even sweeter deal than her, yet he still turned it down, and she demands to know why he expects her to uproot her life and not his. Crestfallen, June acknowledges the primary reason for Nick’s inability to leave: Rose (Carey Cox), his wife, is pregnant. Nick is one of the few fertile men around, and their own daughter, Nicole, is living proof.
“There’s progress under Lawrence. We are making it better,” Nick grittily responds in kind to June’s implication that he would be complicit in sexual crimes. He reminds her that he has to protect his family, just like she has had to, and his tone implies that he has always helped her in the past, so why is she questioning him now? She reassures him that she wants what is best for their families, which could very well be an admission of love, but perhaps not trust. He crosses toward her, wanting to reach for her but stopping himself.
“This is a fine mess, isn’t it?” June asks coquettishly, before proceeding to wish aloud that the world would go away as if she senses that they will kiss. This has been a theme in their relationship as of late: the will-they-or-won’t-they, and the agony of seeing their love for each other juxtaposed against their inability to be together. Moss and Minghella have always shared tangible chemistry, and this scene definitely works with the intrigue that they could, at any moment, display that chemistry for us.
He reminds her that it will be hard for them to see each other before asking June to give his love and regard to their daughter and declaring that he has to go. They exchange pleasantries and inside jokes, and he even ends the conversation with an “I love you.” She nods, making a face that is half happy, half sad, and reciprocates. He reaches toward her and leans in a bit as if he wants to kiss her goodbye but instead, heads for his car, remembering his place in Gilead.
June reminds him that as a father, he is a child’s primary example. Does she mean Nicole, or his unborn child? Her smile says she knows that he will do the right thing, but he looks slightly confused as he walks away from her. Her face falls, and she takes a deep breath before smiling again. This shows us that she does still love Nick and feels happy to be near him again, but also knows deep down that neither of them can be in both worlds.
Nick Also Has the Commanders to Deal With
Back with the Commanders, Nick listens as the other commanders share accolades and even smiles briefly at Joseph’s joke about not being in any club that would have him as a member, before giving them an update on military details. As pleased as they are with their success, Commander Mackenzie (Jason ButlerHarner) still points out that June is a threat that needs to be dealt with. A look of fear washes over Nick’s face. He has to be careful to hide it, especially when Joseph replies that doing away with June is "certainly worth considering."
As well as June, Nick also has Joseph Lawrence to worry about. Nick may be growing discouraged with how Joseph is mucking up June’s plans to bring Nicole to New Bethlehem, but he is limited in what he can do about it. Nick is a Commander now, but in a junior position to Joseph. This does leave him in a good position. Nick may have assassinated Commander Putnam, but it was done at Lawrence’s order. If Nick makes a mistake or is looked at with suspicion, he can blame it on ignorance, deference, or following orders — but being in this position also means he is at Joseph’s whim.
When we see Nick again, he is comforting his wife after an awkward meeting with the other wives. He puts his hand on Rose’s shoulder and Joseph does the same to the former Mrs. Putnam, as she now appears to be married or engaged to Joseph. This would suggest that Joseph does not have the firmest grip on power: a few months prior, he was practically a pariah. He may be making a smart move in marrying Putnam’s widow, but maybe not. Their union could easily sour and Joseph could be back to his degraded state. If this goes badly for him, it can go badly for Nick.
Nick Is Torn Between His Loyalty to June and Rose
Although his declaration of love and the look of horror are clues that he may still be willing to risk his life and position for June, Nick is torn. It seems that he is still painfully in love with and loyal to June, but there are factors that could dissuade him. His loyalty to June may be more tenuous in the future than it is now. He appears to love his wife, Rose, and it may not be the same passionate love that he has for June, but he does care for her and has loyalty to her as a friend and the mother of his child.
However, Nick also now has another child to consider. Rose is pregnant, and her father is a top Commander. She's also been patient thus far with her husband where the mother of his first child is concerned, but at some point, this patience will waver. Even though he has obvious ties to his daughter, Nicole, and ipso facto, June, one has to wonder if those ties will be challenged once the new baby is born. This is a baby that he will likely see and hold much more regularly, and a baby that he can publicly recognize and share a name with, therefore potentially shifting his dynamic with Nicole.
June Is Also Torn Between Nick and Luke
Likewise, June is in conflict. The mention of Nick’s name still sends her swooning, and she presumably risks a lot to see him when she can, but she has Luke. Even though their relationship is tense at times, they seem to be committed to each other. She is also consumed with getting Hannah back. It's unlikely that June would ever go out of her way to harm Nick or put him in a bad position, but it's also moderately feasible that she could live with anyone being collateral if it meant getting Hannah back.
The relationship between June and Nick has always been filled with obstacles. So far, they have overcome them, at least to many extents. Could Nick’s goal to make Gilead safer for children, and June’s inability to get to her child in Gilead, be the challenges that their love cannot overcome in The Handmaid's Tale?
The Handmaid's Tale Season 5 premieres new episodes every Wednesday on Hulu.
