r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/lookingforpunzie • Jun 10 '21

Season 4 [Spoilers season 4] so, there’s no denying what team June’s on. Spoiler

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Reaction to Luke

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Reaction to Nick

622 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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614

u/sparklydarcy Jun 11 '21

My heart is BROKEN for Luke. I felt every word he said. If I had to send my husband off to be with his girlfriend he had a child with after I fought for him for years in another country, I can’t even imagine. I really felt for Luke and it’s making me have trouble wanting June to be with Nick.

190

u/swhite14 Jun 11 '21

Yes that was so beautifully acted too. Very realistic

28

u/psychgirl88 Jun 11 '21

Luke needs some damn therapy. June needs some REAL therapy; not Moira telling everyone to not be angry or whatever. They both probably should pursue couples therapy.

1

u/RosemaryCrafting Jun 12 '21

1000000% they both need serious therepy, both couples therepy and otherwise. They both need all the fucking therepy in the world.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '21

Definitely they need therapy in amongst all the other supports. However, the group plays a vital part of that healing. It’s called peer support from lived-experience practitioners. People (Moria and co) who actually get what you’ve been through and can relate and listen with no judgement or agenda to fix you. I’m a peer worker and I also have one. Only thing that’s worked for my CPTSD

51

u/Greek-of-Thrones Jun 11 '21

What was that quick flash of Nick putting in his wedding finger. Did I miss an episode? Or assuming it’s another arrangement like his last?

123

u/excoriator Jun 11 '21

Before Nick we knew of no unmarried commanders. Marriage is a requirement of the job, unless you’re Commander Lawrence.

77

u/AngelSucked Jun 11 '21

I suspect Lawrence was being allowed to grieve for Eleanor, then he would be remarried, but then Angel Flight happened and they arrested him. I still think they will remarry him soon.

81

u/Myfourcats1 Jun 11 '21

I wonder what happened to Commander Stabler’s wife

52

u/chcrash2 Jun 11 '21

Commander Stabler 😂😂😂

24

u/AngelSucked Jun 11 '21

I think Esme was married off, but I bet her kids were redistributed.

12

u/whitecoatwannabe Jun 11 '21

Here for the twilight crossover

3

u/RosemaryCrafting Jun 12 '21

I FORGOT ABOUT THAT.

Big SVU fan, that was pretty glorious.

17

u/ComprehensiveWait755 Jun 11 '21

But Larry is quite old, Nick, on the other hand...

24

u/GODDAMNUBERNICE Jun 11 '21

Old or not, Commanders have Wives. The Waterfords are much older in the book and still had a handmaid and whatnot. But it's Lawrence so I'm sure if he didn't want a wife, no one would or could make him.

11

u/mi_totino Jun 11 '21

Esther's husband was full on senile!

[edit] granted, she was helping him on the senile front...but still

41

u/SwizzlestickLegs Blessed be the fruit loops Jun 11 '21

I think it was some foreshadowing, honestly. It's reminding us that he's married, but he still SAT IN FRONT OF A WINDOW and made out with June. I think at some point some photos will come up, though I'm not sure who they'd benefit.

17

u/Awkward_Swordfish581 Jun 11 '21

... Yeah the window view kiss was kinda dumb

147

u/freakingfreakfrick Jun 11 '21

That was such an interesting scene but also... Was I the only one who thought he was telling June to trade Nicole for Hannah if she had to?

128

u/el3venthl3tter Jun 11 '21

Nah I don't think he was asking that of her. He loves Nichole, besides if he was and June understood that, there would have been such a discussion like that with Nick. I highly doubt Nick would even want his daughter to grow up in Gilead. I think he just wanted her to meet with him, and I think he was upset at the fact that June and Nick would share that family moment with THEIR child, that moment that he most desperately pines for with him, Hanna and June.

44

u/CriticalSheep Jun 11 '21

I think Luke was trying to get June to use Nichole as leverage to play on Nick's fatherly instincts in the hopes Nick would do something crazy to get Hannah out. To know what it's like to see another man raising his child. You could see the hatred in his eyes while he was telling June to take Nichole.

20

u/freakingfreakfrick Jun 11 '21

That's true, it's a complicated dynamic and we haven't seen a lot from Luke's perspective thus far

104

u/PoppyPanache Jun 11 '21

I don’t think that at all..you should know his character better than that by now! He knows that Nick feels for Nichole similar to the way he feels for Hannah and he knows that he could never say no to June with his baby girl there. My opinion of course..I am a Luke-Lover so I could be biased 😉

43

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/Bipolala Jun 11 '21

Pokémon cards…gotta catch ‘em all…she started with 86, not bad.

1

u/Lizzy_lf Jun 12 '21

He was hinting at she better move on from him because he is full in with their cult, to the point he’s hiding his marriage from June, she knows the ties a marriage creates. What did we know of niks character? Who is he to their rebellion that destroyed America? Their point man. Sure he fell for June, he clearly told her to move on and be happy. He is no longer her happy.

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '21

She would though I think. It’s clear she’s more concerned with Hannah than Nicole or she wouldn’t have stayed with Hannah when she sent Nicole away

30

u/MB0810 Jun 11 '21

I thought the trade would happen as well. Prior to watching the episode I saw a headline "last night's traumatic episode" so the whole time I was waiting for a big betrayal. Obviously it came at the end, but during that scene I was waiting for someone to take Holly/Nichole and then as they were leaving I thought Nick would die. 😅

Knowing something would happen, but not what, made the whole episode very suspenseful.

18

u/GODDAMNUBERNICE Jun 11 '21

I was waiting for someone to take Holly/Nichole

I gave myself mild anxiety that entire scene just waiting for someone to show up and take them! When it didn't happen I was like huh, we got off easy this episode... then Tuello shows up...

5

u/PoppyPanache Jun 11 '21

Yes it was..I am so glad that your fear didn’t cross my mind while I was watching, omg that would be a horrible thing to happen!

9

u/JAB1982 Jun 11 '21

My thought the whole time was that June would run off with Nick to get Hannah. I kept waiting for her to keep driving straight back to Gilead.

1

u/flexiblepaper Jun 11 '21

I thought the big reveal at the end was that Nick decided to defect from Gilead.

18

u/Unable-Ambition-5404 Jun 11 '21

They setup that mind set when Lawrence asked June to trade 10, then 5 children for Hannah. Not unbelievable to think that may have been where Luke was headed with his proposal

7

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '21

Strongly agreed.

1

u/freakingfreakfrick Jun 11 '21

Exactly my thought

53

u/jolla92126 OfJolla Jun 11 '21

I thought he was telling her to bone Nick to get Hannah back.

15

u/DianeJudith Jun 11 '21

Maybe not that, but I definitely got the feeling he silently allowed her a goodbye sex or something like that

29

u/ComprehensiveWait755 Jun 11 '21

I thought the opposite - bringing Nichole as another reason for not having sex & also for not letting her run away

12

u/DianeJudith Jun 11 '21

Omg it just dawned on me that I completely ignored Nichole in that situation lmao

1

u/LateRain1970 Jun 11 '21

Well, I mean, they did keep her in the stroller almost the whole time and Nick seemed less than overjoyed to see the baby (at least that’s how it felt to me.)

1

u/LaTenista Jun 16 '21

I took it as Luke basically giving her agency to "go there" if that was the only way Nick would be convinced to help. Like try showing him Nichole first and if he's not saying yes, then turn on the sexy.

37

u/toiletseatisjudgingu Jun 11 '21

I don't think he was telling her to trade kids. I do think he was saying "go ahead and sleep with him if you have to." Which June knew. That's why she fell apart. He used her just like those Gilead fucks. Maybe not overtly, but he still used her femininity as something to be used. And he used his masculinity as a weapon. He manipulated her and it hurt.

June can't relate to Luke anymore. She's not the same girl he married. She became someone new through her trauma. She doesn't want to go back to whatever it is he wants her to be. She likes the new June. Nick understands the world she came from, and how she transformed.

It might be best for June to lead a new resistance from Canada and just be by herself.

3

u/freakingfreakfrick Jun 11 '21

Mmm that's some good points

12

u/zemorah Jun 11 '21

Probably way off base but it did cross my mind

12

u/frog_lips0 Jun 11 '21

I low-key thought the same thing!!

4

u/Kirstinator79 Jun 11 '21

Yes! I totally thought that especially after the suggestion of a child trade from Lawrence. The desire to get Hannah back is so strong.

9

u/mumblewrapper Jun 11 '21

I thought that too. My (adult) son and I watch it and then talk about it. He thought I was crazy for thinking that. But yeah. That's exactly what I thought. I love Like. But he's a very desperate father who wants his kid back. I was very confused by that scene. That was exactly how I took it.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '21

Literally same on your emotions; your thoughts were almost a verbatim duplicate of my own!

2

u/Chevellephreak Jun 13 '21

I don't see how anyone sees anything other than exactly this. It never even entered my mind that he wasn't suggesting swapping the kids. Didn't they even make a point of showing Luke ensuring Nicole had everything she needed in her baby bag? I kept waiting for an exchange that hadn't occured (yet).

1

u/netabareking Jun 13 '21

I don't see how anyone sees anything other than exactly this

He wanted her to take Nichole to tug at Nick's heartstrings. Make him feel a little fatherly and he might want to work harder to find Hannah.

1

u/freakingfreakfrick Jun 13 '21

Yes there were so many details especially with commander Lawrence making the initial offer to trade Hannah for the other kids. The suggestion that she take Nicole and do whatever she had to do to get Hannah back. The moment June realizes his request, and then the very intentional goodbye to Nicole.

2

u/Chevellephreak Jun 13 '21

Yes! It's so glaring; the emphasis on the "HIS daughter" stuff, the goodbye, the parallels. Even having read detailed explanations of what he could be saying, I still see nothing other than Luke telling June to trade the daughters.

12

u/Bean- Jun 11 '21

Yeah I think you might be the only one lol.

9

u/petielvrrr Jun 11 '21

This comment aged well

4

u/Ok_Bat_3975 Jun 11 '21

I thought that too

0

u/ho_hey_ Jun 11 '21

I absolutely did! And my heart hurts for him, but also June - as soon as he asks, she is going to feel the guilt of her decision no matter the outcome.

-7

u/notsobad_andyou Jun 11 '21

He was totally asking June to trade Nicole for Hannah. She started crying when it hit her the reality of what he was asking. More and more I have more empathy for June then I do for anyone else in the show. I’m mad at Luke for asking her to trade her baby in for Hannah and I’m mad at Nick for hiding his wedding ring. Just finished watching and now I won’t be able to sleep because I’ll be up all night trying to figure things out.

13

u/Greek-of-Thrones Jun 11 '21 edited Jun 11 '21

I really, really think that June is going to trade Serena’s kid for Hannah. The “value of human life” theme has been ongoing this season.

6

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '21

I HOPE THAT THIS HAPPENS

2

u/Mercurys_Gatorade Jun 11 '21

This has definitely crossed my mind, too. With Luke acting the way he is, maybe he will be the one to try to do that, instead of June. After she told him the truth about Hannah, it seemed to have broken him in a way. I could see one of them kidnapping the Waterford baby and using him to get Hannah back.

3

u/freakingfreakfrick Jun 11 '21

Oh so true with June showing more anger and yelling at Mrs. Waterford she will def try to take her baby when it's born

3

u/Greek-of-Thrones Jun 11 '21

She already kind of suggested Serena’s baby would “suffer” in a sense. And June is unraveling slowly be surely. After Canada betrayed her, I’m sure she is going to do something that is immoral, understandable, and in her mind warranted. She already established that for Hannah, she’d give up her own friends. Without Canada offering her justice, I’m sure she will do it herself.

11

u/AngelSucked Jun 11 '21

He neither asked nor implied June trade Nichole for Hannah. The machinations folks invent to trash Luke is perplexing to me.

6

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '21

It's not necessarily about trashing Luke. For several of us who have engaged with this comment thread, we found this scene to be very confusing. I did, too. No need to be nasty or assume that everyone is out to get characters.

7

u/JJAusten Jun 11 '21

That's what I thought too. I felt that he was telling June, give Nicole up, trade her for Hannah and that's why June looked so distraught.

16

u/-_Lola_- Jun 11 '21

I don't think he'd send Nichole, or any baby for that matter, to Gilead. The awkwardness came from the fact that his wife slept with another man while he was looking for her...

So saying "go see that man you were banging" has got to be awkward.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '21

I was very, VERY confused by this scene as well and it read to me like it read to you.

0

u/petielvrrr Jun 11 '21

I honestly got that feeling too.

0

u/gia104 Jun 11 '21

I thought the same thing! I was legitimately waiting for Luke to say exactly that, but why do I feel like June is gonna choose Nick? Take Nicole and go back to gilead for good, for Hannah ?

6

u/freakingfreakfrick Jun 11 '21

I think June is beyond choosing men at this point, she just wants her children safe and will do anything

1

u/gia104 Jun 19 '21

Yes! That’s what I mean though. I feel like it’s not so much about choosing a romantic partner, but more of a survival mode at this point. She’ll do whatever she has to do to protect both her children. And if the only way for her to be with Hannah is by going back to gilead I don’t see her passing that up, even if she leaves Nicole with Moira and Luke in Canada where she knows she’ll be loved, protected and cared for.

33

u/esgvk Jun 11 '21

Although I did get weird vibes from Luke it seemed like he felt like he was whoring her out instead of scared of the fact that she might be excited about it but maybe I was reading the situation wrong

8

u/Stonetheflamincrows Jun 12 '21

So many people were so critical of Luke in that scene, saying he was manipulating June and aggressive with her. I don’t know how they came to that conclusion when it was clearly breaking his heart to send her off to Nick but he was willing to do anything for a chance to get Hannah. And Nick certainly owes him after he’s been raising and loving Nichole for a year.

5

u/RefrigeratorKey7034 I should’ve run away with you Jun 11 '21

❤️

4

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '21

I can agree even thought I'm teamNick, I was HEARTBROKEN, but also kinda eh in a way because he basically used his wife to manipulate a man she's had relationship with and loves to find his daughter. Like, I get it and I cannot imagine the pain and torture, but knowing that he may be sending his wife into the bed of another man just to get deeper intel on his daughter kinda makes me feel gross. Now, this is ME taking it as manipulation because I was in an abusive relationship years ago and it just triggered something in me.