Episode 605 – Janine
“June and Moira go undercover. Serena and Nick make consequential choices.”
Writer: Ubah Mohamed
Director: Natalia Leite
At Mayday’s ski lodge headquarters, we see June and Moira dressed as Marthas and Luke as an Economan as they gear up for their mission into Gilead. After their emotional conversation at the end of the previous episode, June and Luke are committed to fighting Gilead together. They seal their commitment with a passionate kiss just before Luke closes the compartment door to hide June and Moira inside the delivery truck. Going in together appears to make each of them even braver than before. There is a gorgeous overhead shot of three dirt roads all converging in the center, symbolic of their paths for revenge coming together.
Back at Nick’s house, his father-in-law, Commander Wharton is pressing him about security. He starts to bring up the “incident” in No Man’s Land where two Guardians were shot. Though Nick tries to deflect by saying he has already opened an investigation, Wharton seems suspicious. Nick points out that one victim is dead, and the other is hospitalized in a coma and not expected to recover, but Wharton cuts him off and drops the bomb that the one victim has shown “remarkable signs of improvement.” UH-OH. “He could identify whoever committed this brazen act.”
Down the street at Serena’s house, Aunt Lydia is paying her a visit. Serena asks what she imagined would happen to the handmaids, and Aunt Lydia’s asserts that she was promised they would “become respected members of society.” She presses Serena to ask what she thought would happen to them or if she thought about them at all, but Serena confesses that she didn’t think about it; she was focused on surviving and trying to have a child. Typical conservative/white women behavior: only worrying about themselves and not thinking about how their actions directly oppress marginalized communities. Serena proposes a new idea: they could open a new fertility center in New Bethlehem where handmaids could retire and become attendants at the center. Lydia is floored, replying “that isn’t a brand, it is a divine calling.” Just then, a large pink floral arrangement is delivered. Upon reading the card aloud, we learn that Wharton has requested to see Serena before her escorts Rose to DC that evening. Lydia is using her thinking cap and points out that he would be an excellent resource for their new idea, particularly as a potential new husband for Serena.
Mayday’s truck arrives at Jezebel’s. Luckily for June and Moira, Marthas are now masked. June would most DEFINITELY be recognized. They search the dressing room for Janine, until they’re told that she’s upstairs “pregaming” with the Commanders. The guy I’ve been calling Mr. Sleazeball Commander, is apparently Commander Bell and one of the other Jezebels says that he’s obsessed with Janine. Moira and June head up to the penthouse under the guise of cleaning before the commanders arrive. A few women are already there waiting, and Janine comes in singing and is startled to see June and Moira there. They slyly let her know that they have a plan to get them out next week. The commanders arrive and Janine turns on her acting skills. Commander Bell disgustingly plays a game to humiliate June. Without knowing who she is, Commander Lawrence stops it and helps her leave the room before it goes any further.
Nick pays a visit to one of his victims, named Toby, in the hospital. Apparently he has been waking and mumbling occasionally. Toby’s mom ironically calls Nick a man of honor. Nick offers to stay with him so she can leave. When Toby wakes, Nick is relieved to find that he does not recognize him, yet anyway. Instead of leaving, Nick goes back into the room and locks the door. Yeah…..saw that one coming a mile away.
The commanders, draped in women at Jezebels, are discussing the success of the family reunions in New Bethlehem. Lawrence indicates that it could double in size within a year and that he has already begun locating sites for potential new settlements. Janine pretends to show interest in Lawrence, which enrages Bell who intends to hit Janine. Lawrence stands up and insists that he’ll “take her”, further setting off Bell. Lawrence asserts his dominance, even saying that no one respects Bell. Once alone, Janine thanks Lawrence for getting her out of there, but points out he’s still not a good guy. She shows him where there’s a hidden peephole behind a painting. After Janine leaves to go find June and Moira, Lawrence spies on the other commanders through the peephole and learns that they don’t respect him as much as he believed. They intend to use Lawrence and New Bethlehem to bring as many refugees back into Gilead over the next three years as possible, then shutdown New Bethlehem, close the border, and bring traditional Gilead back in full force. Bell then suggests they put Lawrence on The Wall, but another commander says that he’ll fall in line as he always does. Eventually, they agree with Bell; all the while, Lawrence hears the entire exchange.
Janine finds June and Moira in another room where she runs to embrace them. They fill her in on Mayday’s plan and ask her to inform the other women. Janine gives them intel that a secret elevator has been installed that goes straight from the garage up to the penthouse and gives them the code. Just before leaving, June tries to change course and says they can get Janine out right then and there. Moira pushes back, knowing that it will ruin the plan, but June feels so much love and responsibility for Janine, that she feels like she can’t lose an opportunity to finally save her and get her out of Gilead. Thankfully, Janine insists on helping to get out the other girls.
Once Janine leaves June and Moira alone, we get one of my favorite scenes of the whole season. Moira calls out June for her irresponsible and selfish behavior. June starts going on about all she has been through with Janine, and Moira thankfully interrupts her saying “Your guilt, your feelings, your friends, your trauma, you, you, you. Do you have any idea how fucking sick of you I am?” Somehow, June is able to listen and take a step back to ask her to tell her more. Moira asks “Do I get to have PTSD? Huh? Do I get to have guilt, friends, trauma, especially here in this fucking place, in fucking Jezebel’s where I’m the one who every single night got raped and beaten? Because I gotta tell you, being a fucking handmaid looked like fucking heaven compared to what I had to go through in this place.” June acknowledges that she’ll never understand what Moira went through. Moira says, “you were raped and so was I. You were beaten and so was I. You were tortured and so was I. I guess the point is, none of that should have ever happened to either of us.”
They are having a tender moment and June apologizes before a Guardian enters and locks the room. He sees the elevator code written and says they’re in big trouble for having written materials. He locks the code into a safe, and tells Moira that if she wants it back, she needs to get on the bed. He very violently attempts to rape her. The look on Moira’s face completely guts me. She and June share a knowing look and then Moira is able to shove him off. They get into a brutal fight with him and manage to kill him with their bare hands and objects around the hotel room. June tries to open the safe but it’s no use. If the Guardian doesn’t show up for his check-in, they could shut things down. They also know they can’t leave the body there. Good thing the Marthas at Jezebel’s have a well-oiled system to get rid of those (looking at you, Commander Winslow).
Serena arrives at a darkened library where Commander Wharton surprises her. He says she inspired him to build a library for boys AND girls to learn to read in New Bethlehem. He even asks for her input in naming the library. When he has her look through the plans, she flips to a rendering of the sign that reads: “Serena Joy & Gabriel Wharton Library”. Ummmm….is Serena getting my dream proposal in Gilead?! A man building her a library and proposing surrounded by books!? (minus the horrific theocracy part). Serena says she didn’t return to Gilead to get married. Wharton says, “I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but Fred tried to erase the best parts of you, and I’d never do that; I want all of you.” Serena gives a laundry list of assertions of things she will and won’t do including that she will never stop writing. She asks if he’s sure he would be happy raising another man’s child. When he says he would be honored, Serena is crying tears of joy (no pun intended). He finally drops down on one knee and pops the question, and of course she says yes. This man has changed his mind about Gilead’s ways very quickly in an effort to please Serena. It all seems a bit too good to be true.
June and Moira have hidden the dead body in a laundry cart and are trying to sneak it down to the basement. Meanwhile, Luke and Mayday’s leader arrive in the delivery truck, and a Guardian demands they get out of the truck. They’re running behind schedule, so Moira and June rush to get the body into the incinerator. Luke is trying to stall with the Guardian, when June stops at the door upon seeing them. He punches Luke; June and Moira know they have to run. In the parking garage they stumble upon Lawrence getting into his car, and June jumps out in front of the car to stop him. Uh, she’s done this before. And once again he agrees to help and hides them in his trunk. The last time she pulled this stunt after helping Emily escape with Nichole/Holly, he took her to see Hannah. Where in the hell could he possibly take June and Moira now?
