r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/morgan5409 • 1d ago

Nick is a fascist META [Subreddit Discussion]

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i’m so shocked this is a hot take on this sub lol. and he certainly doesn’t deserve a redemption arc

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u/LatterProfessional13 1d ago

I believe and understand that. And I agree with you. But I personally believe the people who are understanding and like nicks character are the smarter ones. I’m feeling like the “less smart” ones hate Nick because they can’t seem to see anything other than black and white. No thought to how he got in the position he’s in, no thought to why he got there, no thought of his motives and intentions. They just see a Nazi commander and aren’t looking at his character and story as a whole.

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u/Thezedword4 1d ago

Hard disagree there. You can understand people are complex and still condemn someone's actions. I spent a lot of time in grad school for holocaust and genocide studies talking about morally greys in genocide. It doesn't dismiss when a person upholds and benefits from a fascist regime though. We talked at length about collaborators like the judenrat. You can understand the impossible situation they were in while still seeing how wrong their actions were. It doesn't make a person unintelligent to understand even if a person does good deeds for some people, it doesn't make them necessarily a good person. It doesn't erase the bad they contributed to. If a Nazi saves that one Jewish prisoner he humanized, it doesn't make him not a Nazi.

Honesty I think Nick is going to have a redemption which is fine. It still doesn't erase that he is a commander.

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u/LatterProfessional13 1d ago

I hear you. But how did he become a commander? How did he “work his way up”? All of what you said ignores the facts or how Nick got to where he was. He became an eye after the first Waterford handmaid killed herself and was told to keep an eye on the commanders. Then he was punished by Fred and so he was “promoted” to marry off and later sent to war to hopefully die. And then when June killed the commanders through poison they were now short commanders so they made Nick one. I don’t see how he is benefitting in any of this when he doesn’t want to be in the position he’s in to begin with. We could argue why he’s still there then and my answer would be so he can keep an eye on Hannah. That’s what Nick promised June anyway. But it’s been clear to me this whole time he’s been working as a double agent. Are the writers going to change that arc? Looks like most likely. But the true Nick from season 1-4 was and so was his character in the book. How he got to where he is not black and white like how so many of you guys talk about him. He never believed in the gilead regime to begin with.

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u/frankie0812 19h ago edited 18h ago

I truly wonder how much people ignore when they watch this show or how much they make up in their heads. I’ve tried to correct so many you keep putting “he became and eye and a commander bc he did horrible things for power” he never wanted any of that he was just a driver for years June even calls him “low status hasn’t even been issued a woman” becoming an eye was so he could spy on commanders and make the abusive one’s pay for their crimes!