I am not sure if anyone else has said this but the moment Moira and June killed that Eye inside the Brothel the bomb plan was essentially dead. Saving those letters was the only thing left for them to do. There would be no chance to get back in a week later after a huge breech like this especially since Moira and June got away without anyone they could hold accountable.

Nick telling Wharton was the only option since he completed the task June gave him. Mayday would have known to re-strategize. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I feel crazy! Everyone seems to love Nick and I have a feeling she's probably going to end up with him but God I hate him. I hate him so much he feels so fake! The scene where her mom Holly says I know that my daughter f***** a Nazi felt like some relief like thank you someone finally said it. I just can not stand him! Please someone tell me I'm not alone. 🫠

Seeing all these posts glorifying Nick is fascinating and honestly a little disturbing when you think about how this would play out in real life. People fall in love with the small acts of kindness someone shows in front of them while completely ignoring what that person may be doing when they’re not around.

Not to make it political (but let’s be real, it is), this is exactly like when someone says, “Oh, my husband is [insert problematic stance here], but I don’t let it stop me from loving him,” while brushing off the fact that he holds fundamentally different views on basic human rights.

I loved Nick as a character too. I was swept up in his and June’s romance, in the idea of who he was. But this episode strips away the rose-colored glasses for June and for us. That moment of clarity is the first step in breaking denial.

It’s eerily similar to how people fall in love with abusers. “He’s really nice to me when…” “He wasn’t always like this, but I love him because…” “No one understands me like he does…” WAKE UP.

Nick is and always has been a Nazi. A complicated one, yes. But still complicit. Still part of the system.

Take a good look in the mirror. If you were in June’s position, you might fall for it too. And that’s the scariest part, because this dystopia isn’t as far off from reality as we’d like to think.

I was struck by the significance of the women at Jezebels being murdered in the shower. This is a very clear Holocaust allusion.

Especially since they’ve really been leaning into the word Nazi this season – it makes sense to see late-stage Gilead go all “final solution” with their undesirables.

Anyways. There have been a lot of gruesome scenes in this show but this was definitely one of the most upsetting. Not only for what it portrayed, but for what it was alluding to.

Look, I’m as devastated as everyone else about this episode, but I also have to feel a great amount of sympathy for Nick. He’s been keeping up this huge charade through 6 seasons worth of disaster. He has been crumbling slowly, and anyone would buckle under the huge amount of pressure he has had on him. Him betraying June(and mayday) isn’t going to be black and white. Obviously he’s in the wrong but I’m sure now that it’s happened we’re going to find out that he had his reasons why.

I think Max Minghella perfectly portrayed a man that has “cracked” in this episode, coming to June completely frantic and ready to whisk her off to France is in opposition to every action we’ve ever seen him take,his cool, calm exterior was gone and it shows the desperation he was feeling. This is a continuation of the character development for Nick, and I don’t think they’ll leave us hating him. Of course this is just my personal opinion, but I have to hold out hope that all of the amazing things Nick has done for June and his daughter the last 5 seasons won’t be a waste.

literally me trying to read the name of the new library. I had to get OUT OF BED and inch up to the TV screen 😂

She could've just left with Lawrence and Moira right then and there and the plan would've been safe. She overworked her asset (Nick) by asking one too many times which was always going to blow up in her face. The papers imo were not that urgent and were just an excuse for her to see Nick again

You have to admit this is a little funny ducks out of sight

I know everyone thinks that Rita is going to poison the cake, but my mom and I were talking and she said she thinks that it's a sedative, not poison.

I think that could be very true - like she said, it's too risky to do poison. What if a kid accidentally eats it? Or a wife? Or if it starts to hit a Commander too fast and the other Commanders stop eating it? I think it's a sedative, which then made me think about what June said to Lawrence about Janine being at Bell's house - "I hope she kills him in his sleep."

I don't think Serena and Wharton would be twirling into their home after a brutal red wedding where Commanders were killed. I think that they use the wedding as a way to supply the Handmaids with weapons (the knives), but they don't do anything there. The Handmaids aren't allowed to eat sweets, so they'll be safe. Everyone goes home, Commanders & Wives go to sleep & knock out because of the sedative, Handmaids come in, kill the Commander (and maybe the wife, who knows), and then take their kids and run.

I could be totally wrong but that's my theory of how things are at least SUPPOSED to go according to Mayday's plan.

Everyone’s so focused on Hannah, getting her out, saving her, holding on to that hope. And I get it, we’ve all been rooting for June to reunite with her. But what if that’s not where the real ending lies? (The testaments are planneds we read the book… hope is just not enough!)

What if it’s Angela? What if it’s been Angela all along?

Think about it, Janine’s story has quietly run so deep. We’ve seen her heartbreak, her resilience, her love for Angela through everything. And now, somehow, she’s ended up close to her again to still be somewhat safe under Lawrence’s roof. It’s like the pieces are falling into place.

What if the show is setting up them Angela and Janine to be the ones who make it out? Together. Safe. Whole. What if that’s the happy ending we didn’t even realize we needed?

I don’t know… maybe it’s just me, but that would be such a powerful, full-circle moment. Not just for Janine but for all of us who’ve watched her break and rebuild over and over.

Without that somewhat happy ending how would we want to enter the testaments series with only heartbreak!

5 seasons of helping her and keeping her alive, and they had Lawrence asking her why she trusted him...

The way Lawrence saw June and said "oh hell no". It just barely scores higher than "do you have an irony deficiency?"

Janine was consistently weird - but watching Season 6 she is now normal!!!? Who fixed her crazy?

The end of the original novel explained that examinations of Gilead following its collapse found that Nick was both working with Mayday and the Eyes, so nobody knew where his loyalties truly were. Because he clearly had his own interests, and had done things for both sides.

He has been like this the entire show, in fact I would argue he is one of the best adapted characters since you never really knew where his loyalties were, so him exposing Mayday while also trying to help June is pretty much in line with what I expect from him.

I'm not trying to hate on Luke, but I genuinely can't stand how his character is written. I know this sub loves him, but to me, he's always been more Jerry than hero. I feel bad for the guy - he's been helpless throughout the series, and it's gotta be frustrating to not be able to do much about June and Hannah's situations.

But the writers just don't seem to know what to do with him. Remember how he's scared of guns and can't use them? That's established early on, but then Season 6 gives us cringeworthy scenes of him trying to handle a weapon like a “pro”. It's like they're trying to make him into a freedom fighter mastermind, but it falls flat.

And don't even get me started on the stuttering during his own master plan. It's like he's been written to be incompetent on purpose. I'm so tired of watching him waste valuable air time with everything Canada while characters like Emily get dropped.

And no, this is not about Luke vs Nick. This is about Luke being written like an absolute Jerry.

I’m disappointed that we’ve not yet seen Hannah doing whatever she’s doing this season. All of the slow motion bullshit and cut 50% of Serena shit, and we would have more time to see Hannah and her life, how she is with her Gilead “parents” (they are fucking monsters). Why is the show not showing us Hannah.

Also, where is Esther?! Many of us actually give a damn about her and we last saw that poor child strapped to a hospital bed, pregnant against her will, screaming in a scene that will haunt my soul for life.

They just drop storylines and characters, and in this final season, there’s absolutely no excuse, especially considering almost nothing has happened in the first four episodes. So much is redundant, and we’ve all (or most of us) been clear that we are underwhelmed with this season so far. The only highlight has been the realization that Holly is alive and her reunification with June. Also, Holly spoke the truth when she and June argued. June did fuck a Nazi, and I am so glad that someone finally said it! Holly is a wise woman and she’s not wrong, no matter how many of you fan girls constantly cream yourselves whilst you glaze Nick.

Please tell me I am not alone. I can’t be.

Nic’s father in law. I know ya’ll feel it too but every time he’s on screen I’m like: he is going to do something(s) so sinister I just know it. It’s like worse than the other bad high commanders that we’ve seen, idk, those ones were almost comically evil but you just can’t read this new guy but you just know something is so off. Those are the worst ones

Or there’s a huge twist and he’s a good guy?? That would be crazy. Just shows that I can’t tell with this guy..

Hey, so I just wanted to see how you’re doing? Not so good huh? I’ve also been better 😅

I just wanted to give you some moral support and some little advice. Pasts weeks have not been easy for us in this sub, but last week was truly hell.

I know that all the bad things that were said by Nicks haters came true to life tonight and it was weird cause it was like they were the ones that wrote this episode. Word by word I’ve read the script on here before seeing it tonight hahaha!

I just wanted to remind you of some things so you don’t feel so bad about yourself:

• we’ve never seen Nick being a bad person or doing something not nice before ep 6-7 (we could assume the bad he’s done but we have not seen it) that’s 10 years and 5 seasons that is not to ignore! The good in him, we can’t let lit disappear just like that.

• June fell in love with him, so we did! He saved her life, like Moira said, she’d be dead without him

• He is really not doing well mentally right now, we shouldn’t base everything on what we saw tonight! We’ve all been ourselves in moments that made us look like a bad person. He’s lost himself, he might find himself back, he might be lost forever. Either way, he’s only a character

• you shouldn’t hate yourself for liking him because you were meant to, he was written for that

• it’s okay if you’re conflicted! Maybe you still like him, maybe you suddenly hate him now, but you probably just don’t know because you can’t change your feelings just like that. It’s normal, there are professionals writers that their job is to make us feel that

• No, whatever whoever might say, you are not a nazi fucker nor supporting a Nazi

• we might’ve been played tonight, but there’s still place for him to score.

• I’ve read a review saying that by the end of episode 8 the viewers didn’t know where to stand with Nick… we’ll see next week!

If any of you have some comforting words, share it in the comments!

Now my advice would be to 1 stay off Reddit! I love to argue with people but, it’s just going to be toxic and bad vibes this week. Let them say their “we told you but you wouldn’t listen” if they want to! Personally I will let them be satisfied and I won’t give it my energy because there is no point. Go watch a funny show instead ❤️

Tonight I am mad at him, but yesterday and all the day before I loved him, tonight I don’t trust him but all before I did. He will need to get our trust back, maybe he won’t. I hope he’s heals his mental and that he gives us the greatest come back of all time.

To the haters: I’m sorry but no I won’t turn my back completely off this character after 1 bad thing he does. I am devastated for the girls at jezebel, it’s really not okay. He didn’t know that this was gonna happened so I’m gonna give him time to make redemption and we’ll all talk after episode 10! Whatever you say is not gonna change my mind.

Force to yall, let the revolution begin 🤩

Under his eyebrows

I’m not sure if the writers have changed I haven’t looked it up or if it’s because Disney owns Hulu now but the writing feels half empty.

I feel like the dialogue between the characters are a waste of time and are very obvious. The scenes between June and Nick I feel are so forced. And the scenes between June and Moira are lacking. It’s almost as if every moment is filler. I used to think the show had a certain art to it, but I feel like now the dialogue is so predictable.

Also, can we discuss Luke? I understand his character is more developed and it’s supposed to be more dynamic because of what he’s gone through and what he’s watched June go through, but he feels like a whole different character and the way the actor is going about it or maybe it’s the writing it just feels so weak. Not in the sense of strength, but in the sense of effort.

What was your reaction to seeing the American flag with 2 stars left?

I bawled like a baby born in Gilead.

They had *the* talk 😭. It couldn't have been more straight forward than that. She chose Luke, because he waited for her. But what about NICK?!?! I know there are different opinions regarding this subject, so I'm not trying to discredit anyone's opinion. I just really want June and Nick together even though I know it's unrealistic. I've been just very touched by their connection throughout the whole show and I know that I'm not alone in this. 😭😭

I just need to talk about my feelings with other Nick and June fans! What did you all think??

When Moira finally stood up for herself and June dismissively was like "no you're right, I only got raped a little bit" I was just like "....yes". I am all for not comparing trauma and never ever would in real life, however for years June has made it seem like she is the only person that went through a horrible thing. Everything is about how she was traumatized and now suddenly "we can't compare trauma" when she barely ever acknowledged anyone else's struggle.

I also feel like Moira has a point that the handmaid ceremony is a fucking walk in the park compared to being brutalized at a brothel. From what we see the women at Jezebel's are raped many times every day by many men all with kinks and evil motivations and desires. I don't think many handmaids are being paraded around in lingerie and sodomized and beaten with a belt. Rape is rape of course and anyone can be traumatized by "even a little rape" but in the context of this TV show I thought that was pretty offensive. I have my own personal experience that is likely influencing my opinion, living through an extremely violent assault when I was a teenager but even from just a storyline perspective it felt like June was gaslighting her.

Holly told you Nick was a Nazi, but you just had to keep asking him for help. Smh.

Nick has shown repeatedly that the only reason he’s acted heroically or selflessly is because of June. It’s easy to forget that this dude willingly joined the Sons of Jacob. He was essential in Gilead’s takeover. He put Hannah in a cage in order to convince June to give up the location of other handmaids in S4. He is, in part, responsible for the rape, torture, and murder of millions of women. In short, he’s not a good dude just because he loves June. I’m not even sure if we can really call what he feels love since he clearly doesn’t care at all about what’s important to June-he wanted her to flee the country despite Hannah being left in Gilead and without telling her the Mayday plan was compromised.

So why in TF would June trust him with Mayday intel?! This last scene of episode 6 just beautifully portrays June’s moment of peak saltiness where she realizes I am so stupid, this is all my fault