Watching June and Nick in The Handmaid's Tale, I realized some love stories aren’t meant to last forever

While June and Nick's complicated love story in The Handmaid's Tale gave hope in a hopeless Gilead, I knew the couple was not destined for a happy ending.

The characters were tied to opposite sides of the movement, and their loyalties hindered them from being together.

June, who had been a victim of Gilead's strict regime, was turned into a child-bearing slave for the commanders. While she believed that Nick was her key to freedom, as he claimed to oppose and weaken the system from the inside, that was not the case.

She was heartbroken when she learned about Nick's role in Sons of Jacob, which eventually shaped the system that used her and many other women like her. While Nick's death in The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 Episode 9 was tragic, it proved that June's fears were not baseless.

While Nick may have helped her escape, he would never resist the Gilead system openly, and ultimately died due to his conflicting loyalties.

More on their complicated love story in The Handmaid's Tale in our story.

I think Nick's death proves that he was never meant to be with June in The Handmaid's Tale

While Nick claimed to oppose Gilead and its oppressive regime, which is how he started his love story with June in The Handmaid's Tale, I don't think he ever planned on leaving the system behind. Not only did the system benefit him, raising him from the ranks of a driver to that of a commander, but it also ensured that he had access to all the luxuries of the world.

Throughout the show, I was waiting for Nick to finally decide that he would no longer be a puppet in the hands of the Gilead government and reunite with June. The hopeless romantic in me wanted the couple to have their happy ending. But as The Handmaid's Tale progressed and Nick became increasingly involved in his role as Commander, I realised this was a hoax.

While Nick claimed to stand against the system, he secretly knew that he would never break free from it because he was not ready to face the consequences. Breaking free and reuniting with June would mean giving up the luxuries he had and joining the losing side, which was not acceptable to him.

June, on the other hand, also knew that she would never have Nick's loyalties. Even though he helped her escape the system and even helped the Mayday resistance, he would never fully break free from it.

This was finally confirmed in The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 Episode 9 when Nick joins the other commanders, and ultimately his doom, on the plane. His decision to choose the 'winning side' proves that no matter how deep his love was, he would never have given up his title. In the end, he died, but as he would like it, on the 'winning side'.

After Nick's death, I wondered if the couple could have had a happy ending if Nick had chosen to fight against Gilead. But the answer is still likely no because even if Nick had become a resistance fighter, he would still have died fighting for the cause.

In The Handmaid's Tale, it was unlikely that the couple would have a happy ending, no matter the circumstances. In addition, it would have been an utter disservice to June had she ended up with Nick because he directly strengthened the system that oppressed her.

Trending

For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.

Also Read: Why does Nick get arrested in The Handmaid's Tale Season 6?

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback