When The Handmaid’s Tale enthusiasts last left the thrilling series, June (played by Elisabeth Moss) was dealt a critical blow in her fight against Gilead. With the Hulu drama on hold, fans are wondering what season four has in store.
2020 was all set to become a major year for the critically acclaimed series, based on Margaret Atwood’s classic 1984 novel.
Margaret’s highly anticipated sequel, The Testaments, was announced as joint winner of the Booker Prize, and fans have been scouring through the next instalment for clues to June’s fate.
Sadly, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has meant the majority of television series across the US have been put on hold.
Production of The Handmaid’s Tale season four was set to begin early this year, but its star Elisabeth Moss and the other cast and crew will have to wait until the end of the crisis before continuing.
READ MORE: The Handmaid’s Tale season 4: June’s fate sealed by Commander Lawrence
Fans of the gruelling dystopian series are doubly frustrated, as June was left in a dire situation at the conclusion of the previous season.
Despite smuggling over a hundred children out of Gilead, she suffered a gunshot to the stomach and lay bleeding, potentially to death, as the credits rolled.
Some fans took to Reddit to speculate how June could escape a grisly demise at the hands of the oppressive patriarchal police state.
Reddit user starshollow18 posted: “There has been a lot of speculation of just how much June can get away with, how many lives she has etc.”
June has escaped insurmountable odds before, firstly thanks to her prized role as a fertile handmaiden in season one, and later becoming a figurehead in the rebellion against Gilead.
The fan continued: “I think one of the cleverest ways to deal with this is to have Nick, a well-respected commander, pardon her. It seems like the only logical way to bail her out after lots of torture and Gilead stuff.”
Throughout the previous seasons, Nick Blaine (Max Minghella) was a morally ambiguous and elusive presence in the house of June’s master.
He served as the driver for Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes), then developed feelings for June and has just now stepped up in rank to become a commander himself.
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The fan added: “Also, I was super upset about the lack of Nick in S3 and I would love to believe that they were ultra-careful in selecting Nick’s scenes for a reason.
“One of the few scenes he is in is one where several soldiers salute him, adding to his commander image. Maybe this was deliberate?”
Despite fathering June’s second child, Holly, Nick was relegated to a reduced role in the third season, only occasionally exploring his inner conflict as he is made to serve the oppressive regime.
This intriguing theory assumes that his loyalties don’t lie with Gilead, but instead could be working up the ranks in order to eventually pardon June of her rebellious crimes.
