Janine is an important member of The Handmaid's Tale's ensemble and her unknown fate from last season has finally been answered in Season 6.
The Hulu series is a dark and brutal adaptation of Margaret Atwood's classic novel that envisions a dystopian world in which the totalitarian regime of Gilead forces women into servitude.
Janine (played by Madeline Brewer) has been on quite a journey so far, and it's a story that has only gotten more intriguing in The Handmaid's Tale Season 6.
So What Happened to Janine?
In Season 1 of The Handmaid's Tale, Janine was introduced as a new inductee into the Red Centre (the institution that trains handmaids in Gilead) alongside June (Elisabeth Moss).
She was initially resistant to the idea of being a handmaid and rebelled. Over the seasons, this causes her to lose an eye, attempt suicide, be sentenced to death, be sent to the Colonies, and become a handmaid to multiple central male figures.
Having endured all of this, Season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale finds Janine back at the Red Centre under the mentorship of Aunty Lydia (Ann Dowd).
She is soon sent to become the third handmaid of Commander Lawrence, where she is reunited with Naomi Putnam and her daughter, Angela. However, her new role does not go well after Janine can't resist confronting Naomi on her wedding day, resulting in her being sent back to the Red Centre.
Aunt Lydia encourages Janine to ask Naomi for forgiveness, but she refuses and is last seen being dragged away by two of Gilead's Eyes and thrown in the back of a truck, with her destination unknown.
Did Janine Die in Handmaid's Tale?
Following the ending for Janine in Season 5, many have wondered what happened to her and whether she might return in the sixth and final season.
The last the audience saw of the handmaid she was alive, and there was no mention of whether she was being sent to her death or not.
However, Season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale reveals that Janine is, in fact, alive.
The teaser trailer for The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 had hinted at Janine's return, but Madeline Brewer's return as her character in Episode 3 confirmed it.
Did Janine Escape Gilead?
Janine has been a constant conspirator with June and the other handmaids to escape the oppression of Gilead.
In Season 4 of The Handmaid's Tale, June and Janine succeed in escaping Gilead by staging an escape attempt while they are being transported to the Magdalene Colony.
The duo managed to get onto a train headed to Chicago and join a camp of American fighters. The two are separated after Gilead bombs Chicago and June heads for Canada, while it's unclear whether Janine survives.
Unfortunately, Janine's freedom from Gilead was short-lived. She is next seen recaptured by Gilead and returned to the Red Centre with Aunt Lydia.
Whether she could have escaped her captors again at the end of Season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale is a question many audience members had.
Where Is Janine In Handmaid's Tale Season 6?
While Janine is confirmed to be alive in The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 (which has been described as a "war cry of hope" by the cast), she is not exactly in a better place.
Episode 3 of the new season (titled 'Devotion') reveals that Janine has been sent to work at Jezabel's, a brothel in Gilead. After Aunt Lydia learns of this, she promises to help Janine, despite the ex-handmaid's retort that the Aunt always "makes things worse".
Nevertheless, Aunt Lydia begs the Lawrences to re-employ Janine as a handmaid, but they refuse, citing that Janine is a lost cause. This causes a moment of disillusion in Aunt Lydia that may have sewn the seeds of rebellion in the staunch teacher.
It's unclear what Janine's journey will be from here, but Episode 5 of Season 6 is ominously titled 'Janine,' which suggests the character will have a large role to play in the finale season of The Handmaid's Tale.
The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 releases new episodes weekly on Tuesdays on Hulu.
