Handmaid's Tale Season 6 saw Nick shockingly betray June in a move that he may never come back from. The sixth and final season of the hit dystopian drama is ongoing on Hulu, following Max Minghella's Commander Nick Blaine as he removed himself from the rebel Mayday cause despite still potentially harboring feelings for Elisabeth Moss' as June Osborne.
Nick Blaine's story back in the Gileadian ranks came to a head in Season 6, Episode 6, as he betrayed not only June but the entire Mayday cause. This is significant, as it marks the character's latest act in separating himself from any insurgent causes under the watchful eye of his father-in-law, Commander Wharton.
Nick's June Betrayal In Handmaid's Tale Season 6, Explained
The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, Episode 6 featured a shocking betrayal, as Max Minghella's Commander Nick Blaine turned his back on Elisabeth Moss' June Osborne.
This latest twist of fate in the ever-evolving saga of two lovers stuck on opposite sides of an ideological battle saw Nick turn over vital plans from the rebel group known as Mayday to his father-in-law, the terrifying Commander Wharton.
Wharton (played by Josh Charles) has proven himself a looming threat, hanging above Nick in the upper echelon of Gilead society.
At the end of Season 5, after Nick was arrested for attacking a fellow officer of the totalitarian regime, Commander Wharton 'saved' the young officer. This left Minghella's character in debt to his father-in-law, making him question his task of spying on the Gilead for Mayday.
While Wharton questioned Nick's loyalty to Gilead, the young man slowly tried to prove his devotion to the cause.
The first instance of this came earlier in the season, as Nick threw a burner phone he was given to communicate with Mayday into a fire, essentially severing ties with June and the rest of the resistance.
The next most significant move in this direction was made in Episode 6. Nick was brought back into the Mayday fray after a meeting with June. Moss' character disclosed the resistance's plan to Nick that they were hoping to murder every Gilead general in a bloody massacre.
However, later in the episodes, during a tense confrontation between Wharton, June, and Nick, it is revealed that Nick had told Wharton of Mayday's plans and had tipped those in power off to the incoming attack.
So why did Nick betray June and Mayday? Looking at his track record this season (and even going back further than that), one can easily see why he felt like he had to tell all about the incoming rebel attack.
Nick is ultimately terrified of Wharton. While he does love June and wants her to survive, his end goal is to make it to the end of the war himself. In doing that, he has had to go into self-preservation mode so that the iron fist of Gilead does not come down on him.
Do Nick and June End Up Together?
For years, the question of 'Will they, won't they?' has been circling Nick and June in The Handmaid's Tale. However, this latest narrative twist in Season 6 might have finally put a nail in the coffin of Nick and June ending up together.
Over the seasons, the pair have come together and split apart several times, as Nick remains a member of the Gilead regime and June is a revolutionary figure in the campaign fighting against them.
Coming into Season 6, it looked as though Nick might finally flip and aid June's Mayday cause once and for all; however, as he disclosed Mayday's grand plans to hit Gilead hard with a mass killing of some of its most influential military leaders.
Seeing as not only did Nick betray Mayday by telling Commander Wharton about the incoming rebel activity but was actively told her former lover was the one behind the information, it would make sense that she has turned her back on Nick once and for all.
Series showrunner Eric Tuchman told Us Weekly in anticipation of the Season 6 betrayal that the new season would see June "take a very honest and hard look at who Nick is," meaning the writing for the characters may have been on the wall before the episode even premiered:
"We are very aware that people feel deeply connected to Nick and very invested in the June and Nick relationship because there’s so much chemistry between them. He has done wonderful things for June over the course of the series. He’s saved her many times. But that’s only part of his day. The other vast majority of his time is spent as a Gilead commander. And he rose from a driver to commander — so he must have been doing something to contribute to that ascent."
Does Nick Die In Handmaid's Tale?
If Nick does not end up with June by the time The Handmaid's Tale comes to an end, some have speculated that it could mean the series is lining up to die by the show's Season 6 finale.
It has not been confirmed if Nick will die before the credits roll on the series, but it is increasingly likely that he will.
Seeing as there is seemingly no coming back from where Nick has gone from June's point of view, perhaps he could go out in a blaze of glory, giving the character one final moment of redemption.
Season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale is seemingly leading toward a massive final conflict as the war between Mayday and Gilead approaches its final moments.
Maybe Nick will strike a killing blow on the Gilead regime, realizing the error of his ways, but die in the process, freeing the characters from their totalitarian overlords but never enjoying the fruits of his resistance-fulled labor.
Handmaid's Tale Season 6 marks the final season of the beloved Hulu show. Originally based on Margaret Atwood's novel of the name, the sci-fi epic follows an America embroiled in a second civil war as it battles over the use of fertile women, called "Handmaids," as child-bearing slaves.
The hit series has only four episodes left in its Season 6 run, bringing to a close this intense story of rebellion that has been running on the streamer for over eight years.
