Let’s break down the moving and shaking that unfolds in this episode, aptly titled “Chicago.”
Aunt Lydia
Aunt Lydia is back in Gilead after the handmaids' latest escape.
While walking on a treadmill in an aunt’s common room, she sees new handmaids arrive outside.
Elisabeth Moss on ‘THe Handmaid’s Tale’.hulu
To Lydia’s dismay, Ruth implies she’s been permanently retired.
Anyway, with Ruth refusing to help her get reinstated, Lydiaturns to Commander Joseph Lawrence.
Lawrence then suggests they work together for their shared goal of fixing the country and making things right again.
This suggests Gileadstillisn’t planning to kill June on sight.
Oh, to be as valuable in real life as a handmaid in Gilead (without the horrors)!
Later, with Lawrence’s scheme apparently fulfilled, Lydia is back in aunt gear, orienting new handmaids.
Cue a troubling shot of handmaid subservience.
Commander Lawrence and Nick
The council still rejects the proposalunanimously, as even Nick votes against Lawrence.
But prompted by skepticism from Lawrence, Nick later meets with two Mayday Marthas.
It’s a dirty move, meant to use manufactured enemy vulnerability for an impactful attack.
This development makes it harder to believe Lawrence’s approach to destroying Gilead is sensible.
Nick objects to the plan, but ultimately submits.
Suddenly a firefight erupts outside the base, but Steven ignores it.
June is bothered by this, but it serves herJanine convinces Steven to grant June’s request.
Soon Gilead soldiers arrive and Steven’s group must hide.
Eventually, the group convenes with other rebels for trading.
Later, June tells Janine she wants to leave the next day to find the Nighthawks.
Fighting seems to be June’s new primary mission.
Perhaps she’s decided the only way to get Hannah back is to completely burn Gilead down.
Or perhaps she simply has Gilead blood-lust now.
Janine doesn’t want to leave.
She envisions a “normal” life among Steven’s groupeven having a baby with him.
Hurt, June angrily says Janine can leave with her or stay and be “OfSteven.”
June has a pointSteven isn’t good and that life isn’t freedombut so does Janineany stability is appealing.
The next morning, Janine declares she’s staying.
Despite their fight, the women exchange an emotional goodbye, with Janine giving June the hat.
Juxtaposed with Lydia telling the handmaids they’ll never be alone, we see June walking through Chicago alone.
However, Janine soon appears.
She says she feels safer with June, and handmaids always walk in twos.
Later, just after the women notice Gilead soldiers fled the area abruptly, they hear planes.
They take off running as bombs drop.
The street explodes around them.
June wakes up among rubble.
She doesn’t see Janine.
Through the smoke emerges an aid worker… it’s Moira.
They stare at one another in shock.
The reunion is undermined by the terrifying circumstances and uncertainty of Janine’s fate.
What does Moira’s presence mean for June?
Whatever happens, the next episode will surely be emotional.
