Summary

• June's choice to kill Fred Waterford revealed her true self, a part that Luke doesn't fully understand but Nick does. This complicates her relationship with Luke and draws her closer to Nick.
• Despite a brief separation, June and Nick's romance continues to play a significant role. They understand each other on a deeper level due to their shared experiences in Gilead.
• June's character development and trajectory suggest that Nick is the option that makes the most sense for her. As they navigate the challenges of Gilead, their relationship hangs largely in the balance ahead of The Handmaid's Tale season 6.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Handmaid's Tale season 6.June made some big decisions in The Handmaid's Tale season 4 finale, and one of them was effectively choosing Nick over Luke — but do Nick and June end up together? It was expected that June escaping Gilead to Canada would be bad news for anyone wanting her to end up with Nick, but that's not quite how things have played out across The Handmaid's Tale's Nick and June season 4 arc. June and Luke have struggled to make things work since arriving in Canada, and the events of the season 4 finale, which saw June and other Handmaids kill Fred Waterford, only served to exacerbate things in that regard.

June killing Fred was one of The Handmaid's Tale's biggest season 4 moments, but it's not where that storyline ends. In the closing moments of season 4, June says goodbye to Nichole and tells Luke she's leaving. For his part, Luke looks completely broken and June herself is leaving because they need distance from each other and have different paths to walk. June killed Fred for her own revenge, and while it was also a decision made with Nichole in mind, it put Nick before Luke, giving him a key role in Fred Waterford's death in The Handmaid's Tale and making audiences question "Do Nick and June end up together?".

June Left Luke Because He Doesn't Know Her Anymore

Luke loves June and wants to help her, but there's a large part of her that he doesn't know. It's that part of June that drives her to kill Fred, and it's that which Nick understands and appreciates better than anyone. So, do Nick and June end up together? For as long as June is on a quest to bring down Gilead and overcome her trauma, then it will always be difficult for her to be with Luke, while she will always be drawn to Nick. He is the one who can deliver what she wants in the season 4 finale, and also the person she would trust to do so.

It had seemed like the June and Nick season 4 romance ended with their meeting at the Maria Magdalena Academy in season 4, episode 9, "Progress," which made audiences question "Do Nick and June end up together?", but it's clear their fates will remain entwined for a while longer, as seen in The Handmaid's Tale season 5 when he visits June at the hospital. They kiss before Fred is chased to his death, which further highlights how much they understand one another: it's an otherwise dark moment and signifies how Nick understands this side of June because of his own experiences in Gilead and his empathy with June's position.

Why June Had To Pick Nick In Handmaid's Tale Season 4

Actress Elisabeth Moss has also supported the idea that Nick and June end up together, telling Elle: "She wants to be with Nick. She’s in love with Nick." This underlines June's thinking in The Handmaid's Tale season 4 finale: while Luke can offer her so many great things like a safe, happy family life, Moss herself admits that June belongs with Nick. She has been changed too much by Gilead, and she and Nick share something different. Nick's ultimate goal remains deliberately obscured by the show's storytelling, but it seems that he is shifting more fully to her side.

Nick is the one with whom June feels genuine electricity, even though she cares for and loves Luke, and the Gilead commander is also the one who can give her what she wants. Killing Fred is a choice that June makes despite knowing it'll have major consequences for her relationship with Luke, and it's also one that brings her closer to Nick once again – however fleetingly – further cementing them as the show's primary romantic pairing. Hopefully, The Handmaid's Tale season 6 will see this couple make it to the end.

Ultimately, The Handmaid's Tale's Nick and June season 4 storyline illustrates that while June technically had a choice in who to be with, Nick was always destined to win out. Luke and June shared a genuine connection once. However, based on the path of revenge that June is currently on and the ways her trauma has changed her, Nick is the option that makes the most sense for her character. Being with Nick allows June to continue on her current trajectory, whereas choosing Luke would have meant moving past Gilead and trying to find a semblance of peace. The Handmaid's Tale season 6 could allow June this development eventually.

Nick And June's Happiness Is Short-Lived

The Handmaid's Tale's Nick and June season 4 arc did provide a glimmer of hope for the couple, but that has all but been squashed by the events of The Handmaid's Tale season 5. For starters, Nick and June have only been in the same room once since her escape from Gilead, making audiences question "Do Nick and June end up together?". While Nick tries his best to keep June safe from within Gilead's walls, now that he's a Commander, it didn't stop June from being run over and shot at. The attempt on June's life leading up to The Handmaid's Tale season 5 finale saw her in the hospital with Mark Tuello.

The conversation between Tuello and Nick reveals why Nick didn't escape Gilead with June, as Nick states, "She has people who care for her. She doesn’t need me. I’m nothing." Obviously, Nick is referring to Luke, but nonetheless, his feelings for June are brought to the surface again by his pregnant wife Rose, who accuses him of never getting over her. Further, Nick really gets himself in trouble when he punches Commander Lawrence at his wedding for the latest attack on June — a misstep that ends with Nick locked up in a cell. Unfortunately, June and Nick are more separate than ever going into The Handmaid's Tale's final season.

Where Do Nick & June Stand Heading Into The Final Season?

Audiences are surely wondering "Do Nick and June end up together?" based on their love story thus far, but going into The Handmaid's Tale season 6, the series' final season, their future isn't looking bright. The only ray of hope given to audiences was the outright admission that Nick still isn't over June, something that Rose calmly breaks up with him over. Nick has effectively lost his power after making the decision to punch Commander Lawrence for failing to protect June. Therefore, his chances of taking down Gilead from the inside are becoming increasingly smaller with each day he stays locked in a cell.

However, June will have to make a choice, and it could come down to which lover she saves: Nick or Luke. Luke also finds himself captured going into The Handmaid's Tale season 6, creating an interesting parallel to June's own position in season 1. While June will continue her attempts to stop Gilead, now with the help of Serena, the question of "Do Nick and June end up together?" will be hanging over her own head as well. There are theories that Nick will die saving Hannah from Gilead, but the true resolution will be revealed when The Handmaid's Tale season 6 airs and its spinoff, The Testaments, is released.