Janine's journey during The Handmaid's Tale season 4 ended at the Red Center, leaving many unanswered questions about what comes next and spawning a popular fan theory is that her future isn't as a Handmaid but as an Aunt. Perhaps no other central character in The Handmaid's Tale has endured the atrocities of Gilead more than Janine, and she continues to survive. She has been physically and verbally abused, sentenced to death, and mutilated. While June has coped with her trauma with violence, Janine's resilience results from an unwavering sense of optimism even in the direst of circumstances. While there are times that Janine appears completely out of touch with the world around her, she's also capable of emotional depth, bravery, kindness, and problem-solving skills, belying her feeble-minded exterior.
Following the bombing in Chicago, viewers wondered if Janine was alive or became another casualty of June's war against the totalitarian regime. Janine resurfaced during episode 8, "Testimony," after nearly starving to death before being captured. Commander Lawrence then handed Janine over to Aunt Lydia. Some viewers believe he did this to give the disgraced Aunt a target on whom to take out her rage, but it also felt like a test to see if Lydia could find an alternative to cruelty when dealing with those under her supervision. When Janine said she would rather die than be sent to another post, it marked a turning point for Aunt Lydia. Showrunner Bruce Miller told Variety, "I think that’s a wake-up call for Lydia in realizing that every single handmaid she comes across would rather die than be a handmaid, which is making her think about how to make handmaids sustainable.
After witnessing a defiant new Handmaid Esther Keyes' behavior in episode 9, "Progress," Janine intervened and convinced the former Wife to cooperate, warning her of the consequences if she refused. Janine's diplomatic approach and leadership skills impressed Aunt Lydia and provide an excuse to keep Janine around. One Reddit user suggested that Janine becomes a Pearl Girl-a subclass of Aunts created by Aunt Lydia for Gilead and introduced in Margaret Atwood's sequel The Testaments. Pearl Girls travel abroad to recruit young women to become Handmaids, Wives, Econonwives, and Aunts. However, this seems unlikely since Janine is not someone who would condemn another woman to a life of what can only be described as servitude, no matter what class of Gilead's social hierarchy a woman falls into.
Theories abound when it comes to Janine's future. Another Reddit user suggested Janine could wind up being assigned to Nick Blaine and his wife, who viewers are likely to meet during The Handmaid's Tale season 5. That seems like a dark path to take Janine down, even for The Handmaid's Tale. There's also the possibility that Janine and Esther could escape, but Janine is currently resigned to staying in Gilead, telling Esther she needed to stay alive so she can be around when things get better.
The most likely outcome is that June will return to Gilead not just for her daughter Hannah but everyone she loves who she left behind. Miller told THR, "...Janine is June’s heart in Gilead. June would do anything to get Janine out now. I think she feels responsible for her and Esther, too. So what happens to Janine and Esther definitely affects June as the hub of our wheel." June finally got her revenge on Fred, so hopefully, in season 5, she'll dole out justice for Janine and Esther.