WARNING: Spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 3 and The Testaments by Margaret Atwood below.June and Serena come face-to-face in The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 3's ending, and while battle lines have been drawn, the episode shows how complicated things have become for the two characters. In the first two episodes of The Handmaid's Tale season 5, June and Serena's revenge takes different forms - June sent Serena Fred's finger and, in response, Serena paraded Hannah around at Fred's funeral. Despite her best efforts, though, Serena is not as protected as she thought, as the Commanders of Gilead send her back to Toronto to serve as a Global Ambassador. Her plan for Fred's funeral essentially backfired as her insistence on showing the world another side of Gilead resulted in this idea.

Fortunately for Serena, she's not alone in her fight against June. Commander Mackenzie and his wife make an appearance, professing their desire to "cut out the cancer" they consider June to be for fear that she will come after Hannah. Serena's luck is Nick's doom, though - Commander Mackenzie tells Nick that he will be keeping an eye on him after spotting him talking with Mark Tuello. Nick's fate in The Handmaid's Tale has been an open question, but more and more, it seems like he may become a casualty of June's war against Gilead. The episode also seemingly closes the door on a reunion - for now. Their phone call sounds like a goodbye and no matter how temporary or permanent it may be, June and Nick are slowly accepting there is no future for them outside of Gilead.

Related: The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, Episode 2 Ending Explained

Other loose ends from The Handmaid's Tale season 5's 2-episode premiere are addressed. After Esther poisoned Janine, it is revealed that Janine has survived. She is not fully recovered, but it's clear the show has more plans for her. Finally, the true meaning of Hannah's purple dress is also revealed - the 12-year-old is being prepared for wives' school where she will learn how to be a Commander's Wife. While Hannah being rescued in The Handmaid's Tale season 5 seems unlikely, this will only add fuel to the fire raging inside June. With Serena back in Toronto after Gilead's rejection, the stage is set for the rest of The Handmaid's Tale season 5.

The Handmaids Tale Season 5's Plans For Janine

Janine putting robes on women in black in The Handmaids Tale season 5

Janine was always going to survive Esther's poisoning. Still, the brush with death was necessary for both her and Aunt Lydia. Janine almost dying contributes to Aunt Lydia's gradual turn against Gilead which will be explored further in The Testaments, the forthcoming sequel series. More and more, Aunt Lydia is seeing the effect Gilead has on the women she's supposed to be caring for, and although she has some anger towards Esther for poisoning Janine, she begins to realize why Esther would do such a thing in the first place. Aunt Lydia has always been posited as one of The Handmaid's Tale's worst villains, but her relationship with Janine, which has gradually evolved since the very first season of the show, will be integral to the future of Gilead.

June's Real Threat To Serena Explained

Serena-Joy-in-The-Handmaids-Tale-Season-5-1

After jockeying for a position in the hierarchy of Gilead, Serena is ultimately rejected. Instead, they see a better use for her - she can return to Canada as a Global Ambassador, allowing her to retain some sort of official position while staying out of their way when it comes to actually running the country. Outside the detention center in Toronto, though, the real danger of this move (and the Commander's true motives for it) are revealed. June ambushes Serena's car and tells her to never touch Hannah again. This is, in part, prompted by Serena's flaunting of Hannah at Fred's funeral, but the threat goes much deeper than that. June wanting Serena to stay away from Hannah goes without saying - instead, June's real threat is her presence itself.

The ease with which June is able to access Serena in Toronto is a warning in and of itself, showing that June could act on her worst impulses at any time. Serena's pregnancy may be the only thing stopping June from hurting her for now and June wants Serena to know that she could do anything at any time with little to nothing standing in her way. It would also be mighty convenient for Gilead if June were to do something to Serena - not only would it garner sympathy and make June out to be the enemy Gilead truly believes she is, but it would also get rid of their Serena problem once and for all.

Is June Going Back To Gilead?

June washes off Fred's blood in The Handmads Tale season 5

The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 3 reveals the growing resistance movement between Toronto and Gilead in No Man's Land. Messages, people, and supplies flow somewhat freely between the two nations, making it an important point of contact for Mayday. This would also make it easier for June to re-enter Gilead and potentially rescue Hannah, but June may not ultimately choose this route. First, Hannah resides in Washington DC with the Mackenzies. The trip from Canada to DC would be a dangerous one, something June would be unlikely to survive. June is still gathering intel on Hannah's whereabouts and going on a rescue mission, while somewhat in character for June (who tends to act first and think later), would likely prove to be a suicide mission. Still, the No Man's Land tease is there for a reason and after The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 3, it seems quite possible that June may end up back in Gilead for one reason or another.

Episodes of The Handmaid's Tale air Wednesdays on Hulu.