WARNING: Contains spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 5.After entering No Man's Land, June and Luke end The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 5 in grave danger, captured by a militaristic force in the land between Gilead and Canada. June may have left Gilead in season 4, but the fascist Christian nation has been a lingering presence as supporters protest in Toronto and June's battle with Serena continues. Despite reuniting with Luke, The Handmaid's Tale's endgame has always been about June reckoning with Gilead in one way or another - either through joining the resistance and rescuing Hannah or bringing them down from Toronto. In a twist of fate, though, it's Luke who ends up bringing June closer to returning to Gilead.
Luke's confrontation with Serena in The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 4 has clearly taken its toll - she implied that he did not do enough to help June rescue their daughter Hannah, and those words are very much the rationale behind Luke's decision to head into No Man's Land. The information about Hannah is more important to him than self-preservation, both to prove to June that he cares about rescuing their daughter, and so he can assuage the guilt Serena has brought forth in him. Naturally, June follows without hesitation, never one to shy away from danger.
It's unclear who exactly captures June and Luke in the twist end of The Handmaid's Tale season 5, episode 5, but it's more than likely Guardians, ones who are a lot less forgiving than the double agent who fed them information about Hannah earlier. The Guardians pose a unique threat to Luke and June, especially if they find out who they really are. While The Handmaid's Tale season 5 lost momentum, June and Luke being captured by Gilead gives the show just what it needs - a move into unfamiliar territory that could change the path June and Luke are on.
What The New June & Luke Twist Means For The Handmaid's Tale
June and Luke's capture puts the pair in a situation that will reverse the roles they have found themselves in. Luke has been watching June, ensuring that she doesn't do anything he would deem irrational. After his admission that he would also like for June to kill Serena, that seems to have gone out the window, but blind rage is useless against Gilead. June's familiarity with Gilead and their methods puts her in a position of knowledge through which she'll have to guide Luke, especially if they realize who June is. As Gilead's enemy number one, June is in a worse position and, with her life on the line, she'll have to fight tooth and nail to survive. But this is nothing that June hasn't experienced before. She has faced captivity numerous times, being subjected to horrible torture before her escape from Gilead.
June's advantage could also be her downfall, though. June has had no problem navigating the atrocities of Gilead on her own. She even left behind Janine once. With Luke in Gilead, too, though, June will be more compromised as she'll be protecting Luke in addition to herself - something that could lead to her faltering or even Luke's death. The Handmaid's Tale has used June and Luke as two points of contrast in dealing with extreme trauma. Luke has been pragmatic, but he's also had more time to heal. June has had to sacrifice again and again to get what she wants. After they bonded over June's desire to kill Serena, though, Luke may be changing, becoming just as hardened as June. Whether he makes it back to Canada, his time in captivity with June could irrevocably alter their relationship, especially once he sees how June operates when she's backed into a corner.
New episodes of The Handmaid's Tale premiere Wednesdays on Hulu.