Warning: this article contains spoilers for No Man’s Land (episode seven, season six) of The Handmaid’s Tale on Channel 4.

This week’s episode of The Handmaid’s Tale was entirely dedicated to Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) and June (Elisabeth Moss), making for a quietly intense and intimate – not to mention utterly addictive – hour of television.

It dealt with themes of vengeance and mercy. Of power and personhood. Of, above all else, forgiveness. And, as such, this beautifully philosophical chapter in (let’s face it) June’s relentlessly unhappy tale has fast become one of this writer’s favourite episodes of the entire Channel 4 series so far.

The episode begins where we left off last week; June is driving a car in the middle of nowhere, Serena is sat in the backseat with a gun, and nobody knows quite what’s happening.

Naturally, June wants answers – or, at the very least, a postcode to tap into the SatNav. Serena, however, accidentally fires the weapon and very nearly shoots our eponymous Handmaid in the head. 

“Fuck this!” yells June (more than fairly, everything considered), before she slams on the handbrake, leaps from the car, and sprints away as fast as her legs will carry her. This being June, though, that isn’t very fast, because she soon has an attack of conscience when she realises that her arch-nemesis a) hasn’t moved, and b) is moaning and panting like mad. 

“Are you in fucking labour?!” she asks in disbelief. “Oh, of course you are.”

“Maybe they’ll have a manger” 

I hear you: it’s a pretty strange coincidence that Serena should go into labour with nobody but her former Handmaid on-hand to help, right? Once we’ve all agreed to suspend our disbelief, though, we’re 100% behind June as she assesses the situation at hand.

Serena’s waters have broken. They have no phone (thanks a lot, Mr Wheeler). The car they were unhappily cruising along in has now become stuck in a ditch. And, even if they could get it out, what’s the point? Serena is point-blank refusing to go to a hospital because “they’ll find me.” 

June, as ever, rolls her eyes and grits her teeth: she knows exactly what has to be done. And so, helping her former mistress to her feet, she staggers them both in the direction of a seriously dilapidated-looking barn.

“Maybe they’ll have a manger,” she quips drily.  

Naturally, it doesn’t go all that well at first. June does her best to be a good midwife, but there are obvious tensions between her and Serena – tensions which result in Serena lashing out at June and accusing her of trying to kill her (and her baby) when our girl tries to check her cervix.

Once again, June tries to leave. Once again, she comes back. And, this time, it’s because of a dark memory that rises to the surface of her mind – one which reminds her all too well of the brutalities of not just Gilead, but childbirth, too.

“God is the true judge, and she is his vessel”

In the flashback, we see June and Serena sharing several loaded glances with one another during one of Gilead’s god awful birthing ceremonies. Judging by the expressions on their faces, neither of them is buying any of this “Breathe, breathe, push, push” bullshit, but hey; they’re stuck with it, just like everyone else.

When the labouring Handmaid, Ofclarence, begins bleeding profusely, everyone moves to rescue the unborn baby. The child survives, Ofclarence dies in a mess of blood and tears, and all the Wives immediately start celebrating and cooing over the new baby.

All but one, that is.

“Ofclarence has fulfilled her duty in this world,” declares Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) over the noise.

“I know you will mourn her, girls, but know that she’s cherished. God is the true judge, and she is his vessel. She has pleased him, and he has sent her to her final reward. Praise be.”

June, again, catches Serena’s eye, and the unspoken words between them are all too clear: “This is so unbelievably fucked up.”

“We mattered, we were people, we are people, we have lives”

June returns to Serena’s side – something which surprises her former mistress, but not us. We know, see, that June is a good person, even if she has been riding off-the-rails of late. And we know that, when she decides to do something, she puts 100% of herself into it.

Before too long, June is down on her knees with Serena. The two women are forehead-to-forehead, Serena’s arms loosely wrapped around June as she leans on her for support. And then, just like that, the baby is born into June’s waiting hands – a boy. Lucky thing.

“I imagined this moment so many times. I always imagined that he would be here, Fred,” says Serena emotionally. “He looks like him.”

June, who has made it abundantly clear that she isn’t a fan of the late rapist that was Mr Waterford (she did orchestrate his murder, after all), replies: “They say that they always look like their dads at first. It’s evolutionary so that the dads don’t kill them, you know?”

The two women have an intense heart-to-heart, as Serena worries that Noah will grow up to be a monster like his father, and June reassures her that it depends “on who raises him. And what kind of person they want him to become. And what you teach him. And what you tell him is his to take.”

Before too long, though, Serena takes a turn for the worse. Feverish and seemingly delirious, she starts raving about God’s will, and vessels, and avenging angels. June, she suggests, is one such angel, destined to “avenge the blood of His children and take righteous vengeance on His adversaries.” And then, just like that, she urges June to take the baby from her and leave her to die.

“That is God’s will”

For a moment – just a glimmer of a moment – it seems as if June might just do that. Instead, she decides to confront Serena with Gilead’s dehumanisation of Handmaids.

“We mattered,” she says emotionally. “We were people, we are people, we have lives. And that’s why I’m going to save yours, Serena, because this isn’t Gilead, and I am not you.”

“I don’t deserve to be saved,” argues Serena (and hell, never a truer word has been spoken).

“It’s not for you,” says June. “It’s for him. Look at him. Look at your baby. You are the only person in the whole world that he knows. You are the only familiar smell, you are the only voice he recognises, you love him, and you wanted him so much. You’re his mother, and he belongs with you. That is God’s will. Do you understand me?”

It is a beautiful episode, and one in which June – for the first time in forever – holds all of the power. Rather than use it to score some serious vengeance points, though, she decides to act with grace. With mercy. With, above all else, forgiveness.

Eventually, June eventually gets Serena and Noah to a hospital, where the baby is taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. And, when Serena offers up a heartfelt ‘thank-you’ to her former Handmaid, June reaches out and clasps her hand.

“You’re welcome,” she says gently.

The most powerful move

So, why did June choose this course? And does it, as some have suggested on social media, make her a weaker person?

My answer (to the latter, at least) is a resounding “hell no!”

Forgiveness, as I have never tired of telling anyone who’ll listen to me, is a gift for the person proffering it rather than the person it is bestowed upon. Because, when done correctly, it is absolutely not saying what happened was OK, nor is it suggesting that you accept the person who wronged you.

Forgiveness, rather, is choosing to accept what happened, and let go of all the hurt and pain. In many ways, it is harder than choosing anger; it takes more work. And it is definitely, too, a form of self-care, as it allows you to step into your present rather than anchor you in the past.

To quote the great Oprah Winfrey: “Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different.”

“At last, she knows what it feels like: justice”

Basically, forgiveness sets you free – and, oh my, does it have this effect on June. Ever since she arrived in Canada, she’s been hellbent on getting revenge against Serena and co. Indeed, it has driven a huge wedge between her and her loved ones, not to mention kept her from ever feeling truly happy.

At last, she has found transcendence. At last, she has found closure on years of suffering. That simple gesture – clasping hands with Serena – signified a huge moment of growth for our girl.

Then Luke (OT Fagbenle) comes along and ruins everything. 

That’s right, everyone: Luke is alive and well – and June greets him with a tender and passionate kiss when she finds him in the hospital corridor. He fails to realise the change his wife has gone through over the past 24 hours, but it’s abundantly clear to us watching: she is almost radiant with happiness, her emotional burden having been considerably lightened.

But then she realises that a team of Canadian immigration officials have been sicced upon Serena. As they chain her to her hospital bed (anyone else uncomfortably reminded of last week’s episode?), they inform her that, because she crossed the border illegally, she will be taken to a detention centre – and that Noah will be taken into the care of the Child Protection Unit.

“Please don’t let them take my baby!” she screams, locking eyes with June through the window. “Please!”

And just like that, June has been rendered powerless once again. Because, even if she wants to, she can’t stop what’s happening. 

“At last, she knows what it feels like,” mutters Luke with a satisfied smile. “Justice.”

Oh, Luke. What on earth have you done?

The Handmaid’s Tale continues on Channel 4 this Sunday 11 December at 9pm.

Images: Channel 4