HuluIn The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Episode 3, ‘Devotion’, Nick makes a dangerous decision, June is torn between multiple worlds, and Aunt Lydia pays Janine a visit. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Season 6 Episode 2 saw Serena and June’s respective journeys running in parallel with one another. While June had a chance to fill her mom Holly in on her life up until this point, their reunion was interrupted by the revelation that Luke and Moira are stuck in No Man’s Land.
Meanwhile, Lawrence convinced Serena to head up New Bethlehem, Gilead’s “liberal” new island, one that poses a huge threat. If it boosts international relations, it could be the final nail in the coffin for the US.
Knowing this, Tuello’s joining forces with Mayday. As for Nick, he’s under the watchful eye of High Commander Wharton, meaning he needs to be careful – especially when it comes to June.
June and Nick are reunited once more
HuluThe Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Episode 3 opens with June and Tuello at an abandoned warehouse near the border. June’s angry with Tuello when she hears that Luke and Moira have been trapped out in No Man’s Land for four days.
He explains that it’s Mayday’s operation and he’s just trying to help out, but June says, “Come on, Mark. The military is funding Mayday, and you’re using civilians for your dirty work.”
Tuello insists they’re volunteers and know what they’re getting themselves into. We learn their plan is to kill Gilead’s extremist Commanders, including those who shot the US’s plane down during their attempt to save Hannah.
But Luke and Moira were simply picking up a bag from No Man’s Land. It was meant to be a simple assignment, but patrol officers showed up unexpectedly.
During their chat, Tuello reveals that Serena’s now heading up New Bethlehem, which doesn’t surprise June. As she says, Serena always lands on her feet.
Speaking of New Bethlehem, Nick and Lawrence are preparing for a group of foreign diplomats to visit in the hopes of improving international relations.
A German official shows up, and when Lawrence leaves, the man reveals he has a message for Nick: June Osborne is at mile marker 17. Nick knows what he needs to do, but he’s no doubt feeling torn between June and his responsibilities in Gilead.
Even with the risk involved, he goes to see June. She tells him Nichole is safe and that her mom Holly is alive. Then she gets down to why they’re there: to save Luke and Moira.
She asks Nick to clear a path so they can escape, but he’s hesitant due to the fact there’ll be extra security. Even so, he eventually agrees to help them, and June insists on going with him.
Serena wakes up in New Bethlehem, and Lawrence shows up with a plant and some of his trademark cynicism.
She digs into his motivations, clearly troubled by his lack of religious faith. But Lawrence assures her that he’s there for the right reasons and he needs her help. “We broke this country and now we need to fix it,” he says.
Aunt Lydia finds out what happened to Janine
HuluFor the first time in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6, we catch up with Aunt Lydia. She’s headed to Jezebels in a bid to find Janine.
As she gets led through the corridors, she notices the Marthas wearing masks, with Aunt Miriam explaining it’s to avoid tempting the patrons.
When they enter the main room, Aunt Lydia is shocked to discover women in various states of undress and others taking drugs. She spots Janine, who’s been sent to be a sex worker for Gilead.
Aunt Lydia tells her, “I will get you out of this terrible place,” but Janine retorts, “Every time you try to help me you only end up making things worse.”
Janine points out that she’s one of many Handmaids being made to work at Jezebels, leaving Aunt Lydia horrified. “I was told you’d be rewarded for your service,” she says, but Janine points out, “Yeah, well, surprise! They lied to you.”
Soon enough, a patron requests Janine – who’s called Kitty here – and Aunt Lydia makes a last-ditch effort to try and devise a plan to help her escape. But Janine tells her the best thing she can do is “forget me.”
Serena and Lawrence impress the skeptics
HuluOver in No Man’s Land, Nick and June head to the abandoned water park where Luke and Moira are trapped. June asks Nick what changed his mind about spying for Tuello, to which he replies, “I heard you got hurt.”
Nick reveals that he visited her while she was in the hospital as he had to see her. In other words, his love for June is still going strong.
The scene cuts to New Bethlehem, where Serena and Wharton are walking side-by-side behind Lawrence, who’s leading the diplomats on a tour through New Bethlehem.
“Where is my son-in-law?” Wharton asks, to which Serena replies, “I don’t know but he seems to be doing quite well without him.”
The group stops as Lawrence continues his speech, but he’s still met with skepticism. A diplomat named Louise says she can’t send refugees back when Gilead is still “mutilating and murdering” their own people.
Lawrence assures them, “I can promise you there will be no human rights violations,” but another chimes in, “How can we trust you? Especially when it comes to women.”
At this point, Serena steps in and proves why she was asked to help lead New Bethlehem.
“To be honest, I shared your concerns, and I’m unfortunately proof of that,” she says. “When Gilead clamped down in force I lost everything. I lost my identity, my voice.
Hulu“I did terrible things because I felt powerless, and so I exerted power over those around me. I will spend the rest of my days trying to atone for that and I do ask for forgiveness everyday.
“I’m not even certain God will forgive me, but I know that God has guided me back here to give me a chance to try.”
She tells them that women can read, write, and work in New Bethlehem, and then she pulls out the trump card: babies. Serena introduces Noah, and the diplomats are immediately won over.
And that’s not all – they bring Rose out too, who’s heavily pregnant. Lawrence rounds it off by saying, “Proof of concept.”
After holding Noah, Louise says, “If you could guarantee their safety, we could begin to suggest voluntary repatriation of refugees, pending international monitoring by the UN.”
Wharton is impressed by Serena’s capabilities. “I found it thrilling, truly,” he tells her. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been that moved.”
Nick makes a snap decision
HuluWe head back to No Man’s Land, where June and Nick continue to discuss their relationship. Nick wants to get June out of there for her safety, but she’s not leaving without Luke and Moira.
“I’ve risked everything I have to save your husband,” says Nick. “Because you chose him. You chose Luke.”
“He waited for me. I had you. I loved you,” she says, reassuring him that she still does love him, but Luke and Moira are a part of her.
“I only feel that way about you and I’ve lost you over and over again,” says Nick. But deep down he knows they can’t work, and he knows he’s going to help her because he loves her.
Thankfully, Luke and Moira are still there. We catch up with them hiding out at the park’s gift shop, where they’re arguing about their failed mission.
Luke ultimately feels insecure next to June, but Moira points out, “Hey, you don’t have to prove yourself. You are the best man I know. I mean it.”
HuluTheir chat is interrupted when someone enters the shop. Luke and Moira hide in terror, but this turns to joy when they hear June’s voice. Although it’s awkward with Nick there too, they earnestly thank him for everything.
As all four of them leave, disaster strikes when two guardians show up. Nick tells Luke, Moira, and June to get in the car and speaks with the officers, pretending he’s dealing with the situation himself.
The guardians say they’ll have to report it regardless, as it’s now protocol for them to disclose any incident of rebel activity.
The camera cuts to June, who hears gunshots in the background. Nick walks round the corner, meaning he shot the guardians. Although it’s good news for June, Luke, and Moira, it puts Nick in a precarious situation.
Lawrence gives Aunt Lydia a reality check
HuluSpeaking of which, back in New Bethlehem, Lawrence, Naomi, Wharton, Serena, and Rose all celebrate their win.
Wharton asks Rose where Nick is, but she’s not sure. Thankfully, Lawrence steps in to save his skin, saying, “That’s my fault. I sent him to deal with an issue along the trade route.”
The group also discusses the potential to expand with more liberal areas of Gilead. Wharton is apprehensive, but Serena and Lawrence express their support for the idea.
When it’s time to go home, Serena asks Wharton, “Commander, would you mind walking us home? I would love to bend your ear more about New Bethlehem’s blessed potential,” and they head off.
As Lawrence and Naomi call it a night, they get an unexpected visit from Aunt Lydia, who begs them to give Janine another chance. Naomi’s having none of it and storms off, so Lydia tries with Lawrence on his own.
She tells him about Jezebels, describing it as a “den of depravity,” but Lawrence points out, “At least it’s not the colonies. They have a chance of surviving.”
Aunt Lydia continues pleading her case, arguing the Handmaids “provided a sacred service.” Clearly, she still can’t see the situation for what it is, and is perhaps in denial about her part to play in Gilead’s reign of terror.
Lawrence, on the other hand, has seen this from the very beginning. “Janine’s gone,” he tells her. “She was gone the moment you got your hands on her. Do yourself a favor and move on.”
Nick and June say goodbye… for now
HuluNick drops June, Luke, and Moira off to Tuello. They all thank him, but Tuello tells Nick not to go dark on him again.
Nick explains he can’t do everything he wants him to with a High Commander living in his home. “Just honor our agreement or I’ll expose you,” says Tuello, but Nick responds, “No you won’t. I’m no use to you if I’m dead.”
They give June a moment alone with Nick, and she asks him what he’s going to do about the guardians. “I’ll take care of it,” he explains.
He tells June to have a nice life, but June says, “Stop it… do you realize that we always do this? The whole ‘goodbye’ thing. Come on. Who are we kidding?”
“Okay, so what should we say instead?” he asks. They both agree on, “See you later,” and go their separate ways.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Episodes 1-3 are streaming on Hulu now, with Episode 4 set to drop on April 15. Until then, read about the upcoming spinoff, The Testaments, check out the best TV shows to watch in 2025, and find every upcoming release with our 2025 TV show calendar.
