‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Recap: Serena Gets Engaged, June and Lawrence Reunite and 2 Characters Are Dead

The Handmaid’s Tale found time for a proposal in addition to multiple character deaths and an unlikely reunion for June in Gilead.

During the new episode on Tuesday, April 22, June (Elisabeth Moss) and Moira (Samira Wiley) entered Jezebel’s in disguise to make contact with Janine (Madeline Brewer). They are able to strike up a plan with Janine where they would come back in a week to save her and the other women.

But the location brought up trauma for both June and Moira, which delayed their escape. They discussed the sexual assaults they individually went through during their time in Gilead when a Guardian walked in. He attempted to force Moira to have sex with him, which led to a fight that resulted in his death.

Moira and June were able to burn the body, but they didn’t make it in time for Luke (O-T Fagbenle) to pick them up and take them back to safety. Instead, June had to think on her feet, which is why she ended up asking Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) for help. He was leaving Jezebel’s when June asked for him to sneak them out — and he seemed to agree.

That Guardian wasn’t the only character to die this week. Nick’s (Max Minghella) decision to help Luke — for June — meant he shot two Guardians in No Man’s Land. It turned out that one died while another was in a coma. Nick visited his unconscious victim to determine his chances of survival. Despite the Guardian not recognizing him, Nick turned back around and appeared to kill the survivor to protect himself.

Then there was Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), who started the episode off with a conversation with Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) about what the handmaids go through after they leave a post. Serena suggested they offer them jobs at her new fertility clinics in New Bethlehem but got distracted when flowers from Rose’s (Carey Cox) father, Commander Wharton (Josh Charles), arrived.

Serena and Commander Wharton’s courtship reached a fever pitch when he proposed to her. It wasn’t an immediate yes since Serena was worried she would have to become a submissive wife again, but Commander Wharton promised she would have her freedom. The happy fictional couple ended the episode on a positive note — despite New Bethlehem being in danger.

While Commander Lawrence was at Jezebel’s, Janine did him a favor by letting him listen into the other commanders and their conversations. It turned out that they had no plans to let New Bethlehem thrive. Instead, there are already talks about bringing everything back to the way it was in Gilead after allowing Commander Lawrence to take the blame for New Bethlehem’s impending failure.

The final season of The Handmaid’s Tale is expected to bring more surprises as the show sets the stage for The Testaments spinoff. Creator Bruce Miller previously told Us Weekly to expect onscreen twists ahead of the series finale.

“There are people who return and the same thing in the Testaments. We’re gonna bring characters from The Handmaid’s Tale to that world as well,” he shared earlier this month. “So there are people who show up — but to tell you who they are will take away all the fun.”

Miller explained how The Handmaid’s Tale would transition into The Testaments.

“I hope [the audience has] questions when the show ends. I think this book is way too complicated to tie up neatly, and when I read the book I had a million questions at the end,” he added. “So I hope if we’re doing justice to the story we told in the book, certainly you’ll have questions at the end.”

The Handmaid’s Tale airs Tuesdays and new episodes will be streaming on Hulu.