Serena and Fred cross into Canada in 'The Handmaid's Tale' season 3 episode 5, as baby Nichole risks becoming a political tool
One of the biggest turning points in Serena Joy's (Yvonne Strahovski) life in 'The Handmaid's Tale' was when she decided to turn her back on husband Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes), who is one of the high commanders of Gilead. She did this to ensure a safe and better life for her daughter Nichole and helped June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) smuggle her daughter away from Gilead to Canada in season 2.
In the most recent episode titled 'God Bless the Child', we saw both Serena and June get a look at their daughter Nichole, who is seen with Luke Bankhole (O.T. Fagbenle) in a video of a protest that took place in Canada. Following this, it has become clear that Nichole will become a political tool between Canada and Gilead. In the new teaser shared on the official Instagram page of 'The Handmaid's Tale,' we see the direction the show will take in the coming episodes.
It is clear that June will take a gamble in her attempt to gain the trust of the Waterfords. In the teaser, we see Serena and Fred ask June to arrange a meeting with Nichole; "Just one visit to say goodbye," according to Serena. Fred might have other plans of course, but June has to take a chance. She has to give something to gain something and June seems ready to take a chance.
She asks, "If I do this, what do I get?" So, it certainly looks like she is thinking hard about this as she even consults with Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), who she serves currently. When she asks, "My husband, do you think he is in danger?" Commander Lawrence says, "We'll all be in danger."
Amid all of this, we see Luke be clear about his stance about Nichole. He says, "Nichole is going to know exactly where she came from and how brave her mother was. That's her story." So while June may consider this an opportunity, Luke will not let his guard down and Nichole will become a part of a political tug-of-war; this we can already envision.
While fans have been speculating that Luke would be the one to cross borders and visit June, something executive producer Warren Littlefield had teased before the season began, it really seems like Serena and Fred will be the ones to cross borders. Hulu's official stills from the upcoming episode clearly hint at Serena shedding her Gilead wife uniform to meet Luke.
The last time Fred was in Canada, he was thrown out unceremoniously after refugees in Canada, with the help of letters from June and the 'Mayday' revolution organized a protest against the high commander's presence in the country. Will the reception be any different this time? Will Serena, the confused woman that she is now, be tempted to bring her daughter back to Gilead? We will have to wait and see if June's chance works in her favor or against her when the fifth episode of season 3 airs Wednesday, June 19 on Hulu.
