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The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9 brings the most dramatic and emotionally intense conclusion of the entire series so far, laying the groundwork for a conclusive finale. With just one episode remaining in Hulu's dystopian epic, the second-to-last installment zooms from subtle suspense to out-and-out revolution, as the uprising lands its most daring and heartbreaking blow yet.
The episode not only advances the plot; it rocks the foundations of Gilead's regime and compels its most nuanced characters into permanent choices.
Starting in the immediate wake of the pandemonium at Commander Wharton and Serena Joy's wedding, the episode is focused on June and a delegation of Handmaids who try to escape Gilead's clutches through a string of coordinated bombings as cover.
But they're soon captured, and things escalate even further when Mayday and the United States government forge ahead with a high-stakes plot to assassinate Commander Lawrence.
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A gripping and emotionally wrenching sequence poses serious questions regarding sacrifice, betrayal, and whether the resistance can win without losing the individuals they're fighting to save.
In The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9, Nick and Commander Lawrence die in a plane explosion orchestrated to eliminate Gilead’s top Commanders, though their bodies are not shown.
What happened to Nick and Commander Lawrence in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9?
By the end of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9, viewers are left to grapple with what appears to be the explosive deaths of Commander Lawrence, Nick, Commander Wharton, and several high-ranking Gilead officials. The mission begins when Mayday and the American government recruit Lawrence to sneak a bomb onto a private aircraft.
The flight is headed for Washington, D.C., where Gilead's finest Commanders are to attend a revenge summit. Though the initial intention was to have Lawrence place the bomb and make his escape, things go in a dark direction in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9.
As Lawrence reaches the airstrip, he discovers the remaining Commanders are already there, awaiting departure. Having neither time nor a credible cover to withdraw, he boards the plane, carrying the bomb with him. Nick, who is supposed to join the Commanders, also gets aboard the plane, unaware of the bomb hidden onboard.
Minutes after takeoff, the plane is observed blowing up into a huge fireball as June and the others watch from a distance. Although the blast is far enough away that no bodies are found on-screen, the extent of the devastation makes it quite clear that all aboard, including Nick and Lawrence, were killed.
Though The Handmaid's Tale has a precedent for indeterminate fatalities, this sequence provides graphic visual indicators that survival was highly unlikely. The explosion during flight, followed by the crash debris falling from the sky, assures that even if the initial explosion was not lethal to passengers and crew, the subsequent crash would be.
Lawrence's choice to remain on the plane ensures his own death, making him both a martyr and an instrumental planner of a devastating strike against Gilead's leadership structure.
Why didn't June attempt to rescue Nick in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9?
As the aircraft takes off, June observes from a concealed position. Her inner turmoil is clear; she witnesses Nick board, well aware of what is about to occur. However, she holds back, refusing to act. This choice, though agonizing, is firmly based in practicality and distrust in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9.
June is no longer able to take chances with Mayday's plans, particularly following Nick's betrayal in episode 6, where he aligned with the Commanders against her.
Had she alerted Nick, it would have risked the whole operation. There were excellent chances that Nick, who still had allegiance to Gilead's command at the time, would have warned Wharton and others. The slightest doubt or detour would have attracted suspicion and could have aborted the resistance's greatest attack yet.
Even in the situation where Nick didn't reveal the plot but didn't get on the plane, his no-show would have been noticed, as Commander Wharton and others were expecting him. Further, if he had escaped alive while the rest were killed, suspicion regarding his complicity would have been unavoidable, effectively nullifying his future strategic usefulness to the resistance.
June, knowing all of this, makes the difficult decision to release Nick, putting the mission's success ahead of sentiment in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9.
Did Serena leave Commander Wharton in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9?
Maybe the most ethically complicated turn in the episode is Serena Joy's role in the operation. By sharing intelligence with the United States government on the Commanders' flight schedules, Serena essentially seals the destiny of her husband, Wharton.
However, her reasons are not fueled by vengeful blindness or manipulation; instead, they are a byproduct of a slow but resolute change of heart, brought about principally by her recent dialogue with June.
Throughout the series, Serena has been both the victim and victimizer of Gilead's system. But in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9, she seems to finally embrace the system's inherent ineffectiveness.
June's influence is key here. Serena comes to realize from June that Commander Wharton is not just a threatening figure but also a bad role model for the child they share. Serena's personal wish for a better future for her son becomes the emotional and moral turning point.
By surrendering Wharton and the other Commanders, Serena also shows she is willing to sacrifice the fantasy of reform within the structure of Gilead. She knows change comes at a cost, including sacrificing those she once championed.
The choice ultimately puts Serena in alignment with the cause of the resistance, whether she realizes it or not, and represents one of the strongest ideological changes her character has experienced.
Interested viewers can watch The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9 on Hulu.
