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Elisabeth Moss wasn't joking when she asked fans to record their reactions after watching The Handmaid's Tale season 6 episode 9. The penultimate episode of the highly popular dystopian drama series concluded with the deaths of two major characters, marking a significant victory for Mayday and the women of Gilead.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.
These characters are Commander Joseph Lawrence and Commander Nick Blaine. Lawrence had been an ally of Mayday's cause in The Handmaid's Tale season 6 after discovering that the Commanders were plotting to have him killed. Nick, on the other hand, did not have a strict allegiance but supported June before ultimately siding with Gilead.
Joseph Lawrence and Nick Blaine were killed off in The Handmaid's Tale season 6 episode 9
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Joseph Lawrence and Nick Blaine's journey in The Handmaid's Tale season 6 was cut short due to the events of the show's latest episode. In the final moments of the episode, Joseph Lawrence, who was supposed to plant a bomb in the aircraft carrying the commanders to DC, finds out that the men have arrived early at the airport.
With no other options available, Lawrence makes the difficult decision to board the plane with the explosives as June watches from the back of a car. To June's horror, Nick, who was not meant to be on the plane because of a family emergency, boards the aircraft at the last minute. As he enters, he sits next to Lawrence, and the two men share a heartfelt conversation about June.
As the plane takes off, June comes out of her hiding position and looks up at the sky. Then, within a matter of seconds, the plane erupts in flames, suggesting that Lawrence had triggered the bomb.
This event is a big win for Mayday and June, as besides Nick and Joseph, several other commanders were aboard the flight. Among them were Commander Wharton (Serena's husband and Nick's father-in-law) and other commanders who were heading to DC to discuss their strategy following Mayday's attack on Gilead.
What does Max Minghella have to say about his character, Nick Blaine's death in The Handmaid's Tale season 6?
In an interview published by Variety on May 19, 2025, Max Minghella was asked about his character, Nick Blaine's recent demise in The Handmaid's Tale. When asked how he felt after reading the season's script for the first time, he said that he was "surprised" and "interested."
"Transparently, I was very surprised by where they were going to take Nick in Season 6, because it was quite different to how he served the show previously. Not to get too macro about it, but the Nick and June relationship has been a reprieve from the more tense thematic elements of the show.
"And so to ground that relationship, then, into some of the darker, more nihilistic points-of-view that we have to explore in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” I was surprised by it — but interested in it as an actor. And certainly nobody could accuse them of pandering."
The final episode of The Handmaid's Tale season 6 is set to be released on Hulu on May 27, 2025. With the release of the upcoming episode, the show will come to a natural conclusion.
