‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Recap: ‘Vows’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 406 of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.
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It is definitely safe to say that fans of the Hulu series, The Handmaid’s Tale, have been patiently waiting and hoping for several key plot developments to occur within the framework of this harrowing story. Such as bearing witness to the fall of Gilead, since seeing it collapse and be restored into the United States of America would bring about a great sense of satisfaction and relief since it would mean that every single man involved in its creation would finally pay the piper for their horrific crimes against humanity. But of course, in order for that happen… the other important development that everyone has been waiting for, has to happen first. Specifically, June Osborne needs to be free of Gilead’s clutches so she can fight from afar and well… it is also safe to say that fans have been wondering if that will ever happen.
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Because despite June’s best attempts to escape this nation’s iron grip, she’s often found a way or a reason to return to its disgusting fold, usually because she is compelled to not leave her daughter Hannah behind. Which is an understandable and noble reason to not leave since family is indeed important and given the circumstances, many of us would likely follow in her footsteps for the same reason. But at the same time, her decision to remain has frustrated fans… since it has subjected June to horrors untold, the kind that have quite frankly… given all of us pause and left us sitting in silence once another dark and twisted episode has come to a close. And this cycle of nearly escaping and returning and being tortured has definitely worn on all of us since we have wanted badly to see it end and see some form of healing, begin. 

If anything, June’s journey and our simmering frustration is of note today… simply because at long last, a longstanding goal for the fanbase finally came to fruition in this week’s episode. For ‘Vows’ finally saw the seemingly impossible become a reality, since June Osborne finally escaped the nightmare that is Gilead and was reunited with her husband and best friend on the shores of Canada. But before we talk about the significance of that, we need to focus on the fact that June had to earn this moment and make a powerful decision to finally enjoy her freedom. And of course, we definitely need to spotlight that getting out of Gilead was no easy task… one that took some incredible efforts on Moira’s part and well, it’s best we start there with today’s recap, since the surprise reunion between a pair of best friends is what brought about June’s difficult journey in the first place.

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Because shortly after Moira found a dazed and rattled June, she brought her back to the medical tents her team set up for the survivors of the bombing run and well… what they returned to was utter chaos. For the camp was overwhelmed, and there were worries that more bombs were coming and that motivated the team (led by Moira’s girlfriend, Oona) to pull up anchor and head back to Canada with just the team. A move that didn’t sit well with Moira and after some hard pressing, she convinced June to leave and got her aboard the boat without Oona’s knowledge and well, that led to the trouble in question. For Gilead wanted to inspect the boat and ensure that none of their ‘citizens’ were smuggled out and well, knowing that the safety of the crew would be in jeopardy if they didn’t turn June over, motivated Oona to push for a prisoner hand-off at first, but eventually she opted to hide and care for June… largely because of the fact that she was a human being in need of help. 
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Which meant that eventually… June was finally free of Gilead and on her way to a new life and even then… she had second thoughts about doing so. Mainly because, Hannah was still under the watch of an evil nation and their teachings and the thought of leaving her daughter behind to continue to be immersed in that world when she could have gotten her out… was too much to bear. For it made her feel akin to a failure of a mother, one that left her baby girl to rot in a nation founded upon deceit. And it took Moira to teach her friend that she could do more for her daughter and everyone else left behind by speaking out about Gilead’s crimes and that finally allowed for June to accept what her new duty would be going forward, before reuniting with her beloved Luke so they could start the next chapter of their lives on Canadian soil.

If anything, this was hands down… the most satisfying episode of this storied series to date. Because at long last the audience was rewarded for their patience and loyalty. For June Osborne has finally escaped the Republic of Gilead and she is reunited with loved ones and likely her new daughter, Nichole and now… she can properly fight. For she can tell the world of what’s really happening in that twisted land, and she can ruin Commander Lawrence’s plans and hopefully starve the government to the point of collapse. And while that may not the be the fire and brimstone we want for this corrupt nation, an end is an end and this episode was likely the beginning of that end and well, this particular move definitely adds a new layer of excitement to this tale. Because at long last, this is it, the story is finally moving in a positive direction and that will make the wait for next week’s episode a difficult one for certain. Since we are all eager to see June stand tall and fight the Republic of Gilead with the most terrifying weapon of all… the truth. Until next time.    

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