Warning! SPOILERS for The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 episodes 1 and 2 ahead.Serena Joy's return to Gilead to bury Fred in The Handmaid's Tale season 5 episode 2 might have had some shocking consequences, but one specific meeting that the trip made possible could potentially give hope to the fans of Nick and June for the future. While June (Elizabeth Moss) has been safe in Canada since The Handmaid's Tale season 4 episode 6, her fight to free as many people as possible from Gilead didn't stop. However, The Handmaid's Tale season 4 finale also proved, along with that, June also wanted her revenge on Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes). After June violently got it, The Handmaid's Tale season 5 episodes 1 and 2 showed the toll it took.
The aftermath of Fred's killing in The Handmaid's Tale season 4 episode 10 impacted both June and Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), and it also escalated their antagonistic relationship in The Handmaid's Tale season 5, as June made sure Serena knew it was her that killed Fred. The severed finger June sent her emboldened Serena, making her demand a trip to Gilead to give her husband the funeral she believed he deserved. Even though Fred's internationally-streamed funeral that Gilead granted Serena possibly made her and the theocracy more appealing to the already-multiplying ers around the world in The Handmaid's Tale, it also made one meeting possible that could open the door for Nick (Max Minghella) and June to be together in the future.
The Handmaid's Tale season 5 episode 2's funeral preparations gave Mark Tuello (Sam Jaeger) the chance to leave Serena to Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) and meet Nick in secret. It's clear that Tuello wanted to meet Nick in order to get information on Gilead out of him, not offering for him to meet his daughter Nichole out of the goodness of his heart. It's also obvious that their collaboration could lead to more meetings between Nick and June. As previous meetings – and Nick's help in getting information about Hannah (Jordana Blake) to June in The Handmaid's Tale season 4 – proved, there's still love between the two, and Tuello and Nick's arrangement could lead them to be together in the future.
Will Nick Ever Be Able To Escape Gilead In The Handmaid's Tale?
The arrangement between Nick and Mark Tuello could potentially save Nick from Gilead. Indeed, Nick seemingly benefitted a lot from it, rising through the ranks and becoming a commander quite quickly while at the same time providing useful information for the governments working against Gilead from afar. The difficult feat proved he'd be capable of surviving Gilead and escaping it eventually. However, precisely because of Nick's capabilities, Nick would be more valuable to the United States government inside of Gilead than outside, making Tuello's promise of Nick potentially meeting Nichole the thing that makes him stay there.
If Nick were to survive Gilead and even help to defeat it, his purpose as a spy would be achieved, making his escape from the theocracy more likely. If that were the case, his and June's relationship could also be rekindled, especially as June's stay in Canada proved challenging. The Handmaid's Tale season 5 showed clearly how while some people like Moira (Samira Wiley), Rita (Amanda Brugel), or even June's husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle) want to move forward, June cannot seem to be able to work through what Gilead did to her. In that sense, her relationship with Nick could be easier if he were to escape Gilead, as most of the terrible things Gilead put June through, Nick was there to witness them and her.
Whether that's where The Handmaid's Tale season 5 is heading, it's still too early to say. After all, The Handmaid's Tale season 5 episode 2's ending proved that the war between June and Serena is far from over, as Serena made a point of showcasing her hug with Hannah during the funeral to the world, precisely to remind June of the power she still held in Gilead. If Nick and June were to be able to get closer again eventually, it would happen in the far future after the fight is over, as The Handmaid's Tale season 5 episode 2 proved June is still in the middle of it.