'The Handmaid’s Tale' kills off two major characters ahead of season 6 finale

In a heart-wrenching episode that has left long-time fans stunned and new viewers reeling, The Handmaid’s Tale eliminated two of its most pivotal characters—Commander Nick Blaine and Commander Joseph Lawrence—in a shocking turn of events in the penultimate episode of Season 6. As the dystopian drama inches toward its finale, it’s safe to say that the stakes have never been higher for June Osborne and the resistance against Gilead.

Based on Margaret Atwood’s acclaimed novel of the same name, the series is set in a near-future totalitarian society called Gilead, formed after the collapse of the United States. In this regime, fertile women—called Handmaids—are forced into reproductive servitude. June Osborne, played by Elisabeth Moss, is one of the central figures in the rebellion against Gilead's brutal system.

What happens in the episode?

The episode begins with June, again, staring death in the face. In a brutal display typical of Gilead’s reign, she and a group of Handmaids, along with the strict and complicated Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), are about to be executed publicly. Aunt Lydia, a staunch enforcer of Gilead’s rules who has slowly shown signs of internal conflict, appears visibly shaken. But before the execution can proceed, June's husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle), now a part of the resistance, arrives with a team and stages a last-minute rescue.

June’s survival, however, quickly becomes overshadowed by a new mission: taking down Gilead’s leadership once and for all. Enter Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), one of Gilead’s founding architects-turned-reluctant sympathiser. Lawrence has always been a morally complex figure—intellectually sharp, dry-witted, and guilt-ridden. In a final act of rebellion, he agrees to plant an altitude bomb aboard a plane set to carry Gilead’s most powerful male leaders.

In a twist no one saw coming, Commander Nick Blaine (Max Minghella)—June’s former lover and the father of her second child—shows up and boards the doomed plane. While their relationship has been one of the most emotionally layered parts of the series, the initial episodes saw Nick betray June by leaking her movements to Gilead’s leaders—an action many fans saw as unforgivable.

The episode’s most poignant moment comes when Nick and Lawrence share a brief but powerful final exchange aboard the plane. Nick says, “She told me to give it all up,” referencing June’s plea to leave Gilead behind. Lawrence replies, “You should have listened to her.” Seconds later, the plane takes off—and explodes midair.

June watches from the ground, in shock and horror. She is heartbroken and devastated that she never got to say goodbye. This moment captures not only the depth of her connection to Nick but also the enormous personal losses she continues to endure in her fight for justice.

Now, with just one episode remaining in Season 6, June is left to pick up the pieces. The resistance has lost two high-level insiders. Aunt Lydia seems more fractured than ever. Luke is back by her side—but how long will that last in a world where nothing is stable?

As the curtain prepares to fall on another season, The Handmaid’s Tale proves that in the battle against tyranny, survival always comes with sacrifice.

Lead image: IMDb

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