Season 4 of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Will Show Janine Stepping up as a Leader

In The Handmaid’s Tale, Madeline Brewer plays Janine Lindo, a Handmaid and friend of June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss). Janine is a fan-favorite character because of her complexity and Brewer’s heartwarming performance.

So far in the fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale, Janine has had a larger role compared to past seasons. In an interview with Variety, showrunner Bruce Miller revealed that Janine will become more of a leader in season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale.

[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for season 4 episode 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale.]

The third episode of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ has a major twist

Season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale picks up with June, Janine, Alma (Nina Kiri), Brianna (Bahia Watson), and other Handmaids on the run after they helped 86 children escape Gilead.

The Handmaids find refuge at a farm run by a young wife named Mrs. Esther Keyes (Mckenna Grace), and they stay at the farm while disguised as Marthas for several days.

The Handmaids move on to the next safe house, but June is captured and tortured about their whereabouts. After being shown her daughter Hannah (Jordana Blake), June finally breaks and reveals where the Handmaids are hiding.

At the end of the third episode of the fourth season, titled “The Crossing,” the Handmaids are captured at the safe house. June, Alma, Janine, Brianna, and the other women are then reunited to be taken to a Magdalene colony.

When the van stops at a railroad crossing, June attacks Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), and the Handmaids attempt to escape. In a shocking development, only June and Janine survive.

Janine will become a leader in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

Over the past three seasons, fans of The Handmaid’s Tale have watched June become more involved with the rebellion against Gilead. In the fourth season, June has stepped into the role of a leader. According to Miller, fans of The Handmaid’s Tale will also see Janine follow June’s footsteps.

“At the end of the year it’s actually Janine’s arc of leadership. She takes a lesson from June and really by the end has to take on a mantle of leadership, and she does,” Miller told Variety.

He continued, “It’s a protégé story: What does her protégé turn into? A lot of her ruling philosophy is the same as my mother’s parenting philosophy, which is, my mother just thought about what her mother would do and did the opposite.”

June faces consequences as a leader

While Alma and Brianna were supporting characters in The Handmaid’s Tale they were beloved by fans, making their deaths particularly sad. Speaking with Variety, Miller said the death of June’s friends served the purpose of helping her realize the consequences that come with being a leader.

“I want her to feel responsible. Whether she feels guilty is a slippery thing because who’s guilty, who’s responsible? It’s really Gilead,” Miller said.

The showrunner shared that going forward, June will struggle with the burden of her actions and decisions.

“But yes, she is weighted down, hugely, by what she has done, thought, wanted to do, how her desires have changed, how ruthless she’s become and how she finds satisfaction in violence sometimes,” he said.

New episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale premiere every Wednesday on Hulu.