‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Elisabeth Moss Thinks It Was Important That June and Luke’s Reunion Was Not ‘Perfect’
So far, the fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale has been a wild ride for viewers. In season 4 episode 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale, titled “Vows,” June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) manages to escape Gilead and makes it to Canada.
At the end of the episode, June reunites with her husband Luke Bankole (O-T Fagbenle) after spending several years apart. While the reunion was emotional, Moss wanted to make sure it was not “perfect.”
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for season 4 episode 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale.]
June and Luke reunite in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
By the time June and Luke see one another again, they have been separated for over five years. Not only did June go through immense trauma in Gilead, but she also fell in love and had a baby with another man, Nick Blaine (Max Minghella).
Luke took it upon himself to raise Nick and June’s young daughter, and he continued to hold out hope that one day June and their daughter Hannah (Jordana Blake) would return to him.
June’s escape in “Vows” is orchestrated by her best friend Moira Strand (Samira Wiley). As they make their way to Canada, June repeatedly tries to return to Gilead because she is scared to leave without Hannah. She also worries that Luke will not forgive her for not escaping with their daughter.
When June and Luke reunite in Canada at the end of the episode, June’s insecurities are proven to be pointless, as Luke is excited to see her and embraces her.
Elisabeth Moss wanted to show that June’s reunion with Luke is not ‘perfect’
While June was in Gilead, she often fantasized about being with her husband again. Now that they are physically back together, some fans might expect the two of them to have a fairytale ending.
However, while filming the scene, Moss wanted fans to get the idea that June and Luke’s reunion was not “perfect.”
“The biggest thing for me about her going to Canada and her reunion with Luke is that it couldn’t be perfect,” Moss told TVLine. “It couldn’t be like everything was all of a sudden OK.”
She continued, “I mean, the reunion with Luke… like breaks me every time, it’s so sweet… and then there’s the truth of it and there’s the honesty of it which is that this person has been through a lot and has changed forever.”
Going forward, fans will see June attempt to have a normal life in Canada, and Moss says this change will not be easy for June.
“… it was very important to me that her assimilation back into society was not an easy one, because I just don’t think that would have been an honest story,” she told TVLine.
Luke might feel frustrated in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Fagbenle, who plays Luke in The Handmaid’s Tale, also spoke to TVLine about the reunion between Luke and June in the fourth season. While Fagbenle believes that Luke does not resent June for not having Hannah, he thinks his character will have trouble understanding June’s trauma.
“For Luke, it’s just hard when you don’t understand what’s going on for another person,” he said. “I think it’s more about the frustration and helplessness of his ignorance rather than, you know, resentment.”
New episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale premiere every Wednesday on Hulu.
