‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Joseph Fiennes’ Favorite Scene Is an Upcoming Showdown Between June and Fred
In season 4 episode 8 of The Handmaid’s Tale, “Testimony,” June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) faces off against Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski) in court. While June finally delivering her testimony against the Waterfords proved to be exciting, there is still more to come. In an interview with TVLine, Fiennes revealed that his favorite scene from season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale includes another showdown between Fred and June.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for season 4 episode 8 of The Handmaid’s Tale.]
June testified against Fred in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
“Testimony” premiered on Hulu on June 2. The first half of the episode largely focused on June’s testimony against Fred and Serena. Viewers saw June mentally preparing for the pretrial. Moss delivered the testimony as a monologue, and when she finishes her testimony, Fred speaks up.
Despite protests for him to stop talking, Fred claims that Gilead works because of the high birthrate in the country. He tells June that she was “rewarded” for her “suffering” by getting her young daughter Nichole from the regime. Fred also adds that he let June see her other daughter Hannah (Jordana Blake), making him a hero.
This causes June to snap. She exclaims, “I am done!” and exits the courtroom.
Before June testified against Fred and Serena, she visited Serena in season 4 episode 7, “Home.” During their confrontation, June yelled at Serena for the pain she caused.
“Well, just going back, I love that [June/Serena] scene. Suddenly, June has got her voice back. She’s been scarred psychologically and physically by the Waterfords, and those scars are deep, and she bites back. I love that scene for that,” Fiennes told TVLine.
June will have another confrontation with Fred
For fans who enjoyed June’s encounter with Serena and her testimony against the Waterfords, the character will allegedly have a one-on-one scene with Fred in a later episode. Fiennes tells TVLine that this is his favorite scene from season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale.
“In terms of Fred and June, we will. One of my favorite scenes will encapsulate exactly that dynamic. This has been the season of [two-person scenes]. Because of COVID restrictions, we’re rendered to just two people in a room — but I have to say, it’s gotten richer because of it,” Fiennes said.
He continued, “We get to see wonderful moments with actors, and I love O-T [Fagbenle]’s opening up of Luke that we haven’t seen. The fallout you know of that relationship has been wonderful to examine. But we do get to see, in terms of Fred and June, one of my favorite scenes, if not the most favorite scene of the season for me, later on.”
Fred is still drawn to June in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
After Fred’s outburst following June’s testimony, the Waterfords earn a number of supporters in Canada who believe in Gilead’s ideals. While Fred’s speech during the pretrial ended up having a “positive” result for the Waterfords, Fiennes says this only occurred because of Fred’s “weak side.”
“He is drawn. He’s drawn to powerful women,” Fiennes told TVLine. “There’s the pathetic and weak side of Fred, but he can’t help but hop on. The weird thing is, it has sort of a positive effect for him in terms of this group [of supporters] outside, and [the Waterfords] can build on that.”
New episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale premiere every Wednesday on Hulu.
