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The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 changed the dynamic of the series. June is no longer in Gilead or struggling for her own freedom. She is now safe in Canada, trying to figure out how to get Hannah out. Unfortunately, Janine and Esther are still handmaids. Though Esther seems like the new June in Gilead, that title may actually be more fitting for Janine.

Madeline Brewer as Janine in The Handmaid's Tale Season 5. Janine sits on a bed at the Red Center wearing a handmaid's red dress and an eye patch.
Madeline Brewer as Janine in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5 | Sophie Giraud/Hulu

Esther Keyes follows June’s legacy of rebellion

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 introduced Esther Keyes, a wife who helped June and the other handmaids while they were on the run. June learned that Esther’s husband allowed other men to abuse her and helped the young girl get her revenge.

After Esther was turned into a handmaid, she continued June’s legacy of rebellion. She refuses to eat, just as June did when she was pregnant in season 2. “Esther really wants to be her. Well, I don’t know if it’s to be her, but she’s very fascinated with June,” Mckenna Grace, who plays Esther, told The Hollywood Reporter.

“She looks up to her, almost as a mother figure in this totally twisted sense. I feel like there’s only one June. But there is the whole rebellion, and there are all of these other girls. So, there’s one June, and I supposed there’s one Esther as well!”

Janine is a ‘version of June’ for the other women in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5

In season 4, Janine convinced Esther to behave in order to stay alive, but that doesn’t last long. Esther made a fateful decision in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, poisoning herself and Janine with chocolates. “We’re gonna make June proud,” she tells Janine as she coughs up blood.

However, Madeline Brewer, who plays Janine, offers a new perspective on who may be the new June. Janine has been working at the Red Center, helping the new handmaids learn the rules and avoid the harsh punishments that were once dealt out to her.

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‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 5: Madeline Brewer Explains Janine’s Motivations at the Red Center

“I think Janine can definitely feel the void of June’s absence, and I think Janine knows very well that the way to survive in Gilead is to have a June because that’s how she survived was her June,” Madeline Brewer said while speaking to ScreenRant.

“She recognizes that she needs to be a version of June for these girls. They need someone to be brave, they need someone to lean on, they need someone to take the risks,” the actor continued.

Janine enacts change from inside Gilead

After Janine begins to recover from her poisoning, she becomes even more outspoken to Aunt Lydia. She tells her that Esther was a child who was hurt and abused, which Janine warned her about. “I gave her an opportunity to live a life of service and grace,” Aunt Lydia responds. “Or else!” Janine replies. “You would let her rot in the Colonies. Or I know — you’d just pluck her eye out.”

Surprisingly, Janine’s words get through to Aunt Lydia, and she makes a request to Commander Lawrence. Aunt Lydia suggests that the girls should not be posted. Rather they should remain at the Red Center, allowing the Commanders and Wives to visit once a month for the Ceremony.

Though Commander Lawrence denies this request, Aunt Lydia seems more aware of the handmaid’s difficulties. Janine is doing what she can to protect the other handmaids from harsh punishment, and maybe that makes her the “new June” more than Esther. When Janine finally returns to the Red Center, she is enveloped in the arms of her fellow handmaids.

Don’t miss new episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Wednesdays on Hulu.

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