‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Showrunner Says June and Luke’s Relationship Will ‘Change’
On May 19, a new episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, titled “Vows,” premiered on Hulu. In the previous episode, “Chicago,” June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) makes it to Chicago, but the city is bombed by Gilead forces. In the rubble, June’s best friend Moira Strand (Samira Wiley) finds her, and previews hint that June could escape to Canada in “Vows.”
In an interview with TV Insider, showrunner Bruce Miller explained how June’s relationships with Moira and her husband Luke Bankole (O-T Fagbenle) will “change” in future episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for season 4 episode 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale.]
Moira finds June in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
In The Handmaid’s Tale, Moira escaped Gilead in the first season. When she made it to Canada, she reunited with Luke, and in the third season, the two begin raising June’s daughter with Nick (Max Minghella), Nichole.
A majority of Moira’s storylines have shown her overcoming the trauma she experienced in Gilead along with the guilt she feels for escaping Gilead while June stayed behind.
Speaking with TV Insider, Miller shared that while Moira and June were once incredibly close, their experiences in Gilead could possibly affect them in different ways.
“Both of them have been going through a journey of recovery or moving on after sexual trauma after a refugee experience when they joined together, that’s where you get to measure them against each other,” Miller told TV Insider.
He continued, “They were so simpatico beforehand and they were able to talk about anything, [including] ‘I don’t think you should marry this boy.'”
June’s relationships with Luke and Moira will change
Throughout the series, fans of The Handmaid’s Tale have seen that relationship dynamics can change. While Moira and Luke did not get along well before Gilead, the two are close friends and have a special bond after reuniting in Canada.
According to Miller, fans will be able to use the change between June and Moira in “Chicago” and “Vows” to predict how June’s other relationships will “change,” including her relationship with her husband, Luke.
“That relationship is so strong and so vital and so important to both of them and to see how they’re going to manage that going forward gives you a good idea of how [June’s] relationships with everybody, including [her husband] Luke [O-T Fagbenle], are going to change,” Miller shared.
O-T Fagbenle hints Luke will struggle in season 4 of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
In an interview with Gold Derby, Fagbenle shared that fans of The Handmaid’s Tale will see Luke face new challenges in the fourth season.
“Nobody gets out of Handmaid’s Tale unscathed. You know, all the characters are going through a terrible trauma, and I think Luke is no exception to that,” Fagbenle shared.
He continued, “… his wife and child are in mortal jeopardy, and so is his sanity and we really get to see Luke be put through the wringer on this, in a completely different way than other seasons.”
New episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale premiere every Wednesday on Hulu.
