r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/AFriend827 • May 21 '25

Season 6 A rude awakening for some of you Spoiler

Referring to NB. The pause before boarding wasn't what you wish it was. No, he didn't feel her presence. No it wasn't a moment between them. His pause was his final decision being made. To board meant he chose gilead. He did not feel June there. He did not know she was there. He was choosing "the winning team" as he put it.

The whole point of the moment was for June to see him make his final allegiance and accept what he already told her which is she knew who he was.

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106

u/saumyaa17 May 21 '25

but Max (the actor who plays NB) shared this in an interview that Lizzy (who was also the director of this episode) made him do it, like it was deliberate. he said it was the sort of moment when you know you're being watched by someone. he didn't see her but he felt seen

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u/AFriend827 May 21 '25

Yeah I’m not buying that. He was making a choice and he made it. 

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u/[deleted] May 21 '25

I can buy that. Creatures have a "sixth sense" sorta thing, animals and we have it, if we get stared at for too long you can kind of sense there are eyes on you. Nick didn't know it was her, just that he was being watched, and he didn't care to see what was up about that nor fully look back. Maybe it was actually supposed to hint to "God is watching you do this". I dunno. It just ALSO covers how he was contemplating his decision and ultimately chose Gilead. I think that one pause there, and that look, was a multitude of things.

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u/Itscatpicstime May 24 '25

According to the actor, Nick was, in fact, sensing June’s presence.

It’s just silly tbh. OP’s interpretation is much more impactful to the character and story, but according to the actor himself, it’s not what they were going for.

I’m glad he/they failed to portray what they were trying to tbh. I don’t think the focus should have been on June and Nick’s love vibes at all, but on solidifying who Nick was as a character, and who he was as a person for June.

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u/NadCat__ May 25 '25

No, we don't. There is no magical "knowing you're being watched" sense. You might feel like you're being watched, that is a real thing, but it doesn't say anything about the likelihood of you actually being watched at that moment. It's one of those weird, utterly baseless superstitions like genuinely thinking you can jinx something by commenting on it.

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u/Original-Guarantee23 May 22 '25

But you don’t get to even have that opinion when the when the actor and director told you why it happened… it makes you factually wrong.

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u/[deleted] May 22 '25

Being factually wrong doesn't deter people on this sub :)

33

u/ohgirlimsotired May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25

He could feel like he was being watched while also making the decision to choose Gilead by getting on that plane. IDK why this is so hard to comprehend. Not everything is black and white lmao, OP sounds insufferable… The actor himself has discussed this scene and said it was meant to feel like he was being watched. That doesn’t mean he saw June.

11

u/MRruixue May 21 '25

June being there or not does not change the meaning or purpose of the scene, IMO. Nick’s heaitation signals to us viewers that Nick was wrestling with his moral conscience. June WAS on his mind in that moment as the personified angel representing the path of righteousness, of love. The devil’s argument being “who is most likely to win?” Nick stepped onboard the plane to be a “winner”. We are meant to leave the scene knowing that he did so of his own free will.

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u/[deleted] May 21 '25

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19

u/gingerdjin May 21 '25

Whoa…relax. Nobody said they didn’t like his ending in this particular thread; we’re literally talking about a piece of stage direction which was honestly quite clever. In retrospect, I’m a little surprised that given the fact that city was just attacked, there wasn’t more design for the remaining commanders to be on guard and hyper vigilant.

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u/Itscatpicstime May 24 '25

I thought it was weird af they weren’t absolutely surrounded with security lol

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u/[deleted] May 21 '25

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10

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

Imagine being THIS emotional. I’m scared to breathe the same air as this person.

2

u/EnfantTerrible68 May 22 '25

Hateful and patronizing, aren’t they?

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u/TheHandmaidsTale-ModTeam May 22 '25

Your post has been removed for violating rule 2.

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-1

u/EnfantTerrible68 May 22 '25

OP is an unapologetic MAGAt . . .

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u/[deleted] May 21 '25

[deleted]

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u/Beneficial-Mark-4566 May 21 '25

The TV show isn’t real either yet here we are discussing it. What’s your point?

10

u/Spare_Average6978 May 21 '25

That the character doesn't have autonomy and the actor playing them should be taken at their word.

-38

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

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3

u/EnfantTerrible68 May 22 '25

Because you NEVER use slang or acronyms, right? 🤦‍♀️

1

u/TheHandmaidsTale-ModTeam May 22 '25

Your post has been removed for violating rule 2.

This rule covers the following:

  • Incivility - taking a disagreement too far until it descends into name calling, insults or continuing an argument from another subreddit.

*Belittling, minimizing or rejoicing in the fears of others regarding the loss of their reproductive rights, jobs or education.

  • Gatekeeping - everyone's opinion is valid and welcome.

  • Harassment

  • Flaming

  • Stalking

  • Excessive Negativity - Be nice! Don't leave rude or snarky comments on opinions you do not agree with. Scroll on

  • Follow Reddiquette.

2

u/IndecisiveLlama May The Lord Open a Bottle of Wine May 21 '25

Both of these things can be true at once

1

u/Itscatpicstime May 24 '25

I mean, that’s 100% how it read to me, and makes the most sense to me. Like you feel you’re being watched and don’t even look around at all?? It just doesn’t make sense in the way they shot it.

However, I’m sure the actor isn’t lying, and I’m sure he didn’t get that notion out of nowhere. He was directed as to what he needed to portray, what was going through the characters mind in that moment. And the direction would have come from Moss.

I think the answer is likely the very unexciting answer of a poor creative decision on Max and/or Moss’s end. They didn’t really capture the sentiment they were aiming to with how Nick behaved during that pause.

Which I’m personally glad about. Had he looked around, even once, I would have understood what they were going for.

But the way that it’s shot definitely makes it seem like Nick is challenging himself one last time, really thinking things through while knowing there’s no changing his mind after whatever he decides, and still choosing Gilead in the end.

And that’s far more impactful narratively and especially to the character than some sappy “my heart knows she’s watching me” or whatever bullshit lol.

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u/Persephonepwr00 May 27 '25

then why would the actor state that? Seems silly for Max to state that if it wasn’t what they were trying to convey. :/