'The Handmaid's Tale' Keeps Viewers on Edge Amid June and Luke's Captivity

Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale is once again proving to be an anxiety-inducing experience for viewers. Following the nerve-wracking beginnings of the uprising in Gilead in the earliest seasons and after June's nail-biting escape from Gilead to Canada in Season 4, the series' newest episode, "Together," had viewers once again sitting on the edge of their seats and sounding off online as it documented the continued journey of June Osbourne and her husband Luke. Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale Season 5, Episode 6, "Together."

During last week's episode, "Fairytail," fans were left waiting with a cliffhanger ending after June and Luke's efforts to get more information on their daughter Hannah, who remains in Gilead, ended disastrously. After traveling across Canada's border and into No Man's Land, the between-border stretch uncontrolled by Canada or Gilead, they were captured and separated just yards away from crossing back into Canada. In "Together," the week-long wait to find out what happened to them ended when the episode opened with June and Luke in captivity, being held in separate "cells" by an unknown foe. As the episode continued to document life in Gilead, where it was revealed two characters are pregnant, back in No Man's Land, things were as tense as ever as June and Luke remained at the mercy of their captors, who weren't willing to give up much information. It was only revealed towards the end of the episode, after Luke was beaten and June was pulled into a separate vehicle, that the men who captured them are working for the Wheelers, the Gilead sympathizers living in Canada who take in a pregnant Serena Joy Waterford, who are seeking revenge for Commander Fred Waterford's death and plan to execute June.

"Together" ended with June's life ultimately being saved by a surprising character: Serena. Having requested and been granted permission to be the one to pull the trigger, when she came face-to-face with June, Serena was ultimately unable to kill her, instead shooting Ezra Shaw, her bodyguard. The harrowing story of June and Luke's captivity, and the final moments of "Together," which ended without telling viewers what happened to Luke, sparked plenty of comments online.