'The Handmaid's Tale' Fans Spot Another Season 4 Plot Hole
The Handmaid's Tale Season 4 has been filled with big moments as the rebellion against Gilead [...]
The Handmaid's Tale Season 4 has been filled with big moments as the rebellion against Gilead continues and June finds herself labeled as "public enemy No. 1." For fans, though, the currently airing fourth season of the Hulu original series has also been riddled with plot holes, and Episode 6, "Vows," was no different. Warning: This story contains major spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale Season 4, Episode 6, "Vows."
Dropping on Hulu Wednesday, the episode picked up directly after the shocking moments in "Chicago," which depicted bombs being dropped on the city labeled the frontlines of the war just moments before a cease-fire went into effect. With Janine seemingly lost in the rubble and her fate still unknown, the episode centered on the reunion of June and Moira and the last-ditch effort to finally bring June to Canada. Spanning a total of 39 minutes before the end credits rolled, much of the episode was dedicated to flashbacks and the efforts to smuggle June into Canada, though that plot point proved to irk some viewers over the way in which it was handled. Faced with an inspection from Gilead before reentering Canadian waters, a large debate occurred on the boat regarding what to do with June, with the crew ultimately deciding to turn her over before Oona reversed course and decided they'd attempt to pass her off as a charity aid worker, though she maintained fear that the NGO would be prohibited from ever rendering aid on the frontlines again.
Many viewers couldn't help but note the entire fiasco could have been avoided, with one person questioning, "why does Gilead ever have to know June turned up?" Several suggested that Canadian authorities could "just claim June showed up on their shores wildly," with a viewer sharing that authorities would simply need to "process her 'as if' she escaped on foot or something."
Still, even before June's arrival in Canada would become known, another plot hole upset fans, with many questioning the solution the crew came up with, with many questioning if there would really be an I.D. maker on board, and if the solution was truly that simple, why they hadn't just gone that route in the first place. One person noted that even overlooking that, to create an I.D. for June, if a photo was required, "she would have had those eye injuries in the photo and wouldn't that look a little sus to the inspector police dude?"
The I.D. issue was even brought up in Vulture's recap of the episode, with the outlet noting that "the fact that a simple solution of passing June off as one of the crew has existed all along," adding that "certainly, if the solution is so simple — no need to scramble manifestos or rip up floorboards or keep June hanging on a rope over the side of the ship while inspectors came onboard — someone would have brought it up earlier… And yet here they were, ready to offer her to butchers!" Vulture also brought up another issue: Moira "pretending to be Canadian." Several viewers suggested given that Moira is an escaped Handmaid "who's friends with public enemy #1…" they "certainly should have made up a totally fake identity for Moira" and her name "should have been scrubbed if she came within 1,000 miles near Gilead."
Regardless of the apparent plot holes, "Vows" proved to be a massive episode for the series, as June has since safely arrived in Canada, where she was finally reunited with her husband, Luke. News episodes of The Handmaid's Tale arrive on Hulu, which you can sign up for here, on Wednesdays. Season 4 consists of 10 episodes, with the season finale set to air on Wednesday, June 16. Stay tuned to PopCulture for all the latest updates!