Eric Tuchman talks “Progress.”
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wednesday’s episode ofThe Handmaid’s Tale, “Progress.”
that he’s now married.
Joseph Fiennes and Yvonne Strahovski on ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ (inset: Eric Tuchman).Sophie Giraud/Hulu; Inset: Andrew Toth/WireImage
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s start with that scene with Nick.
How long has he been married?
ERIC TUCHMAN:I can’t tell you specifically how long he’s been married.
I do hope people will gasp a bit when Nick slides on that wedding ring.
The thing is, of course he got married in Gilead.
Nick is probably top of the list of most eligible commanders.
He’s a power player on the rise.
He’s a handsome man of mystery.
And Gilead demands its version of traditional family values.
So naturally Nick couldn’t stay single for very long.
I thought this sequence really humanizes their characters and their relationships.
It’s just for the moment, forgetting about all the epic conflicts that are swirling around them.
This is just a quiet interlude for two people who have endured so much, who love each other.
He tells her to be happy when they depart, but can these characters ever actually be happy?
I mean, I wanted him to say that because that is what she was struggling with.
It’s exactly what you’re saying.
I really don’t think [Janine] has an ulterior motive yet.
Janine has endured so much, but because of that, she’s a stronger person.
Nobody needs to take care of Janine anymore in the way June had to.
Janine can take care of herself now.
The Janine we used to know could never have done that.
It also felt like a big deal for Aunt Lydia to give in like that.
I mean, Aunt Lydia this season has been dealing with being sidelined from her position of power.
She’s all about reasserting her authority among the aunts and the Gilead power structure.
So that for sure is a step forward and some progress for Lydia and her character.
I’m not sure if I trust Mark Tuello [Sam Jaeger] anymore!
She’s now united with him to search for and rescue their daughter.
She’s been pretty successful.
So the lid that she’s been keeping on her simmering kettle just explodes.
And now to set up the finale, where and how does she channel that anger?
She demands justice, but if Fred is out, where’s the justice in that?
How is she going to deal with that and with him?
We’ll see her struggling with her response to Fred’s impending freedom in the finale.
What else can we expect from the season 4 finale?
I think it’s primarily about June struggling with how to respond to Fred’s freedom.
you’ve got the option to expect a very intense, edge-of-your-seat, surprising ride.
What’s next for June?
What would really happen for June in this journey?
It does take her sometimes to dark places, and it takes her to hopeful places sometimes.
She’s always at a crossroads.
She’s always trying to decide which path to take.
Whatever she decides, we can understand her choice.
We may not agree with it, but at least we know where she’s coming from.
