Surprise

Surprise
Season 6
Episode 6
Air date	April 29, 2025
Directed by	Natalia Leite
Written by	Aly Monroe
Episodes
Previous	Janine
Next	Shattered

Surprise is the 6th episode of the sixth season of The Handmaid's Tale. It aired on April 29, 2025.

Plot

In the trunk of Lawrence's car, June and Moira discuss how to recover Janine's letters and map from the safe at Jezebel's, before the car stops and the trunk opens. Joseph shares that he overheard that the other Commanders want a return to Gilead’s original form, with him dead on the wall. June foreshadows that if these Commanders all died, Joseph would be the most powerful person left in Boston.

Joseph hides June and Moira in the basement of his New Bethlehem home, where they are nearly discovered by Naomi. The brothel is in lockdown, so Joseph cannot help to retrieve Janine's documents. Over Joseph's phone, June persuades Nick to fetch them from the crime scene in the brothel instead, where Nick has a short encounter with Bell and Janine. Nick then meets June in Lawrence's basement, where he gives her a loving hug, asking her to stay the night with him - his wife and his father-in-law have both left on a trip to D.C..

In a short flashback, we see June and Nick share an intimate moment in Nick's apartment at the Waterford's home, where they fantasize about running off to Paris together. Nick drives to his home with June hiding in the back seat. When they arrive, Nick sees Commander Wharton in his house, so Nick instructs June to stay in the car, and to walk to Serena's nearby house if he doesn't return within five minutes. Wharton is aware Nick was at Jezebel's and wants to know what he was up to. He also finds it highly suspicious that the Guardian at the hospital died just after Nick visited him. He demands answers, because these lies would land him on the wall.

Aunt Lydia visits Janine in the brothel with fresh-baked cookies, where she offers her to work as attendant at Serena's new fertility center in New Bethlehem. When Janine hesitates, they argue, and Lydia slaps Janine across the face. Janine tells her she'll only forgive her if she can reunite her with her daughter Charlotte. Janine becomes even more furious with Lydia and shoves her out of the dressing room. Janine destroys a few things in the room, collects herself and sets out for the night's work.

June shows up on Serena’s doorstep, telling a story about how she came to try to entice Nick to move to Alaska and be in her life, but he refused and now she needs a place to stay. When Serene mentions her engagement with Gabriel Wharton, June points out that Serena hasn't changed, as she's still subjugating herself to a powerful man. The next morning, Serena arranges a reunion with Rita. We learn that Rita has decided to stay in New Bethlehem, where she now works as a baker. When Serena leaves to tend to baby Noah, June asks Rita to spy for Mayday, but Rita wants to focus on reuniting her family. June understands and tells Rita she's earned the right to be with her family in New Bethlehem.

At the Lawrence residence, Joseph teaches Angela how to play chess. Naomi doesn't approve of putting "anti-Gilead" ideas in the little girl's head, which may reflect poorly on them. Joseph says none of it will matter soon.

Nick arrives at Serena's house, telling June to forget about Mayday as he has papers for them to leave together for Paris and be a family with Nichole. Between kisses, June agrees to this plan. As Wharton appears at the doorstep, the two hide in the closet. From there they overhear Wharton's news that he shut down Jezebel's after Nick found out that the resistance was planning a massacre. June realizes immediately that Nick has betrayed her. The light coming into the closet illuminates a shattered June.

Cast

Starring

• Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne
• Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford
• Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo
• Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia Clements
• Max Minghella as Nick Blaine
• Samira Wiley as Moira Strand
• Bradley Whitford as Joseph Lawrence
• Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue

Guest Starring

• Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam
• Josh Charles as Commander Gabriel Wharton
• Timothy Simons as Commander Bell
• Kyle Jonathon as Toby (Guardian)