This Week's 'The Handmaid's Tale' Left Fans Asking One Big Question

Last week's The Handmaid's Tale was tough. It was a moment of everything that can go wrong did go wrong. June began having contractions, but then didn't give birth, upsetting everyone's expectations. Her pushing at the Waterfords backfired when they decided to rape her to show who was in charge, as well as attempt to stimulate her birth. And then when Captain Waterford felt guilty and arranged a secret meeting so June could see Hannah, Guardians showed up, so Nick left with June still in the house. Where did Nick go in The Handmaid's Tale? Warning: Spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale follow.

You thought last week was hard? June is literally trapped in an abandoned house while going into labor. And as the flashbacks reveal, June isn't someone who is all into the whole "natural birth" situation. Her mother, Holly, tried to talk her into this when she had Hannah back when life was still normal. But this wasn't June's thing. She wanted hospitals and epidurals and all the conveniences of modern medicine.

For the entire hour, fans kept waiting for Nick to pull back up and drive off with June and take her to the hospital to give birth properly. But while there were definitely visitors to the abandoned house while June was there, Nick never came.

Nick apparently didn't drive straight home either. Instead, neither of them came home, which is why Serena Joy realized something was up. Commander Waterford wound up driving his wife out to the abandoned house himself, in a desperate hunt for Offred to bring her and the unborn baby home.

Offred hid, because wouldn't you? This is a house with a car, there's clothing, there's an escape out of this hellhole of a country if she can only get the garage door open. And there's weaponry. It's a rifle and birdshot, but it's not nothing. And there's the terrifying tone in Serena's voice when she calls Offred's name. Hell, I'd run up to the attic and hide too.

But Offred isn't Emily, who earlier this season killed a Wife in cold blood. She aims the rifle at Serena, and she's clearly considering it, especially once she hears Commander Waterford reveal the rape was Serena's idea, and he was just trying to make it right. (The irony the man doing the raping insists he isn't at fault is so Fred Waterford in a nutshell.) But Serena's sobs of how she's given up everything in the world to make Gilead, so she could have a child get to Offred. She can't pull the trigger.

Once the Waterfords leave, Offred keeps trying to leave, but the garage door won't budge and the contractions are too strong. This would be an *ideal* time for Nick to pull back up and rescue her, even if Waterford probably has every last Guardian on the hunt for them.

No Nick, none. Where is he?

My best guess is it's Nick pulling up at the very end of the episode after Offred gives birth. He didn't go home at first, because he thought he could get Offred and get back within the timeframe. But then those Guardians he followed out didn't make it so easy. So maybe he's thinking wait until nightfall and sneak over and get her, not realizing how bad things are at the Waterfords when he's not home exactly on time.

If there's an APB out on him, someone will notice. He might even be somewhere and receive the APB. My best guess he goes back to the Waterfords, explains, and insists June is there, they just missed her. That's why it takes so long for a car to come back.

I just hope Serena Joy is so overwhelmed to get her now-born baby, Nick and Offred escape any sort of punishment. After all, she did create an entire country just to have one.