Fans are going a little crazy about Nick not being in any recent episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu, including Episode 12. The last time we saw him, Serena hinted that he played a big role in bringing about Gilead’s creation, and now Nick’s been missing ever since. Here are the top theories, spoilers and clues about Nick’s future on the show. This post will have possible spoilers for the finale depending on if rumors and theories are true, along with spoilers from past episodes before the finale.
Where's Nick been on #TheHandmaidsTale? See some fascinating theories and possible spoilers. Share on XNick’s Past Before Gilead
We’ve seen glimpses of Nick’s past, but nothing to indicate what Serena was hinting about. In a previous season, we saw him unemployed in a career center, where he was thrown out for fighting with another customer. Once he was outside, Nick talked about how he and his brother were facing hard times. Andrew Pryce told him about the Sons of Jacob, who planned to “clean up” the country.
After Gilead was created, we saw him driving Pryce, Waterford, and Commander Guthrie as they discussed the ins and outs of Gilead, including the Ceremony and what women’s roles would be. Nick was asked for his opinion about the handmaids, and he said that not forming attachments is a good idea.
After the Waterford’s first Handmaid died, Nick joined the Eyes. He provided info to Commander Pryce that got Guthrie arrested.
I don’t think they’ve addressed much about what happened to Nick’s brother, and that’s something I’d like to see in a future episode.
What’s Nick Doing Now?
We heard in a previous episode that there was still fighting going on in the Chicago region between Gilead and what’s left of America (it was mentioned in a conversation between June and OfMatthew.) The indication was that Nick would be sent to the front lines of that fight.
The Swiss diplomat told June that Nick left for Chicago. The last we saw him was in Season 3 Episode 6. He was walking through a train and Gilead soldiers were saluting him. You can see that clip above.
But we haven’t heard anything about Nick since the episode where the Swiss rejected his help. One of the Swiss diplomats told June that Nick is “not to be trusted” according to their research. Serena warned June about Nick’s past and the big role he played in creating Gilead. She said he served as a soldier in the Crusades and Gilead essentially wouldn’t exist without him.
Nick’s absence is starting to bother fans. On Reddit, u/AliceThrewtheGlass wrote: “I love Rita and am happy to see her when we get to, but I definitely feel like Nick was a larger part of the plot. My only gripe about this season was they dropped Nick’s history on us like a bomb than wrote him out all together. Makes me sad I really wanted to know more about literally every part of his story.”
The Swiss referred to Nick as Commander Blaine when they met with June, so we know he’s had a promotion although he’s also still fighting on the front lines.
Theories About Nick’s Past & Future
If the show decides to follow the novel, there’s a hint about what they might do with Nick from the novel’s epilogue:
The way in which he was able to do this marks him as a member of the shadowy Mayday underground, which was not identical with the Underground Femaleroad but had connections with it. The latter was purely a rescue operation, the former quasi-military. A number of Mayday operatives are known to have infiltrated the Gileadean power structure at the highest levels, and the placement of one of their members as chauffeur to Waterford would certainly have been a coup; a double coup, as “Nick” must have been at the same time a member of the Eyes, as such chauffeurs and personal servants often were.”
We know that Nick is an Eye, but he might also have been a Mayday operative all along.
IMDb lists Max Minghella (Nick Blaine) as being in the finale, but of course these aren’t always accurate.
Fans have theories about what Nick’s role could be in the finale, since it’s tough to imagine that we won’t see him at all. Some fans think that he’ll be one of the groups chasing the children, trying to stop them from leaving. Others think that he’ll be at the border crossing and it will be his detail that lets them pass.
Possible Finale Spoiler about Nick
The Handmaid’s Tale Brazil website, which fans say has been pretty accurate in the past, is reporting that Nick might be back for the finale. They’re referring to the MAJOR spoiler photo that’s been passed around about the finale (see our story here that includes that photo) and are saying the man dressed in green in the photo is Nick. The rumor is that Nick will help June with her big escape plan for the children. Some fans, however, don’t think that’s Nick in the photo, but someone on the production crew.
Then there’s also the Season 3 trailer, which has a scene of Nick at 1:38 that we haven’t seen yet in the show.
Here’s that quick shot:
Since we haven’t seen this scene yet, it will likely be in the finale unless it was cut. Some synopses for previous episodes included scenes that were later cut. For example, the episode that featured June in the hospital was supposed to have some scenes with other characters that were later cut. So it’s possible this will be cut too. But hopefully not.
Here’s hoping the rumor is true and Nick is returning in the finale.
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