When The Handmaid’s Tale wrapped up its six-season run, fans weren’t prepared for what happened to Nick Blaine. Max Minghella’s Commander met his end in a plane explosion that left viewers divided. Some felt he deserved it. Others thought the show did him dirty.
But here’s the thing about Nick’s death—it wasn’t really about whether he deserved to die. The real question was whether he ever actually wanted redemption in the first place.
Nick started as this mysterious driver who caught June’s eye. By the end, he was a full Commander in Gilead’s twisted hierarchy. That transformation didn’t happen overnight, and it sure wasn’t accidental. The Handmaid’s Tale Nick redemption finale forced us to look at a uncomfortable truth: sometimes love isn’t enough to save someone from themselves.
What made Nick’s ending so controversial wasn’t the explosion itself. It was how the show refused to give him the hero’s death that many fans expected. Instead, we got something messier and more realistic—a man who made too many wrong choices finally facing the consequences.
Nick’s Pattern of Choosing Wrong
Let’s be honest about Nick Blaine from the start. His moral problems didn’t begin when he betrayed June in season six. They started way back when he first joined the Sons of Jacob.
Sure, his family was struggling financially. His dad and brother lost their jobs at the steel mill, and Nick was desperate. But plenty of people face economic hardship without joining extremist groups that want to overthrow the government. Nick’s choice to get involved with the Sons of Jacob revealed something fundamental about his character—when push came to shove, he’d choose personal advancement over doing what’s right.
The way Nick climbed Gilead’s ranks should have been a red flag for viewers who wanted to see him as a good guy. Driver to Eye to Commander—that’s not the career path of someone secretly fighting the system. That’s someone who learned how to work within it.
Nick’s relationship with June perfectly illustrated this pattern. He’d help her when it was convenient or relatively safe. But when real moral courage was required? Nick consistently chose self-preservation. He saved June from immediate dangers while actively participating in the system that oppressed her daily.
This wasn’t love—it was moral compartmentalization. Nick convinced himself he could be a good person while serving an evil regime. He thought he could have it both ways.
The Jezebel Massacre Changed Everything
If you want to pinpoint the exact moment Nick Blaine became irredeemable, look no further than the Jezebel massacre. When he exposed June’s plans to Commander Wharton, he crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed.
Thirty-seven women died because of information Nick provided. Let that sink in for a moment. These weren’t nameless casualties in some abstract war. They were real people with families, dreams, and futures that Nick’s betrayal cut short.
What made it worse was how Nick tried to justify it afterward. He told June it was “for them,” promising to whisk her away to Paris like some romantic hero. The delusion was staggering. Nick genuinely believed his love for June somehow made mass murder acceptable.
June’s rejection of Nick after the massacre was the show’s moral compass pointing true north. She recognized what many viewers struggled to accept—that love cannot excuse evil actions. When she walked away from Nick, she was walking away from the idea that personal feelings matter more than moral principles.
Nick’s response to that rejection revealed his true character. Instead of seeking genuine redemption, he doubled down on his allegiance to Gilead. Without June’s forgiveness to hide behind, he had to face what he’d become. And what he chose was to become it more fully.
The Finale’s Hollow Redemption Attempts
The Handmaid’s Tale finale tried hard to make viewers feel sorry for Nick. Through conversations with Serena and Luke, the show attempted to reframe his story as tragic rather than villainous. But these efforts felt forced and unconvincing.
Serena’s defense of Nick was particularly tone-deaf. She insisted he would have chosen differently “if he had known he had a choice.” But that’s exactly the problem—Nick always had choices. He just consistently made the wrong ones.
Luke’s suggestion that June should remember Nick among those who “mattered” during her ordeal was equally misguided. While Luke meant well, including Nick in that category trivialized the suffering Nick had caused. It suggested that personal relationships could somehow outweigh moral failures.
The nostalgic montages of Nick and June’s happier moments were the worst part. Set to emotional music and bathed in golden light, these scenes asked viewers to forget Nick’s betrayals and focus on his capacity for love. But love without moral courage is meaningless. The show’s attempt to use romance to excuse Nick’s failures felt manipulative.
Two Men, Two Different Endings
The contrast between Nick Blaine and Commander Lawrence in their final moments tells you everything you need to know about both characters. They died in the same explosion, but they arrived there by completely different paths.
Lawrence’s death represented genuine redemption. Despite designing Gilead’s economic system, he gradually awakened to the horror he’d helped create. When he agreed to plant the bomb on the plane, it wasn’t for personal gain or romantic attachment. It was because he genuinely wanted to atone for his past.
When the plan went sideways and Lawrence was forced to board the plane with the bomb, he chose sacrifice over survival. That’s what real redemption looks like—putting principles before self-preservation.
Nick’s final decision revealed the emptiness at his core. Unlike Lawrence, who was trapped by circumstances, Nick chose to board that plane. He wasn’t forced by duty or caught off guard. He made a calculated decision to align with what he called the “winning side.”
Their final exchange perfectly captured the difference between them. Nick smugly told Lawrence, “Guess you decided to join the winners.” Lawrence’s response—”You should have listened to her”—was both judgment and epitaph for a man who chose power over love.
What Max Minghella Really Thought
Max Minghella’s interviews after the finale provided fascinating insight into Nick’s controversial ending. The actor admitted being surprised by the direction writers chose for his character in season six, calling it “quite different to how he served the show previously.”
That surprise was telling. For five seasons, Nick had been a romantic figure and potential savior for June. The Nick-June relationship provided what Minghella called “a reprieve from the more tense thematic elements of the show.” By destroying that relationship, the writers chose narrative integrity over fan service.
Minghella’s observation that “nobody could accuse them of pandering” speaks to the courage required to subvert audience expectations. It would have been easier to give Nick a heroic death or last-minute redemption. Instead, the show chose to follow his character arc to its logical conclusion.
The actor’s analysis of Nick’s psychology—pointing to his lack of education and abusive upbringing—helps explain his failures without excusing them. Nick’s vulnerability to authoritarian figures like Commander Wharton makes sense given his background. But understanding why someone makes bad choices doesn’t make those choices acceptable.
Nick’s Legacy and The Testaments
June’s final judgment of Nick—”He got what he deserved”—carries special weight coming from the woman who loved him most. It represents not just personal betrayal, but a moral reckoning that refuses to let sentiment override justice.
The implications extend beyond the immediate story to The Testaments adaptation. Nick’s daughter Nichole will play a central role in the sequel series, representing the possibility of redemption through the next generation. While Nick failed to find redemption himself, his child might carry forward his better qualities while rejecting his moral failures.
The show’s treatment of Nick’s legacy deliberately avoids easy answers about forgiveness. Unlike Serena, who found redemption through protecting children, or Aunt Lydia, who made a final stand for the Handmaids, Nick’s story ends in moral failure. This choice reinforces the series’ commitment to showing that some actions have irreversible consequences.
The Handmaid’s Tale Nick redemption finale ultimately asks viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about love, loyalty, and moral responsibility. By refusing to grant Nick the redemption many fans wanted, the series maintained its commitment to showing that some choices cannot be undone.
In death, Nick Blaine becomes not a tragic hero, but a cautionary tale about the dangers of moral compromise. His fate serves as a warning about the true cost of choosing the wrong side, even when love seems to justify it.