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Something Went Seriously Wrong For June In This Week's 'Handmaid's Tale' Episode

George Kraychyk/Hulu

Spoilers ahead for Season 2 Episode 5 of The Handmaid's Tale. June hasn't exactly had the relaxing, stress-free pregnancy that every mom-to-be wants — such a thing doesn't exist in her dystopian world. But this week, the horrors were taken to a whole new level. So is June still pregnant on The Handmaid's Tale?

It definitely appears as if she's still carrying a baby, though it was rough going for a while. The details are a little troublesome — be warned. Toward the start of Episode 5, June finds herself bleeding in the tub, seemingly having a miscarriage. She doesn't alert anyone — instead, she folds up some toilet paper, places it in her underwear to hide and stop the blood, and carries on with her day. She's obviously unwell, though. She's weak and nearly passes out when she was sitting at the breakfast table, but insists that she is fine.

Then, at the disturbing child bride ceremony — an incident that really took the monstrosities of Gilead into a whole new realm — June is even more out of it, zoning out and apparently not even really processing what is happening around her. Something bad is happening to her body, but it makes sense that June wouldn't want anyone to know that. Her pregnancy is the only reason she hasn't received a much harsher punishment for trying to escape.

George Kraychyk/Hulu

But ultimately, it becomes increasingly clear that this isn't something June can hide from Serena, or from any of the people in the Waterford household. Later that night, as she prepares for bed, she's still bleeding — through the toilet paper, through her clothes — it's not stopping. She's losing too much blood, becoming weaker and weaker as the night goes on. But still, she doesn't tell. It seems for a while like she's just going to allow it to happen. It's been apparent from the start that June never wanted to get pregnant and bring a child into this world — she even told Serena that to her face — and it looks like she may just let things deteriorate until she and the pregnancy is past the point of no return.

But eventually, Nick finds her outside in the rain, collapsed in the greenery, and he calls for help. June had wandered outside — whether in a foggy-minded daze hoping to escape, or maybe to finally find help — it's unclear what her motives were. But the point is, she's saved. Not only is June OK after being rushed to a hospital and hooked up to emergency fluids, but the baby is fine, too. Serena has been watching over her as she sleeps, and when she rushes to get the doctor, June discovers that there is still a tiny heartbeat coming from inside her stomach. Whatever was wrong with the baby isn't addressed, but it's apparently been saved.

The episode doesn't offer a ton of answers, but the chaos does culminate at the end to provide one of the more moving monologues of the series. "You're tough, aren't you?" June says to her stomach when left alone in the hospital room. "You listen to me. OK? I will not let you grow up in this place. I won't do it. Do you hear me? They do not own you. And they do not own what you will become. Do you hear me? I'm gonna get you out of here. I'm gonna get us out of here. I promise you."

Though The Handmaid's Tale tells a story dire enough for June without this new narrative of forced motherhood, it does add another layer to the story now that June appears to be attached to the pregnancy in a way she hasn't previously let on. The pregnancy has been working in her favor thus far in terms of avoiding punishment, but if she's now even more dedicated to safely raising her future child in another society, she has a whole other reason to get herself out of Gilead once and for all.