Fans Are All Asking 1 Question After Watching This 'Handmaid's Tale' Episode

The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 has zigged and zagged all season from one plot to another. But in the end, it always comes down to babies. Who can have them, who can raise them, who can keep them, and who will lose them. June's obsession with keeping Nichole safe in Canada, of getting Hannah back from the McKenzies, and liberating the Lost Children of Gilead are all different sides of the same coin. And yet, there's a chance there could be more babies. Will June get pregnant on The Handmaid's Tale Season 3? Warning: Spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 follow.

One of the more remarkable aspects of life in Commander Lawrence's house is the lack of ritual with the Handmaid. It was a staple of the Waterford residence, the endless dressing up of rape, the weirdly uncomfortable pretense of the wife holding the Handmaid down, the creepiness of pretending women controlled something designed by men.

But Lawrence just ignored that this was a thing he was "supposed" to do. It was his house, and he wasn't going to rape anyone — end of list. Considering how much his wife Eleanor hated the way Gilead society operated, it was doubtful she could be made to participate anyway. Lawrence could barely get her to behave in front of Aunt Lydia. There was no way she was going to be part of this without outside pressure.

Unfortunately, outside pressure turned up in the Season 3 Episode "Witness." Commander Waterford, in an ill-advised bid to move up the ladder, suggested June wasn't pregnant yet by Lawrence because he couldn't get it up. A man who cannot perform would be too infirm to run Gilead. Along with Commander Winslow, he engineered to "witness" the ritual (or at least the part outside the bedroom). There would be a Doctor on call to check afterward that the deed was indeed done.

Lawrence is a pretty powerful man in Gilead, but not powerful enough to refuse. (After all, it would just raise suspicions.) June intrinsically understood she needed to make this happen. Otherwise, Lawrence and his wife would be in grave danger, and the safety of this house she lived in would be lost. So she lined up the household, made sure they knew how this worked (because she was the only one who has lived through it), got Eleanor to agree, and performed for the crowd.

Unfortunately, when it can time to do the deed, Eleanor melted down completely. It forced June and Lawrence to give up and have sex without her, while Serena Joy sat with Eleanor and held her hand.

It was enough that the doctor confirmed the deed was done, and Waterford had to leave, foiled. For her service, Lawrence tried to at least prevent pregnancy by handing over some birth control. ("A collector's item," he called them.)

Never mind that this isn't how BC works. It takes being on the pill a month before it kicks in. Lawrence should have rounded up some Plan B if he wanted to be helpful. But it's the thought that counts. Meanwhile, fans are going to start counting the days until June misses her period again.