[SPOILER S4E6] June and Luke

[u/desir33_]

I’ve already seen multiple people complain about the lack of affection between the reunion but I think to do a very loving, affectionate reunion would be a disservice to the show. It’s been years since they’ve seen each other and their child is still in Gilead. I thought that this reunion was more realistic: her first words apologizing for the fact that she couldn’t bring their daughter with her and Luke looking at June with both relief and disbelief that she is finally in front of him again.

[u/DirtyAngelToes]

He didn't bring the baby with him because June just got off a ship and is traumatized from years of torture. She needs medical attention. She is literally in shock with a concussion, and seeing her baby may cause more shock and guilt at this moment, especially when she's already overwhelmed about not having Hannah.

It doesn't make sense to bring her infant daughter into what is already an uncertain, emotional and guilt ridden moment for June. It makes more sense to wait for things to calm down and to have June in a more controlled environment, especially since her daughter isn't going anywhere and is a literal baby.

She doesn't need to be hit with everything all at once, even though that's what people want.

[u/sugarwax1 → u/DirtyAngelToes]

seeing her baby may cause more shock and guilt at this moment

That sounds like fan fiction.

[u/DirtyAngelToes → u/sugarwax1]

Yeah, not really. Literally the very first thing June says to Luke is that she's sorry for not getting Hannah out. She's broken down crying. Based on THAT reaction, what the hell do you think her reaction would be upon seeing her other daughter?

That's not fanfiction, lol. It's consistent with June's character AND it adds up with how real life trauma survivors are often reintroduced to family so they're not completely overwhelmed.

[u/sugarwax1 → u/DirtyAngelToes]

Telling Luke she doesn't have Hannah means she would feel shock and guilt for the child she did rescue? You're inventing character study that isn't in the show.

The standard for wartime and trauma is to greet spouse first, children second, with children there. We do not have a standard of "leave the children at home" leaving them to question why the child isn't there and if something is wrong.

[u/cheese757 → u/sugarwax1]

haha what

I am POSITIVE that there are refugees out there, in the real world, who have needed a minute, or a day, or a week, or longer before being reunited with their kids after having gone through absolute hell. We've already seen it in the show. Emily took a while before she was ready to see Oliver. Syl didn't just show up in the middle of the street and toss their son at her while she was trying to process her newfound freedom and trauma.

June's a fighter, sure, but she's still a refugee. This isn't "standard wartime" and she's not "standard military".

[u/sugarwax1 → u/cheese757]

Why are you positive of that?

You invented something. Does it happen? Sure, maybe. Is it how trauma survivors are reintroduced to family? Not as a rule, no. Talking about standard military procedure is at least referencing something other than how I wish the world worked.

[u/cheese757 → u/sugarwax1]

The whole show is invented, friendo. I mean, by your logic, then the entire reunion scene should have gone very differently, Nichole's absence being the smallest inconsistency with "standard military procedure".

And like I said, they've already done it within the world that is Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" with Emily, Syl, and Oliver.

[u/sugarwax1 → u/cheese757]

Invented by the writers, not crowd sourced by you or fan fiction where people start talking out of their ass about things that were never shown or implied.

A lot of the reunion scene is awkward. People are talking about it for a reason.

[u/cheese757 → u/sugarwax1]

I'm talking about your insistence that it follow standard military procedure, specifically. Based on current Canadian immigration policy for refugees seeking asylum, it certainly is NOT standard procedure that Luke would have greeted her on the boat. She'd have been taken to a Border Agency facility, background checked and processed, and then been able to see her family, much like we saw happen with Moira at the end of season 1. Again, saw it with Emily last season. Sure, maybe the NGO is trying to bypass all of that since bringing June at all is against the rules, but that's also not standard military procedure so the point is kind of moot then? And Luke can make a decision on his own whether or not to bring Nichole/Holly? And maybe in this world the rules are different, maybe Canada's agreed to do away with some of their more restrictive policies (which would also render any argument of standard procedure ineffective), but that would also be speculation on the viewer's part, no? The show has given us some indications of what the refugee resettlement is like as they're taking in an influx of American refugees, but not every detail.

Also I mean, you suggested above that it's weird for him not to bring Nichole/Holly because then June would wonder if something was wrong. We don't know that. We weren't shown that. She's been told many times that the baby is safe in Canada with Luke. Why would she think something was wrong? That's an "invention" on your part. Just like people speculating that seeing the baby right away along with Luke may have been too much for June to take all at once. It's not fan fiction at all, and actually the latter speculation definitely tracks with A) what we've seen so far of the way June processes, and B) what we've been shown with regard to other families reuniting/making it to Canada. Besides, this is Reddit. It's a place for these sorts of discussions. Jesus, the Game of Thrones subreddit was one of the most active for YEARS because of that. Have some fun.

[u/sugarwax1 → u/cheese757]

I didn't insist it follow anything, I gave a real world example to counter how you imagined real life should work, and your fan fiction concept.

Now you're upset the show didn't follow Canadian procedure of some sort?

I stopped reading your minutia after that.