Moira Makes A Bold Move On 'The Handmaid's Tale'

For most of the first season of The Handmaid's Tale, June had no idea if her best friend Moira was still alive. She didn't get an answer until Episode 8 when Commander Waterford brought her to a brothel called Jezebels where Moira was being forced into prostitution. Moira was very much changed by what she had been through: two escape attempts, two captures, and finally the daily horror of her life at Jezebels had left her defeated. But seeing June again injected Moira with some of her old fire and in Episode 9 (spoilers!) she made one more attempt at getting out of Dodge. But where is Moira going on The Handmaid's Tale?

When Moira got into a car (disguised as a chauffeur) at the end of "The Bridge," it was all about the immediate satisfaction of getting free. She had to do something awful to leave Jezebels, as indicated by the blood on her hands, but she'd managed it nonetheless. She had a shot at escaping and that was all that mattered. Moira's destination wasn't revealed because it was all about the triumph of the moment.

However, it's probably not too hard to predict where she'll try to go. Moira's last two attempts at getting out of Gilead were all about crossing the border into the nearest country where women were still free: Canada. There's no reason to think that Moira doesn't still have the same goal. It would be her best shot at having her life back. But it's possible that the show might take an unexpected turn.

It would be dangerous for Moira to do anything but make a beeline for the border. It was implied that she killed a man to escape Jezebels and as soon as that's discovered, people will be looking for her. There's also no way her chauffeur disguise would hold up under scrutiny. The protection of driving a telltale black car might get her pretty far, but it's not impenetrable. Her best bet would be trying to get to Canada as fast as possible so that she could be free.

But perhaps Moira might be inspired to do something even more daring. After June reminded her of everything they'd been through together (as well as Moira's promise to help her find her daughter Hannah), Moira might try to return the favor by helping June out. Maybe she could go searching for Hannah on her own, or even turn up at the Waterfords' home to take June with her on her way out of town.

OK maybe that's wishful thinking. As amazing as it would be for Moira and June to ride off into the sunset together, Moira has to play the odds. Her best chance at survival is saving herself first and then doing what she can from the outside to help her friend. That way maybe both of them can survive.