Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, episode 6!
Commander Lawrence is one of the most interesting characters inThe Handmaid’s Tale, and now that he is facing the Wall, there may not be much hope left for him. ThroughoutThe Handmaid’s Tale, Commander Lawrence has been playing a complicated chess game. Lawrence has been running Gilead while attempting to change it from within, with him implementing rules that he does not follow himself.Lawrence has made odd alliances with anti-Gileadean figures like June, and these risky moves are finally catching up to him inThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6.
Commander Lawrence is in a bad spot whenThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6, episode 6 starts, thanks to a risky choice he made at theend ofThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6, episode 5. Lawrence decided to help June and Moira escape Gilead, with him putting them in the back of his car after their mission to Jezebel’s. InThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6, episode 6, Lawrence gives them shelter, eventually reuniting June with Nick. While June and Nick continue working toward escape, Commander Lawrence is forced to deal with the fallout of his New Bethlehem plan. Sadly, he may die for it.
The Commanders Are Still Around To Kill Him
Commander Lawrence isn’t directly involved with Mayday, with him evenshooting down their planes inThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 5. However, he was really reliant on their newest plan in season 6. For most ofThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6, June and Mayday have been working toward an attack on Jezebel’s. Mayday was planning on killing many of the Commanders who frequented the Gileadean brothel, wiping out some of Gilead’s most powerful figures. Unfortunately, Nick told Commander Wharton about the plan, with him taking action and shutting Jezebel’s down.
Now that the Jezebel’s attack won’t be happening, Commander Lawrence is in trouble. Previously, Commander Lawrence overheard several other Commanders talking about their issues with him. This conversation led to talks of putting Lawrence on the Wall, something that means he is in a dangerous spot.Having some of these Commanders get killed in Mayday’s Jezebel’s attack would have secured his spot in Gilead, allowing him to get away with his plans longer. However, the survival of these Commanders means that Gilead may crack down on dissent even harsher than before.
New Bethlehem Has To Eventually Fail
It Can’t Work In The Long Run
Commander Lawrence has dedicated most ofThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6 to his New Bethlehem plan, and it is doomed to eventually fail. New Bethlehem is a liberalized version of Gilead, with Lawrence heading the project. Lawrence hopes that this updated take on Gilead’s ideology will improve international relations and provide a more financially stable model for Gilead to use in the future. Most of Lawrence’s anti-Gilead activities have been in service of New Bethlehem, with him making major sacrifices to get the project off the ground.
However, many Commanders aren’t fans of Lawrence’s New Bethlehem plans.Change in Gilead is a scary thing, with the fascist theocracy being opposed to a more liberal society. While characters like Serena Joy and Aunt Lydia are in favor of the project, many of the Commanders see it as giving women too much power. Lawrence’s questioning of the Gileadean order is why the Commanders want to see him on the Wall. While New Bethlehem seems to be going well so far, he needed the Commanders out of the way. Unfortunately, these roadblocks are here to stay.
Lawrence Is Running Out Of Allies - And May Not Be Able To Escape Death
Nick & Serena Joy Have Fallen
Unfortunately, things are only getting worse for Lawrence by the minute. Lawrence doesn’t have very many allies, and his list of friends is only shrinking. Nick’s betrayal of June and Mayday is also a betrayal of Lawrence, as he will now be under too much scrutiny to help Lawrence out with any further plans. Serena Joy was a major New Bethlehem supporter, but now thatshe is married to Commander Wharton, his influence will undoubtedly overshadow Lawrence’s. Lawrence needs friends to stay alive, but his most powerful allies are quickly disappearing.
Without friends or supporters within Gilead, Lawrence’s chances of dying are only increasing. Even if New Bethlehem proves to be a success, the Commanders don’t like Lawrence’s ideology. Thus, Lawrence will probably have to escape Gilead if he wants to live. Mayday taking down Gilead seems unlikely this late intoThe Handmaid’s Taleseason 6, meaning that Lawrence has to make some drastic moves if he wants to avoid the Wall.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Cast
The Handmaid’s Tale is a television adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel, released in 2017. It is set in a dystopian future where a woman is compelled to live as a concubine under a strict fundamentalist theocracy.
