The Handmaid’s Tale: 10 Things We Still Need To Know About Nick Blaine

The Handmaid’s Tale has gotten pretty detailed when it comes to examining the demise of the United States and the rise of Gilead, but because the majority of the story is told from June’s point of view, there are still a lot of gaping holes that have yet to be filled. The fictional world of THT keeps growing and it seems like every character is getting more development and attention. With one notable exception being Nick Blaine.

As one of the most important people in June’s life, we would expect to know a bit more about Mr. Blaine than currently is the case. Nick took a major back seat in Season 3 and there are still dozens of lingering questions about Nick’s personality and past.

Here are the ten most pressing questions about Nick Blaine that we still need the answers to.

10 How Did He Get To Boston?

The Handmaid’s Tale has established very little about Nick Blaine’s backstory thus far, but they have told the audience that he’s from Michigan. Now, he lives in Boston, although there hasn’t been too much to clarify exactly how he got from point A to point B.

It wouldn’t be that huge of a question mark if these were normal circumstances, but Gilead is anything but normal. The districts of Gilead seem to be incredibly insular. If people do move from one place to another, it doesn’t seem like they typically go very far. Why was Nick the exception to that rule?

9 How Did He Become A Part Of The Waterford Household?

Nick’s initial in with the Sons of Jacob was through Commander Pryce, presumably as part of a chapter of the SoJ located somewhere in Michigan. We also appear to see one of the first interactions between Nick and Fred Waterford. While Nick clearly makes an impression, there is nothing to explain how he grew so close to Fred.

Both of the Waterfords seem to trust Nick more than nearly anyone, and they say he’s been with them for a long time, so it would be interesting to actually see how that unfolded.

8 How Much Did He Know About The Sons Of Jacob?

When Commander Pryce initially recruited Nick into the Sons of Jacob, the latter was pretty much primed to be indoctrinated into a kind of radical ideology that would become to define Gilead. However, Nick isn’t the company man that he portrays himself as now.

We do see Nick’s first introduction to the Sons of Jacob, but Commander Pryce’s explanation of the SoJ’s purpose isn’t very specific or elaborate. Obviously, hindsight is 20/20, but it would add a lot to Blaine’s character to know what exactly he knew or when he knew it.

7 What Did He Do In The War?

It’s a pretty safe bet that anyone who has survived in Gilead this long has had to do some horrible things. Nick seems like a generally decent person who knows how to play his cards right, but there’s nothing that we really know about him as a character besides what is shown to June.

Furthermore, Serena planted some significant seeds of doubt in June’s mind about what Nick may have done in the war. On the other hand, Serena is insanely manipulative and clearly wanted to drive a wedge between June and Nick, so it’s important that the audience learns the truth.

6 Did He Ever Hesitate?

One of the most salient lessons to be learned from The Handmaid’s Tale is how quickly passivity and acquiescence can turn the average into the extraordinary. Or in the case of Gilead, the extraordinarily awful.

Fred and Serena’s flashbacks allowed viewers to see this world through the eyes of characters who pull the strings, while June represents someone who understood too late the implications of Gilead’s laws. Nick was in the unusual position of knowing what was happening while essentially just being along for the ride. It’d be fascinating to see if he ever wanted off the ride.

5 Nick’s Experiences With The First Offred

It’s easy to see Nick’s relationship with June and their daughter as the primary motivation for him becoming someone who is willing to seriously rebel at great personal risk. That being said, June wasn’t the start of Nick’s rebellion.

The Handmaid’s Tale has only shown glimpses of the first Offred, but her suicide was clearly the turning point for Nick, the guy who thinks it’s best for everyone if emotions aren’t involved. It’s intriguing that this was the moment where his walls finally started to break down, and it’d be intriguing to see his relationship with the earlier Offred for some further insight into Nick’s development.

4 How Much Was He Privy To?

Again, Nick has a pretty unique point of view within the THT universe because he’s not at the top or the bottom of the ladder. The United States government’s removal from power and the creation of Gilead was assumedly violent and bloody, so providing some information on the average Sons of Jacob foot soldiers’ contributions could be enlightening.

Nick tends to be in the orbit of some serious conversations about Gilead’s laws and structures, so it begs the question: Was he present for anything else major?

3 Nick’s Relationship With Commander Pryce

The Handmaid’s Tale has shown the initial meeting between Nick and Commander Pryce, and it’s clear that Pryce immediately took a liking to him, but there isn’t much more to flesh out their relationship than that. When Nick and Pryce meet up years later, it’s obvious they both believe they can trust each other, and it’s extremely telling that Pryce seems to trust Nick more than Fred Waterford.

Twice, Nick went to Commander Pryce when he felt like he had no one else to turn to, so some more clarity on their relationship would be amazing.

2 Where Is His Family?

We know that Nick has/had a family. He also appears to be one of the few men on the lower rungs of Gilead’s governing system that got into the Sons of Jacob on the ground floor. But he hasn’t once mentioned his family after his initial introduction to Commander Pryce, and it’s natural to ask why that is.

Most people living in Gilead lost family and friends during the war, but Nick was more knowledgeable about the events to come than most. What happened to his father and brother is still a big question mark?

1 Life Before Gilead

Nick was at a pretty low point in life when he was recruited into the Sons of Jacob. It seems like he came from a family with its own set of problems, but it’s unclear whether or not he was going through a particularly hard time when Pryce recruited him or if that was just the standard for the Blaine family. Nick seems like a family-oriented and generally decent person, and those values had to come from somewhere.

THT is generally pretty thin on backstory when it comes to any character besides June, but Nick is an important enough part of the show to warrant more development.