Five Fast Facts About Nick Blaine On The Handmaid’s Tale

While it’s easy to classify June as one of the good guys and Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) as one of the bad guys on The Handmaid’s Tale, Nick Blaine is much harder to pin down.

Though it’s clear he loves June and wants to protect her, he obviously has great power in Gilead and may not be as good as he seems. From what he did before the creation of Gilead to another woman he was spending time with, here are five fast facts you need to know about Nick (Max Minghella).

Life Before Gilead
Though not much is known about Nick’s life prior to his time working for the Waterfords, we do know he gets brought into Gilead because of Commander Pryce. Nick first meets Pryce at a career center, which is when Pryce reveals he’s a part of a religious group called the Sons of Jacob.

Mysterious Past
June (Elisabeth Moss) knows Nick has secrets, especially about his past. All she knows is that he was the Waterfords’ driver for many years, but she finds out through Serena that Nick was actually a part of the group that established Gilead. While he seems like a bad guy now, there’s a chance he’s doing all of this to actually overthrow Gilead.

Before June
Nick and June fell in love with one another back in Season 1, but there was another girl that Nick had a fling with prior to June. It’s revealed in Season 1 that he had a past with a Martha named Beth, who actually works for Commander Lawrence.

Falls In Love
Though Nick and June are forced together by Serena Waterford so they can make a baby, they end up falling in love with one another. While their romance is not allowed, they manage to find ways to see one another in secret. When June gets pregnant, Nick realizes he needs to save his child and the woman he loves.

The Great Escape
At the end of Season 1, Nick got June away from the Waterfords and hid her in what was formerly the Boston Globe office. He tried to get her to Canada so she can have their baby in a safe place, but June ended up being found and returned to Gilead. He tried to help her escape again after she’s had their baby, but she returns on her own.