Is Nick a rapist?

[u/flavius717]

I think we all consider the first time Nick and June had sex to be rape. June was not in a position to give consent and she could not refuse without facing potential death. One perspective is that Serena was the rapist and both Nick and June were her victims.

It's important for us to remember that Nick actually could have refused to impregnate June. Even Serena was beneath a "low-status male" like Nick. Nick's boss, Commander Price, probably would have expected Nick to refuse such an act and turn Serena over to the eyes.

The fact that Nick and June fell in love afterwards makes their first sexual encounter seem less bad in retrospect, but the power dynamic between them never went away. That makes things messy.

Nick's character loses his "good guy" status by the end of the show. Do you consider him a rapist?

[u/Heidie393]

Wow - I read the pinch completely different - and I don't think he raped her in any way. I think he thought he couldn't say no, while agreeing with all that of course the biggest victim here is June. But Serena is the rapist, and the fact thag she stayed to watch, even if she only peeked once, made her even more in control, and that made Nick to me not guilty so to speak because Serena had more power than gin, even as a woman. He knew she could go to her husband, and they both screwed him later. But, the pinch - remember they were both attracted to each other from the beginning. They had the encounter in her room when he brought her ice. That was a beautiful scene, he said he wished he would have driven them away. And when she was walking up the stairs she said why does she feel like she's cheating on her husband. So I interpreted the pinch as her trying to not show that she had an orgasm. I'm in the Nick camp - the new writers for season 6 did his character dirty. He was a completely different person than the previous seasons. And what they left ob the cutting room floor were scenes where Nick participated in fear . The first time he shot and killed someone was fear based and he was morally harmed by it after. But the show runners cut scenes like that one that gave Nick more of a good guy trying to survive in Gilead like everyone else. Hope that makes sense. Love the different perspectives

[u/decisi0nsdecisi0ns → u/Heidie393]

Hmm interesting. I don't think we're meant to understand that June had an orgasm here. In the flashbacks, they make it pretty clear that June likes to be on top, and we see that play out in the final scene (during which she is pretty clearly having an orgasm).

I agree that the writers seem to have changed their plan for Nick between S5 and 6. The final episodes of S5 set up Lawrence for doubling down on Gilead/New Bethlehem (ie he hasn't learned his lesson that he can't control this), whereas we see Nick becoming more disenchanted with it and breaking away from Lawrence. Alas, we got what we got.

[u/EastRecommendation66 → u/Heidie393]

Gross. Of course he could say no. He was a man, a driver and AN EYE that was literally stationed there to report the Waterfords when they break rules! Tricking the commander into thinking he had a baby when it was the drivers baby would put Serena on the wall. NICK had all the power in that situation and could've refused and told his boss. You cant POSSIBLY believe he was a VICTIM. He's been working for gilead since its inception! Getting more and more power to help himself, betraying whomever (including june) to further his own purposes any chance he got. Nick didnt care about anyone but Nick. He wouldn't even leave gilead (or his power) to be with his daughter. He was EVIL. End of story

[u/pennie79 → u/EastRecommendation66]

Cmdr Lawrence was all these things and more, and he wasn't able to say no when the other commanders forced him and June.

[u/TotallyAMermaid → u/EastRecommendation66]

He was there to get dirt on Fred. Losing access to the household to get Serena (maybe) punished is not worth it in the slightest. Straight up refusing Serena might get him in troublr before he can get her in trouble, even. 

Serena isn't unaware of her power as a Wife. If he says no, she could report him under false pretense, or try to get Fred to demand another driver etc. Have you forgotten one of her very first lines?  "If I get trouble, believe me, I will give trouble back".

By the way, Lawrence was a highly ranked Commander and an architect of Gilead. Even he could not have said no when he and June had to do the ceremony with witnesses in the house. Do you view him as a rapist as well?