Serena really did a number on Luke.

The Handmaid's Tale Season 5 Episode 5 found Luke recalling her words, ridiculing him for staying behind in Canada, snug as a bug in a rug, while his family suffered atrocities in Gilead.

As a result, when the opportunity arose to make amends, Luke dove in head first. Even with a mountain of trepidation, he offered himself as a tribute to cross the border into no man's land to secure information about Hannah.

June has had a tough time staying in Canada, knowing that her daughter was experiencing the rigors of the Gilead system.

For the longest time, she was without support from either Luke or Moira, who wanted her to take the win of escaping Gilead and work within the system of rules to, well, I'm not sure how they figured being law-abiding citizens would help, given that's how they got here in the first place.

The more buttons Serena pushed, the more Luke thought he came to understand what June had experienced. But what she hasn't said about life in Gilead could fill the Internet.

That's why, in a moment of insanity, bravery, guilt, or a combination of all three, Luke offered to go where he had yet to tread -- over the border and through the woods.

The look on June's face said so much. She was brimming with acceptance, pride, and a bit of "oh no, here we go." She knew that Luke had to prove himself, but she sure as hell wouldn't let him do it alone.

It was June who pushed them through the scrub into no man's land, keeping Luke moving even when he became overwhelmed with what they were doing. And who wouldn't be overwhelmed seeing a man hanging from a tree with a sign declaring him a rapist?

Luke: Oh, shit. Holy shit. Oh my God. Is, is that, uh, is that Gilead?
June: Gilead doesn't use words.

• Permalink: Gilead doesn't use words.

Waiting for them was a young man named Jaden (who I called Raspberry for most of the recap since he was initially nameless), holding the information they wanted so dearly, and he provided them with the opportunity to experience a romantic moment that could be their last.

It's been hard following June and Luke's unique love story. They've spent more time apart than together from our perspective, and once united, June was so emotionally ravaged that it seemed like they may never find their way to each other again.

Moira said it best. They never give up. They keep fighting for each other like nobody else she's ever known. Another couple wouldn't have been able to weather the storm that was Gilead, topped with the complexity of June and Nick and their baby Nichole.

Perhaps because he never returned, Luke went out of his way to support his wife and her child. He worked hard to understand her upon her arrival in Canada. But it was only when faced with a sliver of what June once did daily that he met her in the middle.

After everything, it still didn't seem like Luke grasped the potential dangers of their off-the-cuff mission. Or maybe he's such a romantic and has such a pure heart that he can't. In that way, Luke is a lot like Jaden.

Luke: Can you believe this kid?
June: I've never seen anyone in Gilead that's pure like him.

• Permalink: I've never seen anyone in Gilead that's pure like him.

Miraculously, despite witnessing the grievous nature of how men treat women in Gilead, Jaden wanted people to be awarded the freedom to do as they please. Watching June and Luke together could have been his first taste of romantic, soulful love.

As June wondered how Jaden got away with operating in the tiny bowling alley without being seen or heard, Luke warmed to the opportunity to pledge his love to his wife again with a song. There was genuine love and merriment that may have to satisfy them for a lifetime.

It was all that Jaden got in his, too. His leg blown off by a landmine is probably the least of his worries unless he can convince his comrades that he was in pursuit of intruders rather than aiding and abetting.

Now, Luke will experience firsthand what happens to people who dare to defy Gilead. Something tells me he won't last very long.

Serena is discovering yet again the limitations she's placed on herself and her fellow women by creating Gilead in the first place.

Commander Putnam isn't pleased with her performance. Serena has been banking on her acceptance by the infertile women of Canada to drive the point home that she should remain in charge of the Gilead center.

Her request to change the center's focus from Gilead to infertility was as brilliant as it was insidious. Luring desperate couples to the center reeks of many other cults' recruitment tactics.

Serena's refusal to see the equally insidious nature of her hosts reveals her weakest attribute. She banks on intelligence and common sense when the country she founded decries any notion that women act outside of the hearth and home.

Those thoughts were scratching at Serena's brain from the moment she was locked inside the wrought iron gates of the Wheeler's compound. Women fawning over her belly should have been satisfying, but she looked uneasy and concerned even then.

Each moment from her past that Serena revisited pointed to her future. She's the equivalent of a handmaid. She took the roundabout way to get there, but it's improbable that she will regain her autonomy and very likely that the Wheelers will raise her child as their own.

Serena's conversation with Mrs. Putnam in the stark facility holding all the kidnapped children said it all. Those whores and worthless parents weren't of their ilk and were unfit to raise those beautiful children.

Now, Serena is unfit and undesirable. It's karma at its finest.

Serena will also lose the closest person she has to an ally in Gilead since Joseph is also an outcast, unfit, and unwilling to bend to Gilead's ways.

Like Serena, he's trying to take a logical approach to Gilead's future. Walling off the world won't help them emerge as a world power. They need to find a middle ground that appeals on all levels to desperate mothers and couples yearning for a more conservative way of life.

Commander Putnam wants to forge forward illogically and with sinister intent. North Korea manages to hoodwink a large percentage of its citizens with similar tactics. Gilead may survive, but it will be a very unpleasant experience for all involved.

It will be interesting to see how Joseph and Serena handle things as their precarious positions fade.

The "Fairytale" has ended for June and Luke. The writing is on the wall for Serena and closing in on Joseph.

It's the perfect middle episode, spanning what was and could have been with what will be, and it doesn't look pretty.

What are your thoughts on what happened and what lies ahead?

I'd love to hear from you, so please drop below and share your thoughts in the comments.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.