#tht screenplay notes

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The Handmaid’s Tale 6x01 Screenplay Notes

I recently had the opportunity to read all 10 screenplays for The Handmaid's Tale season 6 at the WGF library in Los Angeles. Obviously, my interest was primarily focused on the Nick and Osblaine scenes, but if you have questions about anything else, I'm happy to answer them!

Here are my notes from 6x01.

The Guardians who drive Nick home to New Bethlehem in handcuffs salute him after they uncuff him. The scene description says: "He's a Commander after all."

This feels unnecessary, and I'm glad it was changed. I also noticed while doing these notes/comparisons that the guy who uncuffs Nick gets back around to the driver's seat so unreasonably fast. It's kinda funny.

The Guardians also have no dialogue in the screenplay. It seems like Nick doesn't know Wharton is there until he sees him.

But in the episode, you hear someone offscreen say "Sir, High Commander Wharton's been waiting for you." I love that he does know in the final cut and still fucks off to smoke lol.

Nick speaks to Rose when she appears at the door. Rose turns and walks away without responding.

Good morning, Rose. How are you feeling? (and then) I'm sorry...

This was an unnecessary exchange that I'm also glad they left out. I think the scene flowed better with just the music, the O.S. Guardian line, and silence until Wharton goes out to speak to Nick.

Nick's smoking is not mentioned in the script.

To me, this was a good addition in the final cut for a few reasons, including aesthetics and an obvious nod to how over everything he is at this point.

The rest of the scene with Wharton takes place outside the house and not at the fence overlooking the beach like it does in the episode.

This feels like another good blocking choice. I like that Nick moved locations and was unwilling to go towards the house. It feels like he's understandably (and somewhat defiantly) stalling his entrance back to this life after his time in the Gilead "drunk tank" (as Bruce Miller described it).

There's a scene description that says: "Does Wharton know about June?" which is meant to be Nick's thought right after Wharton's line: "What happens between a man and wife is between them and God."

There are also several tweaks, probably made by Max, that make Nick's dialogue sound way more natural to me. Josh Charles had some too, but I'm focusing on Nick/Max. Even though these are fairly typical changes made by actors when playing a scene vs. the way it was scripted, in the interest of being thorough, here they are.

I know I need to speak to Commander Lawrence.

But the line in the episode is:

I know I need to, uh, talk to Commander Lawrence.

I can't imagine Nick saying "speak to" right there. It sounds too formal.

Another tweak comes right after that. In the script, the line is:

I wasn't thinking.

But in the episode it is:

I wasn't thinking straight.

And then another one. In the script, the line is:

You're not headed back to D.C.?

But in the episode it is:

You're, uh, you're not going back to D.C.?

Again, can't imagine Nick saying "headed back."

And now here's my favorite change/addition. At the end of the scene, the description reads: "Nick is freshly out of jail, but he doesn't feel very free. He takes a beat, watching the late afternoon sky fade. Thinking of loved ones in faraway places --"

Guess what wasn't in the script? That perfectly whispered "fuck."

BONUS thing I noticed that's entirely in the performance and not related to the screenplay, but I had to share it. When Wharton turns away for the last time to leave Nick by the fence, the cut back to Nick shows what his face looked like while Wharton was watching him:

But Wharton has turned around by now, and Max shifts his entire expression to this, within a blink:

I don't know if I'm properly indicating how magical this looks when you watch it, but I had never noticed it until I went frame by frame through the scene for this post. You can see Nick’s entire real personally return to his face right here. His eyes unsquint and soften, and he goes from tense and rigid to resigned and trapped. So good.

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THT 6x02 Screenplay Notes: Nick & Tuello's Meeting

I recently had the opportunity to read all 10 screenplays for The Handmaid's Tale season 6 at the WGF library in Los Angeles. Obviously, my interest was primarily focused on the Nick and Osblaine scenes, but if you have questions about anything else, I'm happy to answer them!

Here are my notes from the second Nick sequence in 6x02 - his meeting under the bridge with Tuello.

First of all, this scene was scripted to take place at "Mile Marker 17," not under a bridge like it does in the episode (unless maybe the Mile Marker 17 we saw in 6x03 is supposed to be in the woods in the background of this scene). The slug line reads: "EXT. MILE MARKER 17 (NML) - NIGHT," so this was also established as No Man's Land, which makes sense.

While I do like the bridge aesthetic, I also love location continuity. It establishes something you can weave through a story, as if the location can become its own character. So I'm torn on that change.

When Mark arrives, the description reads: "Out of the woods comes a FLASH from headlights' high beams. Once. Twice. NICK steps out of his car, walks over to Mark."

In the actual episode, Nick's reveal is done off screen with the click of his lighter and a cut to his face with the cigarette sparking. I actually love this change. Nick's smoking wasn't mentioned in the screenplay for this scene either, and I remember thinking the empty underside of the bridge with just the lighter click was such a simple but also clear indication of his presence. I do like the idea of the headlights flashing as a code between Nick and Mark though.

Ugh, watching this scene to prep these notes made me livid again. This was such a cool set up that literally went nowhere, like so many other beautifully set up things that season 6 totally trashed...

Most of the descriptions related to Nick throughout this scene just involve prop handling - when Mark gives him the cell phone and the folder, when Nick looks at the "satellite images" inside the folder. But after Nick asks why the U.S. military needs to know about Gilead's patrols (honestly, this line was always weird to me, because this seems like the exact thing the U.S. military would want to know, but anyway), the description reads: "Mark shakes his head no. Nick doesn't get to know."

In the episode, there's no cut to Mark this soon, and Nick goes right on to say "or is Mayday trying something?"

In the screenplay, there's more description after Nick's Mayday question: "Mark gives Nick a look. There can be no official association between the U.S. government and terrorist rebels like Mayday."

I find this kind of interesting, because in the first "Nick doesn't get to know" description, that's an implication of Mark not trusting Nick. But in the second description regarding the association between the U.S. and Mayday, it's not about trust - it's about Mark circumventing the government and doing things with questionable legality. I like that the only cut to Mark is after this line rather than after the questionable trust line.

The next description reads: "Nick understands why Mark is cagey, but doesn't drop the subject --"

This is obvious from the performance, and I liked that Nick kept pushing this when I first saw the episode, because my assumption was in line with Nick's previous characterization - he is cynical about/doesn't trust any government (1x03, 1x08, 3x06, etc), and he doesn't want innocent people to die.

After Nick says: "They're just teachers, pharmacists, Uber drivers," the description reads: "It's a terrible fact. Mark knows it."

I like this too, because it shows that Mark is actually more ruthless than Nick in a way, but it's because Mark thinks he has to be. It's a tough subject, and I can see both viewpoints having merit. But at the end of the day, Nick is holding the line at people dying unnecessarily. He's uncomfortable with this concept throughout the whole series.

The dialogue in this scene is almost exactly the same as what we saw in the episode. The only real edit was in the final exchange, which was clearly done for clarity. The screenplay says:

Nick: They don't stand a chance. The Guardians capture them and bring them to the Eyes or shoot them on the spot. How many more bodies will you let them throw on the fire? Mark: Until there's no one left to fight.

This doesn't even make sense as scripted. Nick isn't asking "how long," he's asking "how many." So the "until" in Mark's reply feels awkward.

In the episode, we got:

Nick: Well, they don't stand a chance. The Guardians will capture them and give them straight to the Eyes or just shoot them on the spot. How many bodies you gonna let them throw on the fire? When's enough enough? Mark: When there's no one left to fight.

The final description line for this scene reads: "The cost of war. Mark turns and walks away."

So here's another confirmation of Mark being on the side of doing whatever it takes vs. Nick being sickened by the idea of more people dying, for any reason.

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THT 6x03 Screenplay Notes: Nick, Lawrence & Strauss

I recently had the opportunity to read all 10 screenplays for The Handmaid's Tale season 6 at the WGF library in Los Angeles. Obviously, my interest was primarily focused on the Nick and Osblaine scenes, but if you have questions about anything else, I'm happy to answer them!

Before we get into 6x03, I just had one bonus thing I wanted to mention from 6x02. In the scene where June is watching Nichole, right before she talks to her mom and tells her that Nichole's real name is Holly, there's a heartbreaking description line that reads: "June and Nichole play with the DOLL Nick sent her (EP 409)"

While "sent" implies the wrong thing since Nick was physically present to give it to her, omfg June brought the doll to Alaska and it was supposed to be in this scene, but we didn't get to see it!

I also had a very small note on the last shot with Tuello and June at the Mayday camp, at the beginning of 6x03, when they're talking about Nick. In the screenplay, as they're finishing their conversation about Serena, Tuello's line reads:

She does have a gift. (then) You'll get Nick to help. We'll bring Luke and Moira home.

And the description after this reads: "OFF JUNE, so anxious about her loved ones --"

So there's no scene break to the walk down the hall where June asks Mark: "What makes you think Nick will show up?" And I like the scripted way better, because honestly, what a dumb, baiting question for her to be asking... It's already obvious without June setting up this question that Tuello is using Nick and Nick/June's relationship to achieve his own goals, and it's almost even more clear to me in the originally scripted dialogue because it all comes from Tuello without prompting.

Here are my notes from the first Nick sequence in his house in 6x03 - his conversation with Lawrence, followed by the arrival of Strauss.

Lawrence's first line is phrased pretty differently, but the gist is the same. This is basically where he's hoping New Bethlehem feels like a less threatening place for refugees to return to from other countries. In the screenplay, here was Nick's response line:

Other countries are dying to get rid of our refugees.

But Max said:

Well, it shouldn't be a hard sell. Other countries are dying to get rid of our refugees.

If I had to guess, this was probably adjusted for conversational flow/clarity.

After Lawrence says "We need to show these diplomats we're as safe as Disneyland," Nick's scripted line was:

You want me to sing "It's a Small World?"

(Not me first noting the grammatical error on the question mark being inside the quotes in the scripted line lol)

But Max said:

You want me to sing "Circle of Life"?

This is both less on the nose and funnier to me, even though I actually really dislike all the Disney references peppered into this season. It sure is obvious Disney was in the midst of buying up Hulu...

The first line of Lawrence's reply to Nick here was also not in the screenplay at all:

I want you to dress up like Donald Duck if you have to.

After Strauss enters, his first line was originally completely spoken with Lawrence present:

Merely an assistant deputy. Pardon my intrusion, I am so eager to hear all your plans for this place.

Nick had an omitted line to Strauss right after this, before Lawrence leaves:

Pleasure to meet you, sir. Welcome.

This is another segment that I like a lot better in the final cut. In what we saw, after Strauss says "merely an assistant deputy," Lawrence interjects with a line that is completely missing from the screenplay:

Well, you two get acquainted. I have to pick up a plant. Don't be late for the tour.

And Lawrence leaves the house here, so the rest of Strauss' line is spoken only to Nick and was altered:

Pardon my intrusion, Commander. I have been looking forward to meeting with you. I am so eager to hear what you have planned for this place.

This sounds WAY more like Strauss ran straight over to Nick's house after he got the message from Mayday or Tuello or whatever about June wanting to see Nick, which we can obviously assume is true anyway when he delivers the message in a moment. But I love that he's saying to Nick specifically "I have been looking forward to meeting with you."

This is where Lawrence leaves the house in the screenplay, followed by Nick's line:

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Max simplified (Nick-ified) it to:

Any questions, I'm happy to answer.

There are no descriptions for Nick's thoughts throughout this scene, including after the Mile Marker 17 message is delivered, so all of these wonderful reaction shots and expressions were decided in the directing/performance.

And as a final note, these screenplays spell June's last name "Osborn," which is always so bizarre to me because she's officially listed on IMDb and all over the internet in articles, wiki, etc, as "Osborne" with the E at the end.

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THT 6x03 Screenplay Notes: Nick & June meet at Mile Marker 17

I recently had the opportunity to read all 10 screenplays for The Handmaid's Tale season 6 at the WGF library in Los Angeles. Obviously, my interest was primarily focused on the Nick and Osblaine scenes, but if you have questions about anything else, I'm happy to answer them!

Here are my notes from the first Nick and June sequence in this episode, when they meet in the woods.

My first note is that the screenplay actually has the scene with Serena and Lawrence at her house immediately following the title card (right after Strauss delivers the message to Nick about meeting June at Mile Marker 17).

I really think they made a great choice in changing the order of this so that we see June in the woods awaiting Nick's arrival as the very next thing after the close up of his face taking in his receival of the message.

The first chunk of description lines from this scene read:

Anticipation churning, June waits, eyes on the empty road that splits the forest. June sees NICK'S CAR approach. Her heart leaps. She floods with relief and hurries over as -- Nick parks and climbs out of his car, concerned and confused, assuming this is an emergency. They never expected to see each other again after Ep 509, and she doesn't know he visited her in the hospital in Ep 510. She embraces him -- the very feel of him comforts and stirs her -- then she shifts away, anticipating his worries.

Y'all. I love every word of all that. Applause for Nina Fiore and John Herrera.

Can I just take a moment to interject that you don't hug someone with that expression and then kill them a few weeks later. YOU JUST DON'T. That's not the same person, and I just CANNOT with what they did to June's character over the course of a few episodes. I get that she had some problematic stuff going on in other seasons, but I could work around it up until 6x08, because I still thought we were going somewhere with all of it...

Anyway, the first line of dialogue from June in this scene has a small but interesting change. In the screenplay, she says:

I'm fine. Nichole's safe. She's with my mom in Alaska.

But in the episode, she says:

I'm okay. She's safe. She's in Alaska with... with my mom, Nick. She's with Holly.

So in the screenplay, June calls their daughter "Nichole," but we know at this point in the season that June is starting to refer to her as Holly again. This makes me wonder if they hadn't decided how they were handling that as of the writing of this episode.

As much as I now wish we had kept "Nichole" as a tribute to Nick, at the time, I had just come off a couple seasons of being so frustrated that she wasn't being referred to as Holly, particularly when Nick and June were talking about her alone.

I also love how June doesn't actually move away from Nick while she's speaking most of these lines, even though the script says she "shifts away." It's really nice that they're still hugging while she's telling him she's okay and that Holly/Nichole is safe.

In the screenplay, after June mentions her mother, she has an omitted line where she says:

She's okay. She survived.

It definitely makes sense why they took this out. It was unnecessary - this can be assumed by June's previous lines.

Nick's first line in this scene is:

What happened? What's going on?

Max reversed these two lines, which I actually think flows better, even though I have no idea how to explain why. Brilliant little choices like this are everywhere in his performance:

What's going on? What happened?

Sidenote: Nick seems so wary of Tuello after the hug in this scene, which isn't mentioned at all in the screenplay. I love this addition on the show/from Max, because for me, it highlights the tension Nick is feeling about his new spy job + his FIL living in his house + the fact that there's an ethical rift now in the Tuello & Nick relationship, after Nick has realized that Mark is using untrained civilians for dangerous missions.

Nick's next line is in response to June telling him what's going on. In the screenplay, he says:

Why'd they do something so dangerous?

And Max said:

That's dangerous. Why would they do that?

There's not a lot of description for how Nick should be reacting throughout this scene, but after June explains where Luke and Moira are, there's this line: "For Nick, it's not a simple ask. June sees his hesitation."

All the little details of the way they are both acting really elevate the material for me. There are tons of moments that show exactly how stressful this is, like Nick scoffing, the way he scratches his face, etc.

In the screenplay, during June's explanation of what's going on, she says:

Can you clear a path?

And I actually prefer that to the way it was done in the final cut, where June says:

So, I need you to clear a path, Nick.

The screenplay way is a question. The performed way is more like a command.

HOWEVER, the screenplay has the line from June acknowledging the New Bethlehem event day after she's asked him to clear a path.

But I love how, in the final cut, Nick kind of talks over her to respond to the "clear a path" part, while she's still talking about the NB event.

Nick's line in the screenplay:

Yeah, so extra security. Guardians are on high alert, making random searches near the border. I can't move those patrols, it would be too suspicious.

Max's delivered line:

Which means extra security, which means I can't move those patrols. It's too suspicious.

There's an inserted June description right here that reads: "June is distraught."

On the show, I felt like she was irritated on top of being upset. And at the time, I didn't find that as obnoxious as I do now... because fuck June Osborne for not appropriately caring about how dangerous this is for Nick, but that's a rant for another post...

Nick's next line is:

I wish I could help, but I have to get back. Mark needs to think of something else.

And Max said:

I-I wanna help. I do. I just... Mark's gotta think of something else.

When June pushes back here with her lines about how there are no other options, there's a side description in the middle of that that reads "off Nick's reluctance," and then June adds:

They're my family. They took care of our daughter.

I am SO glad they cut this. It reads as manipulative to me.

Nick's description in the screenplay to follow this is: "Nick can't deny that, but he's torn between self-preservation, his debt to Luke and Moira, his love for June."

Then, June's description: "June sees his hesitation, but she's desperate."

On the show, June then says:

It's fine. No, it's fine. I get it. It's dangerous, I get it.

I really like that she added this, because that's not in the screenplay at all.

After June's turn where she says she's gonna go herself, Nick's line in the screenplay reads:

I'll go. I'll bring them back.

Max says the same lines, but June's inserted "really?" between those two sentences isn't in the screenplay.

June's next description is: "June fills with gratitude. She finally feels hopeful."

And now we've arrived at my favorite adjustments that they made on camera for this scene...

The rest of the scene in the screenplay is just June moving toward Nick's car, then these three lines:

Nick: You stay here. June: I'm coming with you. **description: Nick decides it's pointless to protest. Nick: In the back and stay down.

But on the show, we got what I thought was such a cute interaction, so on brand for them, so in character, so Nick & June:

Nick: Hey, wait, what are you doing? Where are you going? June: I'm going with you. Nick: No, no, no. You gotta stay here. You can't come with me. **they stare at each other for a beat Nick: In the back. In the back. Keep your head down. June: I will!

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THT 6x02 Screenplay Notes: Nick & Wharton

I recently had the opportunity to read all 10 screenplays for The Handmaid's Tale season 6 at the WGF library in Los Angeles. Obviously, my interest was primarily focused on the Nick and Osblaine scenes, but if you have questions about anything else, I'm happy to answer them!

As an aside to all of these posts, I realize I'm being CRAZY specific with every tiny detail, but I find it really interesting what tweaks actors make to their dialogue, the expressions and gestures that aren't indicated through description lines but have such a huge impact on the tone of a scene, and how the actors and directors work together to build from the screenplay.

Of course, we can't know for sure who made which decisions - whether Max was directed to do certain things or if those were his personal touches. But I find it particularly interesting, now that we know where the end of the series took Nick's arc, that the character we knew and loved remained intact in so many of these small, unscripted moments, Max's brilliantly complex face acting, and in the delivery of his dialogue... especially knowing that Max was surprised by the direction for Nick in season 6 too.

Here are my notes from the third Nick sequence in 6x02 - his conversation with Gabriel Wharton by the fire.

Wharton's first line in this scene is: "Lawrence has completely tied his future to New Bethlehem's. And yours." And in the screenplay, Nick's response reads:

Gilead's future, I think he'd say.

Max swapped the phrases and said:

I think he'd say Gilead's future.

The description after these lines reads: "Wharton can see that Nick admires Lawrence."

Wharton's next line is: "Do you know why we called ourselves Sons of Jacob?" In the screenplay, his dialogue continues on with no break until after he mentions Nick's mother.

But in the episode, there's a cut to Nick shaking his head no after the question, then another cut to Nick nodding and looking off to the side after Wharton's "too many of us had to make do without real fathers." Later, there's another cut to Nick, after Wharton says: "No mother would choose to cook at a diner instead of for her own family at home." Nick kinda purses his lips, then raises his eyebrows.

This is nitpicky, because there was obviously coverage of Nick during Wharton's whole line here, so cutting to it made a lot more sense than just holding on Wharton for all of that dialogue. But the reason I'm bringing these moments up is because the script doesn't have any description for Nick up through this point, so these reactions were crafted in the performance.

After Wharton's line "I'm aware that your father was a difficult man," Nick's scripted line was:

That's a kind way to put it.

But in the episode, Max laughed in that brilliantly humorless way and said:

That's, uh, that's one way of putting it.

Here's a Wharton line I noticed, because this seems like a strange omission. In the screenplay, Wharton says:

Pryce, Waterford, now Lawrence. You let these men come into your life, guide you. You looked to them to fill his shoes.

But in the episode, Josh says:

Waterford, now Lawrence. You've let these men come into your life and guide you.

I totally get why the "You looked to them to fill his shoes" part was left out. That's too on the nose as a reference to Nick's father / Nick not having a good father. But the omission of Pryce's name is odd to me.

My only thought on this is that maybe they assumed Pryce was a forgotten character and people would be confused. But to me, that's just more evidence of pandering to casual viewers while leaving out callbacks that more discerning fans would appreciate and find really interesting. It seems to me that leaving in a reference like that - to give the full scope of the story more depth - is worth it, even if some people won't understand it, because anyone who isn't paying enough attention to remember who Pryce was is just going to gloss over it anyway...

Nick's first description line in this scene comes right here. "Nick is insulted, but tries not to show it too much."

Then, his scripted line is:

I was never confused about the role they played in my life.

And Max said:

Look, I've never been confused about the roles they played in my life.

There's a gloriously omitted Nick line next. After Wharton says: "You'll be a father soon. You'll set the standard, for your son," Nick was supposed to say:

I understand. And I'm looking forward to it.

Not only is that something Nick would just never offer up in a conversation in my opinion, but it's phrased so stiffly. I get that he's with his FIL and has to play a part, but that's an unnecessary formality.

The final description for Nick comes after Wharton has left.

Nick waits to makes sure he's alone, then slips out the encrypted CELL PHONE from Mark Tuello. (yes, that typo on "makes" is in the officially printed screenplay) He looks at it, this source of stress, this representation of his torn loyalty, his dangerous betrayal of Gilead. He considers Wharton's advice for a beat, troubled, then -- He takes the SIM CARD out of the phone, places it on his desk and takes out his HANDGUN. Nick SMASHES THE SIM CARD with his gun.

To me, the fire was both more aesthetic and less chaotic. While I do love seeing Nick handling a gun (lol, and I hate guns in every other context, idk), the smashing version of this seems like it would have been loud and maybe alerted Wharton to something going on.

And I'll let us all talk about the "torn loyalty" and "betrayal of Gilead" line in the comments... because the laughable nature of "torn loyalty" when applied to Nick fucking Blaine - the "keep your head down and don't form attachments" guy who turned into the "sign me up to be an Eye so I can get rid of disgusting Commanders" guy - the same guy who signed a government contract he didn't read (after canon-proven government cynicism) just to sit next to June for a few minutes in the hospital... yeah, that sure has torn loyalty written all over it, lol.

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THT 6x02 Screenplay Notes: Lawrence's House

I recently had the opportunity to read all 10 screenplays for The Handmaid's Tale season 6 at the WGF library in Los Angeles. Obviously, my interest was primarily focused on the Nick and Osblaine scenes, but if you have questions about anything else, I'm happy to answer them!

Here are my notes from the first Nick sequence in 6x02.

These scenes begin with Nick walking into Lawrence's house, following the same path and shot the same way as the wedding punch in 5x10 (that comparison is not referenced in the screenplay, but I’m mentioning it here for context).

This moment where Nick kinda smiles at Lawrence before they go into his office isn't mentioned in the screenplay either.

In Lawrence's office, after Lawrence says: "Look, I had nothing to do with what happened to June. I'm very familiar with the feeling of wanting to run her over with a truck, but this time it was not me," Nick responds with "yeah."

I'm sorry, in what universe would Nick say "yeah" to that? In the actual episode, Nick just silently stares Lawrence down, appropriately, then delivers the slightly condescending "okay" instead. Yes, Nick will laugh at Lawrence's jokes, but this attempt is absolutely the line that would never be crossed for Nick. He's not gonna laugh or agree with any "joke" that makes light of anyone harming June. Excellent change.

After Lawrence asks "so you believe me?", the scripted line for Nick is:

I believe you have neither the power nor the capability.

But Max (presumably) changed it to:

I believe you don't have the power... or the capability.

Another great adjustment, in my opinion, because I can't see Nick ever saying "nor."

The scene description after this reads: "A backhanded compliment?"

Then, after Lawrence and Nick explain some of New Bethlehem's progress to Wharton, there's a scripted Nick line that was omitted. He was supposed to say:

And we're starting to get our people back.

I sure am glad that got crossed out. Even held up to the flames and forced to play his role, Nick saying "our people" is just crazy to me. But he did have some unfortunate lines like that in season 5. I just suspect that even if they did feel weird to him, Max wouldn't have pushed back on those then because, like the rest of us, he probably assumed it was part of Nick's mask/double agency and the misdirect on his character that would be fully turned the way we all expected in the end...

This is, of course, all my own speculation. The line could have been removed for redundancy reasons or it could have been a director's choice. We'll never (fucking) know.

During the Wharton & Lawrence conversation about bringing Serena back, there's no description about what Nick is supposed to be thinking/feeling, but there is a clue later that was obviously incorporated into his shots throughout this conversation. After Wharton leaves and Lawrence says to Nick "we need to get Serena back," the description reads: "Nick is surprised at how quickly Lawrence is following Wharton's orders."

I've been torn on how Nick feels about Serena in this scene, but I think that uncertainty is actually okay, and it's part of what used to make the show great. It's probably not all one thing, and that's how real human beings process things. He may feel some complex level of empathy for her still, as suggested in previous seasons (and it's worth noting that he doesn't canonically know about the rape in 2x10). It may be that he doesn't want Serena poking her nose around him again, now that he's free from her. Both those things could be making up the cocktail of his reactions throughout this scene, explaining his hesitancy to the idea of her coming back.

But I think the worst reading of this now - knowing that Serena walks free and forgiven at the end of the series - is that the narrative of Serena as a victim who has now suffered and deserves redemption because she's a rich white woman was being woven into every mention of her, using every character, regardless of how they would have naturally responded to her/the content of their scenes.

I'm just glad Max maintained the integrity of the first options - messy Nick emotions that flow with the history of his character.

Here's another small Nick line tweak that comes immediately after that:

If Wharton told you to jump off a bridge, would --

But Max said:

If Wharton asked you to jump off a bridge...

Right after that, there's a fully omitted dialogue exchange:

Nick: He's the most pious man in Gilead. A true believer. Lawrence: Which is exactly why he's dangerous. Nick: So no Serena? Lawrence: No, he happens to be right about Serena. She's our missing ingredient.

Now, for one thing, I think if Nick actually thought this about Wharton - that he was the "most pious man in Gilead" - it would make him trust Wharton even less than most of season 6 is trying to lead us to believe. Nick knows what Gilead piety is like, and we've only ever seen him hate it. He historically finds it eye-roll inducing, knows it is the source of a lot of Gilead's problems, and obviously understands that "a true believer" in this context means adherence to disgusting traditions like the Handmaid system that Nick became an Eye to actively fight against.

No idea whose choice it was to cut this, but thank you.

The rest of the scene has no description to indicate Nick's thoughts, but here are the final Nick lines vs. the way they were spoken by Max in the episode:

Can't you just let her live her life?

Can't we just, like... do we have to drag her back into all this?

I love the addition of the "like" here. Even though Nick doesn't typically phrase verbose & professional sounding sentences, he really only talks to a couple people this casually.

No. But -- the Eyes might have some leads.

No. No, I just... I can talk to the Eyes, see if they have any leads.

I'm noticing a presiding thing about the dialogue for Nick in these screenplays, which is the fact that they don't seem to understand how he speaks. These scripted lines are more clunky, formal, and almost academic than we've ever heard him actually speak. To no one's surprise really, the writing for him feels like they didn't take the time to familiarize with the character enough to really step into his head, which is insane considering so many fanfiction writers get it 100x closer to accurate.

I'm torn on whether writers of TV in general are just told not to even worry about this (lazy + potentially harmful to the direction of the plot) because the actors will tweak things anyway, or if this is a clear representation of the misread (intentional or otherwise) of him by everyone working on this season (other than Max, of course). Probably a combination of both.

(And as a random aside, I'm also now wondering if Lawrence actually doesn't know Nick is an Eye, which makes this shifty "I can talk to the Eyes" line from Nick make more sense AND ALSO makes sense of Lawrence's comment to June in 6x06 about not having a connection with the Eyes to get the Jezebel's safe codes. Does anyone remember confirmation of him knowing from a previous season?)