June is due to testify in a preliminary hearing to determine whether the charges against the Waterfords are forwarded to the International Criminal Court. During her testimony, she recounts details of her brutal treatment at the hands of Fred and Serena. When the Waterfords' defense attorney tries to cross-examine, Fred interferes with the hearing while trying to justify Gilead's actions. This results in a small group of protestors rallying to their cause. While June is attending group therapy, a former aunt of Gilead tries to speak with Emily to seek forgiveness in her role in the death of Emily's lover while in Gilead. When Emily rebuffs her, the aunt later commits suicide. In Gilead, Lawrence informs Lydia that Janine has been recaptured.
Tropes in this episode include:
- The Atoner: Irene, a former Aunt, claims to be this, and tries to make amends with Emily, one of her former charges, but Emily, Moira and June rebuke her. Note that, like Serena, she doesn't actually apologize for anything she did, just requests forgiveness without ever saying sorry, or inquire how she might help Emily heal.
- Armor-Piercing Question: June tears down Irene.June: "Why the fuck do you think you deserve forgiveness?"
- Both Sides Have a Point: On whether or not how much anger can you have during therapy, Moira says that while anger is a valid emotion to have, it should not be concentrated on lest it becomes a persistent issue outside of therapy. June believes otherwise, saying that anger needs to be expressed whenever it is required for a person to properly heal. The other people in the support circle seem to side with June's view, and June finally is able to use her anger to deal with her guilt in failing to save Hannah, as we learn at the end of the episode when she is ready to admit to Luke what actually happened in her last meeting with Hannah.
- Call-Back:
- Commander Lawrence spitefully says that Janine was supposed to be Aunt Lydia's responsibility, something Aunt Lydia said about the Handmaids in "Night."
- June recaps a timeline of events from the series from her time as a Handmaid, during her testimony. Prior to the hearing, Serena is also reviewing testimony from Moira's time as a Jezebel that was also spent with Fred.
- Emily's relationship with the Martha executed in Season 1 is brought up again by Irene, who reveals she was the one who reported the affair to the Eyes.
- June placing Irene in the center of the circle while forcing her to confess her crimes recalls the way Aunt Lydia forced June and the other handmaids to do the same.
- Continuity Nod: Like Serena in the previous episode, Aunt Irene seems convinced that to be granted forgiveness by your victims you just have to beg for it, not actually take responsibility or do any of the work towards making amends.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?:
- June's testimony bears some similarities to the testimonies of Christy Ford and Anita Hill against Supreme Court justices Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. June's hair and her clothing bear a resemblance to Ford's outfit.
- For Canadians, the use of a female attourney to discredit rape accusers is similar to the case of Jian Ghomeshi, a former CBC broadcaster accused of sexual misconduct who also used a female lawyer in his defense.
- The Canadian Gilead supporters at the end of the episode appear similar to alt-right and fundamentalist Christian groups, such as the Proud Boys or QAnon.
- As Irene was exposed as a collaborator or agent of Gilead, her suicide is similar to several members of the Nazi party hanging themselves before they were to be brought to trial on war crimes.
- Driven to Suicide: Irene, via hanging. One of the members in Moira's support group describes it as "the coward's way out."note
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- Aunt Ruth is horrified at Aunt Lydia electrocuting Kylie with the cattle prod for not getting an alleged stain out during cleaning.
- Aunt Irene did feel some level of guilt for causing the death of Emily's lover in Gilead, although this is of little comfort to Emily herself.
- Female Misogynist: Canadian example this time. The Waterfords pull the stunt of hiring a female lawyer to represent them, and she proves to be viciously sexist when she tries to cross examine June.
- There's also the women amongst the Waterfords' supporters outside the courthouse
- Important Haircut: June cuts her hair into a short bob at the beginning of the episode.
- Internal Reveal: The episode ends with June beginning to tell Luke about her actual last meeting with Hannah.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Downplayed, but Aunt Ruth had tried to stop Aunt Lydia from punishing Kylie only to get electrocuted in turn.
- Not Helping Your Case: Fred, ever the fool, starts to rant about the good that came from June getting torn away from her life, tortured and repeatedly raped when his lawyer tries to cross-examine June. Worse, his rant completely undermines the argument his lawyer was making. It does, however, endear him to a group of Canadians who are supporters of Gilead.
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: When Fred's defense lawyer tried to defend him by saying June signed up for Handmaid "duty", she fires back that her only other "choice" was being sent to the Colonies, a slow death sentence. Of course, even without that, it would be irrevocable "consent" (e.g. delivering herself into slavery in what amounts to a concentration camp).
- Oh, Crap!: Aunt Lydia when she realizes Janine is alive and was captured in Chicago.
- The Oner: June's monologue that recaps her experiences in Season 1-3 is done in one continuous shot on her face.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Lawrence gives Janine to Lydia to as essentially a punching bag, so that she can vent her rage by torturing her instead of taking it out on the other aunts and handmaids. He does this simply to get Lydia back to form and not from any perceived anger or malice towards Janine.
- Precision F-Strike: June, when Irene tries to make amends.
- Redemption Rejection: Emily refuses to absolve Irene's guilt in her lover's death.
- Remember the New Guy?: Irene is apparently responsible for much of Emily’s suffering in Gilead, including the murder of her lover, but her character has never been seen or mentioned before this episode.
- The Reveal:
- Emily's relationship with the Martha back in Season 1 only was exposed because Aunt Irene informed them to the Gilead authorities.
- Janine is alive and was captured in Chicago and returned to Gilead.
- Self-Harm: One of the former handmaids in June's group therapy session mentions how she would cut herself to cope with the horrors of Gilead, but was able to hide it by cutting on her upper arms, so that her Commander would not notice. This can be Truth in Television, as many self harm victims often try to hurt themselves on discreet parts of their bodies in order to hide evidence of what they're really doing.
- Slut-Shaming: Fred's defense lawyer tries to impeach June's testimony through citing the fact she'd had an affair with Luke while he was married to another woman, saying it shows she's got a past history of sexual impropriety. This is not uncommon for rape cases, even in spite of laws preventing a victim's former sexual conduct or history from being introduced, as lawyers still find ways around that fairly often (or if not them, the media does).
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Several for Irene when she tries to seek forgiveness from Emily.
- In most cases where an abuser tries to seek forgiveness from their victims, the victims want nothing to do with their abusers and do not appreciate being contacted by them. This is why legal restraining orders exist for such a situation.
- June rightly points out that Irene likely lied to the Canadian authorities while seeking refugee status, as if the Canadians knew that Irene was part of the Gilead oppressors, they could potentially charge her with war crimes in the same way that they are currently prosecuting the Waterfords. As such, her suicide may not actually be out of guilt for what she did to Emily, but knowing that she may be prosecuted as an agent of Gilead.
- It should come as no surprise to anyone that Gilead's horrific policies have some support even in a progressive country like Canada.
- Sometimes part of your therapy requires continuous expressions of anger, as using Irene as an outlet for her rage allows June to properly process her emotions and admit to Luke what really happened during her last meeting with Hannah.
- Several for Irene when she tries to seek forgiveness from Emily.
- Time Skip: Subtle, but Serena is now visibly at least six months pregnant, and the deposition of June in the Waterford's trial would also have taken several months to prepare for.note
- Tropaholics Anonymous: June, Moira, and Emily have taken to attending a support group for Gilead refugees.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Moira is incredibly mad at June for forcing Emily to confront Irene.
