History Recap / TheHandmaidsTaleS4E4Milk

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The crisis pregnancy center Janine goes to that tries to frighten her into keeping her second pregnancy is TruthInTelevision. They are often notorious for espousing misinformation about abortion and disguising themselves as abortion clinics.
** Likewise with the abortion doctor being required to inform Janine of a "breast cancer risk" that isn't real. Viewers might be surprised to learn that such a law is actually on the books in several U.S. states.

* NotSoDifferent: June and Janine are sheltered with a resistance group fighting Gilead in Chicago. The leader expresses disgust at them being sex slaves... right before extorting sex from them, saying this is the price of staying with his group.

* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Done intentionally by the gyno Janine visits. She recites the warning (required by the state) that abortions can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer, but then immediately admits this is actually bullshit and truthfully tells Janine that the procedure is basically harmless.

** Likewise with the abortion doctor being required to inform Janine of a "breast cancer risk" that isn't real. Viewers might be surprised to learn that many U.S. states actually require doctors to give their patients wrong information when it comes to abortion, with "abortion causes breast cancer" being one of the most popular myths to write into law.

** Likewise, the abortion doctor being required to inform Janine about nonexistent health risks, like breast cancer, is also law in many states across the U.S. Unfortunately, despite being repeatedly contradicted by actual studies, these are popular myths in the anti-abortion movement, and thus many politicians behind these laws believe them to be true.

* LoopholeAbuse: Just because the gynecologist must recite by law mistruths about abortion doesn't mean that she cannot say that those statements are truthful, much to Janine's relief.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The crisis pregnancy center Janine goes to that tries to frighten her into keeping her second pregnancy is TruthInTelevision. They are often notorious for espousing misinformation about abortion.

* ADayInTheLimelight: The episode provides much focus for Janine, giving flashbacks to her life before Gilead and her current role as June's only friend/partner she has left.

* BelievingTheirOwnLies: When Rita visits Fred, he seems honestly confused about why she obviously despises him, considering he was "Never cruel to (her)". This from the man who helped create the system that ''enslaved her'', and possibly led to the deaths of her entire family.
* BlatantLies: Everything the volunteer at the crisis center tells Janine.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Zigzagged. Janine's first attempt to get an abortion sees her accidentally visit a Crisis Pregnancy Center, whose volunteer tries to get her to keep her pregnancy, telling her there's a high chance she'll end up infertile, and that she'd make a great mother, along with demonizing abortion in general. She goes to a proper gynecologist who tells her about what actually happens on getting pregnant again. That time, she does abort.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Steven laments the fact that Handmaids are used as sex slaves, but he has no problem trying extorting sexual favors from Janine and June in order to let them stay.

* ManipulativeBastard: Serena Joy tries to use her pregnancy to guilt Rita into being her "friend" who will help her protect her unborn son. It takes Tuello telling her that Serena Joy wants her to testify Serena's innocence (claiming that all of her crimes were done under pressure by her husband) for Rita to realize Serena is just using her.

* TheyDiedBecauseOfYou: Janine hits June with this after June admits she gave up the location of the safehouse, saying that Brianna and Alma died due to their capture.

June and Janine are able to escape on a train to Chicago. During the trip, they get into an argument over June admitting that she revealed the location of the safehouse Janine and the other Handmaids were hiding. When they arrive at Chicago, they are rescued by a resistance group headed by Steven, who (despite expressing his disgust of Gilead using handmaids) pressures June to have sex with him in order to stay with his resistance cell. When June is unable to go through with it, Janine does so instead. Meanwhile in Canada, Serena requests an audience with Rita where she tells her about her pregnancy and wants her to testify against Fred on her behalf. Rita, seeing through her ruse, refuses and instead tells Fred about the pregnancy.

June and Janine travel to Chicago. Janine remembers her past.

-->''June'': You're not Mayday.
-->''Steven'': What's Mayday?

* BaitAndSwitch: It at first seems that Janine is pregnant with Caleb, and thus the crisis center's pressure on her to keep her pregnancy succeeded. Then Caleb is revealed to already be a toddler at this point, and Janine goes through with the abortion (possibly explaining the "sin" that led to her being a Handmaid in Gilead.]]

* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Janine is having a hard time breaking out of this mindset.

* JustFollowingOrders: Unspoken, but Tuello is clearly not happy about requesting Rita be a part of Serena Joy's defense. He makes no attempt at all to charm her or convince her, just gives her a half-hearted rundown of the situation and tries not to impose on her time. From the usually suave spy, it's quite noticeable.

* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Done intentionally by the gyno Janine visits. She recites the warning (required by the state) that abortions can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer, but then immediately admits this is actual bullshit and truthfully tells Janine that the procedure is basically harmless.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Zigzagged. The first gynecologist Janine sees after trying to get an abortion tries to use this to get her to keep her pregnancy, telling her there's a high chance she'll end up infertile, and that she'd make a great mother, along with demonizing abortion in general. She goes to a proper gynecologist who tells her about what actually happens on getting pregnant again. That time, she does abort.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Steve laments the fact that Handmaids are used as sex slaves, but he has no problem trying extorting sexual favors from Janine and June in order to let them stay.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Steve laments the fact the Handmaids are essentially sex slaves, but he has no problem trying to extort sexual favors from Janine and June in order to let them stay.

* SexualExtortion: The rebel leader who June meets makes it clear he'll only let her and Janine stay if one of them pleasures him. June tries to give him a blowjob but can't go through with it.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Subverted. The first gynecologist Janine sees after trying to get an abortion tries to use this to get her to keep her pregnancy, telling her there's a high chance she'll end up infertile, and due to the fertility plague, it's her duty to have a child. She goes to a proper gynecologist who tells her

* SexualExtortion: One of the rebel leaders June meets makes it clear he'll only let her and Janine stay if one of them pleasures him. June tries to give him a blowjob but can't go through with it.

* Hypocrite: Steve laments the fact the Handmaids are essentially sex slaves, but he has no problem trying to extort sexual favors from Janine and June in order to let them stay.