This episode focuses mostly on the character Emily after the events of her attempted escape. She is taken to one of the Colonies where she and other women are forced to work in radiated sections of the country to clean up the polluted areas. There are flashbacks to when she was a university professor dealing with the aftermath of the White House massacre, of how her job as a teacher is being affected by changes in the laws of the country due to her being a lesbian. One of her fellow faculty members, Dan, a gay man himself, is found hanged on the campus grounds with a slur word written on the ground beneath him. Fearing the terrible changes, Emily tries to escape the country with her wife and their child, only to be prevented from doing so as the law no longer recognizes her same-sex marriage as being valid and is forced to separate herself as her wife and child escape. In the Colonies, Emily encounters one of the Wives, Mrs. O'Conner, who is sent there for punishment, but considering her an accomplice in the chronic rape of one of her fellow women, she poisons her and lets her be hung on a cross as recompense for her actions. Near the end of the episode, we see Emily reunite with Janine, who is taken to the Colonies for punishment. In the meanwhile, June is taken to another underground hiding place and not only finds out it was the building of the Boston Globe, but also that it had been used as a slaughterhouse for the employees that resisted the change in the government.
This episode provides examples of:
- A Day in the Limelight: Emily's predicament and her backstory prior to the Gilead takeover of the United States are examined in this episode.
- Bury Your Gays: The male university faculty member who is gay is found hung under a flyover on the campus grounds.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: One would think that Emily's joyride that resulted in the brutal death of a Gilead Guard would result in her getting executed for murder. Apparently, they still need more people to clean up the polluted mess in the Colonies.
- Dead Guy on Display:
- Dan is found hung under a flyover on the campus grounds.
- Mrs. O'Conner is displayed in crucified form for the others to see.
- Foil: In the flashbacks, Emily encounters two ICE agents who are perfect contrasts for each other. The first is overworked, but kind and helpful and directs Emily and her wife to someone who can help them. The second is intrusive, unhelpful, rude, and seemingly an agent of the incoming Gileadean order.
- Glad-to-Be-Alive Sex: June and Nick do this after June's success in reaching the safehouse.
- Hide Your Gays: Emily's boss at the university, Dan, tries to do it in order to keep authorities away but Emily resists. Prior to removing Emily from the classrooms, Dan had taken away all pictures of his husband, Paul, from his office.
- No Sympathy: The "Unwomen" treat the Mrs. O'Conner like crap, and not even her religious fervor gets her any points with the aunts. At first it seems Emily is different, but she's only playing nice in order to poison her.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Mrs. O'Conner is poisoned by Emily as recompense for her collaboration with Gilead.
- Shrine to the Fallen: June makes a candle memorial to the massacred workers of the Boston Globe.
- Television Geography: The Scenes at "Logan Airport" are actually shot at Toronto Pearson Airport's Terminal 1.
- This Is Unforgivable!: As Emily points out, once a month, Wives hold down women and let their husbands rape them. There is no forgiveness for that.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Both Mrs. O'Conner and Dan are played by well known actors, Marisa Tomei and John Carroll Lynch, respectively. Both characters are killed in this very same episode.
