June and Luke are in the hands of captors with no idea what to expect. Serena has her first doctor's visit at the Wheelers' home. Aunt Lydia learns that Esther is pregnant. And Serena is informed about June's capture.
Tropes present in this episode
- Asshole Victim: It's hard to find much sympathy for Warren Putnam's death at Gilead's hands. Janine, Lydia, Nick, and Lawrence are all pleased with him being gone.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Alanis Wheeler. When Serena tells her that she is not interested in dating her gynecologist or even remarrying anywhere in the immediate future, Alanis chides her, telling her that her child's need for a mother AND a father is more important than Serena's feelings. She even forbids Serena from going out for a walk and sends her to her room.
- Berserk Button: Aunt Lydia unintentionally does this to a restrained Esther when asking about Putnam raping her. Esther becomes completely unhinged as a result.
- Blaming the Victim: Aunt Lydia is told by the doctor that Esther is three weeks pregnant. She deduces that it must have happened while Esther was at the Putnams' home. Reluctantly, Lydia asks Esther if she might have done anything, even unwittingly, to entice Commander Putnam. See Berserk Button for the result.
- Boom, Headshot!: How Nick kills Putnam.
- Bulletproof Vest: Serena pulls a Bait-and-Switch and shoots Ezra, her bodyguard, instead of June. Even though he was wearing a bulletproof vest, the shot incapacitates him long enough to allow Serena to drive off with June at gunpoint.
- Call-Back:
- While holding June at gunpoint, Serena brings up June's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to her ("Do you know why God made you pregnant? So that when He kills that baby inside your womb, you will feel a fraction of the pain that you caused us when you tore our children from our arms. Do you understand me? DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?") from S4.07 episode "Home".
- A History Repeats example: like High Commander Winslow and Commander Waterford before him, Warren Putnam pleads for his life by saying I Have a Family. And like Winslow, Putnam is killed with a blow to the head, albeit a bullet.
- Creepy Physical: Serena’s new Gilead-approved obstetrician asks her out on a date in the middle of performing a prenatal exam, leaving Serena more than a little creeped out and unnerved.
- Dead Guy on Display: Aunt Lydia takes the newest "class" of Handmaids to go see Putnam's body hanging on the Wall, to show them that those who break God's laws are punished, even those of high status.
- Death Glare: Everyone at the restaurant shoots these at Warren and Naomi before Warren gets taken away to be executed.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Naomi Putnam loses it when Warren is shot in the head.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Gilead is fed up with Putnam's antics towards his Handmaids (especially one not yet posted to his residence) and decides to execute him. Prior to his arrest and execution, other Commanders and Wives look at him with disgust while the Putnams have breakfast in what appears to be a country club.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Commander Putnam cannot comprehend why Commander Lawrence does not even attempt to enjoy the spoils of his position as he does by raping Esther before she is posted to his home. Even after being arrested and informed of the charges against him, he's adamant he did nothing wrong.
- I Have a Family: Warren Putnam's last words are that he has "a baby on the way" before Nick kills him.
- Jerkass Has a Point: As insane as it might sound, Commander Putnam is kind of correct when he points out that Gilead's reason for executing him doesn't really make any sense. They tell him he is being executed for the rape of Esther, but considering she is literally his property under Gilead law, it doesn't make sense for them to kill him on the charge of rape when Handmaids are being raped constantly as if doing it outside the ceremony is what suddenly makes it a problem.
- Karma Houdini Warranty / Laser-Guided Karma: Viewers likely thought that Commander Putnam once again was going to get away with raping a handmaid, even if she was a minor. Fortunately, Commander Lawrence ensures that Putnam isn't going to get away scot-free.
- Out-Gambitted: It's clear from previous episodes that Putnam has been an irritant to both Serena and Commander Lawrence, often using their statuses against them. Lawrence is then able to use his rape of Esther before she is posted to his residence as a means to get rid of him. With Putnam now out of the way, Commander Lawrence can now put his plans in motion.
- The Reveal: The group of Gilead loyalists in No Man's Land work for Ryan Wheeler and are not interested in "legal" refugees like Luke. Instead, they appear to be interested only in women and men fleeing Gilead custody. It's also implied that Ezra is part of this group.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Lydia is horrified about Putnam raping Esther, and he eventually does get executed for it. Of course, the issue is not the act per se, because naturally, rape is the foundation of Gilead's society, but because Esther wasn't technically assigned to him yet and the assault happened outside of the "official" setting of the ceremony..
- A Taste of Their Own Medicine:
- Serena gets quite a taste of what it’s like to be a Handmaid in Gilead while staying with the Wheelers. They keep her isolated, send her to her room like she is a misbehaving child and pretty much only value her for her womb.
- Warren Putnam finds out what happens when the laws he helped draft result in his own execution. Lampshaded by Lydia when she takes her handmaids to the Wall to see his body, to show that even high-powered men are not immune to the laws of Gilead.
- Wham Shot: Instead of executing June, Serena instead shoots at her bodyguard Ezra and forces June at gunpoint into driving the both of them off to somewhere unknown.
