Serena is still in the detention center, trying to find somebody to help her, and having Noah stay with the Wheelers. June receives a proposal from Commander Lawrence to return to the New Bethlehem settlement in Gilead, which would allow her to be near Hannah—but the latter would still be marrying someone chosen for her. Later on, June receives a CD containing information regarding Hannah and turns it over to Mark Tuello to see if this information could be used to effect a rescue.
Tropes applicable to this episode include:
- Call-Back: When Serena returns to the Wheelers' home, Mrs. Wheeler makes it clear that Serena is only going to nurse Noah, and must leave all other duties of motherhood to her. This is the same situation June was in after having Nichole, when she was pumping milk in the Red Center and not allowed to be near Nichole.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Delivered by June with great effectiveness, leading to a beaten and guilt-ridden Commander Lawrence admitting that he wishes he would have never created Gilead in the first place.
- Deadpan Snarker: Prior to his Villainous BSoD Joseph Lawrence is this in full form. Standing out in particular is his response to Serena complaining about being treated like a Handmaid:Lawrence: Do you have an irony deficiency?
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The world slowly starting to accept Gilead and its repressive policies is similar to Authoritarian regimes continuing to exist and be accepted on the world stage years after an event that put them in power. To be specific, Gilead's situation is very similar to Iran after the Iranian revolution.
- Hypocrite: Mrs. Wheeler tells Serena that she is not fit to be a mother, and might never be. This comes from a woman who acts like trying to comfort a month-old-infant is spoiling him.
- Irony: Serena gets hit with this hard. First, she tells Commander Lawrence that she doesn't want to stay with the Wheelers, noting them as Noah's "kidnappers", which results in the "irony deficiency" retort. Second, she tells June that the Wheelers are intent on stealing her baby, something that June can only laugh at.
- Maternally Challenged: The Wheelers are caring for Noah while Serena is in detention. Mrs. Wheeler complains about Noah throwing the house into chaos by crying all night. They just let him "cry it out", horrifying Serena. When Serena brings up that Noah might just want to be held, Mrs. Wheeler attributes her attitude to "sentimentality" and sees it as proof of lack of mental toughness.
- My God, What Have I Done?: A visibly struggling Commander Lawrence has such a moment after being subjected to a short, but effective "The Reason You Suck" Speech by June.Lawrence: You think I don't know? You think I don't know the misery that I've caused? You think... you think I'm unaware? I was trying to save humanity. And, you know, I did. I fucking did it. Then it got away, away from me. It went septic. You think I wouldn't take it back? I would take it all back, I'd let the whole fucking human race just die out, just so I wouldn't have... have Gilead on my conscience.
- The Reveal: The fertility crisis appears to be resolved in the years after Gilead has taken control. This would explain how Serena managed to get pregnant sometime during Season 3 (as the book states that the males are the one that were actually sterile, so Fred somehow became fertile in the intervening years). At this point, Gilead's control over America is now more about its continuing grip of power than solving a world crisis.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Gilead's takeover of America was never about the fertility crisis as established in the early parts of the series. With this crisis now dealt with, Gilead is still holding on to power, something that Commander Lawrence had already established during Season 4.
- After about 7 years on the world stage, the world is slowly warming to the existence of Gilead. In addition, opinion is slowly turning against America and the refugees in Canada, as the Canadians seen in this episode appear to be tiring of the presence of the American Refugees in their country. What is unknown, however, is if this negative opinion is due to general malaise or elements of Gilead starting to have an effect on the Canadian populace.
- Time Skip: A month has passed since Serena was arrested, and she remains in the detention center, away from her son, who is with the Wheelers.
- Too Much Information: Commander Lawrence tells Serena that the Wheelers have agreed to let her return to a room in their home. He is visibly uncomfortable telling her the real reason why they agreed, despite her objections that the Wheelers want to take her son away from her: they need her as a nursemaid to reduce Noah's crying. "And now I'm done talking about your breasts."
- Welcome to My World: Serena asks June for advice on how to live with the Wheelers, given that they are determined to take Noah for themselves. June laughs mirthlessly at the irony, but tells Serena the truth:June: Here's what you're gonna do. Okay? You're gonna go back in there, and you are gonna act like a Handmaid. But the entire time, you will be plotting against them and planning your revenge.
