June Gets a New Walking Partner

Sometimes I wish June could narrate my life, too, because her cutting one-liners are always vicious in the most delicious way. Take, for instance, her critique of her straight-laced new walking partner, Ofmatthew, who proves herself to be "a pious little shit" within moments of meeting June (June's words obviously, not mine).

Ofmatthew goes on and on about how awful the Waterfords' situation must be, and that she's praying for them, as June mumbles a few blessings and tries not to roll her eyes. Fortunately Ofmatthew's holier-than-thou musings provide June with valuable intel: apparently Gilead is close to "taking Chicago." Uh oh.

June and Ofmatthew make it to the grocery store, where June ditches her new pal and runs into Alma (Nina Kiri). They attempt to discreetly chat through the shelves about what's been going on, and June relays the information about Chicago. Alma warns her that the Martha's don't trust the Handmaids anymore. Again I say: uh oh.

June Gets Involved in the Marthas' Resistance

After heeding Alma's warning about the Marthas, June coincidentally stumbles across one of their hushed meetings in Commander Lawrence's kitchen. Lawrence's Martha, Beth (Kristen Gutoskie), is leading a discussion about how to shelter another Martha there, Cora (Victoria Fodour), who's on the run. They let June join in on the conversation, but it comes to a halt when the Commander bursts in the kitchen and gets angry upon seeing "strangers" in his house. Luckily for Cora, June convinces him to let her stay.

Later the Marthas decide they need to help another one of their ranks escape, and June says she'll help lead the charge. Entrenched in a new iteration of the resistance, the fire in June's eyes burns brighter than ever; clearly she's found a new purpose. She disguises herself as a Martha and accompanies the others to a commercial laundry factory where a van is waiting to take the Martha not to freedom, but out west, where she can put her skills as a chemistry teacher to use to help make bombs.

Aunt Lydia Makes Her Ominous Return

Remember back in season two when Emily snapped, stabbed Aunt Lydia in the back a few times, and tossed her ass down a flight of stairs? Good times. Well, despite her efforts, Aunt Lydia has survived, and returns to June's life to check in on how she's settling in at Commander Lawrence's house. Not a lot of time has passed since her injury, so she moves slowly, painfully, and with a cane.

When questioned about how the "ceremony" has been going, since the Aunts track the Handmaids' ovulation cycles, both Commander Lawrence and his wife lie about it happening, telling Aunt Lydia that it was "aces." (Have I mentioned how much I love Bradley Whitford in this role? Because I really love him in this role.) Aunt Lydia just barely believes them, and is immediately suspicious about Mrs. Lawrence's odd behaviour. Later, once the Commander has escorted his wife upstairs, Aunt Lydia tells June to let her know if he ever tries anything "unseemly," and makes it clear that she blames Joseph Lawrence for Emily's violent outburst.

It's comments like those, when Aunt Lydia says things that make it almost seem like she genuinely cares for the Handmaids, or views them as her children (of sorts), that highlight what a brilliantly twisted, delusional character she is. This dichotomy is reinforced almost immediately following her remark about Emily, when June attempts to help her up the very stairs that Emily recently pushed her down. Instead of accepting the Handmaid's arm, the Aunt tases June, lashing out by screaming that she should be on the Wall for what she pulled at the McKenzies. Oh, Aunt Lydia. Nice to see you again as usual!

Luke Wrestles With His New Reality

I'll just come right out and say it: Nichole is one of the cutest babies I've ever seen. Those chubby cheeks! Those little gurgles! The Handmaid's Tale [4] has given me an unexpected reason to make coo-ing noises at my television. While Moira (Samira Wiley) shares my opinion about the baby, who she and Luke are now in charge of taking care of in their apartment, Luke is uncomfortable with Nichole's presence and avoids her.

After having just received the photo of his own daughter growing up without him, and knowing that Nichole is the product of June's relations with another man — at this point he still doesn't know it's her baby with Nick, not Commander Waterford — Luke is understandably overwhelmed. This attitude also extends to Emily. She's been coming over to the apartment for dinner, and has bonded with Moira, but she's still hesitant to make contact with her wife. Luke might not be able to wrap his head around the concept, but Moira knows exactly what's going on and helps coax Emily through.

But hey guys — Luke isn't all bad. The day after storming out during dinner with Emily, when he rudely prodded her about her wife, he comes to his senses thanks to the World's Most Adorable Baby, Nichole. He hears her crying, and for the first time, he willingly picks her up and rocks her to sleep instead of Moira. Maybe there's hope for him after all.

Emily Makes Progress

For most of episode two, Emily spends her time in doctor's offices. She finds out she has extremely high cholesterol for a woman her age thanks to the fatty diet provided to Handmaids in Gilead (aka meat and butter). She gets referral for clitoral reconstruction. She gets a new pair of glasses. All the physical aspects of her escape are being dealt with, but her emotional hurdles are still to come.

Finally, at the end of the episode following a dizzying appointment at the optometrist, Emily works up the courage to call her wife, Sylvia (Clea DuVall). All we get to hear are their breathless, tearful hellos, but it's a deeply moving scene all the same.

June's Involvement With the Marthas Leads to a Fatal Tragedy

June, Beth, and Cora are cleaning up dinner when a hurt Martha (Seema Doad) bangs on the door for help. They lead her to the Lawrence's basement to try to treat her, but their efforts are thwarted when a fleet of Guardians descend on the house and they have to hide and remain quiet to escape detection. Even though Mrs. Lawrence helps distract the Guardians for them, the injured woman dies, and a disgusted Joseph Lawrence tells June that she alone has to "clean it up." (He also says he wishes he'd never taken her in, if that wasn't already implied.)

June ends up burying the Martha's body herself in the cold, unyielding garden outside in a long, dirty scene that ends with her praying to god for help. When she returns inside to take a bath, Beth informs her that their actions had unforeseen consequences: Lawrence sent Cora away, telling Beth he'd no longer protect her. Will she end up in the Colonies? Hanged on the Wall? Like most things in Gilead, her fate is now a nerve-wracking mystery.