Episode two opens with June flashing back to all the times Serena was awful to her (almost every time they were together), followed by mysteriously burying a gun in her backyard. We then find ourselves following Tuello and Serena on a jet on their way back to Gilead for Fred’s funeral. They are greeted by two Commanders, Nick and Joseph Lawrence, both of which the viewer knows to be allies of June. The commanders offer them a funeral fit for a traitor instead of a commander. She accuses Lawrence and Nick of helping June murder her husband, but they deny it. Serena essentially threatens them to persuade them into a more prominent funeral.
The handmaids have returned finally, as we get to catch up with Aunt Lydia and Janine. It seems that in self-preservation, or looking for belonging, Janine is fully obedient and even helpful in her return to the position of the handmaid. She is working with Aunt Lydia to prepare Esther to become the next handmaid to the Putnams (who have Janine’s child in their possession). She gets to attend the wake for Fred at the Putnam’s home serving as Esther’s minder.
Tuello is left outside the wake, unable to supervise Serena as the events continue. The wives marvel at her remarkable “miracle” pregnancy. Commander Lawrence lets down Serena as he informs her that the Commanders are unwilling to change the details of Fred’s funeral as they still believe him to be a traitor.
Back in Canada, June, Moira, Luke, and Rita are having a nice family game night. As Rita goes into the kitchen to tend to the food, June corners her to talk about what might happen to Serena now that she is back in Gilead. She goes on and on, forcing Rita to relive the trauma of Gilead. We are once again reminded of how selfish June can be. She is constantly disregarding other people’s trauma as if she was the only one who faced the nightmares of Gilead. She only stops after both Moira and Rita scold her.
At the wake, the handmaids arrive along with Aunt Lydia. She immediately finds Serena to marvel at her pregnancy (like most of the women there). Esther confides in Janine how much she does not want to be a handmaid. Janine reminds her that it doesn’t matter if she likes it; she has to stay alive. Mrs. Putnam seems reluctant to have her as a handmaid because of her previous status as a wife. We also see a beautiful moment between Janine and her daughter Angela, as they are briefly reunited. Janine continues the role of the good handmaid and compliments Mrs. Putnam on her beautiful child. In a rare scene, she reciprocates that she is grateful for those who brought her into the world.
That good feeling is short-lived as the next scene finds Esther alone with Commander Putnam as he seeks to “get to know her better.” She is obviously nervous and uncomfortable. We don’t get to see what happens, but things are implied.
As the episode brings us back to June, she confesses to her husband that she put them all in danger by ensuring that Serena would know that she killed Fred. He confronts her by asking how that could have possibly benefited their family. He worries that she is too wrapped up with Gilead and cannot focus on being there for her family. He convinces her that she needs to let go of her need for revenge and be more in the moment.
As they try to figure out how to be a family again, Serena is petitioning the Commanders that they utilize Fred’s funeral as a way to get the world to accept them and their way of life. The only ones willing to back her up on this are the two she essentially blackmailed at the beginning of the episode. The handmaids head back to their living quarters as Esther repeatedly stresses to Janine that she wishes not to be placed as a handmaid. Janine does little to reassure her, except tell her to get pregnant quickly. Serena is informed that the commanders have agreed to hold the large production funeral and insists on inviting out-of-town commanders.
Tuello gets to catch up with Nick, hopeful for an update on his daughter Nicole. Tuello offers him a chance actually to be with his daughter if they can work together. Esther and Janine meet again, this time with some stolen chocolates from the Putnam’s house. As the girls delight in their treat, Esther shares again how much she despises her position. She accuses Janine, claiming she had only been using her to see her daughter. Janine claims she was only trying to help her to survive her time as a handmaid. Shortly after, they both start sputtering blood, the chocolates containing poison. Aunt Lydia rushes in to try to save them, but it appears to be too late.
The episode is concluded with the funeral, artfully juxtaposed against a date night to the ballet for June and Luke. We see the two back and forth, the beauty of the ballerina, and the danger and mourning of Serena. The freedom June has against those still in Gilead. As June and her husband emerge from the theatre on a nice night out, they are confronted with their daughter’s face in Gilead, broadcast on all the screens around the world, reminding them that they cannot yet be the family they long to be.
