The Handmaid’s Tale recap: Born to run – Yahoo Entertainment

If The Handmaid's Tale's subject matter wasn't so consistently dark and heavy, the opening moments of episode 7, titled "No Man's Land," could almost be called a comedy of errors. It picks up right where last week's cliffhanger left off, with Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) pointing a pistol at June (Elisabeth Moss,) forcing her to drive somewhere.

But gun-slinging Serena's also experiencing painful contractions, causing her to accidentally fire a shot through the windshield. Dumbfounded by the sheer ridiculousness of the predicament she's found herself in, June pulls over and flees. Serena takes the wheel, but almost immediately drives into a ditch. A conflicted June comes to her rescue, opening the driver's side door to find Serena hunched over the wheel, yet still attempting to steady the weapon toward June. "Are you in "fking labor?," she says, before effortlessly disarming her. Discovering Serena's water has broken, June then assists her to a nearby abandoned barn, offering a sarcastic, "Maybe they'll have a manger," on the journey over.

The pair display a drastically different dynamic in the next scene, a flashback from the start of their relationship. They're attending a birthing ritual at a Commander's home, where a meek June/Offred is introduced by Serena as her "new handmaid." As the two join the other wives, handmaids, and a preaching Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), they share a knowing smile over the absurdity of the ceremony.

Back at the barn, June brings Serena a blanket and shares stories of her own pregnancy trials and tribulations, including having to birth Nichole all by herself, under less than ideal conditions. June seems to take some pleasure in seeing Serena work through her painful contractions, but still tries to comfort her. But Serena forcefully pushes her away, claiming June wants to kill her and her baby. June storms off in a flurry of F-bombs, and heads back to the stranded vehicle.

While she attempts to free the car's mud-submerged tire, we're again taken back to the Gilead birthing, where things have taken a horrific turn. The handmaid, who we learn is called Ofclarence, has died, and the infant is removed from her surgically. As June/Offred silently watches in shock, Aunt Lydia scolds her for not praying along with her sister handmaids.

In the present day, June manages to free the vehicle, but her moral compass gets the best of her before she can drive off. She returns to the barn to help Serena, who's clearly relieved June hasn't abandoned her. Now committed to staying and delivering Serena's baby, June digs in. While Serena braces herself against June's shoulders, the reluctant midwife wipes her patient's forehead and talks her through the contractions. Following plenty of pain and tears from both women baby Noah arrives. "He's perfect," June tells Serena.

Next, we get one last flashback to Gilead, where Ofclarence's face is covered with a sheet, while Aunt Lydia explains to her handmaids that she "has fulfilled her duty in this world." A few rooms over, the wives are fawning over the recently deceased woman's newborn, who now belongs to Commander Clarence and his wife. Serena is also in attendance, but looks uncomfortable and isn't celebrating. She and June/Offred exchange an awkward nod when the latter passes by.

While nursing Noah, Serena asks June why she didn't kill her when she had the chance, during the protest at the Gilead Information Center. Holding back tears, June takes her time answering before quietly responding, "I didn't want to." They also discuss whether the baby will grow up to be like his father, the vile Fred Waterford, but June again comforts Serena, saying his upbringing will take precedence over his dad's genes.

Back to business, June's ready to move Serena and her baby to a safer place. But the new mom objects, insisting she can't go back to Canada or Gilead. She admits to feeling like a prisoner under the Wheeler's roof: "I'm they're handmaid... it's like I'm you." She tearfully suggests staying behind and sending Noah with June, allowing her and Luke (O-T Fagbenle) to raise him.

"He would be safe with you. He's a good man. The kind of man who would never do the things his father did, the things that I did," she says of Luke. She even posits it's all God's will she's just a vessel and June's the avenging angel meant to raise her son. She caps her emotionally wrought proposal with a longtime-coming apology to June.

But June's all set with the too little, too late apology. She instead hits Serena with some hard truths: "This isn't Gilead and I'm not you," she says before telling her she will save her life and keep her and Noah together. "You're his mother and he belongs with you that is God's will."

Fast-forward to a Toronto hospital, where Serena and Noah are being whisked away in a wheelchair while June assures her everything will be okay. With Serena in good hands, June makes an urgent call, presumably to Luke. She later visits Serena, who's stressing about her doctor's liberal use of antibiotics and baby formula to treat her and Noah in an "unnatural" way Gilead would frown upon. Once again, June is there for Serena, comforting her and calming her down. Serena's also reminded she has no home to return to, and surmises she's in a figurative "No Man's Land." She extends a hand to June and thanks her. June uncomfortably accepts the gesture.

June returns to the waiting room, where Luke arrives with good news. The thumb drive containing the intel on Hannah's wife-prep school is being worked on. But that's not all Luke's brought, as he's apparently put in a call to the immigration authorities. They arrive with the police to detain Serena, informing her, as an undocumented person, she has no right to legal council. They cuff her to the hospital bed and tell her Noah will be placed with a child protection unit.

June and Luke watch all this unfold from outside her room. The tears welling up in Luke's eyes suggest he's sympathetic, but he's also satisfied with the part he's played in finally taking Serena down "At last, she knows what it feels like." But June's distracted by Serena's frantic, desperate pleas for help: "June, don't let them take my baby, please. June, help me."

As Serena screams and struggles against her restraints, Luke says quietly, "Justice," as if trying to convince himself he's done the right thing. Wide-eyed and more conflicted than ever about her relationship with Serena, June offers a barely audible, halfhearted response: "Right."

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.