In the aftermath of John’s death everyone is trying to regroup, pick up the pieces and find a way to move on. Rosalee has lost both John and Noah. The Railroad has put a halt on the movement of all cargo for a few days. Despite this, Rosalee and Harriet must get their respective cargo to the next stage of their journey.
There’s a moment given to Harriet’s hypersomnia; when she unexpectedly falls asleep. It’s not the first time we’ve seen it. There was a scene in the season premiere that wasn’t overtly addressed, but it’s evident that this is what that was in the way Harriet awakens in the middle of a thought. It happens again in Georgia’s kitchen. When Harriet wakes, she tells Rosalee that the mission she’s so nervous about handling alone will come to a successful conclusion.
These men have no faith in Rosalee and basically whine so much I want to take them out. The stress of the devastating events of the last couple of days is affecting Rosalee. She does seem to be on the verge of breaking down, but she finds the wagon she’s looking for and gets the men to the next station.
Unfortunately, Patty Cannon is on Rosalee’s trail, and, had Rosalee not heeded Harriet’s advice to trust her instincts, she and her cargo would have been caught. Rosalee gets them on the boat as promised. Harriet’s vision of Rosalee standing on the dock watching, with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, as her cargo moves closer to their destination comes true for only a moment. Patty shoots Rosalee, knocking her into the river.
Georgia realizes that Elizabeth is contemplating something reckless when she finds her sitting outside of the courthouse with a gun in her possession and talks Elizabeth down. I found it nice to get a sense of the community surrounding Elizabeth in this episode. They helped her to make it through the funeral; especially since Rosalee couldn’t stay. I’m hoping that this community will become a greater part of Elizabeth’s story.
As Elizabeth becomes more a part of her community, Ernestine remains separate from hers. Ernestine’s lover, Micah, asks her to help a young woman by aborting her baby. The young woman, trying to decide what she wants to do, asks Ernestine if she has children. It’s the first time we see any spark of life in Ernestine.
But later, when she talks with her late husband, she questions her decisions and the idea that her quest to protect her children left her cold to them. I’m anxious to find out how (or if) this litany of sins Ernestine is putting herself through will lead to redemption. Can she be redeemed?
Actually, I did not expect either of the major reveals in this episode.
Cato returns and made quite an entrance. He is the person who hired the men who grabbed Noah. Why? Is this good news for Noah or bad? Where are they? My head is spinning with questions?
The other major reveal is that Rosalee is pregnant, was a shocker mostly because of what’s she’s been doing for the past five months. I thought the clothes were because being mistaken for a man offered a bit of protection. I know that most of my reaction is a very modern reaction to the idea of doing something as dangerous as transporting runaway slaves, or planning to go into ‘enemy territory’ to rescue one’s family while pregnant..
A lot about this episode felt transitional, which I don’t consider a bad thing. The character stories are really well handled. Having this type of episode end with such big reveals made it even more of a successful episode.
What did you think of the episode?
