It was my understanding that he was checking for the presence of semen. That it why it was imperative that Joseph participate. Handmaids have to submit; this was a test of the Lawrences, not June.

It was also refreshing to see characters reacting to each other in good faith. That “ceremony” scene could have gone many ways, but the fact that June, Joseph, and fragile Eleanor, under great pressure, spoke to each other as adults who recognized the stakes, made it something elevated beyond the the perverse power…

* Serena knows there is no way the American contact who gave her the phone will aid in Nichole’s return to Gilead, so what is her plan? Did she just give gullible Fred the equivalent of a poisoned apple? (She certainly framed the USA contact to Fred as a Gilead ally.)
* Speaking of poisoned apples — while June was…

The only real change (from my POV) is that June has changed her focus from getting her own daughters out, to getting anyone’s children out. That way, she honors her mother and her daughters and can attempt to make amends for the damage wrought by her selfishness.
And she can hope that someone will do the same for…

No, you didn’t see Janine hit OfMatthew/Natalie with a can. Natalie was holding the can. Janine was concerned and reached for her arm to comfort her but Natalie pushed Janine’s hand away. When Janine tried to touch her again, Natalie began walloping her with the can.
And June expressed no concern at all for Janine,…

That’s a great assessment but it assumes that Lydia is sane. I didn’t see the rejection being the problem; I saw it as her own shame being the problem. She hated the lustful woman she had become in that moment, and she began to project that hate onto other women who, in her view, “could not control their sinfulness.”

That should read “ ... but Mrs. Lawrence wanted to proceed ... “

I think that the intended theme for this episode was “good allies, bad influences.”

At first I thought that Fred’s, as you put it so aptly, “Leni Riefenstahl efforts” were meant to be persuasive — but I mistook the intended audience. He wasn’t fooling either the Canadians or the Swiss. (If anything, they’d be repulsed.) He was trying to worm his way back into the power elite of Gilead, which is why…

The Swiss already knew that neither Waterford has a genetic connection to Holly/Nichole. They wanted, as was stated in “The Prisoner” - “Information.” But, given Nick’s past, they didn’t trust him as a source. So, yes, I agree they were looking for spies they could use. But they also already knew who Nick was, so now…

I know that the symbolism in this show is quite heavy, but I appreciate that June seemed to find solace in the fact that Gilead could not force Lincoln to release his grip.

A nice thought, but I doubt it. We saw a bit of Nick’s back story; he was powerless, with no respect and no resources. Gilead gave him both. He might know it’s wrong but still not want to give it up (much like Serena and Nichole). That shot of everyone jumping to attention at the end was to Nick what that nursery-full…

“I’m the bad guy” was spot-on. The difference of note is that Trish gets what she denied the bad guys she killed; she gets to continue to live, with the chance to reform. In that respect she isn’t much different than Officer Nussbaumer, who denied the same to his victims. 

Thanks for the call-out to Ashleigh LaThrop (Ofmatthew). I thought that was one of the most compelling bits in this episode. We haven’t yet seen a character who steeled herself into docile compliance to survive, but who might be hitting her breaking point.

So did Janine give Fred an idea? Are the Waterfords taking June back as ‘a member of the household’ to justify the return of Nichole/Holly?

Some late thoughts (and I might be giving the writing staff too much credit).
Aunt Lydia said that she is blamed for bringing Emily back from the colonies. But we just saw a similar process! Someone had to choose. Lydia would never have chosen to bring Emily back. Emily was intelligent; she was angry; she was…

That’s a bit harsh. It was clear that June had wanted Hannah baptized (despite how June’s mother felt about it), and that she and Luke had been happy afterward. I think that Luke and Moira were doing what they believed June would have wanted.
And I don’t think they are wrong in that.

Unlike in the Fred / Serena / June / Nick story line, there was never an indication that Warren Putnam was not the father of Janine’s baby. On the contrary, he was punished for having a too-close relationship with her. Give that, I can’t help think that Warren’s first thought was, “Good idea, let’s go for a son!”

I thought it was also an echo of June’s exchange with Mrs. McKenzie. Somehow Hannah ended up in a Commander’s household that is the closest thing to non-psychotic that can exist in Gilead. 

“Why would you separate the characters at the start, only to bring them back together shortly after?” 
I think it was to show that, despite the contrasts in the personalities of Epzo and Angstrom, they had both done the same thing; they had risked winning by rescuing two stranded humanoids. They both deserved better.
I…