The Testaments season one finale arrived on the heels of some good news: it’ll be back for more. Fans will be especially glad to know this information while watching “Secateurs” because it drops some big pieces on the board for season two. That episode title, by the way, comes from another name for “pruning shears,” last week’s memorable weapon of choice. Murder comes with consequences, but even in Gilead there’s some wiggle room. “After it was all over, I found the coroner’s report” is how Agnes’ voice-over kicks off the episode. Dr. Grove’s autopsy revealed he was stabbed in the lungs, liver, and subclavian artery… and along with some defensive wounds, took some symbolic hits to the genitals too.
At school, the other girls are frantically trying to figure out what’s going on with Becka. Before Agnes can say anything, everyone’s herded into the dining room for a special meeting. In a jail cell, Becka is near-catatonic, singing hymns to herself. “Don’t agitate her,” the jailer (cameo alert: it’s Margaret Atwood!) tells Aunt Lydia. Since Becka is unresponsive, the agitation is left entirely to Lydia to feel; she’s horrified by what she sees.
© Disney/Steve Wilkie Things look dire, but Lydia’s instinct is to offer reassurance: “We will sort this out, dear,” she calls through the bars. Commander Judd appears. His take on the situation is that Becka murdered her father, and even broader than that, “A man of Gilead was slain by a woman.” The most hideous crime imaginable. He also implies that it’s partially Lydia’s fault, seeing as how Becka was her pupil. Aunt Lydia points out Dr. Grove was not exactly a man of God and confirms what we’d already suspected: he was slated to be executed for his crimes anyway.
