Nothing went as planned this episode, leaving some in the position where they had to take action sooner than expected! Let's start with John and Elizabeth Hawkes. A chance encounter with an old friend on the train made the pair realize they will have to live a double life, after learning the friend was promoted to marshall upon him dropping slave bills. Despite a minor faux pas regarding their travels, they keep it cool and briefly discuss seeing him later at the Governor's Ball and how his promotion to marshall relates to the new governor's plan to crack down on runaway slaves.
When they arrive home they are met by a Black man and a White man who say they are there to work on the nursery. John and Elizabeth quickly realize they are actually there to prepare the Hawkes' home for harboring runaways, something they didn't expect to happen so soon. When the new governor's plans comes up, John inquires about whether the abolitionists utilize spies; noting he and Elizabeth will be attending the Governor's Ball, where they can learn more about the new governor's plans (i.e. who to look out for). And the pair sets out to do just that, the first step being to locate where the governor's office is. After determining where the governor's office is, the two have to figure out a way to distract those standing by the stairs leading to the office (one of which is their old friend from the train). Elizabeth comes up with the idea to get the ladies in the room to join her in saloon-style dancing. But their friend catches her giving John a knowing glance to go to the office, and he takes his eyes off the party to follow John with his eyes. Noticing this, Elizabeth proceeds to stand on top of the piano and continue dancing while making eye contact with their friend, causing him to forget about looking at John.
Based on the the clothes thrown along the stairs leading up to their bedroom, this adventure seemed to light the fire in the Hawkes' home. But their job is not done for the night. One of the men who helped prepare their home to hold runaways bangs on their door in the middle of the night, needing them to harbor a runaway. Later in the episode, Elizabeth will find the runaway (played by Jussie Smollett) holding John against the wall with a sharp object against his neck claiming he sold his wife!
Meanwhile, on the plantation, they are continuing to prepare to run away. Sunday morning, Noah realizes they should leave on Saturday night, because Henry confirms the last headcount of slaves takes place Saturday night and isn't done again until Monday morning due to the Sabbath. So they plan on leaving the following Saturday, in just six days. Later, Sam recounts to Noah how he and others worked on the new bridge at the same time they worked on the shed he works in, which meant they can practice getting across the ceiling to mimic getting across the bottom of the bridge unseen. When they begin to discuss needing access to get Tom's seal for the papers, Noah reveals to Sam that Rosalee will be running with them and can gain access to the seal.
Sam goes to see Rosalee, where they discuss the fact that he doesn't want her to go with them. He tells her he doesn't think she's up for it, but when she claims she is and won't be telling their mother about their plans, he tells her Noah wants her to get Tom's seal for the papers. Later, they also discuss how Sam feels their mother, Ernestine, left him behind when she went to work in the Big House. But Rosalee tells him their mother went to the Big House to be able to make things better for all of them. I continue to wonder if Tom is Rosalee and James' father.
While Zeke was placing a cross on his baby's grave, Moses runs up to tell him slave traders are taking Sarafina away. Initially, it seemed like Zeke didn't care, but eventually he jumps up and runs towards the front of the plantation. Pearly Mae wraps Sarafina's head with a bonnet and prays over her while she sits in the wagon. Zeke runs up and charges the wagon, breaking one of the wheels clean off. He then punches the men. Moses pulls him off, and the slave traders then hit and kick him while he's down. Zeke is taken to the hole, a box in the ground where he's put in a fetal position with no clothes on. Noah asks Cato to help get Zeke out. Cato initially suggests Zeke would be a liability given the way he responded to the slave traders taking Sarafina (he also mentions how taking women and children will slow them up), but Noah says what Zeke did to the wagon is the type of instinctive strength they will need to successfully get away. Cato then asks for Noah to teach him the song in exchange for him getting Zeke out. And later, when Cato goes to get Zeke out, he lies and tells Zeke Noah was going to leave him there and that it was Cato's idea to get Zeke out. He also says that Noah's only going to be looking out for himself and Henry. SMH! I hope Zeke sees through Cato's lies.
Rosalee gets another surprise visit when Pearly Mae pops in to see her. She tells Rosalee she has the papers when she's ready to get the seal. When they see Tom walk by, and hear Suzanna playing the piano, Pearly Mae tells Rosalee as long as she can hear Suzanna playing she can safely get the seal. So Rosalee goes in the house to find the seal. She noted where Tom kept the seal, having seen him use it when finalizing the deal to sell Sarafina to the slave trader. Once she retrieves it she goes back out to meet Pearly Mae.
Meanwhile, Tom goes out to offer to help Sam fix the wheel Zeke broke on the slave traders' wagon. He overhears Sam talking, and not seeing anyone else, asks Sam if he's talking to himself. A shocked and nervous Sam says he wasn't talking to himself, but Tom says it's ok and that he talks to himself too. He offers to help Sam with the wheel, and though Sam tells him he doesn't need to do that, Tom insists on helping. We soon see why Sam is nervous and who he was talking to. Noah was hanging on the ceiling rafters practicing for the bridge, and at one point his gun slips and nearly drops. Thank goodness he manages to catch it before it falls! After Tom hammers in one of the spokes, Sam tells him the rest is a one man job. So Tom heads out, but not before asking Sam what he thought about having James as an apprentice. Hmmm...I know Sam's job is somewhat above working in the fields, but he's not in the house either. So is this Tom going against his promise to Ernestine, or is this his idea of keeping his word to Ernestine?
Back by the house, Pearly Mae begins attempting to use the seal on the papers, but then they hear the piano playing stop. Rosalee rushes in to return the seal, but runs into Suzanna who demands lemonade out on the porch. Rosalee attempts to return the seal to Tom's office before getting the lemonade, but when she opens the door Tom is sitting in the office!!
Later, Ernestine instructs the house slaves to go outside and line up, because Suzanna is having a fit, because Tom's seal is missing. While Suzanna is yelling down from the balcony about one of them having the audacity to steal from her husband, Ernestine searches them one by one. Rosalee runs up and gets in line late. When Ernestine gets down to Rosalee to search her, one of the slaves yells out that she saw a field slave around the house, but says she doesn't remember who when Suzanna inquires. So Tom goes out to the field and makes all the field slaves break into groups to hold up a large heavy rail from a railroad. He tells them that if no one comes forward with the seal by the time the last group standing drops their rail, they will each get 50 lashes! Cato is watching from afar. Rosalee comes out to give Tom something to drink, and he instructs her to leave so she won't have to witness this (ironic given she's the one who stole it).
Back in the house, Ernestine asks Rosalee where the seal is. Rosalee denies knowing, but Ernestine slaps her and tells her not to lie to her. So Rosalee shows her where she hid the seal, in what looks like molasses in a pot over the fire. Ernestine is upset, but says she will handle the seal and then handle Rosalee. This begs the question, will Rosalee really be able to keep their plans to run away from her mother.
On the field, the second to last group drops their rail, leaving the final group; which includes Moses, Noah, Pearly Mae, and Sam. When the fifth person drops, Henry goes over to help them. Tom comments to let him help, saying he likes his fire though it won't last forever. Noah then proceeds to tell them they can do it, and Sam begins directing them on how to hold it up while Noah tells them to fight for it! This is clearly symbolism reflecting the groups ability to work together and stay strong, foreshadowing their future escape.
Meanwhile, in the house, Suzanna goes down to find T.R. playing with his father's seal. She asks him where he got it, and he tells her he got it from his father's office. Suzanna then calls Ernestine and Rosalee down to clean up the mess T.R. was making and tells them to let Tom know she found his seal. After Suzanna walks out, Ernestine gives T.R. a piece of candy, clearly in exchange for lying to his mother. Will it really be that simple though? Will this lie never slip out of T.R.? Maybe not.
While fishing, Henry mentions the "big spoon" in the night sky to Noah. The two soon realize not only that the "big spoon" will direct them north, but that it's the "drinking gourd" mentioned in the song! How appropriate that Henry helped to decode part of the song, as earlier in the episode we learn his main role in the escape is to know the song (after Noah declines his help to prepare the bridge for their getaway).
Meanwhile, Rosalee is heading back to the house after talking with Sam, when she's stopped by the overseer who was sitting on his porch. He tells her her dress is better than any dress his late wife had, and proceeds to talk to her about his wife. At one point he asks Rosalee if she thinks she's better than him. Feeling sorry for him, Rosalee offers to put flowers at his wife's grave. But just when I, probably like Rosalee, let my guard down thinking okay he's not going to try to rape her, he did just that!! A fight ensues in the house after he drags her in. A field slave hears it, but walks away. She walks past Noah, who took the long way back from fishing hoping to run into Rosalee. By the time he's near the overseer's house it's quiet. Then Rosalee runs out with blood covering her face. Noah grabs her, and she tells him they have to run now. He tries to tell her they have to wait until Saturday, until she tells him the overseer is dead! At that they begin running! The scene ends with them escaping tied to the bottom of a wagon leaving the Macon plantation!
One thing we know for sure is this will be the last episode where Rosalee and Noah only exchange words at the end of the episode. Where will they end up? What will the rest of the group do, especially given the difficulty they will have getting away after Tom discovers Rosalee and Noah are missing and a dead overseer?! Will this strengthen Cato's lies to Zeke?! Will it endanger Ernestine, James, Sam, or Henry??