The second moment comes from Patty Cannons traveling historian, Mr. Donahue.
Perhaps that came into play.
Ernestines story kicks off the episode in a heart-achingly perfect transition from Daniels point about black womens strength.
Credit: WGN America
This week, Ernestines high delusions are causing her to see the ghost of Sam.
She aint mean nothing.
She knows what shes doing.
Rosalees pain, you see, is all purely of the physical nature the body to Ernestines mind.
Shes alone in the woods, bleeding from the shoulder.
All she can do is survive.
(Luckily she knows how to read the moss and follow the trail.)
So in addition to all the rest of the pain, Rosalee spends the rest of this episode deaf.
But the point of this is, as Ernestine explains to her daughter: This life be hard.
You gon know pain and aint much I can do about that.
But every once in awhile, we can steal moments like this one.
If you might hold on to them, itll help you through the hard times.
The thing about this episode is how quiet it is in comparison to other episodes.
(Acting is reacting, after all.)
You know what else thrives on isolation?
Leeches, which get all over Rosalee after she crosses the river.
That woman is definitely living a horror movie in this episode.
Thanks, Harriet Tubman.
For [Ernestine], it was about making the best life inside the pain, Rosalee says.
Shed do anything to protect her children.
Now look at Ernestine.
And now shes singing for this new master?
She never sang for anyone before.
He even sounds like a John Hawkes in training.
Its interesting, but its all cut short by Hicks calling Ernestine to sing.
Sure, she snapped, but she didnt play their little reindeer games.
But then youve got to realize that shes playing with fire.
Then she fights him.
She loses a punch to the nose does that but then it becomes obvious she wants to lose.
Instead, they have sex as blood runs down her nose.
No, its not sexy, obviously.
Yes, the bestUndergroundepisode of the season features a surprise cameo by Angela Bassett.
Theres your proof of the power of spirits right there.
The only one trying.
So Ima use what I got.
The thing is, what keeps Rosalee going is a desire to protect her literal insides: her baby.
She literally hides underground to protect that.
She attaches a leech to her leg then eventually eats said leech to remove snake venom to protect that.
Ernestine is yanked back to life by Hicks and the other slaves.
Intervention, but is it divine?
Because she has a gang of men do everything for her?
Yet she ends the episode so satisfied with herself, even though shes absolutely done nothing in comparison.
She got one of her men killed and posed for a photograph.
