Underground Recap: Cato Gets Closer to Harriet + Noah Goes off on Rosalee

Cato learns more about the station in Ohio, and of Harriet’s location.

Cato is in the safe house searching for hidden passageways, possibly learning the trap doors for Patty and her slave catchers. He walks in on Georgia applying makeup in the basement. Eventually, he walks into Georgia’s office finding all of the hideaways and documents used on the underground. However, Harriet catches Cato in the act while sweeping. She introduces herself to him as “Minty,” making it clear that she’s two steps ahead and smart enough not to trust him with her true identity.

Cato tries to play it off and says he was just looking for Georgia because he wants to thank her for everything she’s done for him. He gets away from that encounter and eavesdrops in on Georgia and Elizabeth talking about Rosalee and Noah soon returning.

He reports back his findings to Patty and says that he wonders if Minty could be Harriet. But when Patty tells him that there’s no way the Harriet Tubman would be in the house sweeping the floor, he agrees but wants more time at the house to find her. Patty still doesn’t trust him and tells him that he must be plotting his own escape northward.

Cato suddenly grabs a weapon off the table and Patty’s men draw their guns on him.

“I am where I want to be and I am staying at that house until I get what I need.” – Cato

Cato then cuts his own wrists along the vein on both arms to prove his point, as he plans to pretend that he attempted suicide.

Elizabeth is fed up and is ready to fight.

Cato is being healed in the infirmary, healing from his self-inflicted injuries.

Elizabeth is placing dressings on Cato’s wrists as he lies in the bed. She reveals to Cato how John was killed and she isn’t over it.

“…become the monster that came to eat you.” – Cato to Elizabeth

While everyone is sleeping, Cato begins to sneak around once more.

He ends up in one of the passage ways where he sees Elizabeth walking out into the tunnels with a pistol and lantern. Elizabeth finds a house that belongs to the man who kidnapped her and tied her to a tree and she sets it on fire. However, when her kidnapper’s son runs into the burning house to safe his father, she runs after him and passes out.

Both of them are back at the safe house with Georgia not happy with Elizabeth’s actions (did Cato save Elizabeth from the fire?). The child was badly burned. Georgia wants to remain non-violent but Elizabeth is very receptive to violence. Georgia tells her that she cannot stay at the safe house if she continues down that path.

In a flashback scene, the man who tied Elizabeth to a tree comes in looking for a room. When Elizabeth asked him for a name, he says, “John Hawkes.” Elizabeth freezes in horror, then slaps the man.

She then runs to Georgia telling her to do something, but Georgia brushes it off as “idle threats.” When Elizabeth scoffs at that notion, Georgia retorts, “…It could have been worse. You walked out of those woods alive.”

Georgia also makes it clear to Elizabeth that being white is the only reason she wasn’t killed and she herself wouldn’t have been as fortunate.

Georgia wants to remain low-key, not looking to attack the people that threaten the safe house because it puts the runaways in danger. So she tells Elizabeth she has to leave if violence will continue to be her way of doing things. However, Elizabeth doesn’t seem to care about being kicked out. She’s chosen her side and feels violence is the only way.

Georgia and Harriet then meet in the safe house and Harriet asks about Cato; “the cargo with burned face.” She tells Georgia to keep her eye on him.

“Something about him I don’t trust. His answers come too easy from his mouth.” – Harriet to Georgia

Harriet heads south.

Harriet leaves on her trip south, she is looking for Rosalee and Noah so she can give them train tickets. She is shown hiding money in hollowed out trees, and tending to her horse. She sees a wanted poster for a runaway slave and tears it down.

Later during her trip, she comes across a stampede of slave catchers and hides. Luckily, they don’t see her as they speed by. Next, she goes into an empty church and prays. She prays to God about the sin of pride. She is told by those for the cause that telling her story would bring much money for the cause but she is torn.

“Everything I’ve done has been through Your will and my two hands… But I ain’t sure I am meant to lead.” – Harriet to God

Later on she ends up at a safe house along the railroad where Noah and Rosalee are hiding out. She knocks on the door and Noah answers.

Noah and Rosalee are heading back to freedom.

In a flashback scene, it is revealed how Noah, Rosalee and James made it to the safe house.

The white woman running the safe house tries to kick all of them out of the house but Noah tells her, “If we leave, the money leaves with us.” The woman reluctantly agrees and they stay. Later on in South Carolina, slave catchers run into the home and  Corra is shot in the back and dragged out of the house. James, Noah and Rosalee hide out in the attic and watch in terror. Next, the three of them are riding under a carriage where they can’t be seen.

They tell James that they will meet Harriet at the next station to then ride a train. The two of them keep Jame’s spirits up about being free.

“You can make your own choice now…” -Noah

“I am my own master now.” -James

Noah gets Rosalee together for not telling him about her pregnancy.

Noah is getting to know Harriet. He asks about her visions and she tells him God gives them to her. He doesn’t seem to believe her. “What I seen out there, [God] ain’t out there.” Noah just doesn’t believe and lacks faith. Harriet then responds by bringing up the fact that he really believed in freedom and the Macon 7, so he does indeed have faith. They finally return to the boarding house in Ohio with Harriet. When Noah and Rosalee get alone, Noah goes off on her.

He is completely frustrated about Rosalie not telling her about the pregnancy just so they could save James.

“You put my baby in harms way and you tricked me into doing it. Rose, you treated me like a slave! You are just like your father.” – Noah

Daniel has had enough.

Daniel is with his daughter watching overseers whipping slaves. She is giving him the play by play of slaves being taken way to be sold. She asks if they are going to be sold and he tells her, “I ain’t gon let that happen.”

Later that night, Daniel tells his wife that John Brown, the violent abolitionist is still there nearby, scaring the slave owners and thinks he can used that to help his family escape. His wife is apprehensive about running away but he instills faith into his plan.

With his wife behind him, he puts his plan into motion by riding into town with other slaves. Once at the work site, he asks white men to be point into the direction of Ripley, Ohio. He walks in that direction and then runs into a sheriff and tells him he is on loan to the local university and needs a cobbler to help him fix his bag.

He meets the cobbler and has him fix the bag. After fixing the bag, he is asked by Daniel if he can be pointed in the direction of John Brown but is instead pointed in the direction of Georgia’s safe house.

It is also revealed that Daniel is not completely blind but pretends to be so for his advantage.

Elizabeth meets Daniel at the safe house lobby and the episode ends.

 

What are your thoughts on the episode?