The Testaments Season 1 Episode 3 Spoiler Recap: “Daisy”

After an introduction to the world of The Testaments in “Precious Flowers,” “Perfect Teeth” gave us a view of Agnes’ struggles as she becomes a green. The Testaments Season 1 Episode 3 delves into Daisy’s past, revealing the tragic story that led her to Gilead. The episode is a showcase for actress Lucy Halliday, who finds a line between trauma, tragedy, and even comedy. The return of a famous Handmaid’s Tale character will make this one a must-watch.

The Testaments Season 1 Episode 3 Recap

Daisy walks with the other Pearls into the beehives, where the group collects honey. In Canada, students were taught about Gilead’s dark history. This kicks off a series of recollections and flashbacks for Daisy.

In Toronto, Daisy arrives at her mother’s thrift shop, where missionaries from Gilead left pamphlets. Daisy’s father also returns with dinner and asks about her day. When Daisy refers to her boyfriend, Justin, using a “we” label, her parents start having the birds-and-bees conversation. Daisy assures her mom that they have not had sex.

At the skate park, Daisy and Justin smoke weed and talk about sex. She feels bad for lying to her mom, so she’s going to ask her mom if Justin can spend the night this weekend. He gives her a gift, an old radio, and they kiss. When Daisy arrives at the shop, the police are everywhere. Inside, she sees that her mother and father are dead. The police hold her back, but not before she sees they were shot in the face.

In Gilead, the Pearls clean the school and store the honey. Aunt Vidala (Mabel Li) discusses the progress the Plums have made for their upcoming ball. She expects Aunt Gabbana (Zarrin Darnell-Martin) to have them ready as soon as possible. Vidala tells Daisy to get ready for the field trip with the Plums, and once she is out of earshot, questions Lydia’s intentions for the Pearl program.

Outside, Vidala and Daisy join the Plums as they discuss the field trip. They’re getting ready to visit the former Plum and Green, Penny Judd (Ellen Olivia). As they board the Plum Bus, Daisy notices Agnes staring longingly at Garth (Brad Alexander). In her head, she jokes that it’s obvious Agnes wants to bone Garth. Once on the bus, however, Agnes projects these thoughts onto Daisy and chastises her for it. Agnes calls Daisy a slut for “openly lusting after him.

En route to the commander’s house, the bus is attacked by Mayday. The bus crashes into a trap, and bullets start flying. In the chaos, Garth starts evacuating the bus, and Daisy covers Agnes to prevent her from getting hit by gunfire. Aunt Vidala suffers a broken arm, and as they find their way into a nearby shop, they can see a dozen dead bodies in the streets.

In the past, Daisy identifies her parents’ bodies in the morgue. A social worker tells her to drink her tea while he grabs her things from the lock-up. While she waits for the social worker to return, June Osborn (Elisabeth Moss) sneaks into the room. She tells Daisy they need to leave now and stops her from drinking the tea. He was not a social worker but a Gilead spy. June tells Daisy that Gilead murdered Neil and Melanie. They were members of Mayday, and together, they navigate the hospital until they escape.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the girls talk about Mayday. While Shunammite (Rowan Blanchard) calls them godless, the other girls were focused on the guardians. Hulda (Isolde Ardies) admits she saw one of their shirts half-off, and she was surprised by how much hair there was. Daisy confirms that men have hair all over their bodies. Shunammite challenges her, but Daisy retorts that she saw the men at the beach. Shu begins to gossip about how much hair the other men have.

Flashing back to Toronto, June and Daisy talk about their next steps. Daisy wants to call Justin, but June will not let her. Daisy does not believe June about her parents’ involvement in Mayday. She cites that they were not technologically savvy enough, and they would not have lied to her. Daisy reiterates that she needs to talk to her boyfriend, but June tells her that part of her life is over. Daisy tries to leave and manipulate, but June will not budge.

That night, Daisy sneaks out and heads to Justin’s house. She sneaks into his house, and they hug each other before Daisy asks him to sleep with her. She wants to feel normal again. When they’re done, Daisy asks Justin to run away with her, but he laughs. Instead, he goes to wake up his parents, and Daisy runs from his house. June is waiting for Daisy in the street and offers to help Daisy again. This time she accepts.

A week after the bus attack, the Plums visit Penny at her house. They hand off gifts to their friend, who shows them her house. Penny tells them she’s pregnant again, and it is implied that she’s had multiple miscarriages. They sit down for a meal, which is interrupted by Commander Judd (Charlie Carrick). He speaks to the table and stops at Daisy. He asks her why she came to Gilead. She replies, “To serve God’s will,” but later adds, “There was nothing left for me.”

Daisy leaves ahead of the Plums and goes to board the bus. With privacy, she confronts Garth, asking him what happened with the attack. He confirms that it was a Mayday retrieval mission but has no further information. She boards the Plum bus and hands off a map of the school to him. He thanks her, and she reminds him that the girls cannot get hurt. She asks to speak to June, but Garth does not know her.

In a flashback, June and Daisy finish a meal at a diner. Daisy asks why Gilead would want to kill her if they had already killed her parents. June reveals that Daisy was born in Gilead and that Neil and Melanie were her adopted parents. June remembers when Daisy was a baby and that she was a very loud baby. Yet Melanie and Neil loved her the moment they saw her. They were her parents in all the ways that matter. Daisy believes they died because of her, but June tells her that their deaths are not her fault.

June gets up and leaves money at the table for Daisy. She’s nervous that she’ll be left alone, but June tells her someone is coming for her. “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” Mayday has always had her, even if she did not know it. Daisy waits alone.

Is The Testaments episode “Daisy” worth watching?

Yes, while adding Elisabeth Moss can be a little distracting at times, The Testaments gives Lucy Halliday her first showcase moment. We already knew that Daisy was an agent for Mayday. Seeing her loss and why she volunteered for a dangerous mission does a lot to help us bond to the character. Chase Infiniti might be the first name people recognize when coming into The Testaments, but Lucy Halliday proves the show will be her own breakout vehicle.

Elisabeth Moss does a good job in The Testaments, though it feels like it is only here so she can build interest in the series. At least, it does until she tells the story about Daisy. We know that she helped smuggle multiple children out of Gilead, including her own. Do we think this is actually baby Nichole? It feels like not nearly enough time has passed for any of this to be possible, but why let that get in the way of an interesting story?

While the “Daisy” gives us a lot of plot points, not much actually happens here. We can see Judd is interested in the women outside of his marriage. This would not be the first time we’ve seen a commander do that. Also, we’re very worried about the potential blowback to our mole that somehow became an Eye. You would think after the disaster with Nick that might be a little harder, but here we are. The Testaments delivers on the emotional stakes and backstory here, and hopefully, we get another episode like “Perfect Teeth” to really understand Daisy’s part in all of this.

The Testaments begins on April 8, 2026. “Daisy” released on April 8, 2026, as part of a three-episode drop.