The Testaments Season 1 Episode 4 Recap: “Green Tea”

After getting a background episode for Daisy (Lucy Halliday), we return to exploring the overarching world of Gilead. This time, we observe the lead-up to a major moment for the Greens, looking to impress the Aunts. The pressure on each woman and the dangers that lie in wait remain all around them, as Agnes (Chase Infiniti) discovers that there are dangerous men all around. Daisy hopes to use the “Green Tea” as a way to get important information back to Mayday.

The Testaments Season 1 Episode 4 Recap

While making cakes, Daisy reveals the Green girls are getting ready for a tea with the Aunts. It will help determine their matches. While shopping at the florists, Daisy is approached by one of the workers, who begs her to pass a message to Garth (Brad Alexander). She believes the eyes are on her, and they’ll kill her. On the way home, Daisy is shocked by the hanging bodies of Mayday spies. The girls call those who died “rebel scum.”

At Agnes’ house, Paula (Amy Seimetz) directs Daisy on the floral setup for the party. Upstairs, Agnes and Becka (Mattea Conforti) get ready while practicing the steps for the waltz at the ball. As they do, Becka stares at Agnes with longing, but her friend does not notice. Downstairs, Paula complains about Agnes’ hair to Penny (Ellen Olivia). When the step-mother walks away, the other girls look at the gifts from the Commanders for Agnes’ party. In their gossip, they reveal that Penny has had multiple pregnancies.

The guardians, including Garth, search the house ahead of the Aunts’ arrival. When the girls step outside to greet them, Daisy tells Garth about the woman at the florist shop. She’s concerned that Mayday does not have her back, but he reminds her how difficult it was to even get Daisy into her position. “We have never had someone get this close to these girls. If you leave now, we may never have a chance again.” She’s angry that there is no goal post for her extraction. He tells her to try to get something valuable so there’s “a return on investment.”

The Greens and Wives meet the Aunts at their cars. Once they head inside, they discuss Jehosheba (Shechinah Mpumlwana), the daughter of the Commander who designed the Colonies. Daisy also notes that Becka’s parents are “nobodies,” despite her father’s career as a dentist. In the kitchen, Daisy reveals the girls do not cook or make any of the food or drink. This gala is entirely cultivated by Marthas and shopkeepers, with the Greens simply embracing homemaker roles.

The Greens walk into the tea room and serve each of their mothers. As they do, the Aunts jot down notes on their technique and skill. As they do, Paula eyes Miriam (Birva Pandya), eventually kicking up the rug so that she spills a bit of tea. This is a major faux pas, which causes Miriam to break down when she returns to the kitchen. She now fears she’ll be sent to the colonies.

Daisy tries to use the commotion of the “Green Tea” to sneak upstairs to Commander Mackenzie’s office. The Commander (Nate Corddry) sits in the corner and suspiciously asks why she’s in his office. Daisy plays it off that she was trying to get a chocolate off his desk, but she will accept his punishment. After she compliments Agnes, Commander Mackenzie lets her leave as they bond over their “shared” feelings towards Agnes. Daisy checks the chocolate after she leaves, realizing that it is from Japan.

Downstairs, the girls talk about Miriam’s mistake until they’re told to return to the parlor. Agnes notices Daisy looking towards Garth, causing a confrontation between the girls. Agnes does not care what happens to Daisy, but does not want Garth in trouble if Daisy tempts him. Daisy confirms that her relationship with Garth is platonic.

The girls eat “the Commander’s Cake,” a King Cake-style ceremony. However, upon finding “the bride” porcelain figurine, Agnes cracks a tooth. She is rushed to the dentist by Paula that afternoon. Agnes goes in to get her work done, but to do the bonding, Dr. Grove (Randal Edwards) puts her under a sedative. As she falls asleep, she sees him undressing.

In the waiting room, Daisy hands the chocolate over to Garth. She points out that Commander Mackenzie was in Japan, despite the fact that there are sanctions in place. That means he visited the country. She also relays that Agnes is in love with him, which surprises the Mayday spy.

Agnes returns home, and Paula insults her birth mother for “weak genes.” After she leaves, Daisy insults Paula to gain Agnes’ trust. Daisy tries to ask about Agnes’ birth mother but Agnes shuts her down. Even so, Daisy relays that her mother and her “birth mother” both died. Rosa gives the leftover cake from the Green Tea to Daisy.

On the ride back to the Pearl Girls’ dorms, Daisy witnesses the aftermath of the Eyes raid on the florist shop. Candace, the woman who spoke to her earlier in the day, tried to run but was killed. In the bathroom, Daisy listens to the radio but only hears a single tone. She cries in the bathroom. At home, Agnes realizes that her blouse under her clothes was undone, meaning Dr. Grove assaulted her again.

Is The Testaments — “Green Tea” — worth watching?

Yes, in part because The Testaments gets into the backrooms and politicking in Gilead. While we were always set in the world of someone looking to escape oppression in The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments has given us unique insight into the interpersonal dynamics. “Green Tea” not only works as a complicated piece of choreography, but it also allows the craft team to shine. The tea sets, the dresses, and the house all come to life beautifully, which further adds to the dissonance of beauty against the backdrop of hate.

The series has continued to paint Agnes as one of our protagonists, but they’re willing to let her say and do things that are despicable. Chase Infiniti delivers a stellar performance again, this time combining her dread and fears about being a housewife with the eventual horrors inflicted upon her. We’re certainly getting a lot of backstory to open up our minds for why she’ll be willing to turn against Gilead, but it’s important that we see how brainwashed she already is.

The voice-over dialogue for Daisy was a little heavy in “Green Tea.” While she is our outsider, jokes like the “Big Mac” one-liner or snippy criticisms feel particularly odd. It’s important to develop a show that can combine real comedy with drama, but a few of the punchlines are a little too glib. Halliday does a ton with her reactions in this episode, so it’s not a performance issue so much as a writing one. Hopefully, there can be a little more balance moving forward.

We also get the most screentime for Amy Seimetz yet, and the actress certainly makes a show of her evil side. Paula might not love Agnes, and is in fact openly racist about her hair at one point in the episode. However, she does crave power and position, which motivates her actions to trip girls and sabotage their efforts. She’s willing to destroy any of the girls if it means elevating Agnes, and her perfect day is only interrupted by the trip to the dentist.

The dentist visit in “Green Tea” was extremely harrowing, and while we do not know exactly what Dr. Grove did to Agnes, we know it was sexual assault of some kind. He’s already groped her once before this interaction, and the fact that he’s done it a second time is going to haunt Agnes. Remember, in Gilead, sexual assault and groping are the fault of the woman, not the man, which is continuing to build self-hate for Agnes. It’s another aspect that Infiniti is knocking out of the park, which could put her in contention for an Emmy nomination if people watch The Testaments.

The Testaments releases new episodes every Wednesday. “Green Tea” released on April 15, 2026. Stream it now on Hulu and Disney+.