Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Homelander announces Sage and Firecracker as new members of the Seven, while Sage takes authority that reduces Ashley to a figurehead. Firecracker's campaign against Annie also reaches Starlight House, where a man arrives believing children are being hidden. Annie confronts Firecracker and learns that a cruel rumor she spread during their pageant years fuels the woman's hatred. A childhood wrong has become useful ammunition for Vought's present attack.
Mother's Milk recruits A-Train to spy on Homelander, making his earlier help into a continuing risk. Butcher and Kessler consider taking Ryan, but Butcher instead spends time with the boy and listens to his guilt about the staged rescue. Kimiko and Frenchie attack a Shining Light cell. Frenchie's drugged memories bring his own crimes into the encounter, while Kimiko finds someone tied to the past she is trying to face.
Hughie and Mother's Milk investigate a meeting between Homelander, Neuman and Sage at Vought on Ice. Homelander detects Hughie above them and chases him, causing chaos around the rink. A-Train secretly carries Hughie to safety. Hughie then hears his mother's account of the severe depression behind her departure. Ryan returns to a furious Homelander, who recognizes that he visited Butcher. The same boy who received patience from Butcher now faces his father's anger and emotional collapse.