As Clay digs his own grave, we watch the Sons Of Anarchy and everyone close to them continue to fall apart. Friendships and families are on thin ice, and as the season begins to close, we become aware that a lot of blood is about to be spilt, but the question remains, whose blood?
This week’s episode opens with Gemma finding Clay taking money out of the personal safe, and though Clay brushes it off by telling her that he and Jax just have to deal with some “Mexican shit,” Gemma is still suspicious. She goes to see Tara and the kids off, only to find that Jax is going with her, and that the Mexicans will clean up the cartel war, making her even more suspicious.
As Unser follows Gemma’s wishes and tries to change the crime scene of Piney’s death, he gets a call from her. She needs him back right away, she fears what Clay may be doing with the money. Speaking of Clay, when we see him, he’s with the hitman giving him details and some cash.
Back at the club house, Gemma tells Clay that Jax and the kids have gone up to Oregon with Tara, which sends Clay into a panic, though he once again brushes it off with Gemma. Clay immediately calls Romeo and tries to stop the hit, however Romeo informs Clay it can’t be stopped. Romeo then tells one of his men to tell the hitman that Jax and the children are with her, but to go ahead as planned.
Clay asks Tig to get in touch with Jax to tell him to get back to the club house as it’s too dangerous to travel. Chibs informs Clay of his worry for Juice, who can’t be found, and Clay ask him to check it out. When Opie tells Clay he’s heading up to the cabin to see his father, who no one knows is dead yet, Clay requests Opie stick around for protection.
Meanwhile, at the service station Jax as a nice run in with a local police officer who surprises him with his niceties, showing Jax that maybe the other side of the law isn’t as bad as he has always been lead to believe. At the station Roosevelt tells Potter he is done being used by him, however Potter reminds him after singing a document several weeks ago, he is legally obliged to help, if needed, which doesn’t put Roosevelt in the best position.
At the club house, Tig lets Clay know he can’t get in contact with Jax. Gemma asks Clay why he took all the money and once more he tells her to stay out of it.
Jax and Tara stop at a park with the children and we see a moment of pure bliss for the couple, when they realize that they will soon be free of the club. As Jax puts the rubbish in the bin and Tara load the children into the car, Jax sees the homeless woman from Charming.
As he’s staring at her, the hitman Clay ordered shows up behind and grabs Tara. Jax runs to the car, sees that the children are still there, and sets off after the hitman’s van. As the chase ensues, Tara tries to fight off her attacker in the van. She reaches for the open door which slams of her hand, crushing it. As the car pulls to a stop Jax runs over, grabbing Tara before the hitman drives away.
Jax takes Tara to the hospital where she gets her hand X-rayed while he talks to the police. Tara then tells Gemma what happened, who realizes it must have been Clay.
Juice, who is still locked up, is given a deal by Linc Potter, telling him that only The Sons at the meet with The IRA and The Cartel will be charged, the rest of SAMCRO will be let off. If Juice doesn’t accept the deal, Potter tells him he will take down every Sons Of Anarchy charter and the cartel.
Elsewhere, the club goes to meet Leroy to get in touch with the Lobo cartel, who Jax suspects was behind what happened to Tara. However, upon entry to his bar they are met with gun fire, killing one of Alvarez’ men,
Clay tells Jax to go back to Charming and be with Tara, and that the club will handle what happened. Meanwhile, Gemma runs into Tara’s boss who takes it upon herself to blame Gemma for what happened to Tara. I don’t know about you guys, but this self righteous woman is really starting to annoy me, hopefully she’ll be next on Clay’s hit list.
At the club house Juice turns up and tells Chibs and Opie that he’s fine he just needed to sort stuff out. This is the first time in a while where Juice seems to have things under control.
Elsewhere, Clay meets with Romeo, who gives him his money back and tells him that he will continue the hit for free as it is a threat against the cartel as well, which Clay lied about. Once again digging, Clay is digging himself deeper and deeper into his own grave.
When Clay arrives home, Gemma confronts him about the hit on Tara. She threatens to tell Jax the truth about Clay killing JT before pulling a gun on him. Clay retorts by manipulating the story to make it sound like it was Gemma’s plan and that maybe Jax should hear that story.
Gemma fires the gun, narrowly missing Clay. The gunshot sends him into a rage. He begins chasing Gemma around the house, knocking the gun out of her hand and hitting her in the face over and over again.
At the hospital, the surgeon tells Tara and Jax that she may never use her hand again. The scene that follows explores the superb depth of Maggie Siff‘s character. We see a woman who hours ago had her perfect life set in motion and now, may never be able to perform her job as a surgeon again.
Tara tells Jacks that he can’t leave Charming, and now that she can’t be a surgeon they can stay in Charming. Essentially, she gives up on her “way out.” Tara is a broken woman who is near insanity and to make matters worse, she later finds out that she has severe nerve damage.
At the hospital the club checks in on Jax and Roosevelt apologizes to Juice. After the club leaves, Jax speaks to Opie and confesses that he’s leaving SAMCRO. A distraught Opie begs Jax, to stay telling him that he needs him, but Jax tells him that his family needs him more.
Finally, at Gemma’s house, Unser arrives to find her severely beaten. She tells him that Clay cannot be saved. When Unser suggests that they let Clay be picked up for Piney’s murder. Gemma disagrees, saying that Clay will die “by the hand of the son.” And with that, the episode closes.
This episode may have been the best of the season. Now that FX have extended this season to fourteen episodes, the last four weeks will be the most telling yet. For me, now, there is no doubt that Clay will die, by who I am still not sure though. There is also Piney’s contingency plan to worry about, which I believe may involve the only other surviving first Nine member, Lenny the Pimp. He came into the end of the last season, so don’t be surprised if he turns up at the end of this one too.
Whatever does happen, all we know for sure is that these final weeks of Sons Of Anarchy will be amazing, and I for one, cannot wait.