In a phenomenal moment (that I hope made Kurt Sutter bare a toothy grin), Jax sat at the head of the table and put all his cards out there. I have been waiting for longer than I’m willing to admit for Jax to put on his big boy pants and admit that he needed help to make a change that was actually in the best interest of the club, and not just another check mark on his own personal agenda.
It’s hard to believe how many members’ deaths can be attributed to an arrangement gradually going sour, but it was also really refreshing to see so many members of the Sons of Anarchy come together to make it mean something. It might turn out to be a case of too little, too late for the mc to expect to come out of this situation unscathed, but at least they’re moving in the right direction.
And to sweeten the deal, Bobby Elvis (Mark Boone Junior) is not going nomad. This has been a huge point of contention for me this season. He’s always been an integral part of SAMCRO and something about him leaving just when Jax needed him the most seemed off. Luckily, and please excuse this Twilight reference, he pulled an Alice and left in search of reinforcements.
I’ve said it before, but let me reiterate, the Redwood charter is running out of bodies. I think adding some new members to the table, some fresh blood (that hopefully doesn’t get spilled), will be good for everyone. If anything, going legit will be easier with a few extra like-minded men at the table to help with the earning potential.
There’s a couple of interesting narratives running parallel to the Irish storyline. Obviously the latter has taken the spotlight in the last few episodes, but I’m intrigued to see how the other situations play out. First, we have the club moving back into Stockton to do business. It doesn’t seem like the worst plan, but they are also relying heavily on a crooked ex-cop to facilitate a deal that may have some invisible strings attached.
There’s also the character Colette (Kim Dickens) to consider. It’s possible that Jax may be developing some feelings for her. This is a) gross for oh, so many reasons, and b) potentially threatening to the club. There’s not a lot of room for error these days with all the obstacles mounting against the club, and Colette is an unnecessary distraction. If Jax lets this woman get in the way of progress, he might not be able to bounce back from it – and then, Opie’s (Ryan Hurst) death really will have been in vein.
And, there’s still the Tara (Maggie Siff) angle. It pains me to say, but while I’m reconsidering my point of view when it comes to Clay (Ron Perlman), I also might need to rethink my position on Tara. Although she readily admits to be preparing to file for a divorce and full-custody, pending her incarceration, she also steadily refuses to testify against Jax.
My head hurts a little just thinking about what this all really means. She is hell bent on getting her kids away from their father in her absence, but maintains that she is in love with him. Her definition of love must be severely distorted if she thinks it’s not going to break under the pressure of her decisions. I don’t know if I’m ready to handle a Jax that resorts to desperate measures in his personal life, so for now I’m going to continue to assume that this will all work itself out – some way, some how.
Random Thoughts
- Items that I’ll miss the most in the clubhouse: John Teller’s bike, the Redwood table, the wall of mug shots.
- When Jax uttered, “I did this,” I replied out-loud to the television screen, “you sure did, buddy!”
- Did anyone else find it interesting that the gavel survived the explosion completely unharmed?
- Gemma (Katey Sagal) finally has a man worth fighting for. Aww!
- Waiting patiently for the moment when Lieutenant Roosevelt (Rockmond Dunbar) goes over to the outlaw side.
- This episode has one of the best vehicle chase scenes of the entire series thus far.
- What is going on with Juice (Theo Rossi)? Over-compensating much?
- Welcome back, Bobby!
- I could not stop laughing during the final scene; from the moment when Happy (David Labrava) rang the bell, to Juice rejecting the officer’s apology.
- The scene I referenced in the first paragraph from the season one finale still ranks as the number one scene of the entire show for me.
Until next episode.