If you’ve had any of the following complaints about season 6 of Sons of Anarchy – not enough action, not enough shoot outs, not enough blood, not enough lies, not enough twists, not enough beef – then fret not. Kurt Sutter has heard you, responded, and given you enough of everything and anything that you may have found yourself wanting.
The Sons of Anarchy are continuing on their downward spiral, which has now become more of a sharp decline since the domino theory seems to be in full effect. We have reached the first episode of the season where past decisions, and the consequences thereof, are taking up residence at the very top of the priority list. Unfortunately for the more innocent SAMCRO associates, karma seems to dislike everyone equally on this episode of Sons of Anarchy, and there are more than a few unhappy endings in the works.
For the time being, however, that does not seem to apply to Tig (Kim Coates), who Jax (Charlie Hunnam) was stalemated into giving up in order to keep Clay (Ron Perlman) alive and facilitate the larger goal of getting the MC out of the gun business. When Tig rode up, relief washed over me. Tig might do a lot of stupid things, but he’s ultimately a likeable character, and there’s not really that many of those left. I never fail to appreciate the existence of characters that propel the narrative forward without really developing one way or the other. Tig is essentially the same character he was when we met him. He is loyal to a fault, rash, has the capacity for regret, and sometimes the best way to describe him is by saying that he resembles a puppy dog desperate for the approval of his master. None of these traits have considerably changed from the show’s pilot, and I don’t think his lack of development impacts the story whatsoever.
Jax and Tara (Maggie Siff), on the other hand, have undergone significant character development and now are just keeping up appearances. Unless we are being exposed to a very elaborate ruse courtesy of Tara, then she is already preparing her exit papers. And, she’s invited Wendy (Drea De Matteo) along for the ride. Seeing both the mothers of Jax’s two children in a room plotting against him isn’t exactly the highlight of the episode, but it definitely left something to be desired. Isn’t Tara doing exactly what Jax has always been guilty of (minus the cheating)? More lies, more secrets, more pain. She may be going about things in a different way, but the results seem fairly parallel. I’d now like to add ‘hypocrite’ to the growing list of things she does not have going for her.
What bothers me most is not that Tara has the audacity to ask for a divorce, or has the desire to remove her children from a potentially dangerous environment, it’s that she is refusing to take responsibility for her role in getting to this point. Tara is not in this situation based on Jax and his one-sided whims. She willingly made a good majority of the decisions that have gotten her to this point. From the moment she came back to Charming until now, she has been in control of her life enough of the time to not be able to pull out the innocent bystander card. She could have went to the police after Kohn (Jay Karnes) was shot, turned Jax in, and gotten away with a slap on the wrist.
No one forced her to redirect her moral compass and look the other way when the situation called for it, and no one forced her to stick around and build a family with Jax. She has been an active participant in her own life, and now that she has been caught up in the ramifications of her lifestyle choices, she seems to have the misguided notion that she can pin it all on Jax, add his ex-wife in for good measures, and swindle the children away – all without the slightest appearance of a guilty conscious. I really hope that this is all part of a larger plan to separate Jax from the club because otherwise I have a notion of my own and it doesn’t involve Tara getting away with any of this.
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