Alright folks, I'm technically on vacation (see: moving) so this is going to be a quick recap of what I thought was an uneven episode of "Sons of Anarchy" buoyed mostly by some rock solid Gemma scenes that let us see all sides of a woman who can, at times, be the show's most interesting character.Gemma's always had three faces - fierce protector, loving family woman, and black widow. Tara, Clay and Unser see all three of those in "Kiss," and while its entertaining to watch Katey Sagal change personalities on a dime, I think it's even more interesting to see Gemma overestimating her ability to control those closest to her.
Clay's obviously not on board with her plan to leave Tara in peace. I don't think Unser, in the long term, is going to give up on putting Clay down, and despite Tara's explanation of why she wouldn't give Jax the letters, circumstances could change her mind as well.
Gemma, like Clay, is willing to do almost anything to maintain the status quo in her life and in Charming. But she's not quite as good at the game as her husband is, and that could cost her.
Speaking of Clay, the club president is sliding further and further into hell while his wife tries to keep the body count down around SAMCRO. Between the phone call at the end of the episode, his willingness to let the Niners get slaughtered and his inability to hide his disdain of Tara for even a second shows me that the President is unraveling more than he is heading down a dark path.
He's losing his grip, his club knows it, most importantly, Jax knows it. The twinge of fear in Ron Perlman's eyes when Jax threatened to pummel him was a nice compliment to Unser's "wounded animal" description. Clay knows his time is up, but he's going to do anything to see the Cartel deal through to its end so he can ride off into the sunset with his doting, if not gullible, Queen.
Jax's out plan isn't going smoothly either, and for reasons far beyond the cartel. Bobby voiced what several of the commenters and I have said in the past. Even though he's saying one thing to Tara, he's always doing another. Like Bobby said, he's wired to be outlaw, and I can't see him giving up the life for quiet family outings with Tara and the boys.
While I still take issue with the genesis of this storyline, the Juice-Rooselvelt-Link scene may have been one of the better parts of the episode. The horror on Juice's face as he realized how badly he helped screw virtually every criminal he's ever been involved with is a look I'm not going to forget, and the look of feral rage in Theo Rossi's eyes as he lays into Roosevelt is a close second.
But there's now another hitch in this storyline. Stahl tried the same "Sure, I'll keep some of the Sons out of it" trick on Chibs in Season 2, so there's no reason for Juice or the viewer to believe Potter. On the other hand, we've seen Potter is much craftier than Stahl, and may have even less regard for human life. Not saying this plot can't work, just a caution flag. And regardless of how slimy Potter can be, the character is already vastly more engaging and believable than crazy bug-eyed June Stahl. I'm still enjoying the good cop-bad cop vibe between him and Roosevelt far more than I could ever stomach Stahl.
So there's a lot of good stuff here with the club schism, the J.T. Letters, and Juice's continued collapse. And then there's a lot of scenes with the Cartel that involve more gun smoke than substance. Like I said last week, the problem here is the same problem the IRA storyline had last year. The Sons are caught up in a war that involves players we don't necessarily care about, and its getting more confusing by the second. Now the Niners are involved, but we still don't have a face to put to the Lobos?
I know the cartel plot is the driving force behind most of the plot lines we do care about this year, but I really need to know something about the Lobos to start investing myself in these gunfights.
I also understand the need to put off the club's reaction to Piney's death, and the eventual leadership vote, in the face of all the cartel craziness, but I feel like these need to be dragged back to the forefront next week. The show can't leave those plots untied for too long. Opie will probably find Piney next week, considering Gemma nudged him in that direction early in "Kiss," but I'm hoping the leadership vote is handled soon too, only because I definitely enjoy the club's internal conflicts far more than the outside cartel war.
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the storyline is getting more packed than it should be . i hope the club is smart enough to knew that clay killed piney. They should put clay down and jax be president before the season is over.
anybody else think Jax will have to kill Clay, and maybe even Tara (or her boss???) will have to kill Gemma? I only wonder at Tara's bosslady due to the largely un-followed-up-on reveal way back when we saw and heard a bit about what looked like an MC tat on her back. Just a thought...
I agree the story line is a bit crowded. I like the cartel twist but its a bit too much and i would like to see more on the death of Piney, specifically how Opie will react and what he will think. Will he believe the cartel is connected and push the leadership vote or will he find some telling info his daddy left for him about clay and seek revenge? (Opie has always been one of my favorite characters and i want to see more from him) I'd also like to see maybe a little more of the Clay, Tara, Gemma, Jax story. Something tells me Jax is going to know Clay is behind whats getting ready to go down with Tara (even if its Gemma who lets it slip that something might be up). Maybe its just me wanting to see Jax and Clay REALLY go at it. I want to see some hard core justice like we saw with Opie and Stahl and Chibbs and the Irish dude (can't for the life of me remember his name).
In keeping with the Hamlet theme, Jax should kill Clay -- but Gemma would be better TV (although after tonight's episode, too much of a departure).
Yes, way too many outside factions. I really can't get a sense who they are dealing with and who they aren't. Clay is really being a "HELL BOY"!
Gemma was and is manipulating! Remember poor Al Bundy worked at the mall while she sat on the couch all day. And never cooked a meal.
But in order for the show to still be SOA, Tara will have to be hit. A clue was when the play area was getting cleaned up by Gemma. If she is too busy with her grandchildren she won't be in Clay's ear. And how will Jax be able to lead if he is in Oregan.
Otto (aka-Sutter), I thought for sure was going to pull a Stahl on Potter. I think next time he will. When he is more prepared. (Weapon)
If I were Juice I would go along with the cops so they let me out and then bomb the cops and the building with the evidence. 2 birds with 1 c4.
Last Night was one of the BEST as far as the expansion of Gemma, Gotta love that women and what she juggles. I concur with the origional posting- as far as the story line goes. And finally Sutter is amazing, his talent for bringing real entertainment and these lives to the forefront, is not only realistic, but engrossing. I lived this life for a time. He is hitting the nail on the head!!!!!
I already hate Clay and want to see him brutally murdered, now Gemma joins that category. She is amazingly idiotic for telling Clay that Tara is going away. If she didn't say anything, they may have been home free.
I was hoping Juice would stick to his guns and not allow himself to be intimidated by any law enforcement anymore, I guess he is saner than his recent behavior would lead us to believe.source
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