Our episode opens with Jax awaking to the sound of a lawn mower the morning after his Gemma manipulated murder of last week’s totally innocent Tong foot soldier. He wanders through his empty house, sitting down in the kitchen to blankly stare at the spot where he found Tara dead.
At Wendy’s we see Unser still tied up under the watchful gaze of Juice, who is still conflicted about what he is going to do with him. At Gemma’s, domestic life is back to full swing with Wendy clamping down on Gemma smoking indoors and asking her about getting Abel into pre school. Gemma agrees, though we can see the idea is anathema to her given her status as the world’s worst helicopter parent. Nero agrees to give Wendy a lift, given her car is tied up with Juice (couldn’t resist).
Elsewhere, Tig and Ratboy are staking out a Tong warehouse and trading insults about their parents and sexual positions. In downtown, the new Charming C.O.P., Chief Jarry watches the MC roar through the streets with a caustic eye. Trouble is a’brewing…
At Wendy’s, Juice pulls out a knife and walks into the bathroom. With a quick motion, he cuts Unser’s bonds. After ungagging himself, Unser asks Juice why he hiding from the club. Juice lets him know he’s under an “old sins” sentence and that Jax will have him snuffed on sight. Unser asks him about his long-term plans. Typical of Juice, he doesn’t have one.
At the stakeout, the Chinese are on the move with several box trucks. As they roll past, Tig improvises a cover story for why two guys are sitting in a car on a industrial street. It involves smushing Rat’s head into his lip and faking some oral servicing. The Tong buy it, but Ratboy is completely disgusted ( not even a offer of dinner, Tig?). In the clear, the two call Jax who is being lectured by Marks over keeping the blowback for Tara’s death off the streets. Jax pretends like he cares.
At an unnamed warehouse, Happy is suited up in the Walter White haz-mat suit with a barrel at the ready. All we need is Jessie saying “You’re so dead, bitch!” to our dismembered Tong soldier. Whose head happens to be in fortune cookie box, by the way.
At Charming PD, Chief Jarry is having her first sitdown with Unser, who has decided to take the investigator’s job. Jarry lays out the requirements and paperwork. Unser takes the packet and tell her he’d like to see everything on Tara’s murder. Jarry asks why he’s interested and Unser says it’s because he thinks he can given a different insight into the Club. After Jarry dismisses the collective brainpower of the MC, Unser warns her sternly not to underestimate Jax. He lays out that Jax might be the most dangerous leader SAMCRO has ever had. Dismissing him could be a fatal mistake on her end.
At Gemma’s, Brooke, one of the new hangers-on, breaks her shift watching the kids by letting Gemma know that Abel is asking questions about Tara. Gemma tries explain the mechanics of life after death to a four year old as only she can.
Out on the road, Indian Hills chapter has joined the MC. Jerry and Jax greet each other warmly, with the Indian Hills gavel holder offering his condolences to Jax for Tara. Bobby and Jax tell Jerry that they are going to take down Lin and the Tong for killing Tara (as they have been lead to believe by Gemma). Jax goes Zero Dark Thirty on the scenario, saying that he is going wipe out Lin’s whole organization. Jerry pledges his sword and says he has some outside dirty work guys who’ve come with the Indian Hills MC to help out. A knowing look passes between Bobby, Jax and Chibs. Tig calls and says the Tong have gone to ground at an isolated farm. The assembled group rolls out, with Jax telling Chibs to buy some hay.
On the road to Stockton pre school signups, Nero and Wendy bond over their previous lives of substance abuse. They recount their rock bottom moments and Wendy asks how Nero stays so even tempered despite his thug life surroundings. Nero explains his strange combo of faith, sagacity and street smarts. They even have a comedic line about playing the nanny and the gardener for the sign-ups. A nice moment for these two underrated actors.
Back at the farm, the MC and friends roll up on the Tong gun deal acting like lost field hands with bales of hay. With the element of surprise, they draw on the Chinese and the bullets fly. One Tong gets to his truck and tries to get back to the main road. Jax and Chibs run him around with such skill that Burt Reynolds must have been smiling somewhere.
As they run up on the bleeding soldier, the pair find an expected bonus. Lin’s men are trading heroin for guns. Not ones to pass up a opportunity, Jax caps the Tong and five fingers the packets. Back at the site, Jax sides up to the outside muscle and offers to pay for the damages to their truck. Says he and MC will roll by with some cash that evening. The two saps are overtaken with their good fortune, but what is Jax up to?
At Charlie’s coffeehouse, Nero and the Maya are working out the details of the new arrangement at the docks. Charlie knows he has leverage and puts it on the Maya, big time. $5,000 dollars a week for “management.” The Maya second is notably pissed. Nero tries to smooth the path, but we can see this alliance is off to a rocky start.
At the TM, Unser relates to Gemma his wild night of being tied up. When she asks him how much that cost, he replies that Juice didn’t charge him. Gemma goes three shades of white, until Unser relates that he doesn’t know the details of Juice’s problem, but wants to help. Gemma agrees, though we see the gears are turning.
Later, as Unser naps in his trailer, Gemma sneaks in and sees the police files. She hightails to Wendy’s and shares intel with Juice, relating her set-up of Lin’s soldier. Juice asks how she can justify everything she does. Gemma prevaricates as only she can about protecting her family (despite the fact she keeps killing them). She tells Juice to get out of town ASAP.
On the road back to Charming, Nero and Wendy are pulled over by some very angry Tong. He calls Jax and sets up a meet with the Maya and Lin. Henry is not in a giving mood after the news of the raid. He knows in his gut that Jax is behind the snatch. Jax says he will get evidence that the MC is innocent. Lin threatens all out war with SAMCRO if he doesn’t like what he sees.
Later that night, Jax, Chibs and Bobby meet up with the outside hitters at their place. The two muscle men are partying Cheech and Chong style, but the MC isn’t in a festive mood. After making sure the group is alone, the trio draws on the two and shoots them up. They then plant some of the stolen heroin on the two and make it look like a drug buy gone bad. After the dirty deed is done, they drop a dime to the Chinese saying they’ve found their thieves. The three then slink back into the night.
As the episode comes to its last scene, Jerry shows on the scene, calling out to the pair by name, obviously more friendly with the dead hitters than he let on during the Tong raid. At the sight of the dead bodies, he cries out in grief and cradles one of the dead men like a crushed father. But in his shock, he still notes the altered shotgun left on the scene by SAMCRO. A shotgun he had noted seeing in the hands of Bobby just that morning…
What do you think Crow Lovers? Has Jax finally put his foot into it? What is Jerry’s relationship with the dead men, or at least, his connection to one of them? Will Unser find Gemma out? Be back next time and see how the Crow Flies!
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