Despite the feel-good ending of last episode, the realities of SAMCRO’s current situation are everywhere during this week’s opening. The club is shifting through the remains of the TM, pulling the Reaper out of the ashes and dirt and loading it onto a box truck. Tara and Wendy are with the kids at daycare, working on Tara’s master plan. Gemma watches over the club’s work like the dark mother figure she is. Patterson is looking over angry headlines about the Stockton school shooting. At Diosa, Venus is prepping herself (?) for the hard day ahead.
The destination for the Reaper soon is revealed as the tabletop is taken to the old ice cream store in Charming’s city center. There waiting for them is Mayor Hale, still none too pleased about his marriage with SAMCRO. Despite the fact that Jax gives him three month’s rent upfront, Hale laments that the club’s misfortunes of late have damaged him irreparably. With Hale’s re-election loss, the city council is putting for heat on to get SAMCRO out of town. And with Damien Pope’s untimely death, the land deal that would have enriched all of them has stalled out. Jax assures Hale that everything will back to normal very soon.
At the hospital, Tara and Margaret huddle together about the execution of Tara’s plan as Tara draws her own blood. Margaret senses that Tara’s resolve is lessening now that the moment of truth is coming. Her pep talk reminds Tara that she’s been in her shoes (perhaps Sutter is dropping some hints about the “Original Six” prequel that’s been talked about) that “dire circumstances require desperate measures.”
Meanwhile at the ice cream store, the Reaper finds a new resting place as the club sets up shop. Never has the sight of a leering, death’s head been so welcome. Bobby proudly states that home is where the Reaper is.
In lockup, Nero and his lawyer are confronted by Patterson who basically lays down the same deal that’s been offered to Tara: Snitch out SAMCRO as the supplier of the Tech 9 used in the school shooting and get off the hook. Nero clams up, leaving Patterson to remind him of the gravity of his situation.
At the table meet, Jax approves the transfer of the three newbies to Redwood, but first warns them that the club’s position is precarious. While the danger from the IRA seems past, the financial state of the club is pretty poor. Diosa is the only money making proposition currently and even the Stockton expansion is on hold given the clubhouse bombing. Undeterred, the three newbies join Redwood with a hale and hearty cheer from the others.
In the rejoicing, Chibs notes that it’s time for Ratboy to also become a full member. Jax yells for him to come in into the room and then proceeds to treat him as if he’s being dismissed from the club, asking him to remove his prospect patch with a grim face. Chibs saves the day by laying his “SOA” and Reaper patches on the table before him, leaving us to wonder if Ratboy will be the next “redshirt” casualty (Sorry… Still a little bitter about Phil).
The club shoots to warehouse to free Conner and the other IRA prisoners. Marks and the rest of Pope’s men show up to press Jax on recent events. Jax relays that the IRA Deal is a no go, but that once Clay is in, maybe a future deal might be on the table. Turning to Conner, Jax has Rat and Happy ready to take him to his meeting point with the Irish. Conner thanks Chibs for setting him free, figuring that his fellow Irishman and former friend was the reason he was still breathing. Chibs corrects him by stating the reason he’s still breathing is Jax.
In lockup, Nero meets up with Gemma and relays the news of Patterson’s deal. Gemma then tells Nero of Venus’ appearance and the fact that Venus’ nephew, Joey, is in the clutches of Alice, Venus’ mother. This sends Nero into a tail spin as he pleads with Gemma to help Venus get Joey away from Alice. As the guard takes him away from the visitation room he emphasizes again for Gemma to help Venus save Joey.
As the club comes back from the break to the ice cream shop, Gemma has brought Venus to the shop to plead her case. Once again, as the club spots Venus through the window, we see that Tig is smitten with Charming’s favorite transsexual. Withholding the details of their previous meeting, (either or purpose or as a continuity slip-up), Jax argues with Gemma that now isn’t the time to take on new problems for SAMCRO. Gemma inserts the club’s great debt to Nero as part of the incentive to help Venus. With Tig’s encouragement, Jax relents.
Inside, Venus relates that Alice is a human cesspool of a parent, not only a prostitute but a pornographer. The boy she calls her nephew is in great danger in her hands and she begs SAMCRO to help her get Joey free of Alice’s clutches. Kudos to Goggin’s portrayal of Venus in this scene, adding a restrained, sympathetic element into what could have devolved into a near parody of this uniquely challenged character’s problem. Jax, despite his reservations, decides to help.
At the hospital, Tara and her lawyer are putting the final touches on her guardianship plan. All that is needed is for Jax to agree to sever any rights that Gemma might have to the boys. When her lawyer asks Tara if this will be likely given her secret plans to divorce Jax, Tara assures her that she will get Jax to sign. At that moment, Unser shows. Tara takes him aside and asks him if he still can get a restraining order for her through his city contacts. A nervous Unser says he can, but still wants to know the whole story. Tara tells him he soon will have all his questions answered.
In Stockton, Patterson and Chief Eli show up at Parson’s coffee house and put the screws to him about the club. Patterson relates that while she knows he was dirty, he was also a smart operator. She flatly tells him that SAMCRO is a losing proposition and that if he doesn’t cut ties, she’s coming after him. As they depart, Parsons does damage to the station they were sitting at (which, given the drive by shooting a few episodes ago must be why no one comes into this money pit of a coffee shop. That, and the non Columbian dark roast).
Meanwhile, the club has pulled up to the home of Alice, with Venus literally shaking in her boots over the prospect of facing her estranged mother. The club forces its way in, only to be greeted by an appropriately Sutter-like collection of greaseballs and lowlifes. As Venus tries to get Joey to leave, her mother enters, roaring at Venus to tell Joey the truth. A greasball pulls a shotgun, Joey is grabbed by Alice and chaos ensues. SAMCRO find itself in another heated car chase, this time, with Venus showing she has a bad girl side as she shoots up one of the bad guy’s cars out of the blue.
After calming Venus down, the whole story comes to the fore. Venus is actually the father of Joey, having concealed the truth to spare further confusion on the teen’s part. Jax contacts Parson for help locating the mother who managed to make her escape. Chibs chides him gently by asking if the day was going the way he intended.
At the hospital, Unser brings Tara the blank restraining order, still searching for more information. Tara thanks him and then goes to find Wendy. When she does so, Tara relays that it’s time for her to drop the master stroke on Gemma. When Wendy leaves, Tara opens the drawer and takes out the pouch which contains the blood she drew earlier. She stuffs the pouch into her underwear.
On the streets, Parsons leads the club to a row of warehouses which conceal Alice’s child-porn enterprise. Breaking in, they find Joey, drugged and half dressed. When Alice and the scuzzballs return, SAMCRO puts a big time beat down on which ends with Venus ready to drop the hammer on her mother in final revenge.
Dissuaded by Tig from capping an unarmed woman, Venus stops herself, only to be greeted by a mouthful of venom from her mother. Angry words come from Alice about how Joey will reject her after being told the truth, how she (formerly he) is a freak and a monster. An avalanche of spite suddenly stopped by a bullet. But shockingly… Not from Venus or Tig, but from Jax!
The point blank killing of Alice by Jax is mitigated by the filth they discover as they wait to revive the drugged Joey. But the implications of Jax giving in to his buried anger again (as with his emotional murdering of Opie’ killers) leaves the door open for huge consequences. Parsons seems to back his actions, but given his conversation with Patterson and ex-cop normal level of craftiness, one wonders if Jax hasn’t sealed his downfall.
Back at the garage, Gemma arrives to a frantic Wendy, full of a story about how Margret and Tara are plotting against them. Wendy tells Gemma that Tara intends to name Margaret the guardian of the boys, given that Wendy balked at her original plan. As Gemma fumes and climbs back into the car, we see that Tara’s trap is sprung.
Gemma tracks the two of them to the hospital cafeteria, of course, filled to the brim with potential witness. Gemma goes into her usual attack mode as she threatens to harm both Margret and Tara, loudly proclaiming that Tara will never take the boys away from her. When Margret attempts to interfere, Gemma slams her against the wall, too angry to notice the extreme reaction she gives in return. (Note: What two real life sister-in-laws have ever had as much fun staging beat downs as Katey Segal and McNall Segal?) Tara seemingly flees the scene in terror.
Running to her office, Tara makes sure her blood pouch is in place. When Gemma burst in, Tara begins to scream bloody murder though Gemma never lays a hand on her. While a confused Gemma watches, Tara rams herself into the side of the desk, resulting in a shower of blood. By the time hospital security arrives, a hysterical Tara is screaming that Gemma has killed her baby. When Gemma sees Wendy’s face in the crowd, she knows she’s been masterfully played. In silence, the cops cuff her and take her away.
A few hours later a heartbroken Jax comes to the bedside of Tara. A deadeyed Tara says she has lost their baby girl. As the immensity of Tara’s lies sinks in for the viewer (the whole pregnancy scenario was a plot!), a shaken Jax vows to forever protect Tara from his mother. As the Forest Rangers sing an amazing version of “Love is My Religion” in the background, Jax signs Tara’s oh-so-convenient restraining order, ending any rights for Gemma to see the boys. The trap has been sprung and the fallout begins.
What you think? Is Tara completely evil for doing this? Or is she doing the only thing she can to protect her children? Was she wrong to use a fragile Wendy as a pawn? And will Unser stay quiet about what he knows?
As for Gemma, is what goes around comes around the right way to view this? Will Gemma, Clay and Nero bring new meaning to the term “prison romance?” And has Jax sealed his own fate? Let us know below.
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