by J Malcolm Stewart:
Given that the season premier of “SOA” dealt with a school shooting committed with one of SAMCRO’s guns, you knew that this week’s episode was going to chock full of consequences. Gemma and Nero experience this first hand as their latest amorous encounter is broken up by Nero’s BizLat cousin, Arcadio, whose frantic carelessness is deftly acted by Jane’s Addiction guitarist, Dave Navarro.
He breaks the news that his MAC 10 was the one used by the son of his girlfriend during the Catholic school shooting in Stockton. Understanding that a certain something has hit the fan, Gemma offers Nero the help of the club to make sure the shooter’s mother doesn’t get to talk to the cops.
Meanwhile, back in the hoosegow, Clay has decided to take Lee’s deal, but he has a condition: He’s got to see Gemma and Jax first before he signs. Lee reluctantly agrees but also tells Clay he understands the motivation to hurt people who’ve hurt him. That’s what gives Lee his clarity, according to him. “Hurting people who hurt people.” Something we’ve already seen based on his treatment of Otto.
The reunion of Tara and Jax is stilled and silent, foreshadowing trouble to come. Jax again signals that he is going to get SAMCRO out of the gun business, which is met by cool skepticism by Tara. Nero comes by and gives Jax the lowdown on the newest crisis, preventing the chance that he and Tara will get to air out any more issues. Gemma and Tara’s reunion is even more tense, until Tara says that she knows that Gemma didn’t rat her out. Gemma also discovers that Clay wants to see her and Jax, giving Tara some much needed alone time.
Catching up with Bobby, we see that he is beginning to gather his forces to go nomad. One disgruntled SAMCRO chapter member is already riding with him to Vegas. When they get there, Bobby starts putting the heat on another unhappy member. Given his resignation of the VP office and his distaste for the methods of Jax in dealing with Clay, we can see where this is headed. Two becomes three. Bobby now only needs one more member on his side to go nomad.
A pleasant surprise awaits viewers as Lee, after being called to the scene of the shooting, encounters an ambitious Stockton prosecutor played by “Shield” alumna, CCH Pounder. Sensing a kindred soul, Lee brings her in on his plan to destroy SAMCRO with the intensity of true believer.
While one might be sad for a moment that Pounder isn’t reprising her “last-honest-cop” portrayal from “The Shield,” it still warms the heart to see another Sutter favorite coming to “SOA.” Can we hope against hope that Michael Chiklis will eventually turn up in Charming, now that his most current show “Vegas,” is out of the way? Stay tuned.
Jax and Nero hit a huge bump in the road in trying to extract the shooter’s mom. She’s an emotional mess and to top it off, she’s a heroin user. Jax darkly warns Nero before they spirit her away to the SAMCRO cabin that the only thing worse than a rat is a junkie rat.
In lock up, Gemma and Clay have their summit. Clay is extremely conciliatory, even telling Gemma she did the “right thing” in betraying him, given his abusive behavior. Gemma goes nuclear on Clay, partially because of the presence of Lee behind the one-way glass and partially because she isn’t buying Clay’s BS reformation. She senses he has made a deal to snitch. Clay sulks, Lee quotes Shakespeare and Gemma flees for the safety of the Ladies’ Room, where her tears decry her angry words to Clay.
Jax, Tig and Chibs detour to the Farmhouse to talk to the Real IRA heads about the heat that’s coming down because of the school shooting. Jax gives his pitch to Elliot to why Redwood chapter needs to get out of the gun business. Elliot, already suspicious due to the sudden arrest of Clay, states he’ll back Jax’s exit from guns….As long as the So-Cal chapters of SAMCRO double their orders. Jax sees that he’ll be dancing to the devil’s tune again.
At the cabin, Junkie Shooter Mom has gone from bad to worse. She fears that SAMCRO has more permanent plans for her than relocation. While the men are distracted by Gemma’s arrival, she grabs one of Piney’s old guns off the wall and tries to make a run for it. Nero’s cousin, in a classic case of torn loyalties, backs her break for freedom. They get as far as Gemma’s car before Nero puts a bullet into his cuz. Junkie Shooter Mom ends up on the wrong end of a Jax-held shotgun before Nero talks him down.
Back at home, Tara’s pow wow with the club’s lawyer’s bring the episode’s biggest shock. She plans to divorce Jax! In someways, it shouldn’t surprise us. And after Jax’s hook up with the Stockton skank queen last episode, it certainly could be said he has it coming. But, given the nature of their relationship (IE: He’s killed to protect her more than once), this reveal counts as a big curveball.
At the cabin, Jax has had some of the BizLat crew score some heroin to allegedly calm Junkie Shooter Mom down. However, when Juice is called upon to administer the shot, one can almost see death walking with him. After giving her one last high, Juice smothers her with a pillow. When Nero calls Jax out for snuffing a civilian that he promised to protect, Jax lies to his face with Clay-like precision, telling Nero that the H must have been the accidental cause of her death. The guys hug it out, but given that Nero’s no fool, you can already foresee the ending here.
The episode ends with Jax and Tara in bed, renewing the martial relations. The irony of this episode ending in the same fashion as last, with Jax’s reaper tat facing us as he puts in work on his lady of the moment, is heightened by the fact that Tara’s facial reactions show she’s far away from the whole scene. (Oh well, at least Charlie gets to practice his sex face for “Fifty Shades.”)
What do you think? Is Tara doing the right thing by sneak-attacking Jax with divorce papers? Does he deserve her leaving him? What will Nero do in response to Jax’s lies? And will Clay actually betray the club? Let us know below.
J. Malcolm Stewart is a Northern California-based public relations/marketing professional. He holds degrees in Political Science and Comparative Religion, but can have a conversation someone without starting a small war. Long interested in suspense, thrillers and horror, he writes and reviews on the subject for websites far and wide. When he’s not writing, reviewing or reading, you can find J. Malcolm riding around Northern CA with something radioactive in his trunk.
Follow J. Malcolm on Twitter: @sabbathsoldier, and learn more about him at http://about.me/jaymal.
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