In the second episode of the final season of SONS OF ANARCHY, Jax's (Charlie Hunnam) systematic proposal for retaliation continued. In the season premiere, Gemma (Katey Sagal) accused an innocent member of the Chinese Triad of Tara's murder, and because we can only assume Jax lost his sense of reality when his wife was killed, he immediately believed her, and vowed revenge against the Chinese.
Early in the episode, Jax met up with August Marks (Billy Brown), a California drug boss, who imparted some wisdom. He advised Jax not to run the streets red with blood in an attempt to find Tara's killer. "Clarity," August said. "Settles all scores." Jax told him that when he found out who killed his wife, he wouldn't do anything "until the time is right." As we saw in the last episode, that time had already come and would probably come again and again until the series finale.
The next scene was in a different location where an extra from
BREAKING BAD opened a cardboard box containing the severed head of Tara's supposed killer. Somewhere Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt shared a knowing glance.
Unser (Dayton Callie) was bored and looking for work. He decided that being nosey resulted in nothing but being held hostage by former SAMCRO members. However, being nosey with an official title (Consultant), paycheck, and medical insurance from the sheriff's department is much more legitimate.
Gemma and her grandson, Abel (Ryder Londo) shared a tender moment. I could tell by her thoughtful expression and loving forehead kiss. The dead eyed little boy didn't enunciate so I have no idea what he said. I'm not sure if it was poor acting or an interpretation of the lackluster attitude of a motherless child. I'm also not sure if I'm allowed to say that about a child.
Wendy (Drea de Matteo) and Nero (Jimmy Smits) talked about the hard knock life that comprised their lives post-drugs, prison, and rehab. Gemma gave Wendy the opportunity to c heck out a preschool for Abel and she was excited to take part in her bio-son's life. Nero asked who they would introduce themselves as, and Wendy suggested "the nanny and the gardener," which also sounds like the title of a buddy comedy or a sexy, Lifetime original movie.
The Chinese were in the midst of some routine illegal activity, when Jax and his boys arrive uninvited; their guns blazing. Jax's focus shifted briefly from his rampage during a chase scene where Chibs (Tommy Flanagan) almost went flying off the back of his truck. Chibs, however, was all business with hands like vice grips. He was clearly nonplussed by the idea of being flung from a speeding vehicle to his death. Priorities.
During this segment, we learned that you can swap guns for heroin like they're Halloween candy, and if you want someone to stay put and listen to you, you shoot them in the leg.
Unser confronted Gemma about her helping Juice (Theo Rossi). He wasn't mad though. He was done with "counting bodies" and just wanted to help. You know, because his help had always ended so well. Gemma's hiding Juice proved to Unser that she could put friendship above club rules. He was brimming with pride. Gemma's so gracious. She responded by snooping through his newly obtained police documents (he had a photo ID!). She got a bit emotional when she saw the aftermatch of her slaughter of Tara (Maggie Siff). Always thinking of others, she kept her feelings to herself. She didn't want to wake Unser while she refiled through his belongings.
Along with his angst, Juice's hair is growing back. His trademark mohawk is almost no more. Gemma gave him the keys to her dad's empty house and told him that it was time to get out of dodge. Juice was visibly distressed. This is a man whose dream had been deferred! On his way out of town, he calls Chibs but doesn't speak. It was a rather sad moment. He just wanted to go home, which he did; right back to Wendy's empty house. Gemma won't like that.
A few people referred to Charming as Mayberry and I take exception to that. Sherriff Andy would never have allowed such shenanigans in his peaceful town. Granted his Opie (a fresh faced Ron Howard) was slightly different than Charming's version (Ryan Hurst).
Other things I learned from
SONS OF ANARCHY include: when you kill a bunch of people and stumble upon copious amounts of heroin, you should have a set of trusting pot heads available for framing. Make sure to spread some of the drugs and a few guns around. However, you should probably try not to leave evidence that leads back to you though.
As a single tear trickles down Jax's cheek as he holds his sleeping son, the screen faded to black, leaving me with my feelings. I enjoyed this episode better than the premiere. It was intense and graphic, but peppered with these moments where a character's silent expression spoke volumes.
The next episode of SONS OF ANARCHY comes to you next Tuesday at 10pm on FX, and I will be back to recap all of the action. In the meantime, let me know what you thought of the episode in the comments below. And who's excited for Lea Michele's upcoming guest appearance on the show?!
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