“Do you want me gone?”
“Yes.”
With this curt but emotion-flooded exchange between Jax (Charlie Hunnam) and Clay (Ron Perlman), “going nomad” began to look inevitable, and Sons of Anarchy roared off in a daring new direction. You don’t take one of your stars and put him on another team (unless you’re Friday Night Lights). But SOA has proven that — like the FX series whose rough unpredictability it most resembles, The Shield — it’s willing to make drastic changes to earn its drama. HERE’S YOUR SPOILER ALERT IF YOU DID NOT YET WATCH LAST NIGHT’S SONS OF ANARCHY. Following up on last week’s threat to “go nomad” — that is, leave the motorcycle club’s charter — Jax spent some time pondering the pages of his dead father’s uncompleted manuscript, what Jax called the “half-angry-manifesto, half-MC-love-letter” writings that were supposed to serve as a new guidebook for the SAMCRO future.
(I want to just stop here and say that it’s a testament to the creativity of creator Kurt Sutter and his writers that he’s made convincing what could be a batch of ludicrously over-the-top, hardboiled-romantic notions — foremost among them, that we can root for a motorcycle gang that commits violence, breaks the law to survive, and still lives by a moral code. With each succeeding week, I keep saying to myself, “I can’t believe I’m invested in characters like this, but I’m all-in now.”)
The Jax-Clay beef is founded in history (the accidental murder of Opie’s wife), error (Jax thought Clay burned down the porn palace), and truth (Clay thinks Jax wants to oust him as SAMCRO leader). As is true of this kind of resentment, it only festers and gets worse, something Bobby has been saying for weeks now. Bobby’s great line last night: “I think this club needs a psychic shift of some sort.” Right on.
Not since The Wire have there been more rival gangs and ethnicities opposed to and united with each other. It’s cunning the way IRA gun supplier Titus Welliver manipulates Chibs by threatening the latter’s family. With intricate precision, this has led Chibs into an arrangement with ATF agent Stahl that can only spell some kind of doom, right?
The scene in which SAMCRO discovers a supply of bullets hidden by a group of Native Americans? Hilariously cold-blooded. And just plain flat-out hilarious: The Native Americans’ insistence upon selling psychedelic mushrooms along with the bullets, and Clay’s idea of testing the merchandise is to have Tig and Half-Sack eat a bit of the ’shrooms.
One of the beauties of last night’s bountiful episode is that it used the season’s new main villain, Adam Arkin’s Zobelle, primarily as a looming threat — he’s all the more effective for being, at this point, above all the down-and-dirtiness. Which, the series’ makers know, makes us want Clay, Jax — hell, anyone wearing colors and riding a bike — to bring him down with bloody vengeance.
Which would seem to be something that can’t be too far off, after last night’s perfectly calibrated scenes of Gemma finally speaking openly of her rape at the hands of Zobelle’s thugs. Her decision to do this was both brave and expedient: She needed a reason to bring Jax back into the fold, to help repair the rift. She also needed to end her own silent agony, but at what price, now that macho Clay knows and may view her as a defiled woman?
My questions:
Do you think Gemma did the right thing in speaking out about her rape, and what do you think the ramifications of this are going to be?
(You can, as always, follow me on Twitter.)
Comments (1-30) of 152 Add your comment
Gemma did the right thing! What an awesome episode…I wish they would all be 90 mins. Can’t wait to see what the ramifications will be.
Yes Gemma did the right thing. Finally she got it off her shoulders. What a great show. I wish it was on for 90 minutes all the time. I love this show!!!. YGemma you go girl!!!. Always A Fan Kathy
Absolutely- she gave them a common enemy so they could stop focusing on each other.
I wish I didn’t have to wait a whole week to find out what SAMCRO is going to do for revenge. Amazing episode! Thanks Ken for giving this show the recognition it deserves.
Gemma did the right thing. I love that she is the real leader of this club. Last year she was too Lady MacBeth for me. This year you can tell everything she does is for the club. I’d love to see Katey Sagal win an Emmy for her performances this year.
I agree. Her performance this season deserves to be recognized with an Emmy. She’s amazing.
Gemma did the right thing. She needed to do this to help her and Clay’s relationship and Clay and Jax’s relationship by giving them a common enemy. I totally agree. Love this show!
How ironic will it be when Katie Sagal and Ed O’Neil win emmy’s next year?
I was thinking that too. Kind of weird how things come around.
That would be fantastic!
Quick question – Did Darby and the two fingered guy get killed in the fire? Do we know anything about that? I can’t remember it being addressed in the show.
Ally, I think they must have gotten out, since Unser made no mention of any fatalities when he talked to Jax… Chuckie must have saved Darby, so both of them will probably pop up eventually. I am going to be dying all week over this, Stahl always just creates more issues than she solves, and the blowback from Chibs’ fingering Jimmy has got to be pretty dire!
I accept that.
I am curious to know also. I thought it would have been obvious if there were bodies in there. There’s no way Clay would just burn the place down with people in it. I am guessing they probably got out.
Clay didn’t burn it down and it was mentioned at the beginning of the episode that there were 2 bodies in the wreckage.
I agree with Lynny. It gives them a common enemy. When Jax goes over and kisses Gemma’s hands & then walks by and puts his hand on Clay’s shoulder. He was basically saying “I’m with you. Let’s go get this SOB.”
too bad the actual time of this episode is 55mins, and mostly commercials. they could have done SO MUCH with another 10 mins.
Love this show but the commercials were to much. 6 minutes of show and at least 8 minutes of commercials. Show was 90 minutes but actual show was maybe 60 minutes.
She did the right thing, the only thing. Those last few minutes were riveting to watch. Jax’s anger, Clay’s disbelief, Tara’s sublte nod, as if to say ‘it’s ok now the healing begins’
It took a while to get to the reveal but it was worth it. Zoebelle is in for an butt kicking.
He’s SO dead now, it’s not even funny! That whole Gemma finally telling Jax and Clay scene was beautifully done (if you can even say that about telling someone about a rape). It was riveting, moving, and the subtle changes in Jax and Clay faces as Gemma told them what happen were stunningly acted. It was the right thing to of Gemma. I can’t wait to see the buttkicking Zoebelle is in for!!
truthfully i think it would have been much better “raw” meaning without all the cutaways to other characters. and am i the only one who doesn’t buy the “prospect’ as a biker?
yeah im with you i dont buy the prosoect as a biker they dont even have him in the show that much. and if they are gonna keep him he should at least of gotten his top rocker by now
OMG…hubby was just saying that he thinks they’re going to reveal Half-sac as a fed or something. Just one more twist that I can’t wait to be revealed if that is in fact the case!
She absolutely did the right thing, now the men will unite to get the enemy. Jax will stay in SAMCRO all will be good..till the next season!
Absolutely. It was the only thing she could have done to keep them together. She also needed to unburden herself. Now we have the remaining 4 episodes of the season to watch the payback.
The beef between Jax and Clay is not founded in the warehouse and struggle for control. Those matters made things worse, but the beef is all about Clay deciding to kill Opie (and then obviously killing his wife by accident).
Very good epsiode though.
I bet we find out that Clay had something to do with the death of Jax’s father.
No doubt. That was “touched on” in season one when the feds I think were getting close to where his body was buried. Also, I think the beef between the two goes beyond the issue with Donna getting killed. Jax was reading John’s journal before that happened. I think that was a catalyst, but the whole gun-running thing has chafed Jax too.
Inoticed Jax had his patches reattached in the previews for next week
Well, they showed him pick them up off the counter before he walked out the door in Clay’s house at the end of the episode.
Plus, Clay was seen asking Jax what they should do.
“Kill ‘em all”
I think Jax realized early on that his decision to go nomad was knee jerk & wrong. But it was too late once the ball got rolling on a club vote. I think he felt like he couldn’t admit he was wrong about his decision & had to save face. Gemma’s revelation gave him the perfect opportunity to stay with SAMCRO.
I interpereted it this way: Jax asked for transfer, nomad prez approved it, SAMCRO voted a unanimous yea which meant Jax was free to transfer IF HE WANTED TO. I think even after the vote he could have swallowed his pride & decided to stay. The vote just meant he was free to do what he wanted, not that they banished him from the charter.
Is that how anybody else saw it?
That’s how I saw it too. When Jax asked Clay what he thought about the transfer, I think he was trying to reach out in a small way to give Clay an opening to reciprocate and ask him to stay. But Clay was too stubborn to do that, & Jax had too much pride to admit he wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing.
Jay, I noticed that too. It’s almost like Jax was looking to backout of the request after realizing he was wrong but then Clay said he wanted him out. That pretty much sealed the deal.
Exactly how I saw it as well , that’s why all he had to do was pick up his patches out of the dish and ride again.
Clay is just so incredible this season. On one hand he doesn’t want to lose his charter, on the other he doesn’t want to lose Jax. I mean he brought Jax’s tags home after the vote, he just can’t let him go. I am interested how they resolve this, because I think the show will be lacking if Clay is killed off, or resigns and is dropped from the main Cast. Great season so Far.
yeah james i agree but its not gonna go peaceful cause opie knows what clay did and hes not gonna let this go
Gemma’s goal was to keep Jax from leaving the club. Telling her horrific story did just that, but now the beef is on between Zoebell and the SOA. Yea it does give Clay and Jax a common enemy so they aren’t attacking one another. I love the Jimmy-o/Chibs scenes. I think it is the first time Jimmy-o was an actual person on the show instead of his name just being used in previuos episodes. I can’t wait until next week and I am going to be sooooo sad when the season is over.
Katie Sagal and Charlie Hunnam both need emmys this season – incredible actors.
I totally agree! I think they’ve both really come into their characters this season!
Totally agree! It would be atrocious if they didn’t!
Yes, and man do I love Ron Perlman, he was so great in that scene too. It was funny to see he put his gun as well as his keys in the dish by the front door, so casual.
Some what agree, but I think Ron Perlman deserves the emmy more than Charlie Hunnam.
No way! Really? I think Charlie deserves it for his “tortured soul” portrayal. He really taps into the character. I feel more invested in his character than Clay’s. I think if Clay were killed off, it would be tragic, but the show could go on. Not so with Jax. That’s just my h.o.
No way! Really? I think Charlie deserves it for his “tortured soul” portrayal. He really taps into the character. I feel more invested in his character than Clay’s. I think if Clay were killed off, it would be tragic, but the show could go on. Not so with Jax. That’s just my h.o.
i totally agree they are both great I can’t wait for tues nights.
Loved this episode – agreed with those who said the commercials were too plentiful – it was distracting. Can’t wait for next week’s start of the reckoning for Gemma. Katey and Charlie are joys to watch.
It’s all about the DVR. I start it about 30 minutesin so I can skip all the commercials.
Me too! 90 minutes of show would have been great but unrealistic.
Yes, I think Gemma did the right thing. But it probably was a good thing that she waited until now because all season they have been flying off the handle whenever something happens and retaliating immediately. It sounds like this time they are going to try to plan and be smart about it. Finally!!! I’m so tired of them rushing in and getting set up by Zobel. Hopefully they will work together and take him down hard!! I can’t wait until next week.
Thanks for the recap. I’ve loved this show since episode one and am glad to see it recognized. It has such a talented group of actors/actresses. I also have a huge crush on Charlie Hunnam now
If I had known they’d be adding on an extra half hour’s worth of commercials, I would’ve just recorded the show and watched it later WITHOUT all the dang commercial interruptions. Whatta a time jack. Meanwhile, Gemma’s solemn confession about her rape signals the end of trying to keep secrets that only destroy her family (secrets and their pervasively destructive results being a big but subtle part of the overall story lines), while healing a little bit of herself, the club (her family) and the most important men in her life. It will also bring on the revenge storm she feared would take their lives. Had she told them immediately, they would have exploded and played right into Zobelle’s hands. Telling them when she did seems to have healed the Jax/Clay rift…how that will play out is the carrot dangling on the stick that keeps us all watching this marvelous drama. I also love that Gemma called Tara “sweetheart” when she asked her to stay for her confession. Watching them bond throughout this season has been very gratifying. Now that a significant peak has been reached in this season, maybe Jax and Clay will learn how to work with one another instead of against. I’m glad, too, that Opie is healing with a new woman and family in his life (another fantastic actor in Ryan Hurst). That’s a whole ‘nother storyline…will Opie ever learn about the HUGE mistake Tig made, at Clay’s demand. So much revenge to take, so little time! Kurt Sutter has given us the calm before the storm – glad this isn’t the last episode of the season. How tantalizing!
I couldn’t have said it any better Zee. 100% agree with you.
WOW! Didn’t see this twist coming at the beginning of the episode. I think I just went back to sort of liking Clay again. Can’t wait until next week’s episode.
Best episode of the season!! Katey Sagal should win an Emmy for this year, without question. Of course Gemma did the right thing, even though it should have been sooner. But with all this new found family love- didn’t anybody notice the gun in front of Piney? He feels betrayed by Jax, like the club he helped start is over. Let’s hope he doesn’t pick up that gun and end his misery. His history with the club gives a depth to these characters that makes for a better angle on the backstory of John Tellar.
WOW-what writing and acting!!! TOO many commericals. The hour &a half was over in no time. Can Season 3 episodes be ALL this long?? Katy Segal = Emmy! Charlie Hunnam = Emmy! This whole cast is OUTSTANDING! Tommy Flannagan as Chibs! Kim Coates’ Tig is going threw a rough time. BEST SHOW!
I remember reading this would come out right at the worst moment for Jax and Clay, but I didnt expect it like that. I hope nothing happens to Piney. I also read a guest/supporting actress emmy for the protrayal of Stahl and those previews sure threw me for a loop with her. Perfect Katey Sagal, loving Charlie Hunnam as so conflicted this season.
it was a masterpiece…did anyone else notice that while Jemma was telling her story…..there was not a sound out of the other 3… they should use this episode for acting class 101.
sorry, Gemma……..and i agree, way to many commericals…and i guess a thank you go’s out to those people with too much time on their hands to actually count the minutes of them.
What an emotional scene when Gemma told Jax and Clay about what happened to her. She absolutely did the right thing and now the club will be focused once again.
Everytime They showed Jax during that scene with the snarling look on his face you could see the anger building towards whats gonna happen with Zobelle. I dont think Clay will look differently at Gemma. It’s obvious by the very last moment in the show. It’s almost as tho it might bring em closer IMO. Soo stoked to see next week’s episode. there’s only a few more left in the season.
I noticed at the end when they flashed to half-sack and Tig for the last time it showed Tig crying and saying “i’m sorry” over and over. I think he is going to come clean to Opie because of the guilt.
i agree. i’m almost certain that Tig is going to be the one to finally let the cat out of the bag, and i think everyone’s going to be there for it. the biggest question i have is WHEN is it going to happen?
Jimmy, I was thinking exactly the same thing, about using this scene to teach acting, and writing too when you think about it. This emotionally draining resolution was a million times more effective than some big blow out would have been. Completely unexpected too, for a show this all out explosive.
Brilliant.
This is the hour I look forward to EVERY week. It was the perfect time for Gemma to tell the guys. Jax was too prideful to take back his wish to go nomad just like Clay was too prideful to admit that Jax had been right about reacting with out a plan. And for the record, I hope they kill Zobell’s daughter too
I agree with u Kelli I hope its Gemma that takes out Zobells daughter too.
I agree…Gemma has has great timing. I also love how her relationship with Tara is developing.