Sons of Anarchy finished out its superb second season with… something of a disappointment.
Before I get to my misgivings, let’s grapple with the very good stuff. The extra-long episode began [SPOILER ALERT] with the season’s two big bads, Zobelle and Westin, being set free from jail — Westin because Chuck’s testimony is deemed “unreliable” (darn those criminal convictions) and Zobelle because… he’s an FBI informant, a rat! This was an excellent, logical reveal for a guy like Zobelle, who sells out absolutely everyone including his daughter (more on her later).
ATF agent Stahl made sure this bit of info was leaked, since if her case was getting screwed up, she figured why not throw this into the volatile mix and see if she could end up getting Cameron and the gunrunners after all? So once opposing forces such as SAMCRO, Westin, and the Mayans heard this, there was lots of jostling to see who was going to prevail and who would get revenge. The scene in which SAMCRO and Mayan bikes lined opposing sides of Main Street, with Deputy Chief Hale’s cop cars sitting on the white line in the middle, was like a Western-movie showdown moment. (Geez, I can’t imagine how much the property values in Charming must have sunk over the past two seasons… )
Zobelle plans his exit strategy (great line-reading from daughter Polly: “Budapest???”) while intoning, “God will lead us to the next right place.” Meanwhile, Jax is determined to avenge Gemma’s rape by Westin, tracing him to — where else would a white supremicist take his son after they gain their freedom? — a tattoo parlor. There followed the best moment of Henry Rollins’ stint on SOA: Kissing his son with great affection, looking the little boy in the eye and telling him never to talk to cops, and then meeting his death stoically, at the hand of Jax, in a bathroom stall.
On to Cameron, still trying to save his gun operation as well as his skin and that of his son, Edmond. “Kill the ATF bitch,” father counseled son, since Eddie was being held by Stahl as Cameron-bait. In perfectly choreographed scenes by SOA creator Kurt Sutter, who wrote and directed the finale, Eddie pulled a gun on Stahl but lost his nerve. She takes the gun and shoots him, but we’re as startled as Eddie to discover the gun he’d kept hidden was filled with blanks. (Stahl and her ATF goons knew he’d secreted the piece.) He makes a run for it, and she kills him for real — but also sorta by mistake, and immediately regrets it, because he was, as I said, her bait with Cam.
Gemma, while food shopping with Tara, sees Polly, who wants to visit Eddie one last time before fleeing with her dad. Tara does her best to dissuade her, but Gemma is not falling for the line that the gang-rape made her “stronger, wiser, more compassionate.” (But you know what? It’s true. One of the great things about SOA this season is precisely that transformation in Gemma’s character.) “God has put her in my path so I can fix the part of me they ripped open,” Gemma tells Tara in a line that, coming from a lesser actress than Katey Sagal, might come off a tad melodramatic. Here, it’s not at all: Vengeance is hers. And thus we came to Sutter’s second great set piece of the night. Polly enters Eddie’s house, sees his dead body and pulls her gun. Stahl, also armed, is hiding nearby. Before she can decide what to do, Gemma enters with her own gun. You’ve got three women in a room ready to shoot: It was almost Tarrantino-esque. Gemma shoots Polly. Stahl reveals herself and (a bit improbably, given how ruthless and desperate Stahl is at this point) seems genuinely moved when Gemma tells her about Polly’s role in her gang-rape. Stahl tells Gemma to scoot “before we pick you up.” Gemma scrams.
Next — and this is where the finale began to fail me a little — Stahl tells her radio contacts a lie to save her own hide (that Gemma, not she, shot Eddie) and Cameron overhears this in his truck. This news moves Cameron to crazy grief that will set everything else in the episode in motion. Cameron goes to Tara, where he threatens her, Half-Sack, and the baby. He plunges and knife into Half-Sack and takes the baby.
SAMCRO corners Zobelle in a convenience store filled with schoolchildren. The club can’t risk hurting those young innocents.
Tara calls Jax and tells him that Cameron has taken Abel. Jax lets Clay know what’s happening and — improbably, to me — everyone in SAMCRO zooms off, leaving Zobelle able to escape.
Now, I understand that the revenge against Zobelle was personal for both Jax and Clay, and that those two have been newly united in their fragile bond. But, c’mon: No one — Tig, or Bobby? — could stay to keep Zobelle in place? Or even before that, these big scary bikers couldn’t have cleared those kids out of the store earlier? You might say, well, then it would be obvious to civilians that SAMCRO intended to murder a man, but Clay felt free to have a SAMCRO member tell the store owner to take a hike; clearly, there was the feeling that, with the law turning a blind eye to what was going down, this was a gamble worth taking to get Zobelle.
Nope. Instead, we see Zobelle getting his ticket in an airport. We see Cameron get on a boat with the baby and head out to sea as Jax cries, “He took my son!” And we see Unser taking Gemma to parts unknown in his squad car.
“Any idea where we’re going?” asks Unser. “No,” says Gemma.
As I’ve said over the past weeks, this has been a terrific season for Sons of Anarchy — this was the season I began to love the show. And its complex interplay of loyalty and betrayal on both sides, among the good guys and the bad, has been satisfying in its insistence in showing that everyone has his or her reasons for what they do.
But as a season-ender, I was left wishing Sutter hadn’t let the jacked-up poignance of “Gimme Shelter” on the soundtrack do some of his dramatic work for him. Letting Zobelle escape became just another instance of that villain’s slipperiness. I know that in real life, this is sometimes how it goes, but in the classically-constructed drama that is Sons of Anarchy, the audience needed more resolution here. Are we to think that next season, SAMCRO will either shrug and forget Zobelle, or be hellbent on tracking him down? Either way, it’s not going to feel as urgent as it would have if Zobelle’s storyline had concluded here, this night.
And as daring as I think this series can be, I’m sorry, but I just don’t think Sutter or FX is going to let Cameron stick a knife into that baby, so that cliffhanger seems strained to me. As for Gemma, her non-joyride with Unser — well, that’s gotta end pretty soon after the final credits, doesn’t it? Do we have any doubt that Gemma will reunite with Clay, the strong grandmother helping to rescue her grandson?
I hope I’m wrong about some of these misgivings, and I want to emphasize how great the acting was in every role throughout the season. I’m really looking forward to the next season of Sons of Anarchy.
But do you know what I mean? How did you feel about the season finale?
I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!! Wish FX would make it a 22 episode season, can’t wait for season 3. But I have to agree with the show failing in some things….like couldn’t police figure out that the bullets in Polly and Eddie don’t match? They were shot with two different weapons and how would Gemma get a ATF gun? doesn’t make any sense and why would they leave Zobelle alive? I wanted him dead the most. Why would Camerron go after Abel and not Jax? Jax is Gemma’s son and where was he going? Doesn’t the SOA have members all aroung Ireland? And where was the Coast Guard or the police? Didn’t Stahl have the boat being watched? This isn’t adding up and I hate that I have to wait until next September for answer!!!! Hopefully FX brings the show back sooner…I know that I’ve complained, but I truly, TRULY LOVE THIS SHOW!!!
love the show..but agree with Ken…man last 15 minutes were crappy…Stahl should have dies in 3-way shootout with Gemma and Polly..and Zoebelle’s story should have ended in the shop. Camerron’s story could still have pl;ayed out and viewers would be much, much happier.
were u even watching? lol. Stahl threw her gun at Gemma,that’s how her prints ended up on the gun.And stahl said gemma took the gun and shot the irish guy. And Camerron said “a son for a son” meaning samcro took HIS son so now he takes theirs. The rest of ur comment i agree with.
But Stahl messed up because she said on the radio that Gemma shot both Polly and Edmond with her gun. Yet she dropped the magazine and cleared the chamber before tossing the gun to Gemma and she was holding (putting HER own prints) all over Pollys gun.
I agree that the ATF shoulda/coulda/woulda been watching the docks still.
Cameron is a “man without a country” because the Real IRA and Jimmy want him dead because they believe he is a rat. SAMCRO wants him because he has Abel
Yeah, Stahl definitely said the gun used to kill Polly was her own, but it was Gemma’s. My theory is that this is how they will finally nail Stahl.
I also think they just couldn’t get rid of Adam Arkin. Too great of an actor. I’m fairly certain they’ll bring his character back somehow next season.
And I’m actually kind of annoyed that Tara didn’t do more to save the baby. She’s basically that kids mom, and all she did was stand there and cry? I get that she was terrified, but c’mon girl…DO something!
The last guy who “did something” got stuck like a pig. Add a gun trained on you and a baby hostage, and I can understand being reluctant to take action.
Stahl told her back-up that Gemma took her (Stahl’s) gun away & shot Edmond – that’s why Stahl tossed the gun to Gemma & then told her to drop it before Gemma slipped out – so Gemma’s prints would be on the ATF gun. Stahl’s caused a lot of deaths – she needs to be disgraced & jailed
Ah! Good point, maybe since the ATF was watching the boat, they will pick him up and bring Abel back, surely they’d be tracking the boat. Didn’t like the ending at all.
I think that the final episode was just a fantastic cliffhanger. Of course I’m mad at being left wondering but that is what brings you back for more. I watched this show from its first premiere on FX and even followed it when I was deployed in the middle of the season. I am completely obsessive over the detail in this show and the real theme, not the motorcycles or the guns, but the blood-like bonds shared by the members of the club. The Club is family, and family comes first. Of course they had to leave Zoebelle, Abel’s young life at risk or revenge? To a “family” man, no question. And I don’t think ATF could be watching Cameron’s boat because if they knew where him or his boat were, they wouldn’t need Edmond as bait. And no way the writers let that plot twist end with Cameron just being arrested and Abel being rescued. I don’t expect resolution on that issue anytime soon. And I know it feels good to just see the villain get his due, but sometimes things go wrong, like they have all series long. Not everyone gets to ride off into the sunset. So I believe the finale was a success. My unresolved issue is with the death of Luann? There was barely a moment of silence for her from the club, except Jax’s personal grief over his hand in her death.
R.I.P. Half-Sack, Donna Winston, & Luann Delaney.
FREE BIG OTTO!
This is the best show ever i think i feel its as close to being real as it comes! cant wait for it to come back .but you have to do somthing about all the dam comerchials
I’ve got to agree, last nights ending jumped the shark.
I think this season was so good that it wasn’t hard for the finale be a bit disappointing. But while I had a few minor complaints about the finale similar to yours, overall I think it was great. I don’t think I’ve ever been so emotionally attached to a show, bravo to Sutter and the actors for doing such a fabulous job. While I do have a few expectations in how the cliffhangers next season are resolved, I’m not letting it bother me too much. Sutter never ceases to entertain or surprise me and I thoroughly look forward to watching how these events fold out.
You’ve got your timeline a little off. Tara calls Jax to tell him about Gemma, that she might be in serious trouble. Cameron arrives during that convo and it’s the commotion of his arrival and her lack of response over the phone that spurs Jax, Chibs and Opie to leave the crew at the convenience store.
Clay only leaves after Jax calls to tell them that Abel has been taken by the Irish. THAT’S when all of SAMCRO leaves the convenience store. I was proud of the Clay and the rest of the Sons for rushing to Jax’s aid because family is what they’re all about. Protecting family is at the heart of everything they do.
After Half Sac was stabbed I never thought for a moment that Cameron was going to hurt Abel. What I am afraid of, and what I imagine Jax and SAMCRO are afraid of is that Cameron is going to disappear with the baby. Forever.
I also don’t think the rest of next season is going to be about Zobell. In a way, I’m perfectly fine with him running away with his tail between his legs. He never actually DID anything. He was the puppetmaster, too cowardly to stand behind his own convictions. He sent his lapdogs to destroy familes and in the end, his own was destroyed and he lost. That’s just as satisifying to me as a bullet in the head. I’m sure Zobell will get his in some way, but I think his time as the main SAMCRO antagonist is over.
The only thing about the finale that I didn’t love was Gemma riding off with Unser. It didn’t feel right that she would just leave like that. Or maybe it was simply how content she appeared in that final scene while Jax, Tara and Clay were grieving over Half Sac and Abel. I certainly hope her vacation from Charming is brief because given how fiercely she’s always protected Jax, her not being there for him feels wrong.
You nailed it.
Perfect! I totally agree! And I am sure that as soon as Gemma hears what has happened she will come right back. Stahl has ruined too many lives with her manipulations, and she needs to go down in a bad way.
I totally agree about Stahl; I think Opie needs to pay her a visit and remind her of the mercy he showed her, and “persuade” her to do the same for Gemma. I don’t know why she didn’t just say that Eddie & Polly shot each other instead of pinning the whole thing on Gemma.
First off, Stahl is a cold hateful b*tch. I don’t see the Sons killing off a federal agent but I do see her career falling apart. And I think Gemma is in a strange place, but will be surely reminded of it when she learns of Abel’s disappearance.
Gemma might not even know what all went down after she shot Zobelle’s daughter. She doesn’t want the club to be pulled into the murder of Cameron, so she takes of. If she does know, then she probably feels personally responsible. Think about it, Gemma ruined relations with the Irish, got Halfsack killed, got Abel kidnapped, let Zobelle go free, and is about to bring down ATF on the Sons(for the murder of Edmund.) She has to know all of that is on her. The Sons had a plan and she f*cked it all up. She just wants to get away
NO, Gemma was careless but Stahl brought down all those events covering up her indiscretion.
ken, i really disagree with you. i loved the ending…
first of all, Jax didn’t tell Clay the baby was taken….he just said he needed him now…and to me considering the turmoil between them this season…the fact that all Jax had to say to him was “I need you” and he stopped doing what was the most important thing to him at that time and go to him..was a HUGE statement in the development between the charactors….
I thought it was the perfect balance of the revenge gotten and still open wounds….and yes FX wouldn’t let them kill the baby…so I thought the kidnapping was brillant. He could show back up in season 16 as the leader of the Irish Mafia, or new lead singer for U2.
Actually, Jax must have told Clay that Cameron took Abel because after hanging up the phone Clay says “Irish took my grandson.” Or it might have been “Cameron took my grandson.” Either way, must have told him. But otherwise, I definitely agree. For Clay to set his revenge aside and not think twice about it was great.
Initially, I thought that all Jax told Clay was “I need you”. I got all excited thinking how significant that was, but then Clay told the others that “The Irish kidnapped my grandson”. It took away from the moment a little for me, but Clay gets MAJOR points for rushing to Jax’s aide.
yea as U2 lead singer or the new Boy George
He did tell Clay the baby was taken, we just didn’t hear it because they showed Clay hearing the news at that point. He then said “they took my grandson” so he was told.
As a parent myself, I can’t think of much worse than not knowing where your child is or if they’re safe. The cliffhanger, based on that premise alone, devastated me for Jax. Even if I don’t believe that Cameron will “knife” Abel. This season was amazing and I have been telling everyone I know to watch this show. When does the next season start?
September 2010 is what I heard
I agree that after so wonderful a season, it’s not unusual to be a little let down by the finale… but, it seemed like some things didn’t make any sense to me. Why wouldn’t Gemma get out of the house immediately after she shot Polly? Why didn’t Tara do ANYTHING once Cameron broke into the house? All her new attitude just folded in upon itself in a real crisis… Maybe this was the point, but it bugged me. Nothing could make me stop loving this show, but I do wish that some of the “cliffhangers” could have been achieved in a less stagy way.
There is a difference between smacking an obnoxious beauracrat and fighting a member of the IRA
Amen, Rick. Amen.
I’m a little sad Tara didn’t put up more of a fight too. She is like a mother to Abel and no matter who Cameron is a mother will go up against a guy with a gun for her baby. She could have tried something when he was stabbing Half Sac or something
Ok.. Why didn’t Tara grab the gun while Jimmy stabbed Half Sac.. she was standing right there and with her new attitude of being bad ass Tara.. she could have grabbed the gun and shot him! On another note – how come Gemma and Unser didn’t hear a broadcast over the radio about Abel. I mean they filed a missing persons, and i am sure all the cops are searching for him – they would have heard it over the radio as they were driving away! I assume that will be the start of next season – so Gemma will have to come back. I still love the show – just so frustrated.
Wouldn’t be a broadcast over the radio. Real 1% club members DO NOT call the cops. They take care of business themselves.
I agree with most of your points, but you missed the part where Stahl threw her weapon to Gemma and Gemma caught it, thereby putting her fingerprints on Stahl’s murder weapon. In Stahl’s improbable radio message, she said Gemma overpowered her, and took her service weapon, then shot Eddie. Gemma won’t be coming back for a while because now she’s being accused of double murder, and she’s half-guilty (she killed Polly). Really, couldn’t Tig take care of Zobelle in a matter of seconds and catch Clay up en route? I believe Cameron taking Abel was a bit over-the-top, but Sutter wanted to go out with a bit of Clay/Jax reunion and a common enemy, so something big was necessary, I guess. It will be an odd place to start nine months from now, I think, but I wouldn’t miss a minute.
Charlie Hunnam pulled the scene off nicely; it would have been really too much in the hands of a lesser actor. That said, Jax at least could have ripped his shirt off and dove into the water–just to tide us over until next season.
With the whole “couldn’t Tig take care of Zobelle in a matter of seconds” thing you said. If you remember, when they were all on main street with the mayans, Clay said that he didnt want to tell the mayans that zobelle was an informant because then they would kill him. and Clay said he wanted Zobelle for himself just like Jax got weston.
Yeah, I agree, Clay wanted Zobelle for himself. However, when the store was cleared of children and Zobelle was alone, Clay was faced with the choice of letting Zobelle hop off to ‘Budapest’ and out of Clay’s reach for good; I would have thought (hoped) Clay would have opted for letting someone else kill Zobelle, and Tig’s usually Clay’s go-to guy. And for the two seconds it would have taken, I think it may have been worth it to let someone else have the satisfaction, just the once. Jax is really stacking up the body count, eh?
I am so sad to see this season come to an end. This is seriously the best show on TV and thank you so much for giving it the attention it deserves.
Great finale! Thanks for your recaps this season.
Tara didn’t call Jax to tell him that Cameron had taken the baby. She had called to let him know that Gemma was missing. Half-Sack had to leave Eddie’s without Gemma because the Feds were there. Cameron follwed him to Tara & Jax’s and while she was on phone with Jax, Cameron comes in the house, first to kill Tara since he heard that Clay’s old lady killed Eddie. Then he decides to take Abel, “A son for a son.”
When I started typing my reply, I didn’t realize there where others. Sorry for being repetitive in anyway.
Well said Mariah. I agree that Zobelle didn’t need to get axed to make it a good finale, he runs off the loser and a dead daughter that he used and thus the blood is on his hands as much as anyone.
The finale was good and the season was fantastic, I just didn’t like the uber-dramatic cliffhanger as an abducted infant at the mercy of a man who believes his son was just killed at the hands of the Sons and utters “son for a son” with a knife at the infants throat.
It’s almost as if these shows don’t believe they are as good as they are and that we (the loyal viewers) won’t be back unless we are left hanging by some dramatic cliffhanger that we want to see resolved…like Tommy seemingly bleeding to death on Rescue Me for the finale.
There is enough story to build on here that we will be back for the third season without a knife at the throat of an infant. This show is good enough to close one chapter and open another without being so dramatic.
I totally agree. The cliffhanger was well done and perhaps some shows need those hugely dramatic moments to lure viewers back for the next season but SOA is not one of them. The finale of S1 was like the most perfect thing ever written and there was no true cliffhanger there. Just the set up for what would be the main conflict next season.
When the kidnapping of Abel happened I instantly thought about his agent stahl is again at fault for something bad happening. She said it over the radio it was gemma, knowing Cameron would hear it. Like with her mess with opie and donna, she is gonna get it. Hopefully!
Although I love SoA, this is exactly what made The Wire so brilliant. No fast endings, little to no music to power the mood; just the story telling done right, at it’s own pace was sufficient. Other shows need to learn from such.
Listen people… Tara was so shocked that this could happen to her and Abel in the SAMCRO protected World. Taking Jax’s son to Ireland is much worse than him stabbing him. Can you imagine your child being taken or in pain and you cannot do anything! Charlie was so great in that scene when he collapsedand said “He has my son”!! Also, yes Zobelle got away. Bad guys in the world most often get away with it. Bummer that Half Sack died. I read an interview with Kurt Sutter who said that Johnny Lewis was not happy with where his character was going, so he agreed for a noble way for him to die. He said he would work with Johnny Lewis again.
Long journey from the bay to Ireland.
Watch the episode again!
(Amandalynn) The gun that Stahl threw to Gemma as she was leaving was Stahl’s therefore Gemma’s fingerprints were on the gun used to kill Edmond…
Gemma left b/c she was implicted in two murders, she couldn’t stay there.
I do agree that someone should have stayed to take care of Zobelle.
Gemma should have just shot it out with Stahl AND POLY
Which may have worked if Gemma knew Stahl was in the house and had ever had the chance to draw a gun on her without Stahl pulling the trigger on her own weapon. Gemma never had a chance to take out Stahl.
yes she did
Really? When? Or if you’re referring to knowing Stahl was in the safehouse, how? When Stahl came around the corner, Gemma’s weapon was sitting on the arm of the couch. Stahl would have shot her by the time she could wrap her fingers around the trigger. Stahl unloaded her service weapon before tossing it to Gemma to get her prints. Gemma followed Polly, not Eddie or Stahl to the safehouse. She didn’t even know Eddie was dead until she sat down and saw his feet.
mariah, some gunfights you win don’t start with you in control, gwemma could easily have won a battle even tho her pistol was on the arm..and there were a half-dozen other ways it could and has been done
I guess my military experience is getting the best of me, cause in police usually check the barrel of the weapon for prints, Gemma never held the weapon to fire, she held it from the sides. There is a difference in where the print s would lay. They usually check that, USUALLY.
Gosh I think you’re a bit of a boob. I thought the finale was excellent. Zobelle getting away was perfect. SAMCRO doesn’t always get what it wants. Things aren’t always neat and tidy.
The look on Cameron’s face when he held Abel led me to believe he intended to raise the baby as his own. However, I was really disappointed that Tara didn’t fight harder for Abel. While Half-Sac was being stabbed, she should have gone for her own gun- that’s what Gemma would have done. There’s no way Irish would have walked out the door with Abel if the Queen had been home.
I think Gemma will definitely come home once she hears what happened to Abel, and then Sutter can write a whole incarceration period for Gemma into the story line until the truth comes out.