'Sons of Anarchy' recap: 'Crucifixed'
An extra half hour doesn't do much to drive the story forward
Tommy Flanagan, Kim Coates, Charlie Hunnam and Mark Boone Junior on 'Sons of Anarchy'
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Jax is getting a little too cocky and Clay is getting a little too comfortable. And that's "Crucifixed" in a nutshell.
This was one of the show's annual epic installments, running a full 90 minutes on FX including commercials. And while there was plenty of action, when all is said and done it still feels like we're in a bit of a holding pattern, or maybe just setting the table for the season finale.
The most memorable event in "Crucifixed" was its namesake incident: Otto's brutal murder-by-crucifix of poor Nurse Pam. And it's possible that the fallout from those bloody few seconds will be one of the biggest turning points of the season. I think we can debate the wisdom of Tara sneaking in anything sharp for Otto to handle -- no matter how much the two have bonded and no matter how vaguely connected the item is to LuAnn, this was a stupid move -- but she did it, so the really important stuff will be what happens next.
Whether or not Tara winds up in jail as an accessory to murder, I'd like to believe that her thoughts about the club and Jax will never be quite the same. When Jax tries to reassure her -- "We're gonna get through this, like we do everything else" -- Tara's response is telling: "That's what scares me the most." After all the crazy crap she's been through, it should.
But Jax clearly thinks he's untouchable at the moment, relishing his role as puppet master pulling the strings hanging over Gemma, Juice (his secrets are all out in the open now) and even Roosevelt, while strengthening his connection with Chibs in case he needs to replace Bobby as VP and reassuring Pope that he'll have Tig soon enough.
Jax is working a whole lot of angles, but he doesn't yet know that Clay has found a solid angle of his own in CIA agents Torres and Parada. "I think Jax is pushing to kill the RICO leverage you got. And if that happens I go away," Clay tells the agents. "If that push comes to shove, we need you more than Jax," Torres admits. But there's something changing inside Clay -- or at least it seems that way -- and he's apparently lost the drive to be the man in charge. At this point he'll settle for his life and Gemma back.
As he tells Juice: "You get to this point in your life and you realize, 'I've been chasing after shit I don't even want anymore.' I'm exhausted, son. Just watch my back, please." I don't know how long it's going to last but this world-weary Clay is allowing Ron Perlman to deliver some of his most soulful work of the show's entire run. It's a nice change of pace, but something tells me the old monster is still inside there, just waiting to be unleashed.
And yet all we can do right now is speculate. Last season had an unstoppable momentum building to what felt like an inevitable conclusion: Clay's death. Which we now know wasn't to be. The events of this season have unfolded in a series of fits and starts. We know Jax is trying to expose Clay and get him banished from SAMCRO for good, we think Clay is trying to regain power (or at least dignity), and there are a few things happening on the fringes -- Roosevelt wants justice for his wife's murder, Unser wants to make himself useful, Gemma might want to run away with Nero -- that could upset both of their plans.
But really, we're just waiting. Tonight was an awfully long bridge. Let's hope the destination is worth it.
Odds and ends:
- "20 years we have had relationships with these people. The Grim Bastards have always backed us. Always. Maybe we need to look for a compromise." In an alternate universe, Bobby Elvis might make a pretty good leader.
- It's hard to top Otto's lethal frenzy, but Tara stepping on the toy piano to wake her baby was one of the episode's most disturbing moments. She's really losing it. At least she's still got Margaret on her side, trying to get her out, even if that's starting to feel more and more like a lost cause.
- Jax's reaction to the news that Juice almost killed himself rather than let the club find out his father was black: "Maybe it's time we change a few bylaws."
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November 14, 2012 at 2:19AM EST Reply to CommentIt's becoming difficult to care about Jax and any decisions that he makes for the club. Clay seems like he's trying to cause as much damage as possible before someone inevitably puts a bullet in his brain. Is Juice going to cry every episode now? Sorry for the negativity but it seems like SOA is trying to keep up with the Walking Dead for the most gore on television. I'll still keep watching, hoping that something good comes out of all the mess.
(forgot my password) Leo
November 14, 2012 at 4:04AM EST Reply to CommentMore scenes with Chibs and Bobby AND more people let in on all the "secrets" (i.e. Chibs, Eli, Juice) AND a new Prospect that actually looks and seems competent make me a happy camper. I am enjoying this season a lot, and am interested to see what happens.
I just don't think that Jax is intending to turn over Tig, especially when you saw Jax's expression after Pope walked away during their meeting. After all, they both know that Pope is the one ultimately responsible for Opie dying. It makes sense that Jax is getting close to Pope so that he can turn on him at the end. What doesn't make sense is that this know-it-all honcho Pope would make himself vulnerable at all with Jax. I'm REALLY hoping at least that this is the endgame for this season, with Jax taking Pope down.
Tara's role is getting interesting as well. I like the "little" scenes that are really telling as to what's happening to the characters, and in this case it was Tara waking up a happily sleeping Thomas just so she could hold him. Lady is falling apart, and it's going to be interesting to see what happens to her when the officials find out she is responsible for Otto having that crucifix AND that she had connections to the club and a motive for wanting to see Otto to turn him. Bye bye Oregon job I think. (Unless they use that as a reason why Tara has to leave to take that job to get away, although that doesn't make sense in terms of her legal problems which wouldn't just go away. We'll see I guess.)
I like the way they're humanizing Clay again, but it makes last season seem even sillier to me - where Clay was a cartoon villain, acting against his own self-interests just to propel the plot. Dumb.
Liked the 90 minutes. Hated all the commercials (though interesting to see that Alvarez is now working as a cook - did anyone catch him in that commercial?) Looking forward to next week.
John Interesting point about Jax getting close to Pope, only to turn on him at the end. This is my biggest complaint, as he keeps killing everyone else responsible, but he sucks up to Pope. I think it's because he's afraid of Pope (who after all, said that a $5 million bounty will be placed on the head of whoever kills him). But I guess we'll see. If he does take out Pope, I want to see the assassination team in action, though I suppose the Sons will just do some ridiculously convenient frame up (probably of the cartel, if I had to guess), much like they pinned Agent Stahl's death on the Irish, even though that made no sense whatsoever.
November 14, 2012 at 4:16AM EST
November 14, 2012 at 10:47AM ESTWanda I love Tig and all, but if we're passing blame, Tig is more responsible for Opie's death than Pope and Clay's more responsible than Tig.
November 14, 2012 at 2:00PM ESTJason I've been thinking that Jax's end game is to get Pope to invest in Charming Heights, then tell Tig that Pope's going to kill him anyway, so it's his chance to do something for the club. Tig will sacrifice himself by killing Pope and letting SAMCRO kill him to collect the bounty.
November 14, 2012 at 2:00PM ESTThis sounds exactly like what Sutter and team would do in the last 30 minutes of the finale, then wrap it up with a montage of people crying about Tig.
(forgot my password) Leo Tim, I have to disagree with you. I think Jax is seeking a relationship with Pope in order to get closer to him to seek revenge, because he knows he can't do it now because Pope is too powerful. Learning some hints along the way how to succeed in becoming a powerful leader are just icing on the cake.
November 14, 2012 at 2:02PM ESTHere's why I don't think Jax has "forgiven" Pope. Pope refused to take his (justified) revenge on Tig in the jail and instead made sure another Son would pay. He is the one directly responsible for Opie's death, and all the others that are being killed (the guard, the GB's cousin) were all working under Pope's orders.
No doubt Tig has done some bad things (oh is that putting it lightly), but if there's one thing that this show has tried to stress - admittedly pretty poorly with lots of exceptions - it's that there is supposed to be this great "brotherhood". I just don't think Jax would tee Tig up for Pope like that, especially with Opie's blood on Pope's hands. If Jax sets up Tig later to take a fall it's different than just turning a club member over to Pope as part of a deal with the Devil.
(forgot my password) Leo Jason, I was typing my comment when you did your post. I think you may be on to something there. Tig has such guilt over all his "mistakes" that I can see him sacrificing himself to fix what he did wrong and benefit the club. It would make for a really moving moment (and take care of lots of loose ends.)
November 14, 2012 at 2:06PM ESTTSill Given that Jax and Chibs killed the big goon who swung the pipe in prison to kill Opie in front of a crew they had years of working with ... it's safe to say Jax isn't using a playbook when it comes to his version of avenging Opie's death. And, keep in mind, Jax feels guilty for how Opie's life unfolded because Clay had Tig do the botched hit that killed Opie's wife and because Clay killed Piney. The amount of anger, hatred, frustration and vengance a guy in Jax's spot would feel over Opie dying that way for that reason would know no bounds, I don't think. ... Jax is putting Tara at risk over and over, so I don't think he's worried about what killing Pope in the end would bring him.
November 15, 2012 at 12:34AM ESTJohn
November 14, 2012 at 4:12AM EST Reply to CommentI found Jax to be utterly detestable in this episode. What's the difference between him and the equally loathsome Season 4 version of Clay at this point? He's just as violent and illogical. And does anyone think it's just ridiculous that he keeps going out of his way to kill people involved in Opie's death, but he sucks up to the guy most responsible (Pope, who ordered the hit)? Shades of Opie basically ignoring Clay and Tig's murder of his wife for like two full seasons, taking it out on Agent Stahl instead. And why? Because Jax only goes after people weaker than him. He knows that he won't come out of a war with Pope alive, so he gives him a pass. Breaking his word to the Grim Bastards (and being incredibly weaselly about it by trying to point out some ridiculous loophole) is a capital offense in my book. He needs to go. He won't, of course. He's the main character, after all. But if there was any justice, he'd die by season's end.
(forgot my password) Leo If Jax's endgame isn't to take Pope out then I take back all my compliments about this season. It just won't make any sense. But like I said, that expression Jax made when Pope walked away convinced me that he hasn't given Pope a pass for Opie. Plus I do think that 5 million dollar bounty is going to come into play, I just don't know who is going to take the fall.
November 14, 2012 at 4:33AM EST(forgot my password) Leo "I found Jax to be utterly detestable in this episode. What's the difference between him and the equally loathsome Season 4 version of Clay at this point? He's just as violent and illogical."
November 14, 2012 at 4:41AM ESTI think the difference is that Jax is more altruistic and acting in what he thinks is the best interest of the club. No doubt he's taken a dark turn and seems pretty callous about killing people, but I'm not sure he's all that illogical because we don't know yet what he's planning (in terms of Pope, Tig, Juice, etc.) I think (hope) that Tig and Juice will make it through this season, and that Eli will get some satisfaction and that the mayor will somehow get his comeuppance.
November 14, 2012 at 10:51AM ESTThis is why I can never like Tara: she's only as interesting as whatever nonsense she's putting up with in regards to Jax. None of her decisions make a bit of sense, and her occasional private meltdowns only add to power of the Jax tidal wave.
HISLOCAL I was saying as I watched this episode that I actually like the fact that Jax is "playing dirty" like Clay. I never really liked Jax as a character because he always did what was "right" (at least within the context of SAMCRO morality), and that's no fun to watch. I'd rather see him make some dark decisions that have unexpected consequences.
November 16, 2012 at 11:12AM EST(forgot my password) Leo
November 14, 2012 at 4:44AM EST Reply to CommentQuestion - does anyone know what significance that gun was, that Juice found in Clay's lockbox? I'm not sure if we're not supposed to know yet or if I have forgotten something important. It's obviously going to come into play at some point.
Ninja If he plans on taking out Pope, would it not serve his purpose to get Tig to do it? Pope goes and Tig too in the fall out. I'm sure Jax still blames Tig for getting Opie killed
November 14, 2012 at 6:50AM EST
November 14, 2012 at 10:53AM ESTHatfield I assumed it was JT's gun, and that Clay being in possession of it would somehow point to his involvement in JT's death. Just a theory, though.
November 15, 2012 at 5:55PM ESTDarkdoug Maybe it's a set up of the weapon that will kill Pope, with Clay taking the blame?
November 15, 2012 at 10:06PM ESTParvez
November 14, 2012 at 9:19AM EST Reply to CommentLast week I brought up the possibility that Tara might be mentally unstable. You would think that Tara would be the most mentally stable personality on the show. She is afterall a highly successful professional, she's made efforts in the past to be the voice of reason, she's served in many ways as Jax's rock and his driving force. The positive impact that Tara's had on Jax's life cannot be understated. You have to believe that she is the primary cause for Jax having a desire to leave the disaster that is the Sons of Anarchy Redwood Edition (along with his two boys and of course the letters from his father that he read). We've also seen Tara push hard for the change, being on the verge of orchestrating a move which would have gotten Jax away from the club he has given everything to and leave behind a life of degeneracy, violence, crime, and prison stints. Unfortunately though it seems like Tara let, what she perceived to be, a positive contribution to her husband and his club get to her head. Throughout the last few episodes its been more than obvious that Mrs. Jackson Teller was not very intelligent about her dealings at the infirmary with Otto Delaney. As a brutal omen of things to come, the nurse who Otto brutally bludgeoned with the crucifix that Tara stupidly brought in warned her that Delaney "likes to shove sharp objects into people". Theres no question about it, Tara got overconfident with her involvement in the club and paid a dear price. She gave Otto, someone who is clearly borderline insane the benefit of the doubt in a situation that did not call for it. Lets face it, Tara had absolutely no business bringing a sharp object to Otto. Could anyone not see that coming from a mile away? "I want to wear it for a few minutes" is what Otto said. Was anyone buying that bologna? Tara is incredibly lucky that she walked out of that room with her heart still beating and in one piece but she didn't leave unscathed. Tara's now looking at being an accessory to murder which at the very least will come with oodles of stress to herself and Jax the next few months. All of this could have potentially been avoided had Tara run things by Jax. Yes, she did let Gemma know of what she was going to do but as its been stated before, Gemma is not a member of the club she is merely an "old lady". The poor decision making, lack of precaution and the false perception of comfort with Otto are all, in my opinion, directly related to Tara's mental health. Is Tara crazy? Some may laugh at that notion but I don't think its beyond the realm of possibilities. One thing is for certain, Tara definitely needs seperation from the club and Jax or at the very least some mental heath therapy.
I'm pretty appalled by what Jax is pulling right now. After he was smart enough to sniff out who was pulling the home invasions which were being used to potentially undermine his authority, I thought he would take control of the remainder of the club and have them follow willingly follow his lead. Instead, Jax makes a completely questionable decision killing the guy who brutalized Opie in prison but who also happens to be the cousin of the Bastards president even after giving him his word that he wouldn't hurt him. As Bobby put it, "You just shit on 20 years of good relations". What would Clay have done in that situation? Not that, I can promise you that. He would have gotten revenge, methodically yet diplomatically. If Sutter is setting up Jax for nothing but failure at the throne then I applaud him. It takes balls to show the primary protagonist not be able to handle his position at the throne with grace. Jax may be a diehard member of the Sons but so far his decision making has been mediocre at best.
Really no opinion on the Clay stuff with the undercover Galindo guys. I'll just wait for that to pan out before giving an opinion.
THANK GOD FOR LESS GEMMA AND NO GEMMA/NERO CRAP. Smits (Nero) has been brilliant all season long, he's helped fill a part of the void that the loss of Hurst (Opie) left, but I can't bear to see anymore of his crap with Gemma. I know I'll see it eventually, but the less the better.
Decent episode, felt like the commercials were longer but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next week leading into the tail end of the season.
November 14, 2012 at 10:56AM ESTTSill It's agreed that Tara's in an emotional state that would benefit from therapy but ... it's a state that stems from undying love and affection for a murderous felon who's at the head of biker club facing horrendous problems. So, I'm not certain that therapy would do a great deal of good for her. If you're talking therapy, I suggest grief counseling for Jax and Chibs over Opie's death ... counseling for Clay over his ability to so lust for power while being able to sell the idea that, aw heck, he doesn't really want the power and he's just tired and he doesn't rrrrrreallllly wanna get with Gemma if she's not absolutely certain. People living the live depicted in "Sons" don't do therapy, probably.
November 15, 2012 at 12:42AM ESTkim
November 14, 2012 at 9:44AM EST Reply to CommentI had wondered how Wendy would end up with custody of the kids. I guess now we know. Tara is gonna have to choose between custody of her children going to Wendy or Gemma (If she goes to jail or is charged)
November 14, 2012 at 10:57AM ESTTSill The Tara/Jax/kids storyline offers the only human element in the story. I can see how that would be problematic if all we seek is a violent shoot 'em up. But, I sort of like that somewhere every week a piece of the Jax who wanted out to a better place is buried a little deeper.
November 15, 2012 at 12:44AM ESTZelda
November 14, 2012 at 10:13AM EST Reply to CommentI've really enjoyed reading everyone's comments this week - I get at least as much out of the comments as I do out of the official recaps. Kudos!
This was the first episode where I could definitively see the series ending without Jax and Tara still being together (never mind whether either or both of them even survive to the end of the series). Jax is unrecognizable from the philosopher-outlaw he started out as, and, as others here have mentioned, his treatment of the Grim Bastards is only the most recent example of how far he's gotten away from his better nature.
And Tara. Tara, Tara, Tara..... waking the baby just to get some soothing cuddles in? It's like something out of the Gemma Playbook, only I suspect that Gemma was much further along in her journey to perdition before she began resorting to such blatant manipulation of her children. Tara is yearning for the Jax she fell in love with, but sees all too clearly that he's slipping away from her, and as a result she is reaching out in Gemma-like inappropriate ways. I find it incredible that we have not had a single love scene between Jax and Tara all season (and seriously, it has been WEEKS since we've had a glimpse of Jax's exquisite behind - COME ON!) - no honeymoon, no romantic cabin getaway, no moment of respite at all from the relentless onslaught of crisis after crisis. Both Jax and Tara are existing in a state of bare life, increasingly alienated from each other's experiences. Jax grows cocky while Tara grows bleak.
I don't see Pope getting his comeuppance in this season; my prediction is that Jax will keep playing him for a while longer, get in deeper before cobra-striking to take Pope out.
Bobby Elvis shined in this episode. When he delivered the lines about the long relationship the Sons have had with the Grim Bastards, you could be forgiven for mistaking them for a scene out of a movie like Braveheart or Gladiator: he was the consummate elder statesman invoking the institutional history and sounding the voice of reason. My suspicion is that he, like so many wise elders, will pay for his (t)reason before the series end.
I wondered if Otto wasn't going to use that crucifix to slit his own throat. It certainly would have been a more poetic twist, if no less gory. The body count for this season has been insane.
What's happening between Clay and Gemma is interesting right now, because the way Katey Sagal is playing it, you can totally see how conflicted Gemma is about the new arrangement. On the one hand, Clay repulses her for the harm he's done to her family, but on the other hand she feels safe and comfortable with him, and she needs that feeling more than ever now that she's both going clean and is on the outs with the rest of her family.
It'll be gripping to see where this all leads as we head into the final episodes of the season. One thing I will say for Sutter: the man will never bore his audience.
Zelda I wanted to mention also that, in addition to seeing Jax's more brutal side in the Grim Bastards scenario, we also saw a flash of his old self, when he met with the Mayor and made arrangements for Lyla and (Opie's) children. There's still good in Jax, but the bad situations he keeps finding himself in are making it impossible for him to let that side of himself come out. Either he will struggle to stay true to himself or he will allow himself to be dragged to a very mean and dark place, a la Walter White.
November 14, 2012 at 1:37PM ESTireneinidaho
November 14, 2012 at 1:10PM EST Reply to CommentHow many eps are left in the season? Could someone explain to me how Otto's killing the nurse invalidates the RICO case?
I can imagine Wendy's getting custody of Abel when - surely! - Tara is arrested as an accessory to the nurse's murder because Jax has a criminal record, but who would get Thomas? Gemma? No one else in Jax's family has a clean record and Tara seems to have no family. And if she did, wouldn't they be proud to see how their little girl turned out.
Zelda Otto told Tara that he would recant his statement, thus invalidating the RICO case. Killing the nurse was just his way of sticking it to Jax and SAMCRO as a form of twisted retaliation.
November 14, 2012 at 1:29PM ESTYou raise a good point about Abel and Wendy. Even if Tara doesn't end up in the slammer, the mess she's in will be powerful ammunition on Wendy's side if/when she goes after custody.
As for poor Thomas.... newly sober Gemma might not be such a bad place for him if Tara gets sent down, but my feeling is that Jax and the club are going to get into some very deep killin' an' corruption to protect Tara. That still might result in her losing Thomas if the state decides she's an unfit mother (which at this point is debatable). I could see Tara going on the run in the next season. Now THAT would be a twist!
ireneinidaho Thanks, Zelda. When Tara told Jax what happened, I understood her to mean that the two events were connected. Guess I didn't catch Otto's saying that he'd recant.
November 14, 2012 at 2:08PM EST(forgot my password) Leo Yeah, Otto made that statement "Sons live, Redwood bleeds" or something like that, to tell her that he wouldn't cooperate with RICO which would take down SOA as an organization, but that he would make Redwood suffer, and sort of rightfully so for their mishandling of that whole LuAnn situation.
November 14, 2012 at 2:21PM ESTLegally, Otto killing the nurse wouldn't affect the admissibility of his testimony, I mean he's already on death row and his believability as a witness was never based on his being a good guy but on his closeness to the organization and the corroborating evidence. (That's the actual real life legal situation, of course who knows how the show wants to handle it.)
(forgot my password) Leo FYI, they're on parole. Everyone in California is on parole if they leave prison before their full sentence is carried out, which is almost everyone (except for the people who refuse to agree with the terms of parole, which is rare for obvious reasons.) Means they have no 5th amendment rights and they can be stopped and searched at any time which if realistically carried out, would have these guys would be back in prison by the first commercial break.
November 15, 2012 at 3:16PM ESTwench
November 14, 2012 at 5:02PM EST Reply to CommentI'm sure something is coming up regarding the gun Juice found - now it's known the Nomads stole the safe and returned the contents but does Juice know what he's really looking for in regards to that??
ARF
November 14, 2012 at 9:15PM EST Reply to CommentMaybe the point of this season was to show that assuming the reins of the club changes any man, even Jax. Hell, Clay said as much in last season's finale. And then Opie came out with one of the best comebacks when Jax said he's not going to turn into Clay and he tells Jax he's afraid of turning into him. That should have been pointers right there that Jax is just as easily fazed by the power of the presidency. And while it didn't come as a surprise to me, even though it built up slowly, which I think was Sutter's intention all along, it's fascinating to see.
One image keeps coming back and I'm surprise that nobody (at least not that I know of) has been picking up on : the biggest and proudest symbol of an MC, the members' bikes, have been falling over, run over, shot to hell, pushed off the road, and run over again since the first episode of this season. Just about every episode, something happens to the bikes. It is the perfect metaphor that this club is on the verge of unravelling, the exact opposite of what Jax intended when he took over as president of SAMCRO, but no one seems to see it. Still too subtle, even for Sutter?
Tara's undoing is also morbidly fascinating, and Maggie Siff is just playing the hell out of it. Handing Otto that crucifix may well put her beyond both salvation and redemption and I'm very curious to see how this will play out. I feel that in Tara's behaviour, she's also started to take on a bit of Gemma's old persona, perhaps giving us an insight in how Gemma became who she is now, too. Tara might just end up being in on killing Jax like Gemma was on JT, with Gemma pointing out : "See why I had to do that?" Not saying it will happen, but it's possible. And meanwhile : two Gemmas within the bounds of Charming? That won't fly.
As for Clay, I just don't believe his 'I'm a tired old guy, just wanting to save whatever I can and get on with my life' shtick. Too much has happened, and he has been doing too many deals under the radar to not have a play. I just don't buy it. One part of me wishes he would get his comeuppance sooner rather than later, but we still have two seasons left after this.
Bobby always has been the conscience of the club and he dispensed a few good wisdoms in this last episode. With Jax having tunnel vision about expunging Clay and avenging Opie's death, though, I don't know if Bobby can pull him off that destructive path and maybe, just maybe, he might turn back to Clay if his advice falls on deaf ears. With Chibs being the loyal soldier, that once clear faction within the club that has now assumed command is rapidly falling apart, playing into Clay's cards.
Lots of things being set up here, more than enough to not resolve everything this season but keep enough interesting plots for the next one...
ireneinidaho ARF, your comment on the bikes being damaged, knocked over, etc in several episodes is an interesting observation. My English major heart is quite impressed. Too subtle for Sutter? Considering his love for violent, bloody scenes, you may be right, but there are other people in the writers' room and perhaps one of them slipped this in.
November 15, 2012 at 3:13AM EST(forgot my password) Leo Great observation about the bikes. Now I'm going to be keeping my eye out for that.
November 15, 2012 at 3:13PM ESTTim, I would've liked to see more stuff about how these biker gangs operate as well. Sort of what they did in season one with episodes like Patch Over.
Bill
November 15, 2012 at 1:48AM EST Reply to CommentWhat I dont get is why does jax all of a sudden needs proof to kill clay??the guy admitted to killing his father ,putting a hit on tara..responsible for opie's wife getting killed, killing piney,beating the shit out of gemma..now he needs proof? The show is getting ridicoulous and tig is killing people that killed opie but not the guy who burned his daughter alive?? Sutter is not being consistent wit his characters .no man especially an outlaw biker is gonna let sumone burn there kid to death and not kill the guy right away
Zelda I agree with you that the writing for Tig this season has been eyebrow-raising. In fact, it's the one thing that's been really bugging me, despite the fact that Tig has been fairly low-profile this season. A gangster burns his daughter alive in front of him, and his other daughter effectively disowns him, and three episodes later he's cracking jokes about Italian ice and lusting after transgendered hookers?
November 15, 2012 at 7:28AM ESTPlease. I think even the strongest, most cold-hearted man would be in the loony bin after witnessing his child brutally murdered as retaliation against him, and Tig, while clearly some kind of sociopath, is no Happy - or even Clay. By all rights Tig should be whacked out on drugs or maybe on some mountaintop ashram, fasting and meditating on the evils of his ways. I just don't buy that someone like Tig gets over something like that without some MAJOR psychic damage. Like, straightjacket-level stuff. Maybe there'll be some of that to come, but so far it's almost like he hasn't dealt with the psychic repercussions of Dawn's murder at all.
(forgot my password) Leo I think you have to look at the Jax needing "proof" thing through different eyes. On a very superficial level, he needs proof because Frankie's word should not be equal to Clay's word, since Frankie has openly violated the club. So Jax needs more to take it to a vote among the members.
November 15, 2012 at 12:47PM ESTThe reason this doesn't work if you look any deeper is because of problems the writers have created for the show. For one thing - there are so few members, when you think about it, who does Jax need the proof for? Just Happy and Phil - the others know and will back Jax.
The biggest problem really though is that there is such inconsistency in the actions and motivations of various characters and they don't act true to their nature. One minute they are impulsively acting out in rage (which is who they are, after all) and the next they are suddenly giving passes to those who have truly wronged them.
I was about to say that Opie's portrayal has been good, and when he shot Clay after he found out he killed his father. But then again he totally acted out of character when he gave Clay and Tig a pass for killing Donna. I mean really?
So IMHO, by trying to make it soap-opery (which is entertaining, after all) they have sacrificed making this a more gritty and realistic show and the plot and actions of the characters are just not going to bear close scrutiny. So I agree with others here who have said that they have lowered their expectations and are having a much better time this year. I know that's worked for me.
(forgot my password) Leo *Meant to add, that part of the reason this season is so much better than the two that preceded it isn't just because I've lowered expectations, it's because it really is better. The number one thing to me is that they (the writers) are finally resolving all the unnecessary "secrets" that everyone was keeping. I almost jumped for joy when Jax told Bobby to tell Chibs what's been going on. About time. (In fact when Jax was sitting down with Chibs in that scene asking about Chibs' loyalty, I half thought Chibs was going to say something to him about being pissed about being kept in the dark for so long. He should have.)
November 15, 2012 at 3:09PM ESTI mean there are some silly soap-opera secrets still out there, like Tara not letting Jax know his mother was responsible for JT's death, but at least there's much less of that going on this season, and a lot more personal time and interactions between the club members.
Darkdoug
November 15, 2012 at 10:38PM EST Reply to CommentAfter Roosevelt's comments the last two seasons, and the whole Juice thing, I'm wondering if this episode closes the book on the issue of the SoA being racist? The reaction of Jax & Bobby to Chibb's revelation, and the apparently shared feeling about changing the bylaws seems to place that particular old rule in the "hell, does anyone even CARE about that anymore" category. Also, the seemingly equal and positive relationship between the SoA & GB.
In hindsight, I think the rule came about because back when the SoA was founded, their attitude was one of rebellion and defiance. In the 1970s there was a lot of racial discord and the controversies over integration. Racially homogenous MCs would have been one way of bucking the contemporaneous societal trends, and evading that disharmony within the brotherhood(s).
It should be recalled as well, that segregation was originally seen as a progressive measure in response to racial attitudes that were holding blacks down and back. They instituted "seperate but equal" with the idea of allowing blacks equality without imposing on the racists, but of course, forgot to follow through, and the racists took control, allowing the seperate to remain, but the equality never followed up. Seperate but equal was, like the 3/5ths rule, originally a compromise with the reality of racism, misunderstood in later eras as a racist policy.
With the apparent respect of the Sons for the Bastards and a relationship as positive as any the club has with any other outside organization (up to and including several of their own chapters), I wonder if the racial policies of the two clubs are simply a matter of dealing with the realities of their times, rather than any genuine antipathy between the races.
If there was anything more to it than that, I doubt we'd be seeing the universal indifference to Juice's racial heritage that has been displayed by every member who learns the truth (granted, Clay didn't want to alienate his only close ally left in the club, but Jax, Bobby & Chibbs had no reason to disseminate).
I also don't think it really counts as racism to lash out with racial epithets against people you have a life-or-death problem with (or who burned your daughter alive in front of you). Its just grasping at any insulting thing you can call someone you have a reason to hate, whereas racism would be hating or acting in opposition to someone solely for their race. That's why you can have black, white and brown soldiers who would literally die for one another, referring to their enemies as ragheads or skinnies or gooks or whatever the derogatory slang for the current enemy might be. When the Sons use racial slurs against the Mayans, or 19ers, or Calaverdes, it doesn't mean they hate them more than their Aryan or Irish or Russian adversaries-of-the-moment, it just means that we have worse words in American vernacular of those groups. If there was an N-word equivalent for Weston, Jimmy O or Putlova, they'd have used it on them as well.
chris mcpeck
November 16, 2012 at 4:09PM EST Reply to Commentif your going to do anythins with bobby and want a brother in the past to come on the show ,, i think you should pick me to play his brother ,,,