Jax and Tara 3x12 and 3x13
Recap: ‘Sons of Anarchy’: Meeting Mr. Mayhem – Pop Culture Interruption
I’m not quite sure why FX decided to air a new episode of ‘Sons of Anarchy’ last night amidst the hullabaloo of the 2012 presidential election, but they did. Maybe they figured the typical ‘SOA’ fan isn’t the same person who’d spend the hours between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. glued to election coverage, I don’t know.
But the numbers, unsurprisingly, were not as high as last week’s episode, which earned a 2.5 rating amongst 18-49 year olds and was tied with NBA basketball for the number one cable program of the evening. Last night’s episode, “Andare Pescare,” was down 15% and earned a 2.1 rating.
I, of course, was one of those people who switched over to FX from CNN and MSNBC when the clock struck 10 PM, and I’m eager to see who else did. Because once again, a lot of shit went down in Charming (and Tahoe) last night and I’m dying to discuss it with you guys.
Last week’s episode was a turning point in the season and it really set up the events that would eventually transpire this week. In “Ablation” we learned that Jax is not above using his disgraced mother in order to get what he wants, and we learned that Frankie Diamonds has taken off with a bundle of Nero’s cash.
This week we saw that after giving Chibs a good crack to the skull (one that required the use of staples), Frankie took off for Tahoe where he bought himself some mob protection with Nero’s cash. He was hiding out in a cabin of Leo Pirelli’s until he could make his way out of the country.
After getting word of this new development, the club voted to kill Frankie, or as they put it, let him meet Mr. Mayhem. And though the vote was unanimous, as soon as Jax shut the doors to the chapel, he and Bobby immediately devised a new plan to find out what Frankie knew about Clay and the home invasions and then agreed to hand him over to Roosevelt in exchange for information about the rat he said was in their midst.
Recap: ‘Sons of Anarchy’ reaches a turning point in “Ablation”- but is it for the better? – Pop Culture Interruption
One could say that I haven’t exactly been the biggest fan of ‘Sons of Anarchy’ this season. That doesn’t mean I don’t anxiously await for 10 pm to roll around every Tuesday night. It doesn’t mean that I’m not still deeply invested in the lives of these characters (seriously, Chibs, are you OK?). It just means that I, like most viewers, would have preferred to see Clay bite the dust at the end of last season. And when that didn’t happen, a permanent shadow was cast over the show.
But after this week’s episode, I can at least accept the story that Sutter is telling regarding Clay and the Club, even if I still don’t fully support it. All this season we’ve watched as Clay took a backseat in Jax’s presidency, but we haven’t left the Clay presidency completely behind, because Jax is is slowly and surely being corrupted by the president patch. He’s adopting Clay’s MO – he’s lying to people he cares about in order to get what he wants. He’s doing backroom deals in order to gain the upperhand and to fix the Club’s problems. And all the while Jax is turning into Clay, Tara is mimicking the same destructive tendencies that have become the Gemma trademark. Power corrupts, and the power of the club corrupts completely, folks.
In this week’s episode, a lot of blood was spilt; some SAMCRO, some random, some ex-porn star. But underneath that blood, was a foundation made out of lies.
Everyone was lying to everyone this week. Gemma was lying to Jax who was lying to Clay who was also lying to Jax. In this expertly drawn up and totally professional looking diagram of the episode, you can clearly see that Clay is the root of all evil.
Click here for the full review.
Recap: ‘Sons of Anarchy’: Driving for Dummies, by Gemma Teller – Pop Culture Interruption
I guess if we’re never going to return to the greatness of the second season of ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ at least there’s one good thing to say about the show: at least the characters are consistent.
This week Clay proved, once again, just how badly he needs to go, and Gemma, one again, does some really stupid shit that ends with dire consequences.
If you recall, we learned last week that Clay was behind the home invasions. He ordered the three new SAMCRO members to do his bidding in order to make Jax look weak so he could eventually reclaim his spot at the head of the table. Newsflash, bro, that ain’t gonna happen. I mean, can you even hold the gavel anymore, old man? Your arthritis has to be really bad now. And after Rita Roosevelt died from her wounds, there’s really no chance in hell you’re going to escape this one with just a bullet to the chest.
But let’s back up a second, because I’d like to start with Gemma, since her over-the-top car crash at the end of the episode has left me wondering if Kurt Sutter will soon be adding child murderer to his already long list of sins committed on the show.
For weeks we’ve watched as Tara and Gemma pushed and pulled at each other while trying to claim the top spot, both in Jax’s heart and in the Club. I know that Gemma’s going through a rough time – she started the episode in a dirty motel room with guest starJeff WingerJoel McHale, who steals her wallet and her SUV as soon as she wakes up for a post-sex cry session in the bathroom – but I find it hard to believe that a woman as fiercely loyal and protective of her children and grandchildren as she is, would actually endanger them by getting in a car when it’s obvious that she’s wasted. But then again, what do I know?
Click here for the rest.
After last nights episode I love her but she still ain’t no Gemma!
Nope, no she isn’t. And I think that’s probably what this storyline will eventually turn out to be about. She’s awesome and she doesn’t take shit from people and she’s obviously changed a lot, but there’s only one Gemma - and there only ever will be one Gemma.
Recap: ‘Sons of Anarchy’: The lost boy
Last week I was forced to watch the episode “Laying Pipe” through my fingers, behind a pillow and with my eyes mostly shut. I couldn’t bear to watch the gruesome scene that had unfolded before me.
I, like most people, loved Opie Winston (Ryan Hurst). Sure, I love Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and I count Juice (Theo Rossi) as my favorite son of anarchy, but Opie was a character that most people would have called beloved. He was the strong silent type, but he was also the type to step up and have your back, no matter the cost – the true backbone of SAMCRO.
If there was one character who I think embodied everything that the club stood for at its founding, I think it would have to be Opie. He gave his heart, his soul, his everything to a club that would eventually be the death of him. I understand his willingness to walk into that room, and I understand that going on without Donna and without his father was probably just too much to bear, even for those broad shoulders, but I don’t think I’ll be coming to terms with what happened anytime soon.
Tonight, as I watched the brothers of SAMCRO pay their respects to their fallen comrade, I found it insanely hard not to cry. Call me a sap, call me a girl, make fun of me all you want. But there is something to be said about a show that can affect you that way. Not many shows have the balls to kill off main cast members, and most shows would never in a million years do it to such a brilliant character and in the brutal way that Opie went out.
So instead of my regular ‘Sons of Anarchy’ recap, I think tonight I’m going to cut it short. I’ve already touched on the reasoning behind Opie’s willingness to sacrifice himself and I’ve already written about why I think his death was not just a reaction to Kurt Sutter’s unwillingness to off Clay last season.
I’ve spent a lot of time this past week dwelling on what Opie’s death meant to Jax, to the club, to the show and to me. And in the end I found that Opie was kind of the glue that held all those things together for me. I know that’s kind of ridiculous to be that moved by a television show, but when the writing and the acting is as good as it is on ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ I think you’d be remiss if you just let it roll off your back like you were watching an episode of ‘New Girl.’
However, there are a few things that I think need to be touched on, as they are quite important to ongoing story lines…
- Jax, in exchange for Nero to stay away from Gemma and his family, has offered the man the women of CaraCara to get his business up and running again. He and the Sons will be silent partners in the prostitution business.
- Gemma, the ever sly master manipulator, was able to goad Tara into beating a woman. Sure, the woman probably had it coming, but we’ve never seen Tara that way before. Because of what Nero’s madam did, Jax had to lay down his bike (though, technically I think the reason was Ashley Tisdale, but whatever) and after taking out her earrings (ever the classy lady) and attempting to strangle Gemma, Tara’s overwhelming anger broke through and she beat the madam’s face in with her cast. All of this happened as Gemma looked on and did nothing.
- I have to say that while I approve of Tara standing up for herself and for not taking shit from anyone (mainly Gemma), I am a little concerned about the dark path that her mother-in-law seems to be sending her on. Part of the reason I fell in love with the Tara character was because she was a strong and badass woman, but she had a conscious, and she was able to control herself and control Jax. I am afraid to see where this storyline ends up.
- It’s getting harder and harder for me to see Tig and Clay and not want to punch my hand through my television screen. Every time I see their faces, I’m reminded of Donna, of Piney and of Opie. And I cannot wait until they get their due.
And once again, the music supervisor for ‘Sons of Anarchy’ has hit the nail on the head. You can tell that the music for each episode is carefully picked and the song that played over tonight’s closing montage was beautiful in its own right, but it was also beautiful in the way it reflected Opie and his end. The song is called “The Lost Boy” by Greg Holden, and you can watch the video of him singing it by clicking here. I’ve already purchased it and listened to it a good five or six times. I suggest you consider doing the same.
I don’t like the fact her and Jax got married.
Really? Why?
I think it boils down to people are dumb and make ignorant comments. I mean, I guess you can hate her if you want, but don’t go around throwing out, “everyone does this or that…” because the fact of the matter is, I know way more people who like/love Tara than think she’s a waste of space.
But yeah, I’m going with the people are dumb theory.
I’m glad that so many of you agree with me re: Tara on ‘Sons of Anarchy.’
For a second I thought I was going to have to get my soapbox back out like I did when people were hating on Winona on ‘Justified.’
Just because a bitch is fierce and doesn’t take shit from anyone is nota reason to hate her. It’s a reason to like her.
I like her more this season than I ever have! I’m not sure about her methods, but I’m THRILLED that she’s finally getting a backbone and standing up to Gemma.
I don’t know if I like her more than ever, because I’ve pretty much been a hardcore Tara supporter since the first season. But I can definitely say that my love for the character has not changed.
I’m happy that she finally doesn’t take shit from Gemma. Well, wait, I don’t think she necessarily took shit from Gemma before, but she just never was so matter of fact about it. Before while she might have let it roll off her back or made a snide remark, she’s actually confronting Gemma, and I think that’s a great thing. I don’t want to see her morph full-on into Gemma Jr, and I think there are parts of Tara’s personality that will never let that happen, but I think assertive and protective and queen bitch Tara is a great character.
