TVSquad

(S02E02) - "Unraveling the matriarch will destabilize them. They're all little boys who need a strong mommy."

The thing I'm starting to love about this show is the way it switches gears on just about any incline. They are so swift and sudden that the law should go totally "nanny state" and require me to wear a helmet during each week's episode.

For example: in this week's chapter, we see the aftermath of Gemma's rape and the toll it takes on her as she tries to keep it from the club. Then the very next shot is of Tig, played by Kim Coates and some random fishnet whore slowly waking up with hangovers that could stun an elephant, together in a spent 69.

And I ain't talking about a broken down '69 Chevy.

Of course, the mix this time is a much heavier cocktail, consisting of a sullen Gemma still reeling from the effects of the rape by the Aryans. Letting Katey Sagal sing a solemn cover of the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" was really a great move on whomever made that call. She's not only a damn fine singer, but it lets the audience know what's going on in Gemma's head in a different and fresh way. It felt like watching a musical with all the corn syrup cut out of it.

Meanwhile, that's intertwined with a skull-cracking sub plot involving a local porn producer encroaching in the club's, um, after-school affairs. Oh hell, forget it. I'm talking about porno and it's got me excited. It's not only a great, new storyline for the boys because it's a legit business that doesn't stray too far from the club's usual business, but it also lets me play my favorite media guessing game: "Porn Roulette." The show is bound to do a couple of modern sounding porn titles and you have to guess the shows or movies that they are going to subtly spoof. Right now, I've got six to one odds on Boinking Bad, three to one on The Bi-Curious Case of Benjamin Butt-tappin', and an even deuce on The Big Bang Theory.

Kudos should also go to casting for letting Tom Arnold play the sleaze merchant on the other side of the street. He didn't get much screen time, but I'm hoping he'll come around in another episode for some good ol' fashioned revenge. He really gives you someone to hate, which for a character who threatens to beat up women for not appearing in his skin flicks is pretty low in the first place. Arnold also has the most punchable face in Hollywood since Peter Lorre. He should have been on the fist end of every one of Chuck Norris' movies.

Some parts did seem a bit over the top, like Bobby, played by Mark Boone Jr., launching his lunch all over one of Arnold's porn goons. It just felt unnecessary and in search of a cheap laugh (said the guy who just wrote Boinking Bad). The goon didn't even try to wail on SAMCRO. If I put someone on my payroll to crack some skulls for me, they better be strong enough to take a "lunch punch."

As for the brewing tensions between the club and the supremacists, Ethan Zobelle, played by Adam Arkin, and his interesting power play with the Mayans is bound to create a big problem between Ethan and A.J., played by Henry Rollins. SOA knows how to take small twists and turn them into big knots for their characters down the road. Expect this one to turn into a huge sheepshank or at least a Fleming Eight on the white-hate side.

Of course, major props are in order for Sagal who has started to turn Gemma into a more vulnerable character by turning to Tara, played by Maggie Siff, for a shoulder to cry on without crying actual tears. Even Gemma's nanny Neeta, played by Cleo King, deserves a mention for her performance as their relationship grows. You've got to love a show where the smallest characters have a chance to shine as bright as its biggest stars.