TVSquad

(S02E09) - "I know the greater devil when I see it." - Deputy Chief Hale to Clay

The great thing about a show like Sons of Anarchy is you never exactly know when you're watching its true boiling point. You might think the situation you're watching is the apex of the conflict, particularly the beef between Clay and Jax, but it always finds an interesting and surprising way of making it worse and makes you forget that it still has more episodes to go.

That's the true sign of a good series. It sucks you in and erases any and all concept of time. Unlike other TV shows that you can just have in the background to break the silence of your lonely place, SOA demands your attention and gets it every time, at least for this season. You can't just leave it on and not not watch it (screw good grammar, if you can think of a better and more entertaining way to say it, be my guest). Anything that can stop and slow time, whether it's a TV show, a flying DeLorean or a hot tub deserves special merit in my book.

The situation between SAMCRO and The League (that's the League of American Nationalists, not to be confused with the guys from FX's The League. If the latter were the case, the season would have been a hell of a lot shorter, even if they have Drew Brees as their first string QB choice) has reached another white hot level. But what's worse is the one between Jax and Clay that can only end with one of them leaving the club and from what I've seen so far, it appears to be Jax. The ending where Jax believed Clay blew up Luann's porn factory instead of the Nationalists did feel like a bit of stretch upon second glance, but it made for a very shocking and entertaining ending as the nail that officially drives the final wedge between them ... or has it?

And as sorry as I'll be to watch Darby, played by Mitch Pileggi, go, it was nice to see the man get his due and pay for his ignorance. Why would anyone trust someone who just threw them under the bus and within a span of 20 minutes? And it's not like he's putting his trust in a Boy Scout troop or a Peace Corps outlet. These people he's working under are the evil spawn of evil. That being said, I wonder if the two-fingered bean counter survived? Please say yes, Kurt Sutter. Last week's eye poke scene with Georgie the Porn Baron's bouncer still has me chuckling.

The real star of this episode goes to Opie, played by Ryan Hurst. His family problems since the tragic loss of his wife have been peering its ugly head in various jobs and shoot-outs but it came to full-bore with the judge and his druggie son. He really showed a great depth of emotion and believability in his words and actions. It's hard to say that things went over the top because if someone shot you in the foot and still wasn't getting what they wanted out of you, it would be hard not to act like a raving lunatic on an ether binge. Anyone who saw the scene and still didn't know the exposition behind Opie's life could tell there was more going on than a botched interrogation.

The only complaint I have with the episode was the ending. Once again, we get a full-on shot of Jax's ass. Now I know if my chromosomes or orientation were different that my perspective would follow as well, but it's really not fair for those of us on the hetero pride float. Tell you what. I'll make a deal with you FX: if you will show a tasty eyeful of unobstructed porn star boobies in the next episode, then I'll look past the gratuitous man-ass, literally.

[Watch clips and episodes of Sons of Anarchy on SlashControl.]