(S02E10) I'm filling in for Danny, who experienced a DVR malfunction, so be gentle with me, as I've been a bit here and there with Sons of Anarchy this season. Last winter, I raced through season one for Jane After Dark, and fell in love with the gritty characters and edgy storyline. But to tell you the truth, I had trouble watching it after Gemma's rape this season. It was really disturbing, and I wasn't sure I wanted all of that in my head all the time.
But the fact is that Sons of Anarchy is a great show and -- like many other FX shows -- unlike most of what you see on TV these days. So I'm happy to have this chance to get caught up a little bit with season two.
I won't even try to sort out all of the alliances within SAMCRO, the Irish, the Aryans, the IRA, the feds, whomever else might be involved -- you guys can talk about that in the comments. But it's clear that the fallout between Clay and Jax has been a long time coming. It's hard to imagine Jax ex-communicating to join the NOMAD charter, but that's the way it seemed to be going down in the first part of this episode.
Is Jax following in his father's footsteps, feeling lost in his own club? However it plays out, it's clear that no one was fooling around when Jax took off his SAMCRO jacket at the table, while the rest of the club looked on in sort of stunned silence. Whether or not that's the "psychic shift" Bobby mentioned the club needing, it was an emotional scene, in a quiet, here's-what-I-need-to-do way. But by episode's end, we all know what that psychic shift turned out to be.
So many great scenes in this episode:
The first scene with Jax and Gemma where she tells him that joining NOMAD is a bad idea. "I don't think your father's death was an accident," she told him. "I think he hated his life, and he let the road take it. I don't want that same fate for you, Jax. The things I do, I do to keep you safe ... NOMAD is a bad idea." The relationship between Jax and Gemma seems to be the one constant on this show. It's clear she'll do anything to protect her son.
The conversation between Jax and Clay, where Jax asks him point-blank if he wants him gone, and Clay says yes. It was heartfelt and sincere, in a weird way.
The scene where Gemma asks
And, of course ...
The scene where Gemma tells Clay and Jax about the rape. As Danny pointed out to me, the rape was committed by the Aryans to enrage and disrupt the club. Instead, it's done the complete opposite. It's united them, as was evidenced when Jax went over to offer comfort to his mom and put his hand on Clay's shoulder, then picked up his badges and gun on his way out the door. He was back in the club. Danny mentioned that during an interview with Katey Sagal, she said the show is really all about family. There's no clearer evidence of that than this scene. Really well done.
Some other quotes:
"If I don't get away from Clay now, one of us is going to end up dead." - Jax
"And we both know who that should be, don't we?" - Piney
"You wanna trust your father's legacy to those two clowns?" - Piney, on letting Tig and Bobby take over the club from Clay if Jax defects to NOMAD
"And I always thought that you were too damn pretty to be a killer." - Agent Stahl
"Wish I could say the same." - Jax
"NOMAD is MC purgatory. No family, no roots ... look, you don't want Jax in a charter scattered across four states, on the road alone. The list of enemies we have? You want that phone call telling you where to pick up the body?" - Gemma to Tara
Ok, talk amongst yourselves. How did you feel about this episode? Do you think Gemma was waiting for the right opportunity to tell Clay and Jax about the rape, waiting for the right moment when the info would do the most good to bring them back together? Do you think all is well between Jax and Clay now, or will there be more fallout yet to come? Looking forward to your thoughts.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-11-2009 @ 6:24AM
Xina said...
Oh, I think there is more fallout, as the issue with Jax's father is still up in the air.
Gemma was smart, she took her time, held in her pain, and when she dropped the bombshell about her rape, it brought all the boys together. The Aryans plan was good...bring down the Alpha female, and let's face it ALL those 'boys' love her and would die for her.
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11-11-2009 @ 7:08AM
Lee said...
Great episode overall - my favorite quote of the night was when Sack was in the mud just saying 'Corm' over and over - we just busted out laughing
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11-11-2009 @ 7:31AM
Rhomboid said...
I hope we get to see what the club is truly capable of in terms of well-thought out revenge plans, now that they seem to be more united. All their attempts so far have been hasty and ended up backfiring.
I'd also like to know why they didn't mention whether any bodies turned up in the ashes of the porn studio. There was the one-finger guy trapped in the office as well as the meth dealer, both we were led to believe were killed in the fire. That's the kind of thing that I would think the police would be all over.
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11-11-2009 @ 7:37AM
Argent said...
i remember reading a review somewhere where the reviewer said that essentially the allusions to hamlet were all done way with in S2.
hah.
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11-11-2009 @ 8:17AM
charles melrose III said...
Lucky for us you were available to review this episode, but let's get on to the really important stuff:
Do you think the actresses eat enough? What size leather pants do you think Katey Sagal wears? Do you think Tara's scrubs are sufficiently baggy to permit you to dream she's not fit and conventionally beautiful? Are you offended that the actresses portraying porn performers are allowed to display their bodies so freely? How would you rewrite the script to get them to cover up on screen? Some of them look pretty well fed, don't you think?
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11-11-2009 @ 10:10AM
SadiesRotten said...
to charles melrose III . . .
you need to crawl back under the rock you crawled out from. Whats wrong with you??? There's pressure on women in today's society to practically starve themselves to look fit. Thats insane! Who cares what size the women are in SOA, its the storylines and the superb acting we care about!
Shame on you!
Thanks to Jane for your review. I heard about this show last year, but didn't watch for fear it would be pulled from tv before a second season. Once I saw it made it, I got the dvd for season 1 and got caught up. Last nights episode was to me, the crowning glory of this show and I am so glad I am along for the ride!
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11-11-2009 @ 10:46AM
Gina said...
Loved this episode. I don't think Gemma was ever going to tell the club about the rape. She was too afraid of what they would do. She figured they would rightly want revenge and justice for her and some of her boys might get killed in the attempt. But she spilled to save her son. I thought that Tara would have sat down next to Gemma and held her hand while she told Clay and Jax what happened. I think when Jax has a chance to think he is going to be really angry at Tara. When Gemma told Tara to sit down too because she already knew what Gemma had to say Jax gave Tara a look. When he finishes processing this he is going to go and ask Tara why she didn't tell him. In Tara's defense it was not her tale to tell.
I still think Clay and Jax have many things to work out. Jax needs to be honest with Clay and tell him that he would like to get the club out of its illegal businesses that the future he sees for the club is less violent and more of a business entity. All of the sneaking around and trying to do it behind Clay's back is what brought all of this to a head to begin with. Clay may not like it but he also realizes that he will not be in charge forever and it will be Jax's club sooner rather than later.
Also I am pretty sure (from stuff from last season) that Gemma and Clay had something to do with Jax's fathers death. Someone correct me if I am wrong but they seemed very upset last season when they figured out that Jax had his father's journal.
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11-11-2009 @ 11:04AM
Xina said...
One correction...Gemma didn't kiss Hale...she kissed Chief Unser. BIG difference. Unser has been there for her, and their relationship is one amazing part of this show.
I dont' think Jax will get mad at tara, he might for a moment, but he knows his mother, and I think he will appreciate that Tara was there for her, when others couldn't be.
I originally thought maybe Gemma and Clay had something to do with Jax's father's death, but now I am not so sure...I wonder if he committed suicide and they are afraid that Jax has some of that same recklessness in him.
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11-11-2009 @ 8:08PM
Jen said...
Nice to see Juice, it's been a while. Very interesting that the person who is most used for comedic effect tonight had the most dramatic monologue.
I can't believe Chibs is going to rat out the IRA. And without telling his club?
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11-12-2009 @ 2:16PM
Gina said...
he is doing it to save his wife and daughter. The guy from the IRA took his wife and daughter and is threatening to rape his daughter (she is around 10 or 12 years old). Even if they don't come back to him he wants them safe.
11-11-2009 @ 9:10PM
Jane Boursaw said...
Thanks for the catch re Chief Unser, Christina. So noted and fixed.
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11-11-2009 @ 9:34PM
Echy said...
The end of that epiode was very powerful with Gemma's recount of the rape. I loved how it brought Jax back into the club. I can't wait for more.
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11-11-2009 @ 9:34PM
Echy said...
The end of that episode was very powerful with Gemma's recount of the rape. I loved how it brought Jax back into the club. I can't wait for more.
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11-12-2009 @ 7:44AM
Echy said...
One thing that I was confused on was what happened to Darby after AJ Weston (Henry Rollins) started beating him up in the warehouse. Did he get burned up in the fire? The same for the guy with the two fingers.
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11-12-2009 @ 10:16PM
ERAN said...
First - praises - this episode was some of the most superb acting I have ever seen. Half Sack tripping on the shrooms. Tig having a total guilt meltdown and the best of the best when Gemma told Jax and Clay about what really happened to her. They said SO much without uttering one single word of dialogue. I cried!
Now - my thoughts - I don't think Gemma ever intended to tell them what really happened. I think she felt she had to in order to not lose Jax. I also don't think Jax is going to get very angry with Tara for keeping the secret. Second, I think that Jax and Clay are still going to have some serious unresolved conflict about Clay trying to kill Opie. To me that has been the most frustrating thing so far this season is Op siding against Jax when most of what pushed Jax to start pursuing his father's dream for the club was to protect Op and keep things like that from happening again. Thirdly, I completely think that Clay killed John Teller, whether or not Gemma new before it happened I'm still undecided, I think she lied to Jax when she said his father committed suicide.
Still, best episode yet and best acting ever!
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11-13-2009 @ 4:13PM
Melody said...
First of all this show is outstanding. This episode was an emotional roller coaster. I laughed. I cried. What a great television show should be. An the actors and actresses on this show are incredible.
I'm with alot of other people that have commented here that I don't think Gemma ever intended to tell SAMCRO about her rape. She clearly loves Jax more than anything and needed to do what she had to do to keep him safe. Second, there is no way that the conflict between Clay and Jax is over and will fuel this show for the seasons to come. Especially because I still think that Clay, and possibly Gemma, had everything to do with John's death. I'm surprised that this thought has never crossed Piney's mind or maybe it has and we just haven't seen that in the storyline yet. There are so many questions that I have I can't see them being able to tie all of them up in the few episodes that are left this season. I guess that is part of what makes it such a great show week after week.
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11-14-2009 @ 11:53AM
GJ Head said...
How many episodes are left in this season?
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11-18-2009 @ 1:45PM
Brenda Bass said...
Is the SOA going to be picked up for another season I hope so because the show is great.
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